Dial A Vet set to sign up 2000 pet owners by March as it chases $1m in revenue

A young entrepreneur sold his house to fund the creation of a telehealth app that connects vets with distressed pet owners potentially saving thousands of dollars.

The light bulb moment for Dial A Vet founder and chief executive Joshua Fidrmuc was his friend’s pet medical emergency which sparked his realisation that the growing telehealth sector could cater for more than just humans.

The Cairns-based 26-year-old said since the launch of the Dial A Vet app in October, interest from the veterinary industry has been “insane” and he is aiming to crack the $1m revenue barrier in his first year.

“We have about 300 vets and vet nurses signed up from around Australia who work on the app in their down time,” he said.

“We have more than 1500 pet owners on our list and we’re aiming to reach 2000 subscribed owners nationally by March. Ideally I’m looking for about 10,000 pet owners.”

The idea for 24/7 Dial A Vet was sparked by a late Saturday night phone call from Mr Fidrmuc’s best friend who was studying in Adelaide.

He said his friend told him his dog Isla was vomiting and had diarrhoea and his partner was worried and wanted them to drive to the emergency vet which was 30 minutes away to get an opinion on what was wrong.

“I wondered, `why isn’t there a vet service you can ring and ask for their opinion before bringing the dog to the clinic?’,” he said.

“I told him to go to the vet and put his partner at peace. They were told that it was most likely due to them changing their dog’s food and just to monitor the dog and his diet. He told me he spent $140 he couldn’t afford and waited over an hour for that.”

Founder of Dial A Vet Joshua Fidrmuc.

It was then Mr Fidrmuc’s began planning the mobile app which was to become Dial A Vet with the aim to save owners unnecessary vet fees during their pets’ lifetime.

“I contacted numerous app companies. In the early days of Dial A Vet I pitched to a few start-up incubator programs. Most declined after the first meeting,” he said.

“I was told I wouldn’t survive as the market is too big for an idea like this. This only fuelled my ambition because I had spoken to vets and pet owners, and I knew that a service like this would work.”

Eventually, he found a like-minded app developer and sold his house to fund the project.

Pet owners can join Dial A Vet as members for unlimited video consultations calls, with up to six pets per membership for $35 a month with he app available on both iOS and Android platforms. Early research suggests most callers are females between 35 and 50 while 76 per cent of calls are after hours.

For the budding serial entrepreneur it was a major milestone in his business journey which started when he joined the Australian Army straight out of school.

In his down time would work on his ideas – especially in the e-commerce space – and also studied for an Advanced Diploma of Financial Planning.

He left the army and joined a bank and then a fintech company and while he was there, he had a new business idea for a virtual debit card. He was unable to secure enough funding to launch but had learned a lesson that would be the foundation for his next venture.

“My parents have always been my inspiration. I truly see no barrier in life that can’t stop you from getting where you want to be,” Mr Fidrmuc said.

“I am such a huge advocate for finding a solution to a problem. In everyday life I want to know why it can’t be done better. And wonder if I could. I still ring my dad to ask questions and talk it through.

“Mostly, he answers with something like, ‘It might be challenging or you might not get enough funding to launch’. Except when I told him about my idea for Dial A Vet.”

Originally published as Dial A Vet set to sign up 2000 pet owners by March as it chases $1m in revenue