Virtual healthcare for pets offers convenience for owners

Article content

Telemedicine is increasing access to health care for our beloved fur babies at a time when veterinary services have decreased, according to medical officials at the Windsor/Essex County Humane Society.

Article content

Kayla Beetham, director of shelter medicine, said virtual health care for pets is filling a void across the country.

“We are experiencing a veterinarian shortage across Canada,” Beetham said. “A lack of veterinarians, veterinarian hospitals and the capacity for care has decreased as pet ownership has increased during the pandemic.

“Now that we’re seeing so many animals and we just don’t have the same veterinary resources available within the community … we’re finding that the veterinary hospitals and emergency clinics, in particular, are very overwhelmed with the volume that they’ re seeing.

“Telemedicine has really helped us to increase the access to care for some animals that otherwise really wouldn’t have options in their community.”

Article content

Article content

Beetham explained that “more benign” issues that generally aren’t life threatening, such as minor eye or ear infections, cat colds, loose stools or parasite prevention, can be treated via a virtual appointment.

The vet will refer an owner to an emergency hospital or secondary facility if necessary.

“The good news with telemedicine is that because you’re talking with a veterinary professional, a veterinarian, they can actually prescribe medications through that interaction,” he added.

Beetham said this frees up space at clinics and hospitals for animals that need to be seen immediately.

But pets still need routine, in-person care for things such as vaccines, tests or physical examinations.

The humane society only uses telemedicine at this time for animals that are in its foster care system.

Article content

And while many veterinary offices offer telemedicine services, TELUS Health has launched a virtual pet care platform called MyPet, which brings veterinarians together with dog and cat owners to provide care for a range of health issues, from nutritional management and parasite control to behavioral challenges and prescription of certain medications.

MyPet is accessed via a smartphone app.

TELUS Health officials said sending non-urgent cases to the virtual veterinary care team helps to alleviate some of the burden veterinarians are facing and allows them to focus more attention on the efficient treatment of dogs and cats requiring hands-on care.

“The reality right now in clinical veterinarian practice is that we simply don’t have the time we once did to consult with our clients in great depth, and with the overall shortage of veterinarians across the country, brick-and-mortar clinics are under continual strain to provide services,” Ko Arman, lead veterinarian with TELUS Health MyPet, said in a news release.

“By offering non-emergent cases the care they need through a virtual platform, we can reduce some of the stress on clinics and help provide some much-needed flexibility and time management support which will ultimately provide vets more balance between work and home life. ”

Beetham said an online search for telemedicine veterinary services in Ontario will produce a list of services, or check with your local veterinarian to see if they offer telemedicine appointments.

[email protected]

twitter.com/KotsisStar