Germans' love of animals comes up against hard limits in everyday life. Around a third do not have a pet for organizational reasons. Anyone who already has an animal knows the conflict: When a dog or cat has to go to the vet, many working people find themselves fighting against the clock. A current YouGov survey commissioned by Rex shows: 40 percent of pet owners surveyed have already forgone a veterinary appointment during their working hours or postponed one for professional reasons. Almost one in three people use overtime, compensatory time off or vacation to visit the practice. Jonathan Loesing, co-founder and CEO of the modern veterinary practice Rex, sees this as more than a private organizational problem.
Munich. Germany loves its pets. At least one lives in 43 percent of all households – in total, Germans share their homes with 33.4 million dogs, cats, small mammals and pet birds (1). For many, they are not just roommates, but permanent family members. But there seems to be a growing hurdle between the desire for an animal and everyday life with one: professional activity. A recent YouGov survey commissioned by Rex shows that 23 percent cannot balance having a pet with their work life. Another 14 percent are put off by the planning effort involved in veterinary appointments. Jonathan Loesing concludes: “Modern veterinary practices need to take greater account of how their customers actually live and work.” Loesing sees the results of the YouGov survey as a wake-up call for the industry. Medical quality alone is not enough if animals cannot be treated in time at the crucial moment. “A modern veterinary practice must provide both: high-quality veterinary care and access that fits the owner’s reality,” says Loesing. A look at those who have pets shows how strong the conflict is already having an impact. Almost 40 percent of the owners surveyed face organizational difficulties when it comes to combining job and vet appointments.
Calling becomes a time waster
The organizational effort often begins before the actual visit to the practice. If you look for an appointment by phone during working hours, you have to put up with waiting times, callbacks and different time slots. If there is then a longer waiting time in the practice, a short examination can quickly turn into half a day of work. In Loesing's view, in order to make veterinary visits more compatible with everyday working life, practices need to focus on three points in particular: uncomplicated online appointment booking, longer opening hours and digitally prepared processes. “It is crucial that pet owners select a binding appointment and can estimate the time required as reliably as possible,” explains the Rex founder. If complaints and important information are recorded in advance, the practice team can prepare more specifically for the visit. Digital processes do not replace personal care or veterinary examinations, but they can make access to care significantly easier.Vacation or overtime for the vet appointment
For Loesing, the numbers are particularly explosive because illnesses, injuries and acute complaints occur regardless of working hours and practice opening times. “An animal doesn’t get sick according to the roster,” explains the Rex founder. “Nevertheless, for many people the question of how quickly an appointment can be made depends on whether the available practice times can be reconciled with their everyday work,” says Loesing. Anyone who visits the practice during working hours often has to use their own time reserves. 22.6 percent of those surveyed used overtime or compensatory time off at their last veterinary appointment. Another 9.4 percent took vacation. Another 6.6 percent were excused from work in another way. “Vacation days and overtime become a hidden emergency reserve for animal health,” observes Loesing. He emphasizes: “This may work somehow for the individual owner. But it is not a viable model for reliable veterinary care.”
Accessibility becomes a question of quality
This makes it all the more important to use existing resources as efficiently as possible through digital processes and better scheduling. Loesing summarizes: “It’s not the job that has to adapt to the veterinary appointment – veterinary medical offers have to be better compatible with everyday working life.” Rex shows how this claim can be implemented in practice with, among other things, a networked practice model: The animals' medical history is bundled across locations so that owners can, if necessary, take an available appointment at another Rex practice without having to compile findings and medical history again. Our own laboratories also make it possible to obtain many test results directly on site. This should not only reduce waiting times, but also additional visits to the practice and further downtime.
About Rex
Rex is a startup founded in Berlin in 2021 by Jonathan Loesing and Julian Lechner. On the one hand, Rex operates its own, modern, technology-supported veterinary practices. On the other hand, Rex also offers a digital platform for pet owners for veterinary appointments, medical history forms and an electronic patient record. Rex's focus is on a pleasant customer experience, digitalized processes and first-class veterinary care. The company aims to digitize the market for veterinary care and make it more efficient. More information at www.rex.app.
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