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Review of the top online veterinary expert websites

February 11, 2011

Review of the top online veterinary expert websites: the good, the bad, and the ugly

We are turning to WebMD and Google more and more to help cure what ails us and like many of you, I also have turned to the Internet to help my pets. Understanding what is wrong with your pets isn’t an easy task and often people turning to online pet experts to help them. But, who are those “pet experts?” Are they vets? Is this a scam or hoax? How long does it take to get an answer, and will I learn anything useful?

I have adopted and now prefer the convenience the internet has brought to our lives, so I thought, why not check out the online pet Q&A sites and see how they measure up? I have a bulldog myself-that I spend a fortune on for her numerous and ongoing skin problems-and decided to post some questions to multiple sites. After all, a comprehensive review of all these sites didn’t come near approaching the cost of an office visit alone. The following is a review of the four leading “pet expert” sites:

Televets.com: Asking a question was confusing because of the need to register then sign up to subscribe to an RSS feed using an email program. I managed to do that, but then nothing happened. I waited and waited, kept pressing refresh to make sure I wasn’t missing something. While I was waiting, I checked out how one applies to become an expert. I was shocked to find out that pet technicians, trainers, and even regular pet owners are eligible as “pet experts.” While I listen to my trainer for training tips, I don’t want them answering my medical questions. It appears the only motivation for their “experts” to answer questions is their ability to market to the site’s audience. The bottom line: question responses are not immediate and the “pet advisors” aren’t all veterinarians (even regular pet owners answering pet medical questions). I never got an answer, and after 48 hours with no response, I stopped checking.

Price: Free
Timeliness: 1 out of 10
Quality: N/A
Only Vets: No
Overall Score: poor

PetDocsOnCall.com: This site does have all veterinarians but although my question was viewed 21 times, (you can see how many experts have looked at your question) it was never answered. Because I asked a question about a drug my pet accidentally ingested, it would have been far too late had my pet actually have ingested something. In three days, I never got an answer. An overall score of three was given because it’s free, all vets, and some people get answers (I’m assuming). I had high hopes for this one, as it is free and from vets, but I remain frustrated that veterinarians would actually see my question as a pet owner in need, and choose to not respond-nothing at all! They do have a blog and are on facebook. Though I never got an answer, I did read some of their posted Q&As. Their answers are pretty short, and their veterinarians seem to be pretty cautious in what they say-not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing. Lots of “take your pet to the vet” which is good, but not much offered in the way of explanations or what is reasonable at the vet, etc.

Price: Free
Timeliness: 1
Quality: N/A
Only Vets: Yes
Overall Score: poor to fair (depending on your question)

eAnswer.com and Justanswer.com: This site handles other things besides veterinary questions, ranging from legal to mechanic questions. I have used their legal Q&A portion in the past with variable success. You have to define the urgency and level of detail required after asking a question, and leave a deposit before the question can be answered. It was the most expensive of all the services because it ranges from $14 dollars for a slow and low detailed answer to $38 dollars for an urgent high detail answer. Text message notifications are optional. I chose a medium urgency and a medium detail Q&A and got a mediocre answer in twenty-two minutes. It is not clear if their “pet experts” are actually vets in the pet section (not the vet section). I felt the answer the vet gave was pretty short. For paying so much money, I really was left wanting more of an explanation, but it was fast and pretty easy to figure out. No blog, and I didn’t see any facebook for vets or pets.

Price: $14 (Base Q&A), $38 (High End Q&A)
Timeliness: Less than an hour-pretty good
Quality: 6
Only Vets: Unknown
Overall Score: good (but expensive)

VetLIVE.com: It was clear that only licensed veterinarians that have been vetted by the husband and wife veterinary owners answer your questions. Unlike the other services, they have more options. You can not only upload a photo of your pet but also their medical documents. I don’t have my pets medical documents at home, but I guess this would be useful for someone if they aren’t happy with their vet or want a second opinion. They also have instant messaging with a vet for 20 minutes for a slightly higher price point. They responded immediately and provided text messaging for updates. I browed their blog in the meantime, and learned some money saving tips. Their timeliness came in at number one, although justanswer was fast too, but vetlive’s answer quality and length was by far the best. The only negative was that you have to check out with Google checkout or PayPal. It was easy to upload a picture, but I didn’t upload any medical documents.

Price: $12.95 (Q&A), $19.95 (Chat)
Timeliness: Immediate
Quality: 10
Only Vets: Yes
Overall Score: Excellent (and affordable)

The Winner : VetLive

We found the overall experience to be the most rewarding. I have bookmarked their site and will definitely be using it in the future.

Overall, I think this is a great idea. I love the idea of it being free, but it makes sense now that their is a need for a small fee if you want a quality answer. A small fee is reasonable and I am happy to pay it, as it turns out you get what you pay for holds true in online pet Q&A.

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Written by TheFounder · Filed Under Ask a Vet 


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