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Pay by Phone and Give Verbal Consent Just as telemedicine options for humans have
for Documents expanded during these times of necessary social
distancing, so too have veterinary telemedicine
In addition to talking to your veterinarian by phone options become more available. The AVMA advises
to receive updates on your dog’s care, you can also veterinarians to utilize telemedicine when possible
give verbal consent for any documents that need for elective cases, noting that “veterinary services
to be signed, and you can pay any invoices over must be provided with professionalism and adhering
the phone using a credit card. In short, there is to the same standard of care, whether delivered in
no need for you to go inside the veterinary clinic person or through electronic means.”
for these routine transactions, all of which can be
accomplished over the phone. Stay Up to Date
Sanitizing Collars and Leashes The COVID-19 pandemic is a rapidly evolving
situation, with new information available every day.
The novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19 has There are many ways dog owners can stay up to
been found to live on smooth surfaces like metal date on the latest news and recommendations. The
and plastic for up to 72 hours, so once you return AKC has a Coping With Coronavirus COVID-19
home with your dog, remove collars and leashes and hub (https://www.akc.org/dog-owners/coronavirus-
sanitize them using an EPA-approved disinfectant. If covid19-outbreak-resources-dog-lovers/)., where
a dog carrier or crate was in use and was handled by you can find resources, ideas, and advice on dealing
anyone other than yourself, be sure to disinfect that with the crisis. With the AKC, you know that you
carrier as well. are part of a community of dog owners who are all
facing this together.
In addition to the AKC’s resources, other respected
veterinary medical sites can be a useful source
of ongoing information and science-backed
advice. Veterinarian JoAnna Pendergrass, DVM,
is the owner of JPen Communications, a medical
communications company that focuses on pet owner
education. She lists the AVMA (https://www.avma.
org/resources-tools/animal-health-and-welfare/
covid-19) , theUniversity of California Davis School
of Veterinary Medicine (https://www.vetmed.
ucdavis.edu/), and the CDC (https://www.cdc.gov/)
as trusted sources of publicly available information
that can be of value to dog owners throughout the
COVID-19 pandemic.
Yasmine S. Ali, MD is a cardiologist and writer in
Consider Telemedicine Tennessee, where she lives with three Canine Good
Citizens.
Telemedicine involves providing care through
electronic means, such as Skype, a mobile app, or Reprinted with permission from AKC.org
a virtual platform designed specifically for this
purpose. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic,
some large veterinary health systems had designed
mobile apps that allow 24/7 veterinary access
through your mobile device.
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