Straight From the Source – Insights from Veterinary Industry Stakeholders
Vet-Advantage covers a wide range of topics with industry stakeholders.
In the following stories, Vet-Advantage explores the diverse landscape of veterinary services, shedding light on various facets of the industry. From insights shared by retailers offering pet care products, to the challenges and rewards of independent veterinary practice ownership, the innovative impact of a pet rescue app, and AI’s potential uses in the veterinary hospital setting, we dive into the unique perspectives and experiences shaping the future of animal care.
AI in Action
How AI-powered features are reducing record-keeping burdens, enhancing diagnostic workflows and supporting personalized patient care.
Record-keeping is often the greatest burden for veterinarians in clinical practice today. That is changing with artificial intelligence (AI), said Link Welborn, DVM, DABVP, CEO of Veterinary Management Groups, and owner of five small animal hospitals in Tampa, Florida.
“The AI-powered features within the cloud-based Covetrus Pulse practice information management system save the veterinarians in my hospitals an average of six hours per week that they would have dedicated to recordkeeping,” he said.
These features include ambient listening for real-time transcription, auto-generation of SOAP notes and pre-appointment summaries derived from practice management system data.
“This not only frees up time that can be devoted to patient care, but it also enhances the accuracy of care by providing greater detail in a more useful, well-organized format,” he said.
Dr. Welborn shared with Vet-Advantage how AI is being used in his hospitals to identify diseases earlier, development treatment plans and how he sees the technology evolving in the future.
Is AI helping to identify early signs of diseases or conditions that may be difficult to spot with the naked eye?
Dr. Welborn: Today, we are using the AI features in Pulse to helpstreamline diagnostic workflows, allowing our veterinarians to access and interpret data more efficiently, which enables better decision making.
Later this year, we anticipate AI in Pulse playing a significant role in enhancing the early detection of diseases that are challenging to identify through traditional methods.
This will involve utilizing AI assessment of data to help veterinarians make clinical associations sooner and more accurately.
How does AI assist in customizing care for individual animals based on their specific needs?
Dr. Welborn: The Pulse AI-powered pre-appointment summaries support veterinarians in making decisions tailored to each patient’s unique needs by providing more comprehensive medical information with greater accuracy and improved organization. These tools streamline the pre-appointment preparation process, enhance collaboration among patient care teams, and improve client communication contributing to customized patient care.
How does AI support your clinic’s workflow in terms of appointment scheduling, record-keeping, and overall efficiency?
Dr. Welborn: Covetrus Pulse incorporates AI-driven features that significantly enhance clinic workflows. Ambient listening technology captures real-time conversations during appointments while filtering out extraneous information, automatically generating SOAP notes and reducing administrative tasks. Pre-appointment summaries provide concise patient information, aiding in efficient preparation and enhanced communication among the practice team as well as with the client.
What are some challenges you’ve faced in integrating AI into your hospitals, and how have you addressed them?
Dr. Welborn: Not all veterinarians or practice team members accept changes in workflow or technological enhancements at the same speed. Accordingly, some degree of change management is necessary as with any change.
In my hospitals, we allowed the early adopters to engage the AI features in Pulse first. When they shared their positive experiences with their colleagues, broad utilization took place very rapidly.
Covetrus emphasizes seamless integration of AI technologies into their existing veterinary workflows which has also reduced resistance to change.
By offering AI capabilities at no additional cost within Pulse, Covetrus also aims to reduce barriers to adoption, such as financial constraints and the need for extensive staff training as might be needed with AI technology provided by a third party.
How do you ensure that AI tools used in your clinic adhere to ethical guidelines and maintain patient confidentiality?
Dr. Welborn: Covetrus is committed to data security and ethical standards. The Pulse AI-powered pre-appointment summaries are derived solely from the data within the existing Pulse medical record, so ethical guidelines and patient confidentiality are fully maintained.
Before AI ambient-listening generation of SOAP notes, Pulse requires that the veterinarian confirms that the client has authorized recording.
What future advancements in AI do you see benefiting veterinary medicine, and how do you plan to incorporate them into your practice?
Dr. Welborn: Covetrus is dedicated to advancing AI technologies to further support veterinary practices.
As I mentioned previously, later this year, we anticipate AI in Pulse playing a significant role in enhancing the early detection of diseases that are challenging to identify through traditional methods.
This will involve utilizing AI assessment of data to help veterinarians make clinical associations sooner and more accurately.
In addition, by unifying data across the Covetrus Platform, the company aims to provide veterinary practices with an end-to-end view of the client journey, enabling greater business insights through machine learning models and delivering more personalized communications by surfacing customized recommendations for each patient.
Dr. Link Welborn, owner of five AAHA Accredited small animal hospitals in Tampa, Florida, is a past president of the American Animal Hospital Association and a member of VMG 1. A diplomate of the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners, certified in Canine and Feline practice, he earned his doctorate of veterinary medicine with honors from the University of Florida. Dr. Welborn currently serves in various leadership roles for AAHA and AVMA including serving as the chair of the AAHA Canine Vaccine Guidelines Task Force and as a member and past chair of the AVMA Veterinary Economics Strategy Committee.
Finding balance
By relieving veterinarians of their recordkeeping burden, Dr. Welborn said the AI features in Pulse reduce the stress associated with veterinarians being behind in preparing medical records and improve their work-life balance “in that they no longer need to skip meals and stay after hours to do recordkeeping.”
Photo credit: istockphoto.com/Ugur Karakoc
Strong Roots
Clinician. Independent business owner. Mom. One veterinarian shares the “Why” that led to a growing veterinary organization deeply connected to local communities in the Seattle area.
By Debra Nicholson, DVM
I spent a lot of time looking for the perfect place and the perfect job in wildlife medicine. I loved the idea of wildlife medicine because nature is where I felt free and inspired; doing what I was meant to be doing. I loved school and learning but also had an entrepreneurial spirit of looking for what is possible for me to achieve. The world was my oyster!
Once I got into my career and tried to balance my life. Working in a veterinary practice is of course about the medicine and the animals, but it is also just as much about people’s emotions and finances – and it’s harder to enjoy the latter. You’re constantly talking about the money and balancing the clients and staff emotions. Not to mention learning to be a veterinarian; trying not to cause harm to any animals as you learn; making tough mistakes and finding the courage to keep going balancing all the different aspects of being a balanced successful veterinarian.
I found there is a lot of readjusting mentally and emotionally to be happy in one’s career as a veterinarian. You have to find your happiness within to deal with all the outward things that could take you down and away from the “why” you are there to begin with.
I call my first couple years in Seattle my “soul searching” time. I was a single mom and had no financial savings of any kind. I could always find work as a veterinarian. I loved the animals, the medicine and particularly surgery, so I was always rooted and safe in that. I had much to be grateful for. I continued to deep dive into what I want to do with my life that would be sustainable and inspiring for myself and my kids. As my oldest son grew taller than me and I saw myself starting to age, I worried about more debt on top of my own for my son to go to college. How do I put my kids through college and how do I ever retire? I imagined doing vaccine clinics in my nursing home for extra money. I wondered, “How do people do this?” There’s got to be a better way. I was willing to look at anything, even if it was another career.
I started researching businesses and careers that were profitable and then learned about the veterinary business side and why corporate consolidators wanted them. This was all to my surprise and never the “why” I got into this career; it was never about making money. What if my “why” that I was very passionate about could also sustain and grow me and my family financially?
For most veterinarians, the money is an afterthought. We do it because we love animals and the medicine is intellectually stimulating. We can keep learning and it’s interesting. The strength and knowledge successful veterinarians carry is enormous, but it’s in their humility they may not realize how much more emotional and financial growth is there for them in owning a veterinary practice.
After my soul-searching time spent, I laid out what I wanted to do. I wanted the for-profit business and the nonprofit to help each other, where I could have the time and money to be there for my kids and to help animals and people for free. But the oxygen had to go on me first, then my family, then others for it to be sustainable. I couldn’t do it for free as the primary. The cart can’t come before the horse.
So, the focus went to owning a veterinary clinic or two or three. Like a starter home, the first clinic needed a lot of work. It was a great location and had an awesome history but needed to be rebuilt to live on. I realized I did love being a business owner. I loved to dream about what I could build this clinic into, but saw there wasn’t enough money to do it. So, I looked at owning multiple practices to be able to have enough financially to rebuild the first.
But in truth, I just found I enjoyed being a business owner, an entrepreneur and learning and growing in many ways as a person. There are always things that are hard, but you get past it. Just like anything that’s new, it gets easier and you are helping more and more people and animals as you go along.
My “why” is still intact. The nonprofit is happening in smaller ways right now but will help in bigger ways as I bring down the debt and one day the nonprofit will take off. It can and will come full circle.
Most people who become veterinarians do it for good reasons or we wouldn’t have done the hard work it took. Veterinarians owning veterinary practices gives them that financial freedom they so deserve. Veterinarians have the primary “why” of being there and truly understanding and caring about the people. We keep our promises to the best of our ability. We get the struggle. We can’t fix the struggle, but we are well equipped to lead the way through it with more sincerity and humility than anyone out there.
Veterinary clinics are profitable – and likely even more profitable – with the veterinarian running it. The veterinarian will be able to find the right people working for them, they can keep the business as they get older, enjoy financial freedom, and in many cases provide generational wealth for their family – all while giving opportunities to the generations of veterinarians to come.
Dr. Debra Nicholson spent her early career working in the field of exotic and wildlife animal veterinary medicine and rehabilitation. In 2010, Dr. Nicholson moved to Seattle, Washington, where she worked a brief time with a local nonprofit and doing relief work before purchasing Rainier Veterinary Hospital. Dr. Nicholson would go on to purchase three more independent practices. She now works as a veterinarian part time and is the leader and founder of the parent organization Veterinary Roots that manages the four practices and Rainier Animal Fund. RAF provides free surgical services to low income pet owners in the Puget Sound area.
Photo credit: istockphoto.com/jhorrocks
Neighbors Helping Neighbors
How one nonprofit team used personal experiences to develop a resource for pet owners to use during disasters.
David Crawford has experienced the fear that many home owners in Southern California faced earlier this year when wildfires spread across communities. Crawford was home when the Marshall Fire struck his community and the surrounding area in Boulder County, Colorado, December 2021. Most other residents were not. As such, at least a thousand dogs and cats and other beloved pets lost their lives that day.
“The lesson from that tragedy – that when disasters strike, neighbors are the best bet for evacuating neighborhood animals who are home alone – was not new,” Crawford said. “It had been ensconced in disaster literature since at least 2009, with the publication of Leslie Irvine’s ‘Filling the Ark: Animal Welfare in Disasters’.”
Crawford co-founded and is the executive director of Animal Help Now, a nonprofit whose namesake app is used hundreds of times a day across the country by people seeking help for injured or orphaned wildlife. “We’re a small organization – mostly volunteers – and everyone works from home,” he said. “As such, we also lost our headquarters that day.”
Being a small organization, Animal Help Now is nimble. Within a week of the Marshall Fire, they began work on a pet evacuation app based on the lessons learned. It took two-and-a-half years, but in July 2024 the nonprofit launched Pet Help & Rescue. “Like our namesake app, it covers the entire United States and is free to the public,” Crawford said.
The concept of the app is simple. Users create a profile for themselves and for their pets (and any other animals dependent upon owners in their home). The pet profile contains what you’d expect – photos and description, location of meds and go-bags, likely hiding places, etc. Each user’s personal profile contains their address and contact info and how to get into their home. “Note that your home access info never leaves your device, at least not until you choose to include it in a request for help/evacuation,” Crawford said.
Animal Help Now developed the app in close consultation with veterinarians, in particular, Colorado’s Front Range Veterinary Medical Reserve Corps. “Veterinarians are helping us to continuously improve the app, including adding microchip and rabies tag information to pet profiles, which we’ll be doing shortly,” Crawford said.
Disaster prep
Research indicates just how vulnerable household animals are to disasters, and how their fate impacts their guardians/owners. Crawford provided several examples:
Two-thirds of households in the United States include dogs, cats and other companion animals. 1
Forty-four percent of people who did not evacuate for Hurricane Katrina remained because they refused to leave their pets behind. 2
A study conducted by S.R. Lowe et al. concludes “pet loss predicts post-disaster distress, pre- and post-disaster perceived social support, disaster-related stressors and human bereavement.” 3
FEMA estimates that at least 20% of people in the United States live in disaster-prone areas and another 40% live in areas affected by disasters.
“A common dictionary definition of ‘prepare’ is ‘to make (someone) ready or able to do or deal with something,’” Crawford said. “We prepare for tests. We prepare for guests. We prepare for meetings. Preparing for disasters is arguably more important than these common scenarios. In the case of dependent animals, our disaster preparations can mean the difference between life and death. Further, the death of animal companions can have lasting adverse impacts on their guardians.”
1 National Pet Owners Survey conducted by the American Pet Products Association 2023-24.
2 Fritz Institute Poll as reported by Louisiana SPCA. Retrieved 9/18/2024 from louisianaspca.org/about-us/hurricane-katrina/animal-rescue-facts/#/
3 Lowe, S.R., Rhodes, J.E., Zwiebach, L. and Chan, C.S. (2009), The impact of pet loss on the perceived social support and psychological distress of hurricane survivors. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 22: 244-247. https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.20403
A wildlife rescue resource
Veterinary clinics get calls constantly regarding injured and orphaned wildlife. Many clinics use Animal Help Now’s namesake app (see ahnow.org) for referrals to wildlife rehabilitators and other wildlife emergency experts. Their Wildlife Emergency service was accessed 125,000 times in 2024. “We list many veterinarians who are willing to stabilize wildlife,” Crawford said. “We’d love to hear from veterinarians who do so but are not yet listed on our site.”
Photo credit: istockphoto.com/AleksandarNakic
Walmart’s Pet Services Centers
Walmart says it has seen a real demand from customers seeking quality and affordable care from “providers they can trust” with its new centers.
Last fall Walmart announced key expansions to its core pet care offerings, including the opening of several more of its Pet Services centers. The global retailer announced it was building on the success of its pilot center location in Dallas, Georgia, by expanding with two locations in Georgia and three in Arizona.
“Walmart continues to see strong growth in the pet category and, according to Morgan Stanley, spending on pet services is expected to outpace pet products through 2027,” a Walmart spokesperson told Vet-Advantage. “Despite this growth in spending, the cost of essential pet services can be expensive and accessing these offerings, like routine veterinary care and grooming, can be disjointed. Customers are seeking convenience, quality and affordability and with Walmart Pet Services centers, customers have access to key services and transparent pricing that allows them to keep their pets happy and healthy in a central location.”
In the following interview, Walmart provided Vet-Advantage with more details about its Pet Services centers and overall strategy to pet health products and services.
What has the response been like from pet owners at the Pet Services centers that have already opened in Arizona and Georgia? What insights has the company gleaned from pet owners that it may use in opening new centers?
Walmart: Customers of our Pet Services centers in both Georgia and Arizona have shown us how much they value affordable and convenient pet care solutions. What the response has demonstrated is that there is a real demand from customers seeking quality and affordable care from providers they can trust. We’re looking forward to continuing to bring Walmart Pet Services centers to more markets and continuing to apply the lessons learned while offering a convenient and affordable destination for our customers to meet their pets’ needs.
What kinds of benefits do pet owners receive from getting these services in a retail space?
Walmart: Walmart Pet Services centers expand customers options and bring even more convenience to them in the same location they are already shopping Walmart’s assortment of high-quality pet food, a wide range of pet supplies, convenient pet prescriptions and more. Customers can also have their pet groomed while shopping.
What are some key tenants of Walmart’s Pet Pharmacy Services?
Walmart: Walmart Pet Services centers focus on three main tenants: value, quality and accessibility:
- Value: Customers will not only save money on Walmart’s low-cost services with transparent pricing and Everyday Low Prices, but also time, with key services including veterinary care and grooming, in the same destination where they’re already completing their weekly shop.
- Quality: All Pet Services are provided by qualified veterinary and grooming professionals in collaboration with PetIQ, so customers can rest assured that their furry friends will receive the highest quality of care provided from trusted professionals.
- Accessibility: Customers can find the brands they love to the services they need all in one place at Walmart, all available at the everyday low prices they rely on.
In addition, Walmart offers Pet Pharmacy services, providing customers across the country with a seamless and convenient, low-cost solution for pet prescriptions – delivered straight to their doorstep.
How do you see the pet market growing in the coming years? How does Walmart plan to grow this segment in 2025?
Walmart: The pet category remains one of the most dynamic retail categories today as pet owners spend more on their pets with value in mind. Walmart has responded to this growth by offering more rollbacks, expanding its assortment of food and supplies, the Pet Services centers and Pet Pharmacy offerings.
Photo credit: istockphoto.com/ruizluquepaz
“Life Out Here”
Tractor Supply discusses its strategic move into the online pet pharmacy space.
As pet ownership continues to rise, retailers like Tractor Supply recognize the growing need for accessible, convenient healthcare options for pets and animals. With the acquisition of Allivet, the company is aiming to enhance its service offering and provide pet parents with an all-inclusive shopping experience, from food and toys to essential prescriptions.
Vet-Advantage asked a Tractor Supply spokesperson to explain its strategic move into the online pet pharmacy space and how this expansion fits within the company’s broader “Life Out Here” vision.
How does the acquisition of Allivet fit into Tractor Supply’s ‘Life Out Here’ product and services line-up?
Tractor Supply: Acquiring Allivet complements and expands Tractor Supply’s existing offerings for pet, equestrian and livestock customers. We are known as a place to get the food and feed you need for your pets and animals, as well as everything you need to care for them, from chicken coops and dog beds to toys, treats, leashes and collars. The acquisition of Allivet enables us to provide another essential component of pet care, making it easy for our customers to get everything they need in one stop at Tractor Supply. It also unlocks significant growth potential for us in the fast-growing pet Rx space.
Why was it important for Tractor Supply to have a presence in the online pet pharmacy space?
Tractor Supply: Our customers love their pets, and prescriptions are one of the important ways we care for our pets and animals. Pet pharmacy is a growing segment of the pet and animal ecosystem and Allivet will give us exposure to this category. For the last several years, Tractor Supply has partnered with Allivet to fulfill prescriptions through tractorsupplyrx.com. This acquisition will make it even easier for pet parents to get convenient access to brand-name medications and expert pharmacy advice, while benefiting from automatic delivery through Allivet’s auto-ship program. We’re proud to be a comprehensive one-stop shop for pet owners – a place where they can get food, treats and toys for their animals, as well as the essential prescriptions they need to keep their pets healthy and happy.
In what ways do pet services intersect with the wants and needs of your Neighbor’s Club members?
Tractor Supply: Pet and animal is a core part of our business. In fact, three out of four of our 38 million Neighbor’s Club members are pet/animal owners. Allivet enables us to continue to serve these customers with everything they need for their pets and animals.
How do you see the pet and livestock pharmacy space growing in the coming years?
Tractor Supply: Tractor Supply sees significant growth potential in the pet and livestock pharmacy space, driven by strong pet ownership in our customer base, increased demand for pet healthcare, and a growing preference for online prescription services. We know our customers want convenient, reliable access to medications for their pets and livestock and we anticipate these demands to only grow overtime.
About Tractor Supply
Tractor Supply is the largest rural lifestyle retailer in the U.S., ranking 293 on the Fortune 500, with more than 50,000 team members. As of December 28, 2024, the Company operated 2,296 Tractor Supply stores in 49 states and 206 Petsense by Tractor Supply stores in 23 states.
