Veterinary Telemedicine is not only here to stay, it’s poised to grow and likely exponentially

Dr./D^r John Kastelic

Dr./D^r Tim Ogilvie

In his February 2019 editorial (1), Dr. Carlton Gyles stated that “There appears to be a bright future for telemedicine for animals.” That prescient comment was likely a profound understatement!

Although many of us were aware, at least in principle, of the potential for a global pandemic, and despite some “shots across the bow” by SARS and various iterations of influenza, it’s likely that few really understood what was in our near future. In early 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic caused enormous changes, including in the delivery of veterinary care. Furthermore, many persons spending considerably more time at home prompted purchase or adoption of pets, thereby increasing demands for veterinary services.

In April 2020, the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) posted Veterinary Telemedicine guidelines on their website (2). The first paragraph of that document states:

“Telemedicine refers to the practice of veterinary medicine (advice, diagnosis, treatment) which occurs at a distance using telecommunication between a veterinarian and an animal owner. In other words, telemedicine is a veterinary medical practice tool, and involves medical information regarding a patient’s clinical health status communicated via electronic methods. Telemedicine does not replace current veterinary medicine practice but is a complementary tool. A valid veterinary-client-patient relationship (VCPR) must exist and all the other regulatory requirements, such as informed consent, must be followed to allow a veterinarian to diagnose and treat a patient via telemedicine.”

In August 2021, the CVMA posted an updated position statement: “Telemedicine and its application to veterinary medicine is a highly dynamic area that is continually evolving.” (3) Furthermore, that position statement also includes: “Telemedicine is a tool that complements the delivery of in-clinic or on-site veterinary medicine in order to expand a veterinarian’s ability to provide care to animals. It cannot completely replace many important aspects of ‘hands-on’ practice and, therefore, cannot and should not be a long-term or permanent substitute for in-clinic or on-site veterinary medicine.” (3)

It was recently stated (4) that telemedicine for humans has been useful for delivering rural health care, being cost-effective, and for improving health outcomes (reductions in hospitalization, readmissions, and mortality). Furthermore, benefits of telemedicine for pet owners and pets include: no need to transport animals that are shy, nervous, or large; no need to visit a veterinary clinic accompanied by children; easier access in rural areas; easy access to advice or triage to assess the need for an in-person visit; savings in time; and more flexible hours (4). That article also assessed the willingness to pay for veterinary telemedicine for pets in the USA. Dog owners there were willing to pay an additional US$38.04 or US$13.38 for a veterinary telemedicine consultation with their regular veterinarian or another veterinarian in their community, respectively. For cats, the corresponding values were US$38.12 and US$12.74 (4).

As summarized in a recent article (5), in a survey of 1000 pet owners regarding curb-side visits, 86% felt that this worked well or very well, 28% felt this was superior to traditional in-clinic visits, and 48% indicated they would continue to use curb-side post-pandemic. COVID-19 has forced us to rely more heavily on remote interactions, a habit that will undoubtedly persist in the post-pandemic era. As the numbers of baby boomers dwindle, ensuing generations are increasingly comfortable with technology and are embracing new ways to do things, including online shopping, and accessing veterinary telemedicine. Thus, demands for veterinary telemedicine will rise, likely exponentially.

What are the ramifications for practitioners of increasing delivery of veterinary telemedicine services? Recently summarized (6), they include: meeting increasing client demands, less fatigue/greater efficiency, more revenue, better client retention (client turnover reduced from 13 to 3%), happier associate veterinarians, and a novel way of delivering veterinary service. Although expanding veterinary telemedicine will not fully address our challenges in meeting increasing demand for veterinary services, it is expected to be at least part of the solution.