Imagine moving to a new town with a brand-new puppy. Instead of scrolling through an interactive map or asking a neighbor, you type a simple query into an AI assistant: "Can you recommend a good vet in town?"

Within seconds, the AI names a handful of local clinics, complete with specific details—such as whether they offer after-hours support, weekend hours, or specialized wellness plans.

To pet owners, it feels like a personalized, expert recommendation. But behind the scenes, a comprehensive new study reveals that AI is not acting as a veterinary expert. Instead, it is acting as a mirror—reflecting back whatever digital footprint a clinic has left online.

The Data Behind the Recommendations

A recent study by Sydney-based analytics firm Seenmetric investigated how major AI tools—including ChatGPT, Gemini, and Google’s AI Mode—handle recommendations for 3,371 veterinary clinics across Australia. Researchers analyzed 360 AI responses across 60 regional centers and capital cities to see which practices got recommended and why.

The findings overturn common assumptions about what makes a clinic stand out.

-Reviews Beat Star Ratings: A clinic with a 4.6-star rating and 400 reviews is far more likely to be recommended than a clinic with a pristine 5.0-star rating but only 40 reviews. Among clinics with 200 or more reviews, a staggering 99% were named by AI, compared to just 37% for those with fewer than 50 reviews.
-Non-Clinical Factors Dominate: Nearly all AI answers (98%) focused on reviews and ratings. Three in four mentioned team demeanor (e.g., "compassionate" or "friendly"), while after-hours care and opening hours were cited in 70% of responses. Medical equipment, surgical capabilities, and veterinary qualifications rarely factored into the AI's decision-making.
-The AI Doesn't Use Just One Source: Different AI models pull from different places. Gemini heavily favors Google Maps listings, ChatGPT relies heavily on clinic websites, and Google’s AI Mode splits its attention between listings, booking pages, and official sites. If a clinic's hours clash across platforms, the AI will relay conflicting information with absolute confidence.

Simple "Housekeeping" Drives Visibility

Perhaps the most striking takeaway from the study is that AI recommendations do not favor high-tech marketing budgets. Instead, they reward basic digital hygiene—routine tasks that a practice manager can easily handle on a quiet afternoon.

Clinics that claimed and verified their Google Business profiles were recommended 79% of the time, compared to just 17% for unclaimed profiles. Furthermore, profiles with at least 10 photos were recommended nearly three times as often as those with fewer.

Yet, basic gaps remain widespread across the industry. Nationally, a quarter of active clinics have fewer than 10 photos or no business description at all, and 1 in 14 profiles remains completely unclaimed.

On the web development side, the study found room for improvement: 85% of independent clinic websites took longer than four seconds to load on mobile, fewer than a third featured a recognized online booking system, and only 4% explicitly stated on their homepages that they were currently accepting new clients.

Five Steps for Veterinary Practices

Industry experts suggest that clinics looking to improve their visibility in AI search results do not need an expensive overhaul. Instead, they recommend five practical steps:

-Ask for Reviews: Systematically request reviews from all clients—using counter cards or automated follow-up texts—to build a steady stream of social proof.
-Claim and Complete Your Google Profile: Ensure opening hours, public holiday schedules, after-hours instructions, and recent photos are fully up to date.
-Clarify Practical Details on Your Website: Display weekend hours, parking info, and new-client availability in plain, easy-to-find language.
-Streamline Mobile Booking: Make phone numbers easily tappable on smartphones and place booking buttons near the top of web pages.
-Audit Your AI Presence: Periodically test what ChatGPT, Gemini, and Google’s AI say when asked who the best vet is in your local suburb.

Ultimately, the technology reshaping how pet owners choose a veterinarian is not favoring medical miracles—it is simply rewarding the clinics that have made their everyday reliability easy for the internet to find.

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