Veterinary Telehealth for Large Animal Practice

Veterinary telehealth is not just for small animal practice! Our large animal clinicians can benefit from Anipanion’s platform as well. Large animal practitioners may spend many hours on the road and often provide emergency care all through the night. The ability to have a video interface between the client and veterinarian can save the clinician potential hours of unnecessary travel time and save the client from a long, worrisome night as well as monetizing client communications. With large animal medicine, diagnostics are not as available, accessible or even realistic, making visual assessment and communication with the producer extremely important.

Watch the full video on our Continuing Education site! Below, you'll learn more about some of the ways large animal veterinarians can utilize telehealth.

Triage

“What is that coming out of my cow?” Is a commonly asked question at all hours of the day. A real-time video through Anipanion can determine if any ruminant is suffering from a rectal, uterine, or vaginal prolapse, or if an amniotic sac is present. These medical scenarios and associated symptoms come with different levels of urgency and treatment. By being able to communicate with the producer or owner and assessing the animal through video, a veterinarian can alter his or her schedule to fit the needs of the situation. The vet can also help the client with symptoms to monitor for and what to do while they wait for the vet, or even coach the client on what can be fixed on the farm.

• Rectal prolapse
• Uterine prolapse
• Vaginal prolapse
• Amniotic sac

Laceration Analysis

Horses and cows love to hurt themselves and lacerations are commonplace in the life of a large animal vet. Evaluating a laceration or wound through Anipanion’s real-time feature allows this analysis to be done remotely, saving valuable time.

• Does the injury require immediate care or can wait
• What is the location of the laceration
• Are sutures required or can it heal with second intention
• It this a new or old injury
• Coach the client how to control bleeding while waiting for veterinary help

Lameness Evaluation

Bovine and equine lameness can be a daily occurrence for a large animal practitioner. Lameness can be evaluated remotely to determine severity and if this medical issue is an emergency.

• If mild lameness is present, have client try at home or at farm care then reassess in 24-48 hours
• If severe lameness is present, the patient will need medical attention as soon as possible

Respiratory Distress

Describing a respiratory medical concern over the phone can be difficult, but providing a video can be much more helpful to a practitioner in assessing the severity.

• Horses with heaves
• Cattle with pneumonia
• Secondary due to pain from a primary medical issue

Medical Rechecks

Medical recheck for certain conditions can also be performed remotely, saving time and unnecessary mileage.

• Wounds
• Lameness
• Respiratory illness

Facility Improvement

Large animal veterinarians not only help livestock, but they also provide the farmer or producer with recommendations to improve their facilities. By advising their clients on better location of the working facility, gates, alleyways and chutes, or increasing efficiencies in the flow of herd work, the producer and livestock will benefit. This consultation can be done remotely with real-time or asynchronous conversation.

• Less stress for the animals if herds can be worked faster, making vaccines more effective and keeping the herd healthier
• Less cost to the producer Less time the vet is on the farm

Vaccination and Deworming Protocols

Herd health is directly related to vaccination and deworming protocol. Large animal veterinarians can develop these protocols for bovine and canine herds. This can be done remotely as well thus utilizing the practitioner’s time more efficiently.

Small Ruminant Nutrition Consultation

Mineral requirements are crucial for all species, but small ruminants are more sensitive to mineral imbalances. Providing proper and balanced nutrition will proactively prevent urolithiasis in goats. This consultation will not only benefit the goat by preventing a medical emergency, but will save the client money, time, and distress. The vet can provide these nutritional consultations remotely with Anipanion’s platform utilizing the practitioner’s time more effectively.

The day to day of the large animal practitioner is filled with numerous farm visits and many hours logged on the road. Utilizing Anipanion’s app to add telehealth services to the practice will not only save time, and sometimes sleep, but will create more effective, monetized communication with clients. This will create added quality to your practice and will enhance overall large animal care.