Vetster

Vetster is a Canadian veterinary telemedicine company headquartered in Toronto. Founded in 2020 by Mark Bordo and Regan Johnson, the company developed a digital platform intended to make veterinary advice more accessible outside the traditional clinic setting. Bordo became chief executive officer, while Johnson took responsibility for technology as chief technology officer. Cerys Goodall joined the senior leadership team as chief operating officer in January 2022. The Vetster platform allows pet owners to arrange remote consultations with veterinarians and veterinary technicians. Rather than automatically assigning a practitioner, the service allows users to select among available professionals. Appointments can be conducted through video, voice, or text chat, and can be scheduled at different times of day and on different days of the week. The service is available through Vetster's website and mobile application. Depending on local law and the clinical circumstances, a consultation may result in a prescription being sent through VetsterRX or to a local human pharmacy. A major extension of the business was VetsterRX, an online pet pharmacy service announced for the United States on August 24, 2021. The pharmacy capability broadened Vetster's role from a consultation marketplace into a more integrated pet-health service. In April 2022, Vetster partnered with PetMed Express, whose PetMeds business became the exclusive e-commerce provider for Vetster medications, while Vetster became the exclusive telehealth provider for PetMed Express customers under the reported arrangement. Vetster expanded into the United Kingdom in August 2022 after raising £25 million. The company later broadened its institutional offering with Vetster for Business, an employer benefit launched on January 31, 2024. This product positioned veterinary telehealth as a potential workplace benefit for employees who own pets. The company's public profile has also been supported by consumer research and industry recognition: Vetster conducted a pet-guilt survey with OnePoll and was named Pet Healthcare Company of the Year in 2021. It subsequently received Pet App of the Year recognition in 2024 and 2025 from the Pet Innovation Awards. Vetster's positioning combines on-demand access, practitioner choice, digital convenience, and an expanding medication workflow. Its service is designed primarily for questions, triage, follow-up care, and other situations in which remote consultation is legally and clinically appropriate; it does not replace in-person veterinary examination when physical diagnosis or treatment is necessary. The company was reported to have 35 employees in October 2021. It remains a private veterinary-health technology brand, with publicly available reference material emphasizing its telemedicine platform, pharmacy service, partnerships, geographic expansion, and employer-benefit offering.

Vetster was established in Canada in 2020 by Mark Bordo and Regan Johnson. The founders divided leadership between commercial and technical responsibilities, with Bordo becoming chief executive officer and Johnson becoming chief technology officer. The business was created around the idea that pet owners could obtain veterinary guidance remotely rather than relying exclusively on scheduled, in-person clinic visits. Its core platform allows users to search for and book consultations with veterinarians or veterinary technicians. Appointments may be conducted by video, voice, or text, and the service supports scheduling throughout the day and week. A distinctive aspect of the platform is the ability for users to choose the professional they want to consult rather than being assigned automatically. The service is accessible through both a website and a mobile application. Prescriptions may be issued through VetsterRX or, where legally permitted, routed to a local pharmacy. The availability of prescriptions and the suitability of remote care depend on jurisdictional rules and clinical requirements. Vetster's first major expansion beyond consultations came in 2021. On August 24 of that year, it announced VetsterRX, an online pet pharmacy service for the United States. The addition gave the company a pathway to connect telehealth advice with medication access. Public reference material reported that Vetster had 35 employees in October 2021. The company also worked with OnePoll on a survey examining feelings of guilt among pet owners, providing a consumer-research and awareness component alongside its technology business. Cerys Goodall was appointed chief operating officer in January 2022. In April of the same year, Vetster entered a partnership with PetMed Express. Under the arrangement described in public reference material, PetMeds became the exclusive e-commerce provider for Vetster medications, while Vetster became the exclusive telehealth provider to PetMed Express customers. The relationship linked a digital veterinary consultation platform with an established pet-medication commerce channel. Vetster expanded geographically into the United Kingdom in August 2022 after a reported £25 million fundraising round. This represented an important step in taking the company's telemedicine model beyond North America, although veterinary prescribing and telehealth rules differ by market. The company subsequently diversified its customer base. On January 31, 2024, it launched Vetster for Business, an employer benefit intended to provide veterinary telehealth access through workplace programs. Recognition has formed another part of Vetster's development. The company was named Pet Healthcare Company of the Year in 2021. The Pet Innovation Awards later recognized it as Pet App of the Year in both 2024 and 2025. These awards and the company's consumer survey helped raise its visibility within the pet-technology and animal-health sectors. Vetster's business model centers on digital access to veterinary professionals, with pharmacy services and employer distribution extending the brand beyond individual appointment bookings. Its proposition is convenience and choice rather than a replacement for veterinary clinics. In-person examinations remain necessary when a condition requires physical assessment, procedures, emergency intervention, or treatment that cannot appropriately be delivered remotely. Publicly available reference material identifies Vetster as a Toronto-based Canadian company and does not establish a public listing, acquisition, or parent company.

• 2024

  Vetster for Business launches

  [1]Vetsteren.wikipedia.org

  The company launched an employer-benefit version of its veterinary telehealth service on January 31.

• 2022

  Cerys Goodall becomes chief operating officer

  [1]Vetsteren.wikipedia.org

  Cerys Goodall was appointed chief operating officer in January.

• 2022

  PetMed Express partnership

  [1]Vetsteren.wikipedia.org

  Vetster entered an arrangement with PetMed Express covering exclusive medication e-commerce and telehealth roles.

• 2022

  UK expansion

  [1]Vetsteren.wikipedia.org

  Vetster expanded into the United Kingdom following a reported £25 million raise.

• 2021

  VetsterRX is announced for the US market

  [1]Vetsteren.wikipedia.org

  Vetster announced its online pet pharmacy service, VetsterRX, on August 24, extending its offering beyond remote consultations.

• 2021

  Pet Healthcare Company of the Year recognition

  [1]Vetsteren.wikipedia.org

  Vetster was named Pet Healthcare Company of the Year by the Pet Innovation Awards.

• 2020

  Vetster is founded

  [1]Vetsteren.wikipedia.org

  Mark Bordo and Regan Johnson founded Vetster in Canada, with Bordo becoming CEO and Johnson becoming CTO.

Digital-first veterinary access focused on convenient, on-demand consultations with user-selected veterinary professionals, supported by online medication services and employer benefits.

• Veterinary telemedicine · 2020

  Vetster platform

  Vetster's principal digital service lets pet owners book remote consultations with veterinarians and veterinary technicians. Users can select a professional and communicate through video, voice, or text. The platform is designed for convenient access to veterinary guidance at times that may not align with conventional clinic hours. It is available through a website and mobile app, while the appropriateness of remote diagnosis, treatment, and prescribing depends on local law and the animal's condition.

• Pet pharmacy · 2021

  VetsterRX

  VetsterRX is Vetster's online pet pharmacy service, announced for the United States in August 2021. It extends the brand's telemedicine proposition into medication access. Prescriptions generated through an eligible consultation may be fulfilled through VetsterRX or, where permitted, sent to a local human pharmacy. The PetMed Express partnership later connected Vetster medication services with PetMeds' e-commerce infrastructure.

• Employer benefit · 2024

  Vetster for Business

  Vetster for Business is an employer-oriented version of the company's veterinary telehealth proposition. Launched in January 2024, it is intended to be offered as a workplace benefit, giving participating employees a digital route to veterinary consultations for their pets. The product broadens Vetster's distribution from direct consumer bookings to organizational and benefits channels.

• Pet guilt survey with OnePoll

  United States

  Vetster collaborated with OnePoll on a survey concerning guilt experienced by pet owners. The initiative supplied consumer insight and public discussion around the emotional responsibilities of pet ownership.

  Source

• 2024

  Launch of Vetster for BusinessProduct launch

  Background

  Vetster expanded its distribution model beyond individual consumers toward employers and workplace benefits programs.

  Action taken

  The company launched Vetster for Business on January 31, 2024.

  Aftermath

  The launch created an employer-benefit channel for Vetster's veterinary telehealth services.

  Source

• 2022

  PetMed Express strategic partnershipStrategy

  Background

  Vetster sought to connect its telehealth service with an established pet-medication e-commerce channel.

  Action taken

  In April 2022, Vetster agreed that PetMeds would be the exclusive e-commerce provider for Vetster medications, while Vetster would exclusively provide telehealth services to PetMed Express customers under the announced arrangement.

  Aftermath

  The agreement linked Vetster's consultation and prescription workflow with PetMeds' medication-commerce platform.

  Source

• 2022

  Expansion into the United KingdomStrategy

  Background

  Vetster pursued geographic expansion beyond its initial North American footprint.

  Action taken

  The company entered the UK market in August 2022 following a reported £25 million fundraising round.

  Aftermath

  The expansion extended Vetster's veterinary telemedicine model into another national regulatory and consumer market.

  Fundraising. £25 million raised (August 2022)

  Source

• 2021

  Launch of VetsterRXProduct launch

  Background

  Vetster had established its core business around online veterinary consultations and sought to add a medication-access component.

  Action taken

  The company announced VetsterRX for the US market on August 24, 2021.

  Aftermath

  The offering expanded Vetster into online pet-pharmacy services and created a basis for later cooperation with PetMed Express.

  Source

1. 1Vetsteren.wikipedia.org