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Forbes
2 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Veterinary Telehealth Company Dutch Is Transforming Pet Care Access
With tools powered by OpenAI and Google Gemini, Dutch cuts admin time by 75%, doubling daily patient volume while giving vets their time—and sanity—back. Dutch Founder & CEO Joe Spector with his dog Eddie, a 5-year-old corgi Joe Spector co-founded Hims, helped take it public, and built a billion-dollar telehealth brand. His second act? Turning pet care on its head. Dutch is a veterinary telehealth platform built to modernize how care is delivered and accessed across the U.S. With Dutch, the nationwide veterinary telehealth platform he launched in 2021, Spector is building a tech-first challenger to a stubbornly analog industry—one defined by burnout, access gaps, and high costs. His mission is personal: After a $4,000 urgent care bill when his dog ate a few chocolate M&Ms, Spector, who grew up in a low-income Russian immigrant household living on welfare, realized most families wouldn't be able to afford a single $200 vet visit. "In modest households like the one I grew up in, spending hundreds on a pet's care just isn't an option," he says. "Dutch exists to democratize access—and make it radically more affordable." This week, Dutch unveiled a suite of AI tools designed to combat one of veterinary medicine's biggest problems: administrative overload. Integrated into Dutch's proprietary EMR and powered by OpenAI and Google Gemini, the system reduces documentation time from 20 minutes to five—enabling vets to see twice as many pets per day. The AI features span the full care journey: pre-visit summaries, live transcription, treatment plan generation, and personalized product recommendations. It's not just smarter—it's designed to be scalable. "It's transforming our consults and our teams," says Spector. "And it's just the beginning." Dutch is now operational in all 50 states, with prescribing capabilities in 34. Since launch, the company has logged over 700,000 virtual visits, expanded into Rx delivery, and treats more than 150 conditions. Memberships start at $15/month and provide unlimited access to licensed vets. Dutch also recently partnered with Ancestry to launch a DNA-based personalized dog health product, and with PetMeds to help the 50% of pet parents without a primary vet get timely access to prescriptions. Dutch-PetMeds partnership helps the 50% of pet parents without a primary vet get timely access to ... More prescriptions. Joe's connection to pet care runs deep—and personal. 'When I was young, our family had a Rottweiler,' he recalls. 'It was a very anxious dog. That was my first experience seeing how much behavioral issues can affect a pet's—and a family's—well-being.' That early exposure shaped Spector's conviction that understanding a dog's temperament and behavioral predispositions is as essential as treating physical ailments. It's part of why Dutch emphasizes behavioral health, and why its latest tools—like AI-powered care plans and DNA-based trait analysis—aim to give pet parents a fuller picture of their animal's needs. The pet health space is attracting venture capital, with players like: These companies primarily assist existing clinics. Dutch, by contrast, has raised $43 million from Forerunner Ventures, Eclipse Ventures, and Bling Capital to build a full-stack, AI-first telehealth platform—including its own EMR, prescription infrastructure, and direct-to-consumer membership model. "Everyone else is building tools for the old model," says Spector. "We're building the new one." Dutch's 2025 State of Online Veterinary Care report reveals that: Veterinarians earn around $120,000 annually, yet most clinics rely heavily on product sales—up to one-third of their revenue. Spector sees Dutch as a more consumer-aligned alternative to the legacy, clinic-first model. "The vet industry's a cash business built for clinic owners, not for scale," he says. States like California, Arizona, and Florida have expanded telemedicine access. And in a landmark decision, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of veterinary telemedicine, quipping: 'If it's good for Uncle Bernard, shouldn't it be good for your St. Bernard?' "Telemedicine doesn't replace in-person care—it expands it," says Spector. "We bring people into the system who otherwise wouldn't go at all." Veterinary telemedicine revenue is projected to exceed $10 billion by 2030. Dutch's roadmap includes agentic task automation, image-based triage, and exploration of longevity drugs like rapamycin. The platform also aims to alleviate workforce stress, with tools built to reduce—not increase—provider burnout. Meanwhile, rising care costs are becoming a barrier to pet ownership. A recent Epoch Times article, citing the American Pet Products Association, noted that in 2025, U.S. pet spending will reach $157 billion—with $41.4 billion spent on veterinary care alone. For retirees and low-income families, the financial burden could discourage pet adoption altogether. Pet care is also a mental health issue. Half of U.S. adults report feeling lonely, and studies show that those who are chronically lonely are 40% more likely to die within four years. The risk rises to 75% for people who are socially isolated. Owning a dog has been shown to significantly reduce loneliness and social isolation, offering emotional connection, structure, and purpose. Dutch's mission is rooted in making that bond possible—for more people—by providing affordable, ongoing access to care. Joe Spector has already helped build one unicorn. With Dutch, he's chasing something bigger: a category-defining veterinary telehealth platform using AI to deliver smarter, more affordable care. "This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to rebuild pet care from the ground up," he says. "We want to go public—and rule the world."
Associated Press
07-05-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
PetMed Express, Inc. and Dutch Announce Partnership to Provide Accessible Telehealth Services for Pets
DELRAY BEACH, Fla. and OAKLAND, Calif., May 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PetMed Express, Inc., parent company of PetMeds and PetCareRx (Nasdaq: PETS), today announced a new strategic partnership with virtual veterinary care provider Dutch . The collaboration marks PetMeds' latest move to expand its provider ecosystem with affordable, accessible pet healthcare options. The new partnership will enable pet parents to leverage Dutch's convenient technology and veterinary team to secure prescriptions for PetMeds' broad selection of medications in a timely manner. 'This partnership expands the accessibility of pet telemedicine, which can help fill gaps in care, as the nationwide vet shortage has left more than 129 million Americans without easy access to pet care,' said Joe Spector, Founder and CEO of Dutch. 'Through this collaboration, we are looking forward to reaching a broader audience of pet parents in need of care and medications.' 'At PetMeds, we believe the veterinarian is—and will always be—at the center of a pet's healthcare journey,' said Sandra Campos, President and CEO of PetMeds. 'By integrating Dutch's virtual care platform into our growing pet health ecosystem, we're expanding access to timely, professional care, particularly when in-person visits aren't possible due to geography, timing or cost. This partnership is designed to support the 200 veterinarians who are employed by Dutch and aid continuity of care while helping ensure pet parents receive expert guidance, whenever and wherever it's needed.' Under the partnership, pet parents will be able to sign up for a monthly Dutch membership and be connected virtually with veterinarians for 24/7 appointments in 34 states. Since launched, Dutch has completed almost 700,000 visits and offers treatment options for over 150 conditions, including flea and tick medication and treatments for allergies and joint pain. Consumer awareness and adoption of veterinary telehealth options are accelerating as pet parents look for more affordable, accessible ways to keep their beloved pets healthy and happy. Dutch's recently released 2025 State of Veterinary Care Report found that 129 million Americans, or roughly 38% of the population, live in vet-care 'deserts'—underscoring the significant need for more accessible pet care options. About PetMed Express, Inc. Founded in 1996, PetMeds is a leader in the consumer pet healthcare sector. As a national online retailer with expert pharmacists and licenses across fifty states, and deliver top branded pharmaceuticals, generics, compounded prescription medications and OTC supplements and vitamins that help pets live longer, healthier lives. The Company strives to offer unparalleled value and convenience that enhance wellness and longevity for dogs, cats, and horses. PetMeds and PetCareRx provide essential pet health offerings through their websites, and . About Dutch Launched in July 2021, Dutch is the first and only veterinary telehealth company connecting licensed, independent veterinarians directly with pets and their parents nationwide. At its inception, Dutch primarily addressed common chronic ailments, such as anxiety and allergies, but has grown to treat over 150 conditions and serve over 40,000 customers. In 2022, Dutch introduced Rx services, which allow the company's licensed veterinarians to prescribe and ship OTC and prescription medications to patients in 34 states. Dutch memberships, excluding insurance, begin at just $15/month, and include unlimited access to virtual veterinary care through video and chat models. In a country experiencing a critical vet shortage of just one veterinarian for every 6,000 pet households, Dutch is creating a more accessible means of dependable, quality vet care that can address the modern pet parents' needs in a timely manner and at a fraction of the cost. Media Contacts For PetMeds: Danielle Poggi [email protected] Reed Anderson [email protected] For Dutch: Melissa Stavenhagen [email protected]
