Veterinary Poisons Information Service (VPIS)

What Veterinary Poisons Information Service (VPIS) does

Veterinary Poisons Information Service (VPIS) operates as a private UK company (ESMS Global Limited) and is the country's only dedicated 24-hour animal poison centre, providing telephone-based emergency toxicology advice to veterinary professionals and, via its Animal PoisonLine (APL) subsidiary, to pet owners. Founded in 1992 and headquartered in London, the service runs 24/7 and is backed by a database of 450,000+ historical cases accumulated over more than 30 years, covering diverse species, substances, and clinical outcomes. Infrastructure is centred on specialist toxicologists rather than software platforms, with toxicology expertise anchored by clinical partnerships with the Royal Veterinary College, Guy's and St Thomas' Poisons Unit, and Medical Toxicology Information Services.

The core offering is split between a veterinary-facing service (VPIS) and a consumer-facing service (APL). VPIS monetises primarily through annual credit-based memberships priced at £246 to £1,820.40 plus VAT, with per-enquiry fees charged to non-members. APL charges £35 per case in-hours and £45 out-of-hours to pet owners. Around these core advisory services, the company sells the co-branded BSAVA/VPIS Guide, CPD courses, adder anti-venom supply, and expert witness services, monetising its accumulated toxicology expertise in adjacent revenue lines. Multi-country telephone numbers now cover the UK, Ireland, Denmark, and Sweden, signalling an in-progress international expansion layered on top of the domestic UK base.

In 2025, the group handled 32,000+ enquiries (12,031 VPIS, 19,804 APL, plus 165 APL Member cases), up from 21,000+ enquiries in 2022, a ~52% three-year increase. Operations are supported by 11–50 employees, with the service functioning as a high-trust, niche information utility rather than a scaled software platform.

Name

Veterinary Poisons Information Service (VPIS)

Legal name

ESMS Global Limited

Website

https://vpisglobal.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Veterinary Poisons Information Service (VPIS) is the UK's only dedicated 24/7 animal poison centre, providing telephone-based toxicology advice to veterinary professionals and pet owners via its Animal PoisonLine subsidiary, backed by a 450,000+ case database accumulated since 1992.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Veterinary Toxicology Information Services

NAICS

Veterinary Services (541940)

SIC

Services-Medical Laboratories (8071)

akta.pro primary industry

Diagnostics & Laboratory Coordination (Sample Collection, Lab Liaison, Interpretation) (AFACALAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Diagnostics & Laboratory Services (Sampling, Necropsy, Disease Investigation) (AFACADAF)

Keywords

• Veterinary toxicology
• Animal poison information
• Veterinary emergency hotline
• Veterinary CPD training
• Poison control database

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Annual Membership Subscriptions: VPIS operates on a membership subscription model with annual packages containing bundled credits. Annual contracts range from 5 to 40 credits, with in-hour calls costing 1 credit and out-of-hour calls costing 2 credits (reduced to 1.5 for annual members). Credits are valid for one year from purchase.
2. Credit-Based Usage: Usage-based revenue through a credit system where one credit is charged for in-hour calls and two credits for out-of-hour calls (8pm-8am weekdays and all weekend/bank holidays).
3. Non-Member Pricing: Non-members can access the service with pay-per-call pricing, though they must join membership within 7 days or pay at time of call.
4. CPD and Training: Continuing professional development courses including class-based courses and online CPD training for veterinary professionals.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

VPIS is a 24-hour telephone emergency toxicology information service for veterinary professionals, providing advice on the management of poisoning cases across all animal species. The service is underpinned by a proprietary case database of over 450,000 past poisoning cases and delivers evidence-based guidance on thousands of toxic substances. Complementary offerings include the Animal PoisonLine consumer triage service, annual credit-based memberships, CPD training, and emergency drug supply.

Product overview

VPIS operates as a telephone-based information service rather than a software platform. The core offering is the Veterinary Poisons Information Service (VPIS), a 24-hour emergency telephone hotline for veterinary professionals. Complementary services include Animal PoisonLine (APL) for pet owners, annual membership packages with credit-based pricing, continuing education (CPD courses), emergency drug supply (including adder anti-venom), expert witness services, and published toxicology guides. The service is membership-only for veterinary practices, with separate triage access for pet owners through APL.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Animal PoisonLine (APL): A 24/7 triage service for pet owners concerned about potential poisoning, operated alongside the VPIS veterinary membership service.

Products and services

• VPIS Annual Membership (Credit Packages) Annual subscription membership providing veterinary practices with bundled credits for telephone toxicology consultations (1 credit per in-hour call, 2 credits per out-of-hour call, reduced to 1.5 for annual members). Tiers range from Up to 5 Credits (£246.00 + VAT) to Up to 40 Credits (£1,820.40 + VAT). Follow-up calls on the same case are free of charge.
• Animal PoisonLine (APL) 24-hour triage telephone service (£35 in-hours, £45 out-of-hours) for pet owners to assess whether their pet requires veterinary attention after suspected poisoning exposure. Operates as a separate consumer-facing line from the veterinary professional membership service.
• CPD Courses Continuing Professional Development training for veterinary professionals, including class-based courses throughout the UK, online CPD training, and bespoke training sessions for larger organisations.
• Emergency Veterinary Drug Supply (including Adder Anti-Venom) Supply of emergency veterinary drugs including adder anti-venom for treating venomous snake bites, supporting veterinary practices with critical treatment products.
• Expert Witness Service Professional expert witness services provided by VPIS toxicology specialists for legal cases involving animal poisoning, available to legal professionals and courts.
• BSAVA/VPIS Guide to Common Canine and Feline Poisons Comprehensive reference guide for veterinary practitioners on common canine and feline poisons, co-published with BSAVA (British Small Animal Veterinary Association).
• Non-Member Pricing (Pay-Per-Call) One-time pay-per-call access to the VPIS toxicology service for veterinary practices without an annual membership. Recipients must join membership within 7 days or pay at the time of the call. Out-of-hour surcharges apply (8pm-8am weekdays and all weekends/bank holidays).

Quantifiable outcome

• Handle over 32,000 poisoning enquiries annually with veterinary practices
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Royal Veterinary CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing collaboration with the Royal Veterinary College for research, education, and publication of veterinary toxicology resources.
• BSAVA (British Small Animal Veterinary Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-published the BSAVA/VPIS Guide to Common Canine and Feline Poisons (2012, revised edition 2017) - a comprehensive reference guide for veterinary practitioners.
• Veterinary Pathology Group (VPG)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative webinar partnership for toxicology education, including joint webinar on 'Top Tips for Handling Potential Poisoning Cases'.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Vetster: Online veterinary telehealth platform offering on-demand consultations. While not exclusively toxicology-focused, it competes in the broader veterinary telemedicine space and represents a potential digital-only alternative to VPIS's telephonic service.
• AirVet: Veterinary telehealth and teletriage platform serving practices and pet owners. Provides a digital-first channel for veterinary advice that overlaps with VPIS's telephonic delivery, though covering a much broader clinical scope than toxicology.
• IDEXX Laboratories: Global leader in veterinary diagnostics and practice software. While not a direct competitor in poison information, IDEXX dominates adjacent diagnostic and practice management markets and could expand into toxicology decision support.

Direct peers

• ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center: The US equivalent — a 24-hour dedicated animal poison control hotline serving pet owners and veterinarians. Operates the same telephonic toxicology information service model with a similar case database, making it the closest direct peer to VPIS.
• Pet Poison Helpline: US-based 24/7 animal poison control service operated by SafetyCall International. Competes directly with ASPCA APCC and offers the same telephone-based toxicology triage and case management model as VPIS, serving both veterinary professionals and pet owners.
• SafetyCall International: Parent organization of Pet Poison Helpline and a clinical toxicology consulting firm. Provides poison information services across human and animal health, with analogous case database, expert hotline, and industry advisory capabilities to VPIS.

Others

• Veterinary Pathology Group (VPG): UK veterinary diagnostic laboratory with which VPIS collaborates on webinars. VPG provides ancillary diagnostic services that complement VPIS's advisory offering and represents a logical integration or partnership peer.
• British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA): UK professional association for small animal veterinarians and VPIS publishing partner. As a major distributor of veterinary continuing education and reference materials, BSAVA is a channel partner and potential alternative content provider.
• Royal Veterinary College: UK veterinary school and existing VPIS research partner. Comparable as a credentialed veterinary authority and could host or develop competing toxicology advisory services given its academic and clinical standing.
• Toxicology Centre, University of Saskatchewan (Western College of Veterinary Medicine): Academic veterinary toxicology center providing expert advice and case consultation in North America. Operates with a similar consult-and-database model to VPIS, though primarily through academic channels rather than paid membership.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/VPISGlobal
• Facebookfacebook.com/vpisglobal
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/veterinary-poisons-information-service

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 Veterinary Poisons Information Service (VPIS)