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Have you ever tried to source images or video clips of animals for a campaign, case study, product launch or more, and found that the stock footage and images fall short? You’re trying to demonstrate an animal at a particular life stage, or with a specific disease, and the stock footage keeps giving you young, healthy animals that just don't demonstrate this, time and time again.
Or perhaps you’re looking for images to show the correct way to assess a dog's ear for otitis externa, or the correct way to check a cat's retina for signs of hypertension, or how to properly handle exotics - all of which need to be clinically accurate. These types of specificities are hard to find in stock photography. And this is where you move into making the images you want specifically for that project.
What we did about it
A few years ago, we came across clients facing this very issue again and again, and wanted to do something about it. We thought: what if we had a registry of a large variety of animals with species, life stages and breeds that we could call on for any specific needs our clients had?
Imagine a client asking for a project that demonstrates how to perform acupuncture on dogs, or how to perform limb x-rays in a horse, for example, and we could quickly call upon the animals from our registry to bring that idea to life.
That’s where Animal Model Studio began. We started building a database of animals - from small animals to farm, equine, and exotics - across many breeds and ages. We expanded our network of locations we can film with too, partnering with a range of veterinary practices, working farms, and equine yards across the UK. Constantly keeping the registry as varied as possible so we could be well equipped for whatever our clients needed.
Bringing realism into veterinary storytelling
Having an in-house animal modelling agency, combined with veterinary knowledge and clinically accurate set-building, has meant we can bring very specific clinical needs to life. This adds something stock photography often fails to achieve: authenticity.
When vets, vet nurses, clients, or pet owners see content that looks real - the message lands deeper. It might be an older Labrador showing signs of arthritis. It isn’t abstract or staged, but something they immediately recognise from practice. That realism doesn’t just improve accuracy, it improves storytelling. The cases feel immersive, the campaigns feel relatable, and the training sticks.
Case study: Exotic handling
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Vets for Pets came to us with a project where they needed to demonstrate how to handle five different species of exotics safely. Using Animal Model Studio meant we could remove the stress and time pressure of finding each animal, which can often be time-intensive. On that shoot day, we were able to call on one owner who could bring in the snakes, degus, chickens, rabbits, and ferrets we needed, and show them all within a set designed to replicate a consultation room. This led to a series of videos that not only showed correct handling techniques but did so in a way that felt real and memorable to practitioners.
Case study: Western Veterinary Acupuncture Group
The Western Veterinary Acupuncture Group (WVAG) wanted to adapt their long-running in-person foundation course into a high-quality online format to supplement its face-to-face days. We worked with them to design and film over 110 videos, combining lectures, practical demonstrations, and case studies.
Animal Model Studio played a key role, providing dogs and horses to accurately demonstrate mobility, patient assessment, and acupuncture techniques. The result was a comprehensive, clinically accurate course that was more engaging, accessible, and impactful for learners, and helped WVAG grow their reach to new course attendees. The resulting course has given consistently excellent feedback from course participants who work through the online course before attending hands-on days.
Training for clinical scenarios
Sometimes, clinical case studies aren’t enough on their own. To tell the right story or to recreate the exact clinical picture, we also train animals for specific scenarios.
A great example is Elsa, a collie whose owner trained her to lie in lateral recumbency - the position a dog might be in when recovering from a seizure. This meant we could build a case study for graduate training that recreated what would be seen in practice, which made the learning experience far more memorable.
We’ve also worked with one of our trusted animal owners who trains her dogs in flyball. For a project launching a new mobility product, we needed to show dogs in powerful, dynamic motion. By using these trained dogs, we were able to capture high-speed images and video of running, jumping, and turning - movements that perfectly highlighted the mobility message.
Why realism matters
We’ve seen time and again that realism makes the difference between content that is just informative and content that truly connects. It creates more immersive training, where students feel as though they’re working in a real-life clinical environment. It enables more effective communication, as pet owners relate to the images and videos because they reflect animals like their own. And it delivers stronger campaigns, with dynamic, authentic footage that is far more memorable than stock alternatives.
The future of Animal Model Studio
So what’s next? We’re continuously expanding Animal Model Studio, taking on new animals and seeking more species, breeds, and ages to keep our registry as varied as possible. Currently, it serves our clients when they come to us for bespoke content, but as we know, there’s still a big gap where stock photography and video simply don’t cut it.
And in true Trimble Group form, we have a surprise coming later this year…
