Updated 2026-10-06 · 3 min read
The question any vet asks before putting an assistant on their WhatsApp is the right one: what happens when someone writes with an emergency? A message saying «my dog has eaten something strange» can't wait for someone to read it between consultations. But a program can't answer it by saying what to do either.
What it does have to do
A good assistant does what a good receptionist would: it listens, gives no opinion and moves the case to whoever knows. In ClaudIA that's four steps.
| Step | What ClaudIA does |
|---|---|
| Take the reason | It notes it in the owner's own words, without reinterpreting it. |
| Alert the team | At once, with the message word for word, through the clinic's alerts channel. |
| Offer the first appointment | The first free time today, using the times the clinic keeps for emergencies if it has them. |
| Out of hours | It gives the emergency phone number and address the clinic has set, and leaves the alert noted. |
What it must never do
It doesn't ask about symptoms beyond the reason the owner gives. It doesn't say whether something is serious or can wait. It doesn't name medicines, doesn't give doses and doesn't answer whether a human medicine can be given. It doesn't recommend home remedies.
This isn't excessive caution: advising on an animal's condition is a veterinary act, and an assistant that gets it wrong can do harm. The difference between a useful assistant and a dangerous one lies exactly here.
The obvious emergencies
Some situations anyone recognises as an emergency: being hit by a car, an animal not breathing properly, seizures. There ClaudIA doesn't book an appointment for the afternoon: it says in one sentence to call or come in now, with the clinic's emergency number if it has one, and alerts the team. It's there to recognise, not to question.
How it's set up
The clinic writes its emergency number, the text it wants to give out of hours —its own if it works 24 hours, or that of the hospital it works with— and, if it wants, reserves some times of the day that are only offered for emergencies. The calendar does the rest.
This article is about how a clinic is organised, not about animal health. Schedules, treatments and any decision about an animal belong to the vet who sees it.
Questions clinics ask
Does ClaudIA do triage? No. It doesn't ask about symptoms or assess severity. It takes the reason as given, alerts the team and offers the first appointment or the emergency number.
What does it say if asked about a medicine? That the vet has to answer that. It offers an appointment and alerts the team with the owner's message.
What happens with an emergency in the middle of the night? ClaudIA gives the emergency phone number and address the clinic has set up and leaves the alert noted so the team sees it when they open.
And if the owner phones? At clinics in Spain, ClaudIA also answers calls and does the same as in writing: it gives the first free time today and alerts the team at once, without asking about symptoms or talking about medication.