Answering Service · Veterinary Clinics
A veterinary answering service for after-hours pet calls
An AI receptionist that answers pet owners when your team is in surgery, in exam rooms or closed for the night. It books wellness and sick-pet visits on your calendar, takes refill requests as messages for your team and arranges urgent call-backs by your rules, in English and Spanish.
By William Vasquez, Esq., attorney (NC State Bar, 2011) and founder of Hodos360 · Updated
Quick answer
What is a veterinary answering service?
A veterinary answering service answers a clinic’s calls when the team can’t: in surgery, in exam rooms, at night and on weekends. HODOS360 does it with an AI receptionist, 24/7 in English and Spanish. It books visits on your calendar and takes refill requests as messages for your team. It doesn’t give veterinary advice. For a poisoning or injury, it gives the caller your emergency hospital’s number and arranges an urgent call-back from your team.
Is an AI or a live veterinary answering service better for after-hours calls?
A live veterinary answering service puts a person on every call, usually to take a message. An AI veterinary answering service answers every pet owner at once, 24/7, arranges urgent call-backs from your team by your rules, books routine visits during the call and works in English and Spanish. Forwarding the clinic line to the on-call vet’s phone puts every call, urgent or routine, on that one vet. The table compares all three.
| HODOS360 AI veterinary answering service | Live veterinary answering service | Forwarding to the on-call vet | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who answers | An AI receptionist in your clinic’s name, arranging a call-back from your team when needed | A person at the service | The on-call vet |
| Picks up a call at 2 a.m. | Yes, every call | Depends on the plan | When the vet can pick up |
| Several pet owners calling at once | All answered | Queue at peak | One at a time |
| Urgent calls | An urgent call-back from your team, by your rules | From a script | Every call reaches the vet |
| Routine calls at night | Booked or taken as a message | Usually a message | Also reach the vet |
| Spanish-speaking pet owners | English and Spanish on the same line | Usually an add-on | Depends on the vet |
Who builds and runs Hodos360?
Hodos360 is built by William Vasquez, a North Carolina attorney since 2011 and U.S. Air Force veteran who founded Vasquez Law Firm. The voice AI and intake automation on this site run in production at his firm, which has four offices in North Carolina and Florida and has handled more than 30,000 cases, in English and Spanish.
Built by a practicing attorney
Designed and run by William Vasquez, NC Bar 2011 and founder of Vasquez Law Firm. Not sold by an attorney. Built by one.
Production-tested in a real firm
The same stack runs at Vasquez Law Firm: 4 offices, 30,000+ cases, 98% client satisfaction. Read the case study.
Bilingual by default
English and Spanish out of the box — voice agents, intake, and support. Designed by a former U.S. Air Force Spanish Linguist.
Military-grade reliability
U.S. Air Force veteran founder. Joint Service Achievement Medal recipient. The discipline that implies.
What veterinary clinics use an answering service?
Small-animal clinics and animal hospitals where the same people answer the phone, hold pets for exams and help in surgery. Practices with one vet on call at night use it to keep routine calls off that vet’s phone. Multi-doctor clinics use it for daytime overflow when every line is busy, and clinics with Spanish-speaking pet owners use it so every caller is served in English and Spanish.
- Small-animal clinics and animal hospitals where the phone team also works in exam rooms and surgery
- Practices with one vet on call at night and on weekends
- Multi-doctor clinics with more calls than the front desk can answer
- Clinics serving Spanish-speaking pet owners
Why do veterinary clinics miss calls?
Because the same few people answer the phone, hold pets in exam rooms, check clients out and help in surgery, and the clinic closes at night. On average, 28% of inbound calls to businesses go unanswered (CallRail, 2026), and only 31% of missed business calls ever get a callback (Quo, 2026). A pet owner who can’t get through may book with another clinic.
- On average, 28% of inbound calls to businesses go unanswered (Source: CallRail, 2026)
- Only 31% of missed business calls ever get a callback (Source: Quo, 2026)
- The person at the front desk also holds pets, checks clients out and helps in surgery
- Forwarding the clinic line at night sends every call, urgent or routine, to the on-call vet
- Pet owners who call after hours about a sick pet reach voicemail
What does a veterinary answering service do with an after-hours call?
You decide which calls are urgent and who is on call, and those callers get an urgent call-back from your team. For a poisoning or injury, the agent also gives the caller your emergency hospital’s number. It doesn’t give veterinary advice. A routine visit is booked on your calendar, a refill request becomes a message for your team, and questions about hours or services are answered from the information you give it.
Answers pet owners 24/7
Nights, weekends, holidays and surgery hours: every pet owner is answered in your clinic’s name with a natural voice, even when several call at once.
Urgent call-backs by your rules
You decide which calls are urgent and who is on call, and the agent arranges an urgent call-back from your team. For a poisoning or injury, it also gives the caller your emergency hospital’s number. If nobody is available, it takes a message. It doesn’t give veterinary advice.
Visits booked on your calendar
Wellness visits, vaccinations and sick-pet visits go on your Google Calendar, Outlook or Calendly calendar during the call, and pet owners can move or cancel them too. The agent follows your rules for visit types, lengths and which visits it may book.
Refill requests taken as messages
Pet owners can ask for a medication or prescription-diet refill at any hour. The agent takes refill requests as messages for your team, and your team decides on every refill. Our medical answering service takes prescription-refill requests the same way for physician offices.
Routine questions answered
Hours, directions, the services you offer and new-client questions are handled from the information you give it, so no one has to leave an exam room for them.
Pet owners served in English and Spanish
Pet owners can book, ask a question or leave a message in English and Spanish, with no “press 2” menu. Built by a former U.S. Air Force Spanish Linguist.
What do veterinarians ask before choosing an answering service?
The questions are usually about night emergencies, booking, refill requests, Spanish-speaking pet owners and cost. The short answers: urgent calls get an urgent call-back from your team by your rules, visits are booked on your calendar, refill requests reach your team as messages, it works in English and Spanish, and the cost depends on your call volume.
Can it handle pet emergencies after hours?
Yes, by the rules you set. It doesn’t give veterinary advice. For a poisoning or injury, it gives the caller your emergency hospital’s number and arranges an urgent call-back from your team. Our team adds your emergency hospital during setup, along with which calls count as urgent and who is on call.
Can it book visits in the calendar we already use?
Yes. It books visits in Google Calendar, Outlook or Calendly while the pet owner is on the line, and it connects to 40+ platforms, including HubSpot, Salesforce, Google Workspace, Slack and Zapier, so call details reach the tools your team already uses.
What happens to refill requests?
The agent takes refill requests as messages for your team, so each one is waiting when the clinic opens. Your team decides on every refill: the agent doesn’t approve medication or give veterinary advice.
What is the difference between a veterinary answering service and a virtual receptionist?
A virtual veterinary receptionist is often a remote person working for one clinic, while an answering service covers the calls your team can’t take. HODOS360 is an AI receptionist that does the answering-service job and more: it books visits during the call, takes refill requests as messages and arranges urgent call-backs from your team by your rules.
Can it answer calls while we’re in surgery?
Yes. You choose when it answers: every call, only after hours, or only the calls your team doesn’t pick up. It answers any number of calls at once, so pet owners don’t wait on hold while your team is in surgery or exam rooms.
Can pet owners still reach a person?
Yes. Whenever a pet owner asks for a person, or the call needs one under your rules, the agent arranges a call-back from your team. If nobody is available, it takes a message. How the agent introduces itself is your choice too, including whether it says it’s an AI assistant.
How much does a veterinary answering service cost?
Your call volume and how the service bills decide that. Book a 30-minute demo, tell us how many calls come in at night and during surgery hours, and we’ll walk you through the cost for your clinic.
How long does it take to set up?
It’s typically live within 2 weeks. Setup covers your on-call schedule, what counts as urgent, your emergency hospital, the visits it may book and your clinic’s answers to common questions. We test after-hours and daytime calls in English and Spanish before pet owners reach it.
What other HODOS360 services work alongside a veterinary answering service?
These pages use the same voice AI for other jobs: a dental answering service that books cleanings and exams, a chiropractic answering service that books new patients’ first exams, a medical answering service for physician offices, and a virtual receptionist for small businesses weighing AI against a person. Pick the one closest to how your clinic’s calls come in.
Ready to have every call answered?
Book a 30-minute demo. We’ll map how your calls come in and stand up a pilot, typically live within 2 weeks.