Vetting in a new era

During lockdown, vets turned to telemedicine, but how does it work and is there a future for it post-Covid? Stephanie Bateman investigates

- Stephanie Bateman

REMOTE vetting, or telemedicine, is the provision of veterinary care without the vet being present. Instead, the consultation is held on the phone, via video call, or through text message or email.

Telemedicine isn’t new – since the development of mobile phone technology, owners have been communicating with vets in this way, sending photographs, videos and updates remotely. And it works well for non-emergency enquiries such as skin problems and minor wound ailments, as well as follow-up consultations, particularly for owners living in remote locations. But for more serious conditions and emergencies, the vet must attend.

However, there is a grey area and this applies to the remote prescribing of certain medications. Under normal circumstances, the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) states that every horse must undergo an examination by a vet before prescription medication can be given, including antibiotics and phenylbutazone (bute). But when Covid-19 hit, the RCVS decided that this rule should be lifted temporarily to allow the remote prescribing of such medicines.

So how have vets found remote vetting and where do they see it heading in the future?

PATRICK POLLOCK, senior lecturer and head of equine surgery at the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, works with developing countries, helping working equines and donkeys. And for this, he uses telemedicine.

“I hold telemedicine clinics in which I FaceTime a vet at the scene who may ask our opinion on a condition,” says Patrick. “We then offer advice on treatment and follow it up a few days or weeks later. I also provide telemedicine in the form of a consultation service, reporting on X-rays and images that vets send me.”