Emma Harris and Brendon Laing, co-founders of Novel Vet, in Burlington, Ont., on Feb 9.Fred Lum/The Globe and Mail
Brendon Laing and Emma Harris come from different ends of the veterinary industry – he’s a veterinarian, she’s an entrepreneur.
But the longtime friends share the same concerns about structural issues in pet care, including costly bills that they say are hard on pet owners and professionals alike. They hope a new veterinary clinic they founded in Burlington, Ont., called Novel will be a model for the industry.
“One of the big driving forces behind why Emma and I started Novel is, how can we rewrite this narrative?” said Dr. Laing, a recent president of the Ontario Veterinary Medicine Association.
“How can we come at this with a different set of solutions and meet clients where they want to be met?”
More than half of Canadian households own a pet, and surveys have shown that the cost of care has become a serious concern.
Emma Harris, right, co-founder of Novel Vet, observes Ash Defreitas (black cap) and Tracy McVeigh preparing to perform dental surgery on a dog at Novel Vet.Fred Lum/The Globe and Mail
For example, a poll published last summer from Gallup and PetSmart Charities of Canada suggested half of pet owners were skipping vet visits, mostly because of the cost.
Novel, which celebrated its first anniversary this month, is trying to address those concerns in two main ways: How clients are charged and how the clinic’s team is structured.
The prices for many common services are published on Novel’s website. Clients who buy a membership ($24 a month for one pet, or $30 a month for more) receive a discount of 20 per cent or more on services and are not charged for exams.
“The exam fee is a major problem in veterinary medicine for both practitioners and clients alike, because the average exam fee now in this province is $150,” Ms. Harris said.
Exam fees lead pet owners to take a “wait and see approach” if their dog or cat is sick, which can exacerbate problems if conditions are left untreated, she said. “So now it’s more complicated medically, and therefore likely a little bit more expensive to treat.”
Most appointments for minor illnesses or wellness concerns are taken care of by vet techs with a visit to a veterinarian at the end.Fred Lum/The Globe and Mail
Novel’s first client was photographer Melissa Shearer, who was looking for a new clinic last spring for her ill 8-year-old Rottweiler-Mastiff mix Loki.
She signed up online before Novel’s official start date last April and “immediately, even before they opened, Brendon was getting on a call with us, and giving us some advice,” she said.
Over the following months, Loki was diagnosed with cancer and eventually euthanized. Ms. Shearer said a review of her invoices suggest she saved almost $1,700 from discounts and no exam fees.
The membership structure doesn’t guarantee cost savings. It is possible for a pet owner to pay more in membership fees if their pet is consistently healthy and goes many months or years between appointments.
Ms. Harris said a membership is typically bought at the first appointment and, based on their sales data, pays off by the second appointment.
She also said memberships are not mandatory and around 30 per cent of their clients choose not to buy one.
The ‘Wall of Fame’ in the lobby of Novel Vet.Fred Lum/The Globe and Mail
There is now a memorial to Loki in the reception area of Novel, which is designed to look like a library. (The clinic’s name is meant to evoke both innovation and turning to a new page of a book.)
When Ms. Shearer adopted a new dog in December – a Great Pyrenees-Rottweiler mix named Tāne – she brought him to Novel, too. And much of the care he receives is from registered veterinary technicians.
This is the other main difference at Novel, the founders say: better utilization of vet techs, the nurses of the animal world.
Most appointments for minor illnesses or wellness concerns are taken care of by vet techs in one of Novel’s five exam rooms, with a visit to a veterinarian at the end. The veterinarian becomes the main point of contact for serious issues.
Ms. Harris compared it to a dental appointment, where most of a client’s time is spent with a hygienist unless a procedure is needed.
From an operational perspective, veterinarians are in high demand and expensive. So if more care is delivered by a vet tech, the clinic’s labour costs are lower. In fact, they can provide their vet techs a higher-than-average salary.
Ms. Harris said Novel’s vet techs are paid around $100,000 a year, twice the provincial average. “They deserve it.”
Veterinarians and veterinarian assistants at Novel Vet. A Gallup and PetSmart Charities of Canada poll suggested half of pet owners were skipping vet visits, mostly because of the cost.Fred Lum/The Globe and Mail
The vet techs who work at Novel say they appreciate the bigger role – which is also important in a career that traditionally has high turnover.
“It makes me feel very valued and respected,” said Mandy Sheehan, who’s been in veterinary medicine for 17 years. “This is a movement that I’m hoping catches on.”
Her colleague Carley Brooks said the clinic practices an approach called spectrum of care, recognizing that some treatment options that are not the gold standard can be cheaper and still provide positive outcomes.
“It might not be the most ideal, but it might be enough for that pet and what the client can afford,” she said.
More than half of Canadian households own a pet, and surveys have shown that the cost of care has become a serious concern.Fred Lum/The Globe and Mail
The financial model has so far worked out for the clinic, the founders say. They were cash-flow positive by month four, Ms. Harris said. They are working on a second location in nearby Ancaster, Ont., with a dream of opening more in the years to come.
Ms. Harris said Novel was inspired by dissatisfaction with care available for her first dog, a yellow Labrador named Bo, who passed away in February at the age of 10. The clinic has now named their fund to pay for clients facing financial difficulties in his honour.
“Every appointment, every recovered patient, and every relieved pet owner is, in a quiet way, part of the story he began,” she said.