TAMPA, Fla. — A Tampa man with a background in technology and a passion for animals decided to combine those traits into one helpful app, Umbrella Vet.
“A lot of pet parents don’t know if it’s an actual emergency or not,” said creator Tyler Clark.
“I work from home, and I let the dogs out a lot between conference calls, so I let Hurley out, and at some point later in the evening after work, I noticed she was limping and licking her paw and chewing at it quite a bit,” said St. Pete dog owner Leslie Mullins about her Golden Doodle Hurley.
In the past, Mullins may have driven Hurley to an emergency clinic, but this time, she decided to try Umbrella Vet.
“This is the only app in the world where you can actually speak with AI and then transfer over to a licensed veterinarian and speak to a vet 24/7,” said Clark.
Clark came up with the idea during the pandemic to help vets who had lost their jobs or been furloughed.
“The vets love the job right because they can work from the comfort of their own home on their laptop, we provide them the software, they sit back, call comes in, they answer the call,” said Clark.
Mullins said AI first recommended a little antiseptic and a warm compress, but when that didn’t work, she had a real live video chat with a veterinarian.
“Really asking a series of questions to see what happened, ultimately didn’t see bite marks or an open wound, and she wasn’t concerned,” said Mullins. “So the difference she suggested was Epsom salt soak, to pat it dry, and wrap it up, so she would stop licking it and prevent infection, so that's what really helped it heal along much more swiftly because she wasn’t able to get to it.”
Mullins said speaking with a professional and receiving answers within minutes was reassuring, saving her time, money, and stress.
“Any time I had to sneak her into the vet, it's never the same day; if you are really anxious and want to go to an emergency clinic, you are waiting three or four hours to be seen and then spending $500 to $1,000 for something that could be minor or simple,” said Mullins.
Clark said with the pet population continuing to climb; he’s proud to provide an app that makes life a little easier for owners.
“And to see everyone out there that has shown us the love and positive support using the app and being a success story has been absolutely amazing,” said Clark.
