1466 Melrose Ave Chula Vista, CA 91911
What Is Telemedicine for Pets?
Telemedicine has been around almost as long as the telephone, but new technologies have revitalized the telemedicine space, making it more convenient than ever to access professional veterinary advice for pets. At Pacific Pet Hospital, we are pleased to provide state-of-the-art veterinary telemedicine via the Anipanion smartphone app.
What Is Telemedicine for Pets?
Telemedicine refers to the practice of getting a doctor’s advice over the phone or via email, video chat, or texting. In the case of pets, telemedicine refers to getting advice remotely from a veterinarian regarding your pet’s health and/or care.
What Kinds of Veterinary Services Are Available Via Telemedicine?
Telemedicine makes getting a quick professional veterinary opinion easy since you can access it from the comfort of your own home – or anywhere you have internet or cellular service. With telemedicine for pets, you can send videos and/or pictures of your pet to our veterinarian and talk with a veterinarian about your pet’s symptoms to receive advice from afar.
Telemedicine is especially useful for managing our existing patients’ ongoing veterinary concerns, medication refills, surgery follow-ups, consultations, and advice regarding whether or not emergency or urgent veterinary care is needed.
That being said, telemedicine does have its limitations because we cannot physically examine your pet in person during a telemedicine appointment. As a result, we can’t measure your pet’s vital signs, feel your pet’s vital organs, take x-rays, perform ultrasounds, or collect samples for laboratory testing. So, depending on the situation, achieving an actual diagnosis can be difficult with telemedicine.
However, our veterinarian can evaluate your pet, consult with you, and provide you with advice based on our remote observations and the information you provide.
Is My Pet Eligible for Telemedicine?
At Pacific Pet Hospital, we always strive to practice veterinary medicine with the utmost care and responsibility. For that reason, our telemedicine services are only available to our existing patients, and we approve telemedicine appointments for those patients on a case-by-case basis since it is sometimes still necessary to actually see a pet in person to monitor ongoing health concerns with in-person examinations and routine diagnostic testing that can only be achieved in our office.
Learn More About Telemedicine for Pets in San Diego
Our veterinarians and team at Pacific Pet Hospital welcome you to contact our office to learn more about telemedicine for pets with the Anipanion app. To learn more, please contact us today.
