How is Telemedicine Revolutionizing the Animal Healthcare?
Animal healthcare is following the trend of online services becoming increasingly popular. Nearly all pet owners are required to take their animals to the vet for a checkup. However, wouldn’t it be more convenient to get a routine checkup online rather than visit the veterinary clinic?
What is telemedicine?
The use of telecommunications to diagnose and treat a patient is known as telemedicine. In human medicine, it is becoming more prevalent. For example, it is popular among those who have difficulty traveling and lack time to visit the doctor. Telemedicine is also becoming popular in the field of veterinary medicine.
Pets, like humans, despise going to the veterinarian. The good news is that there is an option for telemedicine, which is convenient and stress-free. However, telemedicine has its pros and cons regarding animal healthcare, and we will discuss these aspects today.
Two Aspects of Telemedicine in Animal Healthcare
Like every coin has two sides, there are both wrong and right regarding veterinary telemedicine. Animals are known to be territorial, so they dislike changes in their environment. In addition, no matter how hard you try, most animals despise going to the veterinarian.
Most animals require routine checkups, so it isn’t much you can do to avoid going to the vet. Telemedicine, on the other hand, is ineffective because animals cannot communicate their discomfort or problems.
Hence, you can’t say it’s only good or bad. So let us examine this in greater depth.
Pros
Telemedicine can assist you if your pet becomes anxious when entering the clinic and it is difficult to travel to far-off vet clinics. Here are some of its advantages:
- After a treatment or surgery, you can get regular updates about your pet from the veterinarian without visiting.
- There is no need to visit the veterinarian unless necessary, as you can get medicine, supplements, and follow-ups online.
- You save a lot of stress and effort for yourself and your pet.
- It helps to keep the vet updated on your pet’s health progress when your pet despises going to the vet’s clinic.
- It allows you and your veterinarian to stay in touch for future treatments.
Cons
Telemedicine has more drawbacks in animal healthcare than in human healthcare. These are the ones we’ve enlisted:
- Pets cannot communicate or explain which part of their body is hurt or in pain. A pet owner can tell where his pet is hurt, but a veterinarian must perform a physical examination.
- Telemedicine is only helpful for checking in on existing patients. No veterinarian can get an idea for the first time from telecommunication.
- A veterinarian examines the pet using all of his senses during a physical exam. Vets palpate, smell, listen, and look for anything unusual.
- According to the law, a client-veterinarian relationship cannot be established solely through electronic means. A vet must physically examine the pet, at least in the first instance.
Conclusion
We cannot say that veterinary telemedicine is beneficial or ineffective. It has its own set of advantages and disadvantages. It is best to use it to our advantage and per our requirements. If you’re looking for an informative marketplace veterinary, VetandTech could be a good option. Many pet supplies and animal health products are available here. There is also information about animal diseases where you can learn about maintaining your pet’s health.