Lapdog Has Launched - Vet Nurse Pet Care Across Australia

We’ve been working on something. Today, it’s live.

Lapdog is a new platform connecting pet owners with qualified veterinary nurses for in-home pet care. We’re officially opening up for vet nurses across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Perth. Very soon we’ll open up the doors for pet parents and their fur babies!

The idea started with a gap we kept noticing. Pet owners scrambling to find someone, anyone, to watch their animals when life pulled them away from home. The options usually boiled down to a kennel, a favour from a mate, or a stranger from the internet whose credentials started and stopped at “I grew up with dogs.”

Meanwhile, qualified vet nurses across Australia were looking for work that actually used their training. People who’d studied anatomy, pharmacology, emergency care, and animal behaviour - and wanted to spend more time with animals, not behind a clinic reception desk.

We thought those two groups should probably meet. Here’s the full story of how Lapdog came to be.

Five cities, five different dog park opinions

We’re launching in Australia’s five biggest capitals, each with their own pet culture and their own strong opinions about off-lead etiquette.

• Sydney: where your apartment whippet has a better skincare routine than you do.

• Melbourne: where dogs have their own Instagram accounts and cats judge you from heritage windowsills.

• Brisbane: where tick prevention runs year-round and every second yard has a magpie rivalry going.

• Adelaide: where dogs still get proper backyards and the local park is genuinely pleasant.

• Perth: where beach dogs outnumber beach people and summer feels like it starts in October.

Wherever you are, Lapdog providers are local. They know the area, they understand the regional risks: paralysis ticks on the eastern seaboard, snake season in the suburbs, heatstroke weather from November onwards - and they won’t need Google Maps to find the nearest emergency vet.

What you can book

Four types of care, all delivered by qualified vet nurses.

• House sitting — your provider stays at your place while you’re away. Your pet keeps their routine, sleeps in their own bed, and never sees the inside of a kennel. Best for longer trips or holidays.

• Visits — drop-in visits for feeding, walking, medication administration, or just some company. Useful for long work days, post-surgery recovery, or pets who need a midday check-in.

• House calls — a vet nurse comes to your home for things like nail trims, wellness checks, or helping a new pet settle in. Some things are just easier done on the couch than at the clinic.

• Telehealth — video consultations with a vet nurse from your phone. Got a question at 9pm about a weird lump? Not sure if your cat’s behaviour warrants a clinic visit? Talk it through with someone qualified before you spiral.

See how it works for pet owners.

Why vet nurses change the equation

Here’s something most people don’t think about: a regular pet sitter will feed your dog and send you a photo. A vet nurse will feed your dog, notice the slight limp that started yesterday, check the gum colour, and send you a photo with a recommendation.

That’s the difference clinical training makes.

Most sitting gigs don’t need emergency intervention. But knowing that the person in your home can handle medications, spot early illness signs, manage an anxious animal properly, and make good decisions if something goes sideways? That changes what “pet care” actually means.

For vet nurses, Lapdog is a chance to do more of what you trained for. You set your own availability, choose your own pricing, pick the bookings that suit your schedule, and keep the majority of what you earn. No rostering conflicts, no reception desk, no overnight kennel shifts. Direct, meaningful work with animals who need exactly what you know how to give.

Learn more about providing care through Lapdog.

Getting started

• If you’re a pet owner — create a free account, add your pets, and browse vet nurse providers near you. Check qualifications, read profiles, and book the care that fits.

• If you’re a vet nurse — sign up as a provider and set your availability, services, and pricing. Booking enquiries from local pet owners will start coming through, and you choose which ones to accept.

Both take about five minutes.

This is just the beginning

Five cities today. More coming. We’ve got plans we haven’t even hinted at yet — but right now, we want to do this part well.

If you’re in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, or Perth, we’d love for you to be part of what we’re building. And if you’re somewhere we haven’t reached yet — hang tight. We’re getting there.