Telemedicine for pets

Telemedicine is providing health care from a distance by communicating through cellphone, cable, or internet. 

While this virtual health care is well established for humans and is reaching the most remote parts of the world, it is only recently that telemedicine is expanding in veterinary science.

Veterinary telemedicine is not only establishing a veterinarian-client-patient relationship but also supplementing the traditional veterinary care.

Although in some countries there are growing numbers offering online veterinary advice and pet care, in India it is still in early stages.

Advantages of telemedicine in Veterinary practice

1. Provides general information about pet’s disease, condition, injury, or behavior.
2. Decides if the pet needs to be seen by a veterinarian and require a medical or surgical treatment.
3. Helps the busy schedule of the growing millennials who owns pets.
4. Promotes pet care in rural and suburbans where there is less access to veterinary care.
5. Pet owner’s can get qualified veterinarian’s advice 24/7 and from anywhere in the legally allowed area. 
6. Owners can take up their pet’s care for a quality advice at a low cost and in no time.
7. Situations that do not need emergency care like minor wounds, toxin ingestion, diarrhea, vomiting, etc can be addressed.
8. Managing the health appointments for pets and chronic diseases like obesity is manageable.

Disadvantages of telemedicine in Veterinary Practice

1. Emergency health needs cannot be addressed.
2. Veterinary experts can only provide their advice but are not allowed to prescribe medications or treatments for the pets.
3. Since its a virtual platform, unlike a traditional practice, the pets won’t get treatment or surgical care.
4. Veterinarians can have access only to clinical history but not physical examination and additional testings before providing their advice.
5. Majority of the telemedicine consultations often lead to follow up with a traditional care.

Reference: Roca, Rodrigo Y., and Robert J. McCarthy. “Impact of Telemedicine on the Traditional Veterinarian-Client-Patient Relationship.” Topics in Companion Animal Medicine 37 (2019): 100359.