Hoosier Company Brings Telemedicine for Pets
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowAs telemedicine becomes more common, one Hoosier company is taking the technology and applying it to pets. Indianapolis-based Pet Wellness Clinics says it is among the first in the state to offer virtual veterinary visits for pets through the TeleTails service. The service is made available through a mobile app and Associate Veterinarian Kerry Peterson says it gives pet owners a same-day consult with an available veterinarian.
In an interview with Business of Health Reporter Kylie Veleta, Peterson said the service fills a need.
"It gives an extra opportunity for clients to come in and see us virtually if they’re not able to come into the clinic itself or if they have animals are limited as far as mobility or animals that are anxious or have a behavioral issue and they want to reach out to us virtually," said Peterson. "We thought that that would be a great alternative for our clients."
Pet Wellness Clinics has been using the service for six months and Peterson says the response has been positive. She says TeleTails provides an addition benefit not only for pet owners who may have a hard time wrangling their pets into a carrier to take them to a clinic, but also for veterinarians to observe the pets at home.
"In dog lameness issues, if they’re limping, sometimes just the adrenaline and epinephrine of coming into the clinic and being excited, often times they won’t show that lameness to us in the clinic. So it’s really nice to kind of see them at home in their home environment. It gives us an opportunity to better diagnose."
The TeleTails service is currently available in central Indiana, however Peterson says there is a lot of opportunity for vets throughout the state to take advantage of the service.