How much does an online vet cost?

In the last decade, the use of remote and online vets has skyrocketed. Many pet owners still rely on the online vets that provided veterinary care for their pets during the pandemic, as they learned just how useful and convenient online veterinary care is.

The cost of using an online vet depends on whether you use a text-only service, phone consultation service, or a video chat service. Many online providers now offer subscriptions and rolling plans, which can lower your pet’s long-term health care costs. Read on if you’ve ever wondered:

• What is an online vet?
• What are the benefits of using online vets?
• Are there limitations to using online vets?
• How much does online veterinary health care cost?

Learn more about how online veterinary services can help you find convenient and expert pet care, as well as how much online veterinary care costs.

An online vet is still a relatively new concept that  many pet owners aren’t familiar with. An online vet must be licensed in the same way a vet who works in a clinic is licensed, and the websites employing online vets run checks to ensure their vets have all of the relevant qualifications.

Most vets who work online also work in a clinic, and their online work supplements their income and allows them to work when out of the country or on leave from their regular job. Vets who occasionally fill in at different clinics may work online on the days they aren’t scheduled in a clinic.

Many online veterinary appointment providers also routinely assess the vets that they hire to ensure they are providing adequate care and advice to their clients. Online vets are also reviewed by their client after every consultation, allowing other platform users to get a good idea of how helpful they are.

Beyond chatting with online vets, you can also send photos or videos of your pet for assessment. When the consult is a video call, the vet can observe your pet and may ask you to check some things, such as your pet’s gum colour or their temperature.

There are a wide range of benefits when it comes to using an online vet, which explains their surge in popularity.

Less stressful for both you and your pet

Wrangling your cat into a carrier or convincing your dog to get in the car can create real anxiety in both you and your pet, especially if your pet has a phobia of cars or experiences motion sickness. Time spent in the clinic waiting room can also make your pet anxious. Some animals are reactive to others and may display fear or aggression. Cats and rabbits, for instance, aren’t usually comfortable around loud, unfamiliar dogs.

With the help of an online consultation, your pet can be seen and assessed from the comfort of their own home and can avoid the stress of transportation.

An affordable 24/7 service

Televets are online day and night, seven days a week thanks to international vets and vets who simply prefer to work during less social hours. While owners usually have to pay a surcharge for consulting a local vet late at night or in the early morning, an online vet provides services at any time for no extra charge.

Additionally, small emergency vet clinics are sometimes unavailable when dealing with overwhelming emergencies or technical difficulties, and scheduling an appointment during peak hours, such as evenings or weekends, can be difficult. Booking an appointment with an online vet ensures someone is always available, even if you need a consultation outside regular clinic hours.

Ideal for long and complex discussions

Most private practices provide standard 10 or 15 minute consults, and sometimes that isn’t enough time to properly discuss your pet’s health.  For complex topics like behavioural issues, ongoing skin complaints, or discussions around putting a pet to sleep, talking to an online vet with no time limit is truly valuable.

Easy to use

Televet websites are easy to navigate and let you register and reach a vet with just a few clicks. Even people who are less familiar with technology can easily  contact an online vet through a televet website or app.

These websites also have customer support that can be reached at any time if you’re having any trouble with the site.

Convenient

You can choose to navigate a televet website and attend appointments using your mobile phone, tablet, or laptop, which allows you to use the service both at home or away. For text-only services, you can even contact the vet from your local park during your morning walk or from your office when on lunch break.

Less risk of infection

As much as vets take steps to minimise the risk of infection spread within their clinics, having a building full of sick patients is not without its risks. If your dog is in a waiting room with another dog who has kennel cough, for example, they may well contract the illness.

Avoiding an in-person visit to the clinic helps keep your pet away from any contagious diseases.

Sometimes seeing your local vet in person is the best choice for your pet, as the remote care provided by televets has its limits.

Emergency treatment

If a pet is acutely unwell or injured, there is only so much an online vet can do. A patient who has eaten something highly toxic, who is bleeding, or who is in pain needs to be seen in person to be treated.

In some instances, you may be unsure whether your pet needs emergency care or not. In this case, it’s appropriate to contact an online vet to seek their opinion.

Procedures or diagnostic tests

Things like blood tests, biopsies, and vaccinations aren’t possible without the vet seeing your pet in person. However, you may still want to speak to an online vet first to talk through the procedures and gain a better understanding of why they’re being done.

Physical exams

When your pet is seen in person by a vet, they are weighed and checked over from nose to tail. This includes a full oral exam, a check inside the eyes and ears, a listen to the lungs and heart, and a good feel of the abdomen and joints.

An in-person visit to the vet allows for more diagnostic testing than an online vet visit, and very sick pets with conditions that are difficult to diagnose benefit from in-person vet visits in particular.

Prescriptions

Though some online vets are able to issue prescriptions, they can’t always prescribe medicine without seeing the patient first. This is often the case when a patient is very sick or needs routine monitoring before being issued their medicine. Some vets are also bound by local legal regulations and can never issue online prescriptions.

Online vet services are typically transparent with their fees, which you can find displayed on their website. Vetster is one of the most popular, reasonably priced online vet services, with medical appointments starting from USD $50.

There are different prices depending on whether you require an appointment by text, phone, or video, and some websites offer a reduced price for returning customers.

Subscriptions

An emerging trend in online vet service is rolling subscriptions, where you pay a monthly fee for unlimited vet access or for a set amount of online appointments. Some pet owners prefer this method, as it ensures a specific amount spent on vet bills at the end of each month.

Subscriptions also give your pet continuous care, and you can request to speak to the same vet for each appointment. Regular online appointments ensure any medical issues are spotted early on so treatment can be started promptly. In the long run, subscriptions and regular vet appointments can help you avoid the cost of larger vet bills, as quickly diagnosing and treating your pet’s conditions can save you numerous trips to the vet.

Online forums and symptom checkers have many limitations, and pet owners need to be cautious when getting advice from anyone who is not a vet.

Online pet forums

Online forums are usually not moderated or written by experienced professionals. These forums often contain incorrect and sometimes very dangerous advice.

Symptom checker tools

Symptom checkers are usually a combination of written lists and basic advice. This advice isn’t tailored to your pet and their specific situation, which can lead to inappropriate advice and an incorrect diagnosis.

Why an online vet is the right choice for you

Online vets know the right questions to ask. They provide pet owners with the most accurate information and guide them through checking their pet to confirm specific conditions or symptoms.

The answers supplied by a symptom checker are unable to fully assess your pet, whereas an online vet knows what questions to ask to get your pet closer to diagnosis. Forums are often written as though a solution to one pet’s illness is the solution to any similar condition, which doesn’t take your pet’s individual circumstance into consideration.

In a range of ways, you can save yourself the cost of big vet bills by using a televet service such as Vetster.

Early detection of issues

Regular online chats with a vet can ensure your pet’s medical issues are detected and dealt with early on, which leads to smaller vet bills and prompt treatment.

A saved emergency fee

An online vet can advise you on whether you need to visit an emergency clinic if you believe your pet needs medical attention but aren’t sure whether the situation is an emergency.  They can then provide you with guidance for at-home care to ensure your pet is comfortable.

Reduced cost of prescriptions

Getting online prescriptions through options such as VetsterRx can be a lot more affordable than buying your pet’s medication directly from in-person vets. This is especially pertinent for pets on medication for long periods of time.

Wider range of recommendations

Online vets have no loyalties to specific clinics, medical companies, or food companies, so they can direct you to local options that may be more affordable.  Online vets provide unbiased medical opinions, and you can double check that your vet’s treatment or diagnostic plan is reasonably priced.

If you’re eager to have convenient, 24/7 access to reliable veterinary advice, register with an online vet such as Vetster. While there are benefits to in-person vet appointments, online vet consults can be more convenient and affordable and come with their own unique advantages.