Many pet owners in California can now take their pets to the vet without even leaving home. NBC 7’s Shellye Leggett explains.
Among the hundreds of state laws approved by the legislature that went into effect Jan 1, two new pieces of legislation will affect San Diego pet owners.
One new law aims to help pet owners get the help they need without leaving their homes.
“She's 8 and she's 14,” said Raul Lustria as he walked his two dogs, Fiona and Belle.
Of interest to animal lovers
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Just like people, pets need medical care too.
“They have to make a separate appointment for their shots,” Lustria told NBC 7 on Tuesday.
Sometimes it can be difficult getting furry friends in to see a doctor, though.
“So my days off, like, I just go there,” Lustria said about having his pets seen by a vet
To help ease that pain, there’s a new law on the state's books.
“The new law allows veterinarians to now prescribe medication via a video conference call, not a telephone call, but kind of without having to do a full in-person in certain situations,” said Laura Halsey, a veterinarian with Telltale Veterinary Urgent Care.
California lawmakers passed the new vet law, which went into effect on Tuesday and allows pet owners to take advantage of the same telehealth options that got popular for humans during the pandemic. During the virtual visit, veterinarians explain the limitations of telehealth appointments and are prohibited from prescribing controlled substances without an in-person physical exam. Halsey said her clinic has been conducting over-the-phone appointments but hasn’t used been using telehealth options very much. She said there will be positive and negative outcomes for this new law.
“I think that telemedicine can be absolutely amazing for people and our busy schedules, and I've definitely taken advantage of it both as a person and as a mom,” Halsey said. “It could end up costing people more money if they did a telemedicine platform that said, 'Yes, now you need to go into the veterinarian, and now you have to go in and pay somebody again for another exam.' ”
Halsey said telehealth visits will help for an initial diagnosis, but urged pet owners not to put off visiting a pet urgent care if there's an emergency.
“In veterinary medicine, our patients can't speak, so they can't articulate what's going on with them, and we have to dig a little bit deeper,” Halsey said.
The other new law affecting pet owners is about pet shelters and requires cities and counties to make at least one shelter option available to people with pets in emergencies. It also requires counties that open warming and cooling centers during extreme weather to include a pet-friendly option when feasible.
