Telemedicine

Richview Animal Hospital in Etobicoke offers comprehensive veterinary care and a welcoming team environment. We are committed to providing advanced veterinary care to your pets, and we value the strong relationships between our staff and our patients.

We offer wellness exams, vaccinations, diagnostic testing, dental cleanings, tooth extractions, critical care, and emergency surgeries. While many veterinarian services must be performed physically, some services can be performed remotely with telemedicine.

What is Telemedicine?

Telemedicine is becoming much more popular in the veterinary world. Telemedicine involves the veterinarian performing a limited checkup via video chat. This is great for general wellness exams or post-surgical care. This exam can be performed on your laptop, smartphone, or tablet – as long as your device is connected to the internet. 

There are some drawbacks to telemedicine. Most of the time, a veterinarian cannot make a conclusive diagnosis over video. For something to be diagnosed for certain, the veterinarian needs to physically examine the animal. Diagnostic services such as X-rays, dental cleaning, and surgery cannot be done via telemedicine call for obvious reasons. However, a remote consultation can help you determine whether or not a visit to the office is necessary. 

While there are limitations to telemedicine, there are times when it makes more sense than a physical visit to the office. If your pet underwent surgery and needs follow-up care but has mobility issues, telemedicine is ideal. Chronic conditions that have already been diagnosed can be managed through telemedicine. Telemedicine is also appropriate if there's been no noticeable change to your pet's general health or condition.