Virtual Vet Consults
What you probably don't know about Virtual Vet Consults
More and more Aussie pet owners are turning to online or virtual veterinary consults when they can't physically make it to their regular vet due to distance, scheduling problems or other reasons.
Many Aussie pet owners know that they can get online vet consults from qualified Australian vets, who can examine their pet via video and provide advice, second opinion or diagnosis. Indeed, some online vets will even provide online veterinary prescriptions for common pet medicines like Apoquel, Metacam and Rimadyl and even for certain veterinary compounded medicines if in their veterinary opinion they consider it appropriate.
But there are some things you might not know about online veterinary consultations if you have never done one before, so here are some points your online vet wants you to know:
- For fastest response times, pre-book your video vet appointment online and at the allotted time join with the link that is generated and emailed to you.
- Often your online veterinary consult will be via an online video sharing program like GoToMeeting or Zoom, so you may need to download the program to your computer or device if you've never used that program before.
- Make sure you give your phone number when making the appointment, so that if there is a problem setting up the video link, your online vet can call to help with connection.
- Have your pet ready and appropriately restrained either on a lead or in a small area. Also make sure the area you and your pet are in is well lit. Having someone help you by holding the web cam or the pet makes life easier
- During the video vet consultation, the vet will ask you to go through a series of steps that will gather information about how your pet is feeling. This may include heart rate, respiratory rate and if you have a thermometer, temperature.
- It is always best if the pet owner can forward a copy of their pets patient history if they have it
- At the end of the consult, if the vet considers a prescription is appropriate, you can ask them to email it directly to [email protected].
- Remember, your online video vet knows this might be the first time you've done an online video veterinary consultation, so don't be afraid to ask if you're not sure of anything
Always remember when obtaining a vet consult online, to make sure you're using a reputable service and Australian qualified and registered veterinarians. We've worked with many Australian online vets, and our customers have told us that they have found Pawssum, VetChat and Medechat all to be very professional and helpful