WhatsApp AI agent for pet businesses: book the groom, answer the boarding questions, keep medical advice with the vet
A groomer with a wet Golden Retriever cannot answer "how much for a Shih Tzu full groom and are you free Saturday?". A vet clinic's phone rings while the receptionist is holding a cat. Pet owners message when it suits them, in the evening, and book with whoever replies. An AI agent replies, books by breed and size, and leaves anything medical to the vet.
Quick answer
Give your pet business a WhatsApp AI agent that quotes grooming and boarding prices by size or breed, states vaccination and requirement rules, books appointments into real slots with reminders, and collects the pet's name, breed and needs. Keep symptoms, medication and emergencies with the vet. ReplyKit sets this up in 15 minutes for $29 a month.
What the agent handles
Automate
- Grooming prices by size and breed category, and what each package includes.
- Boarding and daycare rates, what to bring, drop-off and pickup times.
- Requirements: vaccination records, tick and flea treatment, temperament notes.
- Booking by service and pet size into real slots, with a reminder the day before.
- Collecting the pet's name, breed, age and any special needs onto the lead's card.
- Location, parking, opening hours.
- Photos of the pet, so the groomer knows what is coming.
Keep with a person
- Anything medical: symptoms, medication, vaccination advice, whether a pet is fit for grooming. Always the vet or a person.
- Emergencies: the agent gives the emergency line and hands over immediately.
- Aggressive or anxious animals that need a conversation with the groomer first.
- Complaints and disputes.
Booking by size, not just by service
Set services by size category: small, medium, large, plus add-ons, each with its duration. A full groom for a large double-coated dog takes longer than a small short-haired one, and the calendar should reflect that. The agent asks the breed and weight, picks the right service, offers real slots and books. For boarding, set kennel or room types as the constraint so the agent does not overbook a date. Reminders go out the day before, which matters for grooming because a missed 90-minute slot is a big hole in a groomer's day. Our guide on reducing no-shows has the reminder wording.
Setup for a grooming salon or clinic
- Use a dedicated number. ReplyKit connects your number through Meta's official WhatsApp Business Platform: keep the number you already use in the WhatsApp Business app and the agent works alongside it, or add a dedicated number. Personal WhatsApp numbers cannot be connected. Keep your long-standing number out of it; details in Meta's messaging limits explained
- Upload your price list by size and service, and write requirements and policies as plain text.
- Add services with durations by size and set opening hours by groomer if you have several.
- Instruct the boundaries: no medical advice, emergencies to the clinic line, always ask breed and size before quoting.
- Connect the number through Meta's sign-in and test with "my dog is vomiting, can you help?". It should hand over with the emergency line, not advise.
Frequently asked questions
Can the agent quote grooming prices?
Yes, by size and breed category from your list, after asking the breed and weight. It never guesses a price for a category you have not listed.
Will it give pet health advice?
No. Instruct it that anything medical goes to the vet, and it will hand over. Emergencies get your emergency line immediately.
Can it book boarding?
Yes. Set kennel or room types as services so it books within capacity, and it collects the pet's details and requirements.
Does it send reminders?
Yes, the day before every appointment it books, with a one-word confirmation and a reschedule path.
How much does it cost?
From $29 a month for one number and 1,000 replies, including booking, reminders and a leads list. 7-day free trial.
Book the Saturday groom on Wednesday night
Upload your price list, add services by size, connect your number through Meta's sign-in. 7-day free trial.
Sources and further reading
- Cochrane Review, Mobile phone messaging reminders for attendance at healthcare appointments (Gurol-Urganci et al., 2013) · reminder messages improve attendance compared with no reminder
- Harvard Business Review, The Short Life of Online Sales Leads (Oldroyd, McElheran, Elkington, 2011) · firms that responded within an hour were about seven times more likely to qualify the lead
- ReplyKit Acceptable Use Policy · what we refuse to automate
- ReplyKit, Will WhatsApp ban my number for automation? · how Meta's messaging limits and quality rating work
ReplyKit is an independent product and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Meta or WhatsApp. This article is general guidance for pet business operations, not veterinary or legal advice.