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After-hours telehealth service connects Pittsburgh pet owners with vets

Telehealth service connects pet owners with vets
Telehealth service connects pet owners with vets 02:22

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) —An after-hours telehealth service connects pet owners in Pittsburgh with veterinarians. 

Have you ever had a pet emergency in the middle of the night? The regular vet is not open and emergency vets are often expensive. Pets After Dark can now get pet owners answers with a single phone call. 

"There are fewer veterinarians, there's just less time and people close their doors at 6 p.m.," Dr. Caroline Simard-Swimmer, a veterinarian and the medical director of Pets After Dark. "If something happens, they don't know what to do. They don't know where to go."

Pets After Dark offers a solution and peace of mind. The co-founders said they want to provide an after-hours telehealth service that connects pet owners with local vets. 

"The first thing want, they want answers," said Howard Swimmer, CEO of Pets After Dark. "They want to speak to someone that they trust."

You can have a single consultation or as a subscriber, your pet's medical history will be on file and the vet on call will give advice through video before booking a follow-up appointment the next day with with your regular vet. 

"What's hard as veterinarians is that we all practice in our own little bubbles," said Dr. Ken Fisher, owner of East End Veterinary Medical Center, which collaborates with Pets After Dark. "It has brought us together." 

Pets After Dark kicked off its services this year and has received positive feedback. It hopes to collaborate with more veterinarians in the future. 

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