From the carrier to the screen: this is how pet insurance is changing
The photograph of the home has changed and, with it, the way we take care of those who live there. More and more families are integrating dogs and cats as one more member, which is shifting attention from the “clinical episode” to continuous, more comfortable and less stressful care for the animal. This change is no accident: it combines new expectations of convenience, pressure on clinics' capacity and a digital adoption that normalizes asking for professional advice from a mobile phone. The result is an ecosystem that reorders the gateway to veterinary health and redefines what good insurance should include.
From the clinic to the home: new forms of care
The most visible movement is the expansion of services that bring professionals closer to home. Teleconsultations resolve doubts, prioritize cases and avoid unnecessary travel; mobile clinics cover neighborhoods or rural areas with flexible schedules; and home care reduces stress, especially for felines. Added to this are apps that record symptoms, vaccine reminders or adherence to treatments, generating useful information to anticipate problems. It's not about replacing face-to-face exploration when necessary, but about using digital technology to better decide when and how to go.
Startups focused on veterinary transformation
Startups like Vet2Go, Consult Felina or EasyVet they are building this new front line. Vet2Go articulates home visits supported by an app that simplifies request and follow-up; Consulta Felina combines online consultation with care at home for cats, an audience that suffers especially from transport and waiting rooms; EasyVet, on the other hand, standardises local clinics with more streamlined processes and extended hours. Three different approaches, a common goal: quick access, friendly experience and recommendations adapted to each animal and guardian.
When the relationship starts before the emergency, habits change. Guardians receive clearer prevention guidelines, understand when to observe and when to climb, and assume routines that improve outcomes. For professionals, remote orientation and monitoring reduce peaks in demand and allow them to dedicate face-to-face time to what provides the most value. And for the animal, everyday life becomes quieter: less stress, more continuity in care and informed decisions at key moments.
Insurance evolves: support and continuous well-being
If the first interaction occurs at home and the conversation is sustained over time, insurance can no longer be limited to paying bills when everything gets complicated. The proposal moves towards accompaniment: integrated 24/7 remote orientation, home visiting packages, plans for wellness with reminders and educational content, and even support for animal health devices. Classic accident and illness coverage comes to be combined with services that generate value every week, not just in the event of an accident. This increases satisfaction and loyalty, and also reduces average severity because problems are caught earlier.
This approach opens the door to modular and dynamic policies, where the guardian chooses what to include and adjusts coverage according to life stage, habits or budget. It also invites us to incorporate ethical incentives for adherence to treatments or periodic reviews, always with consent and transparency. The key is to design simple rules, a frictionless experience and metrics that measure what matters: first-contact resolution, avoidable referrals, compliance with guidelines, frequency and mix of claims, and guardian satisfaction.
Collaboration to Scale: Insurers, Startups, and Clinics
The real opportunity emerges when insurers, startups and veterinary professionals orchestrate their capabilities. Simple integrations, clear referral routes, committed service levels, and economic models that reward prevention turn promise into a system. In a market that projects 22.8 billion euros by 2027, it's not just a matter of acquiring policies, but of building a network that really works: agile access, adequate care at every step and data to improve clinical practice and the design of the insurance product.
This collaboration triangle accelerates adoption and reduces friction. For the clinic, it means new sources of income and better management tools; for startups, sustainable validation and scaling; for the insurer, early information that helps to adjust prices and coverage more precisely. And, above all, for the tutor and their pet, a coherent experience that accompanies everyday life. From Santalucía Impulsa, we will continue to map these solutions, share lessons learned and explore pilots that go from the curious test to the industry standard.
