Smart.Vet

What Smart.Vet does

Smart.Vet, which rebranded to VetWise in 2018, is a Canadian veterinary telemedicine company headquartered in Burlington, Ontario, founded by Dr. Sharon Quinn, a licensed veterinarian and practice owner. The company provides 24/7 after-hours phone support to veterinary practices by deploying licensed Registered Veterinary Technicians (RVTs) and veterinarians — typically with 10+ years of experience — who triage inbound calls, provide clinical guidance to pet owners, and convert non-emergency cases into next-day appointments at the originating practice. The stated goal is to relieve on-call burden on practice teams (addressing a sector with veterinarian burnout rates reportedly 2-4x higher than human healthcare) while preserving the client-practice relationship and practice revenue that would otherwise be lost to emergency hospitals. The company reports diverting over 70% of emergency after-hours calls to telemedicine for its on-call practices, and cites an $88,000 annual appointment-revenue uplift per typical 4-FTE-DVM practice converting 60 after-hours calls per month.

The technology stack consists of a cloud-based telemedicine platform with an AI-assisted intake/triage module that captures pet name, symptoms, and urgency level to route calls efficiently, integrated with practice management systems for online booking. The product portfolio includes three offerings: (1) the VetWise Care Platform, a subscription-based virtual consultation tool allowing practice DVMs to conduct teletriage and keep 100% of consultation revenue; (2) Relay, a teletriage add-on launched to counter declining general-practice client visits by scheduling stable patients for next-day in-practice appointments; and (3) Locum Veterinarian Services, a transactional offering where VetWise's own DVMs handle virtual consults on behalf of practices for a per-consult fee. The go-to-market is a direct enterprise sales motion targeting veterinary hospital owners and administrators, supplemented by SEO, educational content, an ROI calculator, and a self-service channel for pet owners. All revenue is generated within Canada across at least seven provinces.

Name

Smart.Vet

Legal name

VetWise

Website

https://smart.vet

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

VetWise (formerly Smart.Vet) is a Canadian veterinary telemedicine company providing 24/7 after-hours phone triage, virtual consultations, and locum coverage for veterinary practices, using licensed RVTs and veterinarians.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Veterinary Telemedicine Services

NAICS

Veterinary Services (54194)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Tele-veterinary & Virtual Care Platforms (Video/Chat, Remote Triage) (HLAMAGAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Veterinary Telemedicine & Virtual Care Platforms (HLAMAMAC), Online Booking, Intake & Digital Front Door (Forms, Consent, Waitlist) (HLAMAGAD), Veterinary Telemedicine & Remote Care Services (AFAEANAJ), Veterinary EMR/EHR & Clinical Workflow (HLAMAMAB)

Keywords

• Veterinary telemedicine
• After-hours triage
• Telephone vet support
• Veterinary telehealth platform
• Remote veterinary care

Headquarters

HQ city

Burlington

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. After-Hours Phone Support Service: Subscription-based 24/7 veterinary phone support where licensed RVTs and veterinarians answer after-hours calls on behalf of veterinary practices. RVTs triage calls and convert non-emergency calls to next-day appointments at the practice, preserving client relationships and practice revenue.
2. Virtual Consult Platform (VetWise Care): Platform fee or per-consultation fee where practice DVMs use VetWise platform to handle consultations they choose to take. Practices keep 100% of revenue from client charges.
3. Locum DVM Services: When practice needs a vet but doesn't want to take the call, VetWise locum veterinarians handle the consult on behalf of the practice. Practice sets client pricing, VetWise charges a locum fee, and practice keeps the difference.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Smart.Vet (VetWise) provides a cloud-based veterinary telemedicine platform that delivers 24/7 after-hours phone support staffed by licensed Registered Veterinary Technicians and veterinarians, triaging pet-owner calls on behalf of subscribing veterinary practices. The service acts as a clinical extension of the practice, diverting non-emergency cases to remote care and routing cases that need physical exams to partner clinics via its Relay Service.

Product overview

VetWise (formerly Smart.Vet, founded 2018) is a veterinary telemedicine platform offering a suite of after-hours support services. The core offering is 24/7 teletriage and phone support provided by licensed RVTs and veterinarians who serve as an extension of veterinary practices. The product portfolio includes the VetWise Care Platform for practice-based virtual consultations, the Relay Service for teletriage with next-day scheduling to the practice, and Locum Veterinarian Services where VetWise's own DVMs handle consults on behalf of practices. The platform also incorporates AI-powered triage for efficient call intake, with over 70% of emergency after-hours calls being diverted to telemedicine rather than ER visits.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• After-Hours Phone Support Service 24/7 telephone triage service staffed by licensed Registered Veterinary Technicians and veterinarians, answering pet-owner calls on behalf of subscribing veterinary practices outside normal business hours and providing clinical advice, triage, and care guidance.
• VetWise Care Platform Cloud-based veterinary telemedicine platform that powers AI-assisted intake, protocol-driven triage, practice-branded consultations, and integration with practice management systems for veterinary hospitals.
• Relay Service Relay pathway that converts telemedicine triage into booked in-clinic visits at the originating veterinary practice when physical examination or treatment is required, keeping the case within the client's primary care relationship.
• Locum DVM Services Temporary licensed veterinarian (DVM) staffing service providing short-term clinical coverage for veterinary practices facing gaps in their doctor schedule.

Quantifiable outcome

• 70%+ of emergency after-hours calls diverted to telemedicine for on-call practices
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature5 records

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• AirVet: US-based veterinary telehealth platform offering 24/7 live chat and video consultations with licensed veterinarians for practices and pet parents. Closest direct competitor to VetWise's core after-hours coverage and triage model.
• Vetster: Online veterinary telehealth marketplace connecting pet owners directly with veterinarians for virtual appointments. A direct competitor in virtual vet care, with overlapping target customers and practitioner workforce.
• GuardianVets: Provides after-hours telephone triage, client communication, and telemedical support to veterinary hospitals as a white-labeled extension. Direct overlap with VetWise's after-hours RVT call handling and Relay service.
• whiskerDocs: 24/7 pet telehealth service offering triage, advice, and consultation for pet owners via phone, chat, and video. Comparable virtual triage and pet-owner-facing experience, overlapping VetWise's pet owner touchpoint.
• TeleVet: Veterinary practice-branded telehealth and client communication platform for hospitals to offer virtual care to their own clients. Highly comparable in offering practice-branded virtual consults similar to VetWise Care.
• Otto (formerly TeleTails): Veterinary telehealth platform enabling practices to offer branded virtual care and triage to their clients. Direct overlap with VetWise's practice-branded virtual consultation and triage offering.

Emerging players

• PetDesk: Veterinary client communication and engagement platform that includes appointment booking, reminders, and emerging telehealth features. Comparable in its PMS integration and client-retention focus, partially overlapping VetWise's front-door and booking capabilities.
• Pawp: Subscription-based pet health service providing 24/7 telehealth, vet chat, and an emergency fund. Comparable virtual triage/advice model aimed at pet owners, overlapping VetWise's pet-owner-facing portal.

Regional players

• FirstVet: European veterinary telehealth service offering on-demand video consultations with licensed veterinarians. Comparable tele-vet model but primarily operating in Europe rather than North America.

Broad incumbents

• Televet (practice management integrated player): Major veterinary practice management and diagnostics vendors (e.g., IDEXX, Covetrus/Animana, ezyVet) increasingly embed telehealth and client engagement features into their platforms, representing a broad incumbent threat to niche telehealth players like VetWise.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Smart.Vet