AUSTIN, Texas — Texas lawmakers are looking into making telehealth more accessible for pet owners in rural communities.
State Sen. Nathan Johnson (D-Dallas) authored Senate Bill 1442, which would expand telehealth to veterinary medicine. Texas law currently bans vets from treating patients if they haven’t had a physical exam first.
At a Senate committee hearing on Monday, supporters of the bill said it’s hard to find veterinarians that provide more than basic care and a telehealth option would make it easier for rural Texans to get prescriptions for their pets.
“I realize most pet owners will never use telemedicine, and it won’t reduce the need to see a vet in person for vaccines and testing,” said Colleen Vera, an animal rescue volunteer and the vice chair of the Tyler County Republican Party. “But for those of us in rescue, especially in rural Texas, telemedicine would be such a blessing.”
But opponents of the bill say there’s a risk that pets could get misdiagnosed and that dangerous diseases could be missed without physically examining an animal.
“Many conditions simply cannot be responsibly differentiated and diagnosed without listening to the animal’s heart and lungs, performing diagnostic tests and physically touching the animal,” said Dr. Nancy Carter, the president of the Texas Veterinary Medical Association. “This runs the risk of missing a serious illness or prescribing medications that do not treat the animal’s condition or even threaten its health.”
Dr. Monica Janacek, a rancher and veterinarian in La Grange, Texas, echoed Carter’s sentiments. She said it was veterinarians on the ground who identified the connection between dead birds at Panhandle dairies and bird flu.
SB 1442 was left pending in committee.