Facing the fact that one’s pet needs to be euthanized can create great stress for pet owners. During his veterinary studies, Andrés Ellexelius began developing his concept that he believes will be of help to many.

“During my internship at the clinics, I noticed that many pet owners experienced great anxiety during visits and the worst was during euthanasia. I also noticed that there was no structured approach to handle this from a psychological perspective”, Andrés says.

Initially, he conducted a literature review to find out how others had solved the problem and soon discovered that there was great interest in a solution but no established method.

“The natural grief and stress that euthanasia brings to the pet owner is amplified by the experience that there is no help available. This also affects veterinarians when they have to act as support persons. It is a task within the profession that is emotionally engaging and can be experienced as stressful”, Andrés says.

From a veterinary perspective, a problem also arises when pet owners do not want to euthanize their pets despite the recommendation when there are no other options available.

“My idea is to provide a service which would help pet owners reduce their grief and anxiety, enabling them to cope better with the loss, which in turn would lower the risk of prolonged grief, income loss, and negative coping strategies that could affect family and friends. It would also help reduce stress for veterinarians, veterinary assistants and nurses”.

An entrepreneurial journey

Andrés currently works at the Department of Clinical Sciences at SLU, but the first time he came into contact with SLU Holding he was still a student. At that time, the innovation support for students, VentureLab@SLU, had not been established, and the support services for students in Uppsala were offered through another organization.

“However, I continued on my own by reading up on what was needed to move forward. I did my own market research in various Facebook groups and contacted various psychology clinics to see if there was any interest”, Andrés says.

“When I continued working at SLU after my studies, I made new contact with SLU Holding and met my current innovation advisor Henrik Landgren. We have tackled various problems, solved “impossible” issues, built up various processes, etc. It has been invaluable help that has allowed me to move forward with my product”.

The plan is to make the knowledge available in a digital format to directly offer support to pet owners and veterinarians. We are developing several services that pet owners may need throughout the pet’s life. In parallel, we will also provide tailored treatment programs for animal health personnel similar to what we have done for pet owners.

What are your tips for turning ideas into real-world success?

“My main tip is to invest in an idea that you genuinely believe can bring benefit, joy and solve an important problem. Don’t develop an idea primarily to make money. Then there is a risk that motivation and energy will quickly disappear when problems arise, and there will be many problems to solve along the way. If you create something that adds value to someone’s life, you will not only have the energy, you will also find solutions to the problems because you know that what you are doing matters”, says Andrés.

En annan lärdom Andrés dragit är vikten av ett bra team. Genom finansiering via VFT-medel har han kunnat inleda samarbeten med psykologer för att utveckla och paketera kunskapen.

Developing his idea has been an learning expericence. Another tip from Andrés is the impotence of building a team. Through VFT funds, he has been able to initiate collaborations with psychologists to develop and package the knowledge.

“It is important to add complementary skills to succeed with your idea. Doing like me and initially running your own race has only led to it taking longer. Committed and motivated members in the team are the main key to your success”