British Columbians can now book veterinary appointments online through new app

A new online service has launched for pet owners to virtually speak with veterinarians in British Columbia.

The service launched Tuesday through a new app called Telus Health MyPet, which is available for Apple and Android devices.

"Similar to human health care, 75 per cent of the reasons you take your pet to the vet, you can do it through video conference," said Juggy Sihota, vice president of Telus Health.

"So we’ve learned a lot, we’re experts in this space now," she said.

It can be a struggle to find a veterinarian on Vancouver Island. Like family doctors, many are simply not accepting new patients.

"We’ve been overworked in the profession," said Dr. Victoria Knight, medical director at the Van Isle Veterinary Hospital in Courtenay, B.C.

"The pet ownership in the community is increasing at a really dramatic rate and of course with the added struggles that COVID brought," she said.

Knight says she welcomes the introduction of this new online service.

"I don’t see this as competition, I more see this as a way that veterinarians working in practice can use this in combination to help their clients," she said.

Telus Health says it can look at minor concerns and refer callers to a veterinarian's visit if a health-care concern seems serious.

"You can do everything from overall wellness for your pet, nutritional and weight management, you can get advice on allergies, parasite control," said Sihota.

"We can take a look at minor infections, skin issues, stomach upset, chronic disease management," she said.

The online appointments cost $76 each, but will increase to $95 after an initial startup period, according to Telus Health.