[losteverything]

Vetcove - my own knowledge says this is just another attempt to centralize. Vet care is too expensive and this doesn't address the cost

Robby is directly in what I do. Although I can't see how it will work yet I believe certain things.

Towns need to declare whether robotic driverless "Vehicles" can exist on their taxpayers' roadways. Like cell towers, towns need to make rules before Robby or similar non-human machines are sharing common free (roadways) and private (houses and land) space with taxpayers.

Property owners are fickle.

Dogs are a significant obstacle.

[tim333]

Re Robby, I'm not sure towns can make very sensible rules until the things are tried out a bit to see if they cause problems.

I don't know much about Robby but listened to a talk by their competitor Starship and they seem to be doing ok. "Starship has been testing its six-wheeled bots across 40 cities since the end of last year, clocking up about 5,000 miles so far without incident"

Apparently dogs ignore them but kids can be an issue. They are mostly autonomous but can revert to remote control by a guy in the office who can radio "Oi! put me down!" etc. https://www.theengineer.co.uk/autonomous-delivery-robots-hit...

Kids chasing one https://www.facebook.com/starshiptech/videos/211423149213444...

[eitally]

Vet care is not remotely expensive (compared to human medical care, which is completely outrageous). Vets are required to have the same amount of training as MDs (BS + 4yr DVM + Internship + Residency + optional further specialization training & fellowships), yet the starting salaries are in the $100k range. I'd argue that $3-5k for a major surgery is good value. The problem is insurance companies. By shifting the payer away from the consumer, prices over the past few years have started unpleasantly blowing up.

[losteverything]

<Vet care is not remotely expensive

Absolutely false if one has to worry about money. Insurance is a puny percentage at the practice I know and the hundreds of pet owners I chat with daily.

< $3-5k for a major surgery That is a lot LOT of money in my mind. Remember this is your pet.

Usually the cost is sticker shock especially for Specialized Care and there is no alternative. People do not expect to have bills of $500, $1,000, $1,500 and more for routine things. [ The surgeon charges $8 a minute ]

[garry]

That you guys are discussing veterinary care and insurance shows that you don't actually know what Vetcove does. They actually are a B2B marketplace for veterinary supplies used by vet clinics. Consumers don't use it at all, and it certainly has nothing to with pet insurance. It saves clinics a lot of money already.

A reminder that it's fun to comment from the armchair, but you should at least learn what the business actually is before you do.

[losteverything]

When I typed "centralize" I implied it was b2b. I wish you well.

The vet I know in the top 10 income (county level usa) thrives on markups.

When someone says costs are affordable for the average pet owner I have to speak up. So I assumed your startup would not have a large impact on downward prices since its b2b. In fact it may increase overall vet profit and do little for the average cost of a uti treatment, for example.

I commented because I have a direct interest in this business.