Virtual Vet Visit: How to Book and What to Expect
The next time you suspect your pet has fleas, skin issues, diarrhea, or needs a recheck after surgery, you might not need to take them to the vet clinic. Virtual vet visits, sometimes called veterinary telehealth, allow your veterinarian to provide remote care for your pet.
“Virtual vet visits are convenient,” says Sarah Mitten, DVM, MBA, a telehealth veterinarian in Fort Collins, Colorado. “[They] help pet parents understand what may be going on with their pet on demand so they can make informed decisions about when and where care is needed.”
Telehealth vet appointments are becoming more popular. Prior to the pandemic, video vet appointments accounted for just 12 percent of services, but that number increased to 38 percent between March 15 and June 15, 2020 [1]. Telehealth isn’t just more convenient; it can also be faster and less expensive than clinic visits [2].
Not all pet parents are fans of virtual vet care. One report found that 88 percent believed the best vet care included a hands-on exam [3]. Dr. Mitten notes that there are some cases, like annual exams and emergencies, where in-person visits are essential.
If you’re interested in booking a virtual vet appointment, here’s everything you need to know.
How Do I Book a Virtual Vet Appointment?
Different vet clinics take different approaches to booking virtual vet appointments. Some accept online bookings, Dr. Mitten says, while others require pet parents to phone the clinic to make a veterinary telemedicine appointment.
When vets do offer the service, Dr. Mitten notes that pet parents will need a smartphone or a computer with a camera and microphone to participate in a virtual vet visit.
Once the appointment is booked, you’ll get a text or an email with the link to join the virtual appointment at the scheduled time.
How to Prep for a Virtual Vet Visit
Preparing for a vet telehealth appointment is a little different than preparing for an in-clinic visit. Dr. Mitten suggests following these steps:
- Review the confirmation email to understand how to join the appointment. You might need to download an app in advance, especially if you plan to connect via your smartphone.
- Write down a list of questions.
- Find a quiet spot to join the appointment. You shouldn’t participate in a virtual vet visit while driving or in a loud public place with lots of distractions.
- Make sure your pet is in the room and able to appear on camera.
Virtual Vet Visit: What to Expect
There are a few different kinds of virtual appointments: Telehealth or telemedicine is a virtual option to connect with vets for the purpose of diagnosing pet health issues. In some states, vet telemedicine appointments are only allowed when pet parents have an established relationship with the veterinarian [4].
Teleadvice is different and can include health information, opinions, and recommendations that are general in nature (not related to a specific pet/patient) [4]. These appointments can include conversations about crate training or the best chew toys to prevent broken teeth, for example, and the vet won’t need to see your pet on camera.
When your pet has a specific health concern, your pet will need to be on camera.
“If a pet has sickness [or] odd behavior [or] anything abnormal that a pet parent is asking about, it’s better to try to get as much information as possible, including seeing the pet,” Dr. Mitten says.
Your vet will ask about your pet’s symptoms and gather information. Depending on the symptoms and what the vet sees on camera, a virtual vet appointment might be sufficient to formulate a plan.
“If I get a video of a dog reverse sneezing, I don’t need a physical exam to say it’s reverse sneezing [or] if a dog has diarrhea, you can see that from a picture—similar to in-clinic appointments, there would be a discussion around potential causes and discussion about diagnostics to determine cause,” Dr. Mitten says.
But not all concerns can be solved in a veterinary telehealth appointment. When a pet is slowing down, feeling off, or the vet thinks, “I just don’t have enough information” after a virtual vet visit, Dr. Mitten says that a visit to the clinic may be recommended.
Next Steps
After the appointment, your vet will send a visit summary with recommendations for next steps.
- If in-clinic testing or care is recommended, an appointment is scheduled.
- Recommended prescriptions are called into pharmacies or, Dr. Mitten adds, “Pet parents can be directed where to purchase online or in-clinic.”
You should also plan to set medication reminders, if needed, and monitor for any changes to your pet’s health that may warrant a follow-up appointment.
Virtual vet care is just one tool to help you care for your four-legged friends. It doesn’t replace the need for annual exams and vaccines in the clinic or the need for hands-on care during emergencies.
“They will help you decide whether to spend the money to get your pet seen and what diagnostics may be needed to understand what’s going on with your pet,” Dr. Mitten says. “The biggest value virtual visits provide is ‘understanding’ so you can make an informed decision and not a decision out of fear.”
References
- Wong, Samantha Y, and Leilani X Alvarez. “Veterinary telerehabilitation was as satisfactory as in-person consultations.” The Canadian veterinary journal = La revue veterinaire canadienne vol. 64,7 (2023): 654-658.
- Abu-Seida, Ashraf M et al. “Veterinary telemedicine: A new era for animal welfare.” Open veterinary journal vol. 14,4 (2024): 952-961. doi:10.5455/OVJ.2024.v14.i4.2
- Chart of the Month: Pet owners equate in-person visits with best care. AVMA. Nov. 2023. Retrieved from https://www.avma.org/blog/chart-month-pet-owners-equate-person-visits-best-care
- AVMA guidelines for the use of telehealth in veterinary practice. AVMA. 2021. Retrieved from https://www.avma.org/sites/default/files/2021-01/AVMA-Veterinary-Telehealth-Guidelines.pdf
