When possible, it’s always best to take your pet to see your veterinarian in person if they are suffering from health problems. However, there are occasions where it’s not suitable or practical to carry out an in-person visit. In these instances, your vet may recommend a telemedicine appointment.

What is veterinary telemedicine?

Telemedicine for animals isn’t too dissimilar to telemedicine for humans. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, veterinary telemedicine is the electronic exchange of medial information from one site to another to improve and assess the general health status of patients. This means communication via video chat, telephone, texts and emails, all of which enable a veterinarian to provide a diagnosis, recommend a specific treatment or provide a prescription.

It's important to note that you must already have an existing veterinarian-client-patient-relationship (VCPR) as defined by your state’s veterinary practice act with your vet in order to be eligible for a telemedicine appointment. This usually means that your veterinarian should have seen and performed an exam on your pet in-person in the last 12 months. If this prior VCPR doesn’t exist, vets are unable to diagnose or treat animals.

What services can be performed in veterinary telemedicine?

Veterinary telemedicine can be used to perform a variety of different services that are usually offered by your veterinarian. These include, but are not limited to:

• General Wellness Advice

This can be valuable for concerned owners who have generalized questions about their pet’s care, such as how to change their diet or what to do if they have a tick.
 

• Post-Surgical Care

Post-surgical care is very important for recovery and owners can support veterinarians in monitoring this by sending their vet mages of the incision site. This will enable them to track the progression of healing and spot any complications early on. If an owner has any concerns, a quick video call to their vet could put their mind at rest or ensure that their furbaby gets prompt treatment as needed.

• Diagnosis

Although it’s not possible to diagnose all conditions using telemedicine, there are some health problems which may be clearly identified using this approach. If necessary, your vet may also use telemedicine to refer your pet for specific in-person testing to support the diagnostic process, such as blood testing, fecal sampling or an MRI scan.

• Prescribing

If your pet needs a repeat prescription of an existing medication, your vet may be able to do this via telemedicine. In the case of new diagnoses, it may also be possible for your vet to prescribe a new medication to treat medical conditions affecting your pet.

Will insurance companies cover the cost of telemedicine consultations?

Every insurance policy is different, and owners will need to check the details of their individual cover to determine if the cost of telemedicine will be included and how this is accounted for. However, an increasing number of pet insurers are now including veterinary telemedicine to their standard policies.

For more information about veterinary telemedicine, or to schedule an appointment, please don’t hesitate to contact our friendly and knowledgeable veterinary team.  Call Dr. J Personal Vet at (855) 738-7437 to reach our office in Atlanta, Georgia