Telehealth for Your Pet
This article is based on reporting that features expert sources.
When the coronavirus pandemic hit, Dr. Paula Yankauskas, practice founder and owner of Lamoille Valley Veterinary Services in Hyde Park, Vermont, had to shift some of how her practice runs.
The thriving practice, which employs about 30 people, established staggered shifts to limit the number of employees coming into contact with each other. She and her staff also began using telemedicine more.
The practice had used telehealth on a limited basis prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, but began setting up an increasing number of appointments via a virtual platform called Rapport Telemedicine that connects with the practice’s electronic health records and website.
“We had been doing some telemedicine in that people would send us videos and photos” of their pet and describe what the issue was, Yankauskas says. Staff at LVVS would review the material and tell the pet owner, with whom the vet had an established relationship with, whether or not an in-person visit was warranted or how to solve simple issues themselves.
But the urgency surrounding keeping as many non-employee humans out of the building for LVVS – and indeed veterinary practices all across the United States – has created new opportunities and challenges for telemedicine in taking care of pets.
“State vet boards have allowed us to assess patients and make prescriptions via telemedicine platforms,” Yankauskas says. Before, a patient-provider relationship had to be in existence, which “in Vermont means you’re familiar with the keeping of the animal and the premises where it lives and have hands-on physical exams periodically.” The pandemic has loosened some of the rules in many states, and now many vets can work with patients remotely on more issues than previously.
If your pet is due for an exam or has developed a health issue, it’s important that you contact your veterinarian to find out how to proceed. Depending on the specific problem, a telehealth visit might be a simple solution to put your mind at ease and help your pet feel better faster.
How It Works
Many humans have seen their visits with doctors and other health care providers moved online because of the pandemic too, and for pets, the approach is remarkably similar.
Dr. Laura Pletz, scientific services manager at Royal Canin, a pet food company based in St. Charles, Missouri, and president elect of the Women's Veterinary Leadership Development Initiative, says that telehealth and telemedicine visits with your vet rely “on a good history from the pet’s owner and any other assessments of your pet,” such as a visual inspection and some auditory input via the telehealth platforms.
“The main difference between telehealth in pets and in humans is the ability of the patient to describe to the medical professional what the specific complaints might be,” says Dr. Derek Paul, vet advisor for Rocco and Roxie, a pet supply company based in Provo, Utah. “While we can ask a human patient a series of questions to determine the problem, we can only ask a pet’s owner similar questions to try to determine the problem. A pet’s behavior can be interpreted in many different ways, which represents a challenge in making a diagnosis via telehealth.”
Nevertheless, vets are particularly good at figuring out the problem with just a few clues. “Since our patients can’t talk to us, veterinarians are quite skilled at asking the right questions to learn as much as possible about the situation,” Pletz says. Telemedicine vet visits take that need for attentive information gathering to a new level.
What Is Telehealth for Pets Good For?
There are a few different ways remote technology can be used to care for pets. “Telehealth is a broad term for using technology to deliver information, education or health care remotely,” Peltz says.
Under that broad header, “telemedicine is the use of virtual tools to visually observe the animal and communicate with the client about the health of their pet,” Pletz says. “Telemedicine is typically reserved for situations in which there is an existing veterinarian-client-patient relationship, but it’s important that veterinarians always comply with regulations in the state in which they are licensed to practice veterinary medicine.”
Further, “teletriage is another type of telehealth that’s used to assess patients via electronic consultation to help pet owners make the best decisions on next steps for their pet. The purpose of teletriage is not to diagnose, but to determine the urgency with which they should see their veterinarian,” Pletz explains.
“Most veterinary emergency hospitals practice teletriage at some level daily as they field questions over the phone from concerned owners,” Paul says. “Often, these consultations revolve around whether or not an animal needs to come in for emergency evaluation or can wait to see their primary vet during regular business hours.”
Veterinarians may also offer other kinds of consultations to monitor pets with chronic conditions and to follow up with patients taking medications to check for potential side effects or to refill a prescription, depending on the situation.
Some examples for which pet telehealth might be used include checking a pet for a urinary tract infection, checking in on gastrointestinal upset or small wounds, which can be evaluated visually. For example, if your pet has ingested something that’s non-toxic, your vet might be able to assist remotely. “Obviously, intensive follow-up is key in determining whether these pets need more advanced care,” he says.
While telehealth and telemedicine visits have helped practices keep up with some of their pet patients, “we don’t use it for everything,” Yankauskas says. “It’s really only good for certain things.”
But in some cases, it might actually work better than an in-office or home visit. For example, telehealth can be particularly helpful for behavioral consultations because the remote platform provides a view into the pet’s environment that isn’t available in an office visit or even during a house visit, when the vet’s presence will automatically alter the pet’s behavior.
But there are challenges to providing veterinary care via a screen. “Some of our sensory input is missing – touch and feel and smell,” Yankauskas says. “We can see and hear, and it works well with dermatology and post-surgical checks, where you can see the skin and incision.” But for exams where the vet needs to manipulate a tender spot on a dog’s body to determine the severity of an injury or other problem, an in-person visit is still going to be necessary.
The same is true of course for surgical procedures such as spaying or neutering. “I think we’re going to see a spike in kittens this season,” Yankauskas says, as pet owners and veterinary offices delay these routine surgeries for many of their patients.
Don’t Delay Emergency Care
In the event that your pet has a serious issue, your vet will ask you to bring your animal in for further evaluation and treatment. In this way, Pletz says she likes to “look at virtual visits as another communication tool with your veterinarian that allows them to provide guidance and advice, which has tremendous value even when no diagnosis is made.”
And Paul notes that “the moment a veterinary professional believes that your pet is or may be in imminent danger, they will recommend assessment at a veterinary emergency room. These facilities are considered essential, are typically open 24 hours a day and exist to assist you when your pet is experiencing a true or suspected emergency that cannot be handled remotely.”
He adds that “if your animal is experiencing any of the following, a virtual visit is not an option and you should seek care at a veterinary ER as soon as possible.
This list is not exhaustive, so when in doubt, call your vet for tailored advice.
- Difficulty breathing.
- Pale gums.
- Recurrent vomiting.
- Dry-heaving without production of vomit.
- Bloody diarrhea.
- Severe lethargy.
- Abdominal distension.
- More than one seizure in 24 hours, or seizures that will not stop.
- Lack of appetite for more than 24 hours.
- Inability to walk.
- Non-weight bearing lameness for more than 24 hours.
- Acting painful, such as vocalizing, abnormal gait, arched back or reluctance to move.
How to Prepare for a Telehealth Visit
If you’re new to telehealth for your pet, you should lay a little groundwork before the visit, just as you would if you were having a virtual doctor’s visit for yourself or your child for the first time.
Here are some tips to ease your transition:
- Check with your provider about what specific equipment and software you need to join the call. Most platforms need an internet connection that you can access via a computer, a smartphone or a tablet.
- Figure out how to connect or download the software ahead of time so your appointment won’t be delayed while you navigate technical hiccups.
- Gather a good history for your veterinarian. “Have all medical documents available and talk with all caretakers prior to the visit to ensure you have the full picture” of what’s happening with the animal’s health, Pletz says.
- Consider where you’ll take the call. Pletz recommends you find a “quiet space to focus on talking with your veterinarian and help them be able to evaluate your pet as thoroughly as possible in the virtual space.” This means finding a well-lit area, but not directly in front of a bright window as backlighting makes it very difficult to see you and your pet. Set up close to your router if possible to ensure a strong, continuous connection to the internet.
In addition, Paul says you should take some time to anticipate your vet’s questions prior to the visit so you can be sure you’re able to answer fully. “Prior to the visit, observe your pet for a period of time and note what you think is normal for them and what might be considered abnormal,” he says.
Questions you should be prepared to answer include:
- Is your pet acting normally? If not, how?
- Is your pet eating normally? More? Or less?
- Is your pet drinking normally? More? Or less?
- Is your pet urinating normally? More? Or less?
- Is your pet defecating normally? Dry stools? Diarrhea? Any blood?
- Is your pet limping or walking abnormally?
- Is your pet exhibiting any abnormal behaviors?
- Does your pet have any significant previous health concerns?
- Is your pet on any medications? What and how much?
- Is your pet up to date on vaccinations?
- When was your pet’s last veterinary visit?
- How long has the current problem been going on?
- What else about your pet prompted you to call for a consultation?
- Do you have the ability to send a video of any abnormal behaviors?
Is Virtual Pet Health Here to Stay?
While the COVID-19 pandemic has quickly sped up the adoption of virtual appointments with veterinarians around the country, telemedicine is likely here to stay long after the urgency of our current situation subsides. “Anything that increases access to care is a win-win,” Pletz says. Not having to leave your home to conduct a routine wellness visit can reduce stress on your pet and also save you time.
However, “I think it’s important to understand that not all situations are appropriate for virtual visits. But when applicable, it’s a wonderful tool to keep the veterinarian and client in touch and working towards their shared goal of the best care for the pet.”
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