Telemedicine

Q: What is the telemedicine for pets?

Doc A: Telemedicine is a valuable new vehicle shortening the response time for medical care, promoting pet parent convenience and helping to reduce medical costs. Allowing the pet parent to speak with a doctor from home or work and eliminate travel time to and from the veterinarian office. 

Q: How does Telemedicine work?

Doc A: The veterinarian guides the pet owner for minor illness or injury and offers alternative care for issues deemed not serious enough to require hands on medical attention at this time. More serious issues should always schedule in clinic doctor examination 

Q: What is lacking when telemedicine is used? What are the drawbacks when using telemedicine?

Doc A: What telemedicine doesn't do, and shouldn't do, is act as an alternative for in clinic medical exam and treatments. Diagnosis and treatment can only be effectively achieved with face to face physical examination. So much is missed with distant evaluations which lacks intimate hands on complete physical examination and administration of medicine through injection, which is more effective than the pill forms

Q: Are there laws in place for what a veterinarian can do using telemedicine?

Doc A: Although, the rules and guidelines for telemedicine use are not clearly defined, diagnosis and treatment for illness and injuries may only be offered to pets having a pre-existing relationship with the veterinarian. In other words, the pet must have previously been seen in clinic by the veterinarian to be offered medical diagnosis and treatments. General telemedicine information about nutrition, preventative medicine and behavior though can be offered by the veterinarian to all requests whether established or new pets.