Pet owners seek medical care for their cats and dogs at high rates for several common conditions.
Vet costs for cats and dogs are commonly spent on allergies, ear & skin infections, bladder and urine issues, and dental disease. (Skin allergies for dogs - “80,000 individual claims submitted to VPI at an average cost of $189 per dog (source)” - $15,120,000 annually; Bladder issues for cats - “more than 4,700 claims received at an average cost of $425 per cat (source).” - $1,997,500 annually). With these issues causing only somewhat pressing need, it seems likely that these conditions are eventually treated by at home testing + a followup prescription.
Veterinary Pet Insurers (VPI), a Nationwide Company, is the first and largest pet insurance provider in the US. - covered 525,000 pets as of 2015. This could be an interesting wedge into the larger 123 B pet care market of toys, food, and hygiene that are personalized towards pets allergies or dietary restrictions (source). We’re interested in companies approaching this veterinary care market through novel testing as an initial wedge and expanding into insurance or in person visits.