Urgent care center for pets opens in Cary

A Triangle-born pet care startup wants to make finding urgent care for dogs and cats easier.

Driving the news: Truss Vet opened its first location in Cary's Fenton development earlier this month.

• Founded by Brad Waffa, an N.C. State Veterinarian Medicine graduate, and CJ Casselli, a graduate of Duke's Fuqua School of Business, Truss Vet is aiming to serve the middle that exists between a pet's veterinarian and 24-hour emergency animal hospitals.

Why it matters: Over the past decade, the growth of urgent care centers for human health has exploded. Patients liked their extended and walk-in hours while providers like the work-life balance they provide. Truss Vet was created out of the belief a similar dynamic will exist for pet owners.

What they're saying: When your dog is vomiting on a random Tuesday morning, Casselli tells Axios, Truss Vet wants to be just a few clicks away.

• At the moment, he says, most vets are still scheduling visits over the phone, when people are increasingly doing everything online.
• "A lot of consumers just want to wake up, book something online, walk right in and then be seen quickly," Casselli said."We're trying to offer that experience."

State of play: Pet ownership has increased significantly in the past few years, putting pressure on local veterinarians who have more pets to serve.

• Remote work, Casselli said, has also put more pressure on veterinarians. Pet owners are noticing their pets' symptoms more simply because they are spending more time at home with them.

Details: The startup also aims to attract veterinarians. Waffa said that from his personal experience, most vets are not able to schedule that much time off and it leads to a lot of burnout.

• Each of Truss Vet's clinical workers works three 12-hour shifts a week.
• To accommodate that, the vet is open from 10am to 10pm and closed on Saturdays.

What's next: Both Waffa and Casselli have big ambitions for the concept, believing it could be something replicable in other cities.

• "If this is successful," Waffa said, "I do see ourselves growing throughout North Carolina — and potentially beyond."