World Sleep Day: Meet the Sleep Vet
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Who better to celebrate World Sleep Day with than alumna Lauren Davis (BVSc 2011), veterinary sleep health expert and entrepreneur? Lauren is the founder of VetRelieve, a company making gold standard pressure care surfaces for pets to use in clinical and home environments.
Did anyone inspire you as a student?
I was inspired by my cohort more than any individual – we had so many outstanding vets, and it’s amazing to see what they have gone on to do in their careers.
Tell us about your career since graduating.
I have had a very varied career since graduating; the ultimate stay-go-diversifier! I started in mixed practice, then moved to a purely small animal general practice role.
Next, I worked for a well-known veterinary nutraceuticals company, as their International Technical Adviser. This was a fantastic role, and running training and presentations as part of my day job soon got me very comfortable in front of an audience. I was lucky enough to deliver lectures as far away as New Zealand and Japan.
After starting a family, I moved to Vets4Pets, working at their head office as Clinical Content Manager. This bridge between the vet team, the marketing team and the consumer was a fascinating place to be, and really helped with building my skills portfolio in communications.
From here I moved into human healthcare, as Commercial Director at a healthcare mattress firm, developing and selling sleep surfaces into the NHS and care homes for acute pain, chronic pain and end of life care. Here I gained deep understanding of the relationships between sleep and health, alongside running a successful sales team.
I then chose to leave this position to launch VetRelieve, bringing gold standard knowledge from the human healthcare world into the veterinary one. Now I make VetRest Duo kennel mats for clinics (which have a recovery side and an active side) as well as patent-pending orthopaedic dog beds and mattresses for home environments.
What was the driver behind starting your own business?
There were two key drivers. The first is that being a vet is such a deep part of my identity. I found myself saying “I’m a vet, but now I…” whenever anyone asked about my job. I wanted to come back to the sector! Secondly, I had the skills and experience from my career path to be able to bring something really valuable back into the profession in an area no one else was talking about. I’m so proud of the impact we’re having on sleep care, both in our clinics and people’s homes.
What would you say to other alumni curious about starting a business in the veterinary space?
A key reminder for me has been how helpful and kind the veterinary profession is. I cannot count the number of people who have given me advice, referred me to a colleague or friend whom I might benefit from speaking with, and offered me opportunities pro bono that would have been out of my reach on a start-up budget! I would advise anyone to be open to the support that is out there and be really clear about what your ask is.
Do you have a top pet sleep tip to share for World Sleep Day?
Of course! My top tip is that the shape and size of your pet’s bed really matters. Ditch the donut bed and never buy a bed that’s shorter than your pet. Your pet’s bed should be at least as long as they are: from nose-tip to tail base plus 10cm or so. If they need sides on their bed (e.g. for extra comfort, a headrest, or to provide lumbar/pelvic support) consider a bed with just two sides. This means they can access the bed easily without having to turn around, but still get all the benefits of the bolster.
Thank you, Lauren, for helping us mark World Sleep Day and celebrate our veterinary alumni community.
Want to follow Lauren’s start-up journey? VetRelieve is @vetrelieveuk on Instagram and Facebook, or you can follow Lauren personally via @thesleepvet.
You can explore VetRelieve’s home beds now. Clinical mattresses will be available online shortly, contact Lauren via lauren.davis@vetrelieve.com if your clinic would benefit from better sleep surfaces.