In our first year, Pawnec set out with a clear mission: to reduce the rising number of missing pets in the Philippines by making it easier and faster to reunite them with their families. As time went by with continuous research, on-the-ground insights, and conversations with pet owners, we realized that the needs of pet owners for their pets doesn’t end at the front door— true safety extends beyond home, and a key part of that is ensuring pets are healthy, protected, compliant and up-to-date with their vaccinations.

In 2024, we were once invited to a rabies vaccination drive in Baras, a municipality in Rizal. Our three-member team attended the event without knowing what to expect from a pet accessories brand in such a secluded community. Upon arrival, we encountered pets using ropes as collars and leashes, which was disheartening to witness in small rural areas. After the event, we were invited to a meeting at the provincial veterinary office. During the discussion, one of the government officials suggested, "Sir, can we use Pawnec to monitor the vaccination of pets here in our province?" Seeds have suddenly been planted. The rest, as they say, is history.

…can we use Pawnec to monitor the vaccination of pets here in our province?

Over the past several months, the continuous redevelopment of Pawnec for veterinary application has been a primary focus. Numerous new features have been introduced, accompanied by a redesign of the software interface, all aimed at enhancing the user experience inside the veterinary clinic's premises. A notable addition is the eHealth Card, which primarily functions as a real-time digital vaccine card for pets.

We Took Every Criticism as an Improvement Opportunity

Prior to the development of the eHealth Card and the current version of Pawnec, the app have had software updates every now and then. For every update, new functions and features were released—with some bugs crawling on the user's fingertips, unfortunately. We were bombarded with complaints, many of them asking why the app is different from what was advertised. "Why is the pet location map not working?", "Why is my pet's special care instructions not showing on her profile?" As the one who also faced some of these complaints, it was mentally deafening—the never ending troubleshooting, explaining that the problems in the app were due to the configurations from the most recent update, and giving the assurance that the reported issue will be fixed within 24 to 48 hours.

The reinvention of Pawnec as a vet-connected pet ID, however, marked a transformative shift. Since introducing the eHealth Card, we’ve seen a notable rise in user engagement and glowing reviews. The surge in inquiries, particularly about the eHealth Card feature—just means two things—people are interested in their pet's health and the app is performing well. And not only did we receive good reviews from new and existing users, we also received positive insights from trusted and highly respected veterinarians in the industry, including some of the members of Philippine Animal Health Association (PAHA), Philippine Veterinary Medical Association (PVMA), and Provincial, City, Municipal Veterinarians League of the Philippines (PCMVLP). Pawnec's eHealth Card is Vet Verified!

The eHealth Card is the Key to Pet-friendlier Communities

With its SMS, email, and in-app vaccination reminders powered by each veterinary clinic’s vaccination protocol algorithm, the eHealth Card aims to speed up the operational processes of veterinary clinics and improve patient/client compliance rates. In 2024, 426 rabies-related deaths were reported, highlighting the urgent need for pet vaccinations and public awareness about rabies prevention. And we're not even counting the under-reported ones along with the cases of parvovirus, distemper, heartworm, leptospirosis, tick-borne diseases like ehrlichiosis and anaplasmosis, and more. This just indicates that the Philippines is not only endemic of rabies but also of these other deadly infectious diseases.

The eHealth Card's automated reminders and color-coded signals encourage pet owners to keep up with their pets' vaccinations and ensure they are administered on time. Additionally, the eHealth Card educates pet owners about the vaccines their pets receive and should receive through informative tooltips found throughout the app. These tooltips help pet owners move away from informal jargon and become familiar with specific abbreviations that indicate what each vaccine protects their pets against.

Currently, the eHealth Card has already been in pilot run in four veterinary clinics, and is set to be released in more around Metro Manila, and some parts of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. The first veterinary clinics that are officially using the eHealth Card as a proof of vaccine records are New Alabang Veterinary Center, Peralta Veterinary Center, Petformance Veterinary - Animal Health and Wellness Clinic, and Paws & Partners Veterinary Clinic.

Public-Private Collaboration to Fight Rabies and Promote Respsonsible Pet Ownership

Beyond serving pet owners and veterinarians, Pawnec has drawn attention from government veterinary offices seeking to streamline pet population management. Local governments face a critical challenge: effectively tracking pets to support public health initiatives, rabies containment, and population control. Without a centralized pet health and population data, managing stray animals, ensuring vaccination compliance, or responding to emergencies becomes inefficient—or even risky. 

Pawnec and eHealth Card address this gap by providing a secure, real-time registry of pets’ vaccination histories and missing pet response. By using Pawnec, pet owners can register their pets with the government and access essential veterinary services, as madated by Republic Act 9482 or the “Anti-Rabies Act of 2007”.

For the cities and municipalities, the benefits are significant. Rapid identification of unvaccinated pets at risk during outbreaks plays a crucial role in disease prevention. Additionally, the initiative aids in reducing the number of strays by facilitating the faster reunification of lost pets with their owners, which in turn helps ease overcrowding in shelters. Moreover, having accurate census about the pet population allows for better vaccination coverage and emergency preparedness, enabling local governments to allocate resources effectively. By collaborating with local authorities, Pawnec is not just enhancing individual pet care; we are empowering communities to create safer and healthier environments for both pets and residents.

By collaborating with local governments, Pawnec isn’t just enhancing individual pet care—we’re empowering communities to build safer, healthier environments for pets and residents alike—the foundational element of genuine pet-friendliness.

Jab, Scan & Go: The Beginning of Our Point-of-Care Medical Documentation Tools

We, at Pawnec, believe that rather than bringing veterinary care to the latest technology, we should bring technology directly to where pet care happens. That's the idea behind our "Jab, Scan & Go" system. Pet owners can simply scan a code and leave, but we ensure that all vaccination information is clearly recorded for the veterinarian. Plus, pet owners get an easy-to-read, color-coded digital vaccine card that helps them keep track of their pet's health. It's as simple and quick as making a Gcash payment!

We, at Pawnec, believe that rather than bringing veterinary care to the latest technology, we should bring technology directly to where pet care happens. That's the idea behind our "Jab, Scan & Go" system.

Veterinarians have fully embraced this concept, so we'll build on top of this an AI vet assistant that can help them with various medical documentations tasks at the point of care. This assistant can convert diagnostic results into written notes, summarize what happened during a consultation, and even assist with medication calculations for pets. Veterinarians will be able to take quick notes, capture images from ultrasounds, and have everything neatly organized when they get back to their desk after seeing all their patients.

Thoughts and Feedback from the Veterinarians

In the four veterinary clinics that have been using the eHealth Card, we received thoughtful insights from the veterinary professionals who have experienced using it in their clinical routine. Our team tries to visit these clinics whenever we have the chance to gather their feedback about the app in order for us to know what to improve or what to work on next, and here's what we got:

New Alabang Veterinary Center

Dr. Leo Almelor, Chief Veterinarian at New Alabang Veterinary Center and former intern at California’s Malibu Wildlife Center, has been instrumental in refining Pawnec’s veterinary features. A respected lecturer in Wildlife and Exotic Medicine for the Veterinarian Medicine Licensure Exam at Recency Review Center, Dr. Almelor noticed that his clients appreciated the convenience of the eHealth Card and innovative perception it projects to his clients. He finds the process seamless as all they have to do now is to scan a Point-of-Care vaccine recorder chart, and authenticate through a one-time password.

Dr. Almelor, known for being selective about the services his clinic offers, chose to conduct the pilot run of the eHealth Card himself to ensure it met his standards before introducing it to the rest of the veterinarians in the clinic. After several weeks of testing, he approved the eHealth Card and is eager to share it with his colleagues. He is impressed by the rate of improvements and is excited to test the upcoming new features for medical transcription.

Petformance Veterinary Animal Health and Wellness Clinic

Dr. Christine Estacio, founder of Petformance Veterinary - Animal Health and Wellness Clinic in Kawit, Cavite, highlights a critical industry challenge: many pet breeders sell animals with forged vaccination records, jeopardizing pet and public health.

This systemic fraud underscores the urgency of Pawnec’s eHealth Card and its tamper-proof Vet-Verified trustmark. To earn this mark, vaccination records undergo OTP authentication—directly verified with the administering veterinarian—before successful recording. Dr. Estacio’s expertise amplifies Pawnec's mission, as the eHealth Card protects veterinarians’ vaccination records and rebuilds trust in responsible breeders as well. Additionally, Dr. Anna Graziella of Petformance praised the team’s responsiveness as every suggestion provided is met with immediate action and all concerns are quickly addressed. A few weeks after the clinic’s inability to use the eHealth Card for their breeder clients, we designed a rehoming feature in the app that enables vet-authorized transfer of vaccination records to the permanent home of the puppies and kittens for sale. 

Many pet breeders sell puppies and kittens with forged vaccination records, jeopardizing pet and public health.

Peralta Veterinary Center

Another important insight came from the clinic administrator of Dr. Juan Carlo Peralta, son of the renowned veterinarian in Parañaque City. Among all of Pawnec’s features, the administrator singled out the eHealth Card as the most impactful. Since it’s a real-time, downloadable and shareable electronic medical record, it’s always with the pet owner and never left behind.

Her observation stems from a recurring issue: approximately five out of twenty of their clients misplace their pet’s physical vaccination records. Paper vaccine cards are easily lost or damaged, and they cannot be reproduced as is. This insight highlights a universal challenge in pet care: the fragility of paper records. With its tamper-proof design and instant accessibility, the eHealth Card modernizes recordkeeping and ensures pets’ health data remains intact and trustworthy, no matter the circumstances. Dr. Juan Carlo Peralta, who leads the renowned clinic established by his father and respected for its decades of service, joins the veterinarians who are accepting eHealth Card as pets' valid proof of vaccination along with the whole team of Peralta Veterinary Center.

Paws & Partners Veterinary Clinic

Initially, the eHealth Card interface for pet owners used commonly used vaccine nicknames as labels, such as 4-in-1, 5-in-1, and 6-in-1. However, the team at Paws & Partners Veterinary Clinic, composed of Dr. Aiza May Hao, Dr. Zekielle Kris Mallari, and Dr. Ruth Ann Evangelista, suggested that the labels should be more specific and fact-based rather than relying on these ambiguous terms. We hesitated at first, afraid to turn the eHealth Card too technical and intelligible. After consulting many more stakeholders, we had to balance between user-friendliness, familiarity and client education. We took their feedback into account and organized all commonly used vaccine nickname to reflect the specific viruses and diseases that each vaccine targets. For example, instead of labeling the HIPRADOG 7 as 5-in-1, it is now labeled DHLPPi, as it provides immunity against canine distemper, hepatitis, parvovirus, parainfluenza, and certain strains of leptospirosis.

The redesigned user-centric interface now takes this opportunity to raise awareness on other infectious diseases besides rabies with a simple hover on these abbreviated vaccine records. Many pet owners still think anto-rabies is the only protection they needed, unaware of the more frequent incidence of these other deadly infectious viruses.

Responding to a Clamor Voiced by Pet Owners Outside Our Current eHealth Card Network

Pawnec is gearing up to make the eHealth Card accessible to more pet owners soon. Later this year, we’ll introduce a new feature that allows pet owners to scan their pets’ paper vaccination cards using their phones. If your veterinarian isn’t part of our eHealth Card network yet, don’t worry! With our easy-to-use scanner, you can capture important details from vaccination cards—like the vaccine name, batch and lot number, veterinary clinic, and veterinarian’s license number—right into your pet’s eHealth Card. This means even pets treated at clinics outside our network can have their health and medical information safely stored in one place.

Helping Veterinarians with Medical Documentation

Because veterinarians in our initial pilot launch of the eHealth Card are embracing the point-of-care concept of automated documentation of vaccinations, we are developing an AI assistant to help veterinarians manage patient records more efficiently. This tool is scheduled to launch after we expand the eHealth Card to more clinics in June. It aims to reduce the burden of collaborative paperwork for veterinary teams, allowing them to keep track and organize important medical information easily. This initiative is particularly timely as many clinics in the Philippines are currently facing staffing shortages, making it crucial to alleviate some of the stress on veterinary staff.

By streamlining processes like paperwork and patient management, veterinarians can spend more time caring for animals instead of getting lost in administrative tasks. Features will include easy ways to document medical visits, assess pet health before and after consultations, and manage multiple patients at once. This will help clinics run more smoothly and help ensure patients get the attention they need.

The new documentation tool will also allow vets to keep track of pet health histories, schedule follow-ups, and create reports for local governments. This means clinics can coordinate care better, pet owners will receive reminders for vaccinations, and city officials can access vaccination information during public health emergencies.

This mobile-first digital assistant will help veterinarians focus on what matters most: caring for pets. By simplifying how they record and manage patient information, it will improve the way things run in clinics. Features like managing multiple pets at once and checking in on patient health will make operations smoother and help ensure pets get the attention they need.

Thanks to this system, veterinarians will be able to track inter-clinic patient histories with consent, generation of a well-written full medical report from documentation pieces, and create reports for local health authorities—all in real time. This means clinics can work together better, pet owners can get reminders about their pets’ health, and city officials can safely access vaccination and demographic information for their public health strategies.

More Veterinary Clinics on the eHealth Card Network in Visayas and Mindanao

But that’s not all! After successful partnerships in Metro Manila, we’re excited to bring the eHealth Card to veterinary clinics in Cebu, Davao, Bicol, and Baguio, with plans to cover more regions across the Philippines. Our mission is clear: we want to make safe and informed interactions with pets to make our community a pet-friendlier world!