Pet Telehealth: You have pets, whiskerDocs has answers!
People are becoming more familiar with telemedicine which became popular in the late 1960s. NASA needed a way to make sure astronauts had access to medical care while on long-duration space missions. Physician assistants were able to provide remote monitoring to rural areas around the globe as part of the pilot program. Fast forward to today and consider the popularity of pet ownership. What about when it comes to a pet’s health and well-being? Introducing whiskerDocs.
One of the main benefits of pet telehealth is improving access to care for pet parents who may live in rural areas or need to speak with a veterinarian without visiting an office. Veterinarians, in turn, are able to increase their client caseload and provide millions of more pet owners with medical advice through virtual communication.
Cost containment is another perk of pet telehealth. Pet parents are able to receive medical advice when needed and therefore can determine if their pet simply requires observation or if there is an emergent need for veterinarian care. This is advantageous in that medical intervention can begin before an animal becomes ill, avoiding the need for more extensive medical treatment, and dodging in-patient hospitalization.
The demand for pet telehealth continues to rise as more and more people elect to become pet owners.
According to the 2017-2018 National Pet Owners Survey conducted by the American Pet Products Association (APPA), sixty-eight percent of U.S. households, or about 85 million families, own a pet. Therefore, this service provides a large percentage of the American population with a convenient and effective way to have access to a vet. This decreases the need to travel to a veterinary clinic or waste time stressing over a situation and not knowing what to do.
As soon as a pet owner becomes worried, they are able to access a veterinary expert via phone, email or chat.
Access is available 24/7 by phone, with vet experts ready to answer pet-related questions no matter how big or small. Pet parents can also email pictures or videos and a member of the whiskerDocs team will respond with articles or additional resources to help gets a pet back to normal. Vet specialists are also standing by for communication through chat from a computer or mobile device.
whiskerDocs examples of uses:
- “My dog ate chocolate. I don’t know what to do, but I know it’s toxic.”
- “My cat won’t use her litter box anymore. I’m sick of cleaning up urine.”
- “I’m bringing a new puppy into the home and we already have a cat. What can I do to train them to get along?”
American Online Benefits Group offers pet products that include pet telehealth, whiskerDocs, as a value-added benefit. Please contact our agent or member services to receive more information at 214-389-9072.
