Irish-owned pet subscription service spots gap in the market for online vet care
With pet ownership on the rise, we chat with PetFix Club on how their unique online community of animal professionals equips pet owners with everything they need to give their pets the best care possible.
What is the background to Petfix Club?
Pet owning has never been more popular, and there has never been easier access to information about pets, via the internet. Yet pet owners, or “pet parents” as they are now sometimes called, still struggle to find a trusted source to get information about pet care so that they can be confident that they are enabling their animal companions to enjoy their best possible lives.
The Petfix Club founders recognised that there was a niche for a website that offers a personalised, interactive experience, giving direct feedback about the individual lives and experiences of dogs, cats and other pets.
The aim of Petfix Club is to act as a guide to empower owners to make the best, evidence-based, choices about nutrition, exercise, parasite control, vaccinations, home dental care, and much much more.
The voice of authority behind Petfix Club is Pete Wedderburn, a vet with over thirty years of experience of caring for his own pets, as well as his patients. Pete has been active in the Irish media for many years, where he is known as “Pete the Vet”, and he has also had a weekly column in the Sunday Telegraph newspaper for the past fifteen years.
Looking after your pet can be a complex world to navigate, how can PetFix Club help?
Petfix Club provides science-based information: our only agenda is to offer trusted advice. When pet owners register with our site, they set up a profile for each pet, and then based on that animal’s background, Petfix Club offers personalised recommendations on the best way to look after them. From nutrition to parasite control to exercise to vaccinations to home dental care, we cover all of the important aspects of a pet’s life.
If your pet encounters a health issue of any kind, Petfix Club is there to help. We have an automated triage tool, helping you to work out what you need to do in a hurry. This is backed up by an “Ask A Vet” service, which allows you to discuss your pet directly with one of our team of vets. This service is free for Petfix Club members.
Petfix Club also has hundreds of searchable online articles, videos and tips, so if there is any aspect of your pet’s life that you are worried about, you can find out just what you need to know.
There’s also the Petfix Shop, where we sell pet related products that have all been vet approved, from pet food (including our exclusive own brand) to accessories to interactive toys and more. The Petfix Club range of dog and cat food has been expertly chosen by Petfix Club head vet Pete Wedderburn, after years of personal and clinical experience with animals. We want to ensure optimal health and wellbeing for all Petfix pets and creating our own nutritious food was the best way to do this!
Our online shop is open to everyone, but Petfix Club members, who pay a small monthly subscription, are given an extra discount.
There are many other aspects to our website, including an online geolocated directory of pet related services, and an interactive community which allows Petfix Club members to share stories and photos of their pets.
What impact has the coronavirus epidemic had on your business and how are you responding?
One of the unexpected twists of the COVID-19 crisis has been a boom in pet keeping: people have found themselves at home more than before, so they have space in their lives to have a pet. Pets also provide a connection with reality: they are natural experts in mindfulness, living in the moment at all times. They can help people do this too: when you are walking a dog, it’s easier to focus on enjoying the present, instead of worrying about life’s other challenges.
At the same time as this increased interest in pets, people have moved online, as much as possible. The demand for advice on pets via the internet has increased, with remote veterinary consultations growing in popularity. And online shopping has been booming.
So for these reasons, if anything, the coronavirus epidemic has been a positive happening as far as Petfix Club is concerned.
What stage are you at in your growth plans and what is next on the horizon for PetFix Club?
The premise of Petfix Club is still unique, and we are fine-tuning our offering based on the response of pet owners in Ireland. Our plan is to consolidate in Ireland first, optimising our website and our user experience. Then once we are happy that we have created the best possible manifestation of our vision to help pets and owners, we will launch in the UK.
Our aim is to provide affordable high quality online veterinary advice to everyone, everywhere, all the time. So after the UK, who knows what next?
PetFix Club’s mission is to offer the best possible experience for pets and their owners by helping them attain and maintain optimal health, fitness, wellbeing and lifespan for your pet.
To find out more about Petfix Club, visit their website here or email them at info@petfixclub.com.
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