Globe Telecom subsidiary 917Ventures, the largest corporate venture builder in the Philippines, trail blazes anew with the creation of PetPal, a telehealth platform for pets meant to address the growing demand for pet healthcare.
Over six months after its launch in February, PetPal has boarded more than 1,000 vets and 200 clinics on the platform. PetPal has conducted thousands of consultations with more than a thousand pet owners in the Philippines and overseas Filipino workers.
Miguel Guerrero, entrepreneur-in-residence of 917Ventures, said the company is currently prioritizing improving operations and overall experience for its customers first but is open to exploring partnership opportunities to bring the service across Southeast Asia.
“We already have the technology and systems in place to replicate it in other countries,” said Guerrero.
Guerrero said beyond teleconsult and home services for vaccination and grooming, PetPal plans to launch an online pharmacy, a marketplace for other pet-related goods, supplies, and other services, to become an all-in-one platform for pet care.
The platform plans to add more partner vets and clinics to provide veterinarians and pet care service providers access to a wider market, allowing them to generate more revenue.
Guerrero also believes the Philippine market is not only mature enough to embrace pet telehealth but that there is a clamor for this kind of service.
Guerrero cited a 2021 Rakuten survey in Asia which said the Philippines has the highest percentage of dog ownership in the region at 67 percent and the second-highest in cat ownership at 43 percent.
But due to the high costs or a lack of available veterinarians, some pet owners delay or even skip necessary veterinary treatments, or worse, abandoning their pets altogether.
PetPal also cited 2022 data from agribusiness and food company Pilmico noted that in the past year, vet visits have been a rare occasion for dog owners (50 percent total and even lower among rural areas at 43 percent). Visits were mostly for vaccinations or annual medical checkups among both urban and rural owners (78 percent).
“Telehealth services like PetPal address these issues by providing affordable healthcare services to pets while also helping pet owners avoid the additional expenses associated with travel, transportation, or missed work,” Guerrero said.
Carlo Flordeliza, senior venture builder at 917Ventures said PetPal has priced its services competitively and in some cases, even lower, than current market prices.
For example, vet consultations start at P99 for a Chat with a Vet Service while a video teleconsult session is at P500 per session. Home vet visits meanwhile, start at P1,200.
Flordeliza said PetPal recently introduced an annual subscription service called PetPal Club where, for P2,499 a year where clients can get unlimited teleconsultations for up to two pets annually along with discounts on various pet services. – Irma Isip
