Elita launches 24/7 vet telehealth for dogs in Australia

Elita has launched a 24/7 veterinary telehealth service for dog owners in Australia, delivered with VetChat.

The new offering links consultations with a dog's medical history, biological test results and owner-reported changes through Elita's Blueprint platform. This gives Australian-registered vets access to an ongoing record from the first message, rather than relying only on a pet owner's account of recent symptoms.

The move adds a clinical service layer to a business focused on building what it describes as a longitudinal health record for dogs. Blueprint tracks changes against an individual dog's baseline, suggests next steps for owners and gives treating vets a broader picture.

The platform is available internationally through app stores, while the telehealth service is launching first in Australia ahead of a later expansion to the US. Pricing is AUD $8.99 a month for Blueprint and AUD $20 a month for Blueprint+, which includes round-the-clock telehealth access.

Cost pressure

The launch comes as pet owners face growing pressure from veterinary bills and limited access to care outside standard clinic hours. Elita cited figures showing that 12% of pet owners in Australia have needed financial assistance to cover veterinary care.

It also pointed to data showing that 16% of Australian pet owners did not take their pet to the vet in the past year when they knew they should have, with cost and limited after-hours access among the main reasons. In the US, 52% of pet owners skipped or declined recommended veterinary care in the past year, with 71% citing cost and only 23% having been offered a payment plan.

Against that backdrop, a range of pet health companies are exploring subscription models, remote consultations and earlier screening to reduce acute, and often more expensive, treatment later. Elita's approach centres on the idea that biological markers can shift before outward symptoms or behavioural changes become obvious to an owner.

Paloma Newton, Co-Founder of Elita, set out the company's argument for widening access to preventative care.

"Preventative care shouldn't be a luxury reserved for owners who can afford to be proactive; it should be available to everyone. As the cost of pet ownership in Australia climbs, the smarter move isn't spending more once something's gone wrong, it's knowing what to do to stay ahead of it. Offering 24/7 veterinary telehealth through VetChat adds another layer of support, and it's one piece of what we're building: making preventative care and the science behind it accessible to every owner, not just the top 1%," said Paloma Newton, Co-Founder of Elita.

Shared records

VetChat provides the veterinary network behind the service. The company was founded by Australian veterinarian Dr Claire Jenkins and has built its business around connecting pet owners with registered vets for remote advice and after-hours triage.

Through the partnership, VetChat's vets will begin consultations with more data than a typical telehealth interaction provides. In most remote appointments, clinicians depend heavily on the owner's immediate observations, videos, photos and any records they have available.

Dr Claire Jenkins, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of VetChat, said the shared information base could change the starting point of those conversations.

"Elita and VetChat are built on the same belief: that exceptional pet healthcare should be within every owner's reach. Pairing our vets with Blueprint's ongoing picture of a dog's health means the conversation can start earlier, with weeks or months of context before we even say hello. That's good for every treating vet, not just ours. VetChat exists to make trusted, credible vet care easier to access for pets and their people whenever owners need it, not just during business hours. So we're excited about what this opens up," said Dr Claire Jenkins.

Funding base

The launch follows a AUD $1.9 million funding round backed by Boost VC, Gandel Invest, Artesian's Female Leaders Fund, Touch Ventures and M8 Ventures. The funding will support work to make biological longevity tools more widely available to dog owners.

The company was founded in 2024 by Newton and Jackson Gritching. Alongside the software platform, it says it also has diagnostics and biobanking operations and works with science and veterinary partners globally.

Elita is also developing Blueprint360, a home testing product intended to give owners a deeper view of their dog's biology. The project is being developed with the company's in-house lab and science team as it expands from software and telehealth links into testing.

Investors are framing the opportunity in terms of a higher standard of monitoring and intervention in canine health. "We believe that Elita is about to give dogs a better standard of care than humans. They are at the forefront of bio breakthroughs and will enable dogs to live longer than ever," said Adam Draper of Boost VC.