Position Statements

Virtual Veterinary Care (formerly Telemedicine)

March 4, 2026

Virtual veterinary care (VVC), including telemedicine, and its application to veterinary medicine is a growing and highly dynamic area that will continue to evolve in the coming years. Readers are advised to contact relevant provincial or territorial regulatory bodies for the latest information on regulations within their respective jurisdictions given that there may be differences between jurisdictions regarding the delivery of VVC.

Background

1. Virtual Veterinary Care (VVC) can be defined as any remote interaction between patient caregivers and veterinary team members (i.e. veterinary professionals and those working under their direction) using any form of technology with the goal of facilitating quality and effective patient care (1,2). VVC includes telehealth, telemedicine, teleconsulting, telemonitoring, tele-triage, electronic prescribing and mobile health.
2. Telemedicine is defined specifically by the CVMA and the Canadian Council of Veterinary Registrars (CCVR) as: “…the provision of specific veterinary medical advice and veterinary treatment of an animal(s) based on the remote diagnosis of disease and injury by means of telecommunications technology where no physical examination of the animal(s) by the veterinarian takes place. It does not include consultation between veterinarians where colleagues in different physical locations consult remotely with each other or the provision of general, non-specific, advice” (3)
3. VVC can enhance spectrum of care by expanding access to timely professional guidance, triage, follow-up, and client education. Through virtual consultations, veterinarians can assess clinical concerns, monitor chronic conditions, support postoperative recovery, and help clients determine when in-person care is necessary. This flexibility allows care plans to be tailored to the animal’s needs, the client’s circumstances, and available local resources, while maintaining appropriate standards of practice and animal welfare.
4. Despite benefits in many situations, VVC cannot completely replace many important aspects of in person practice including, but not limited to, physical examination, diagnostic testing, and administering treatments. While VVC on its own may complement in-person care and can help provide veterinary services to clients, it cannot and should not be a long-term or permanent substitute for hybrid, or in-person care. Both the prospective client and the veterinary professional share responsibility for determining whether VVC is appropriate for a particular situation.
5. VVC comprises a toolset that complements the delivery of in person veterinary medicine to expand a veterinarian’s ability to monitor a patient and provide care to patients. There are multiple ways that veterinarians can offer VVC including but not limited to, telephone, email (text, videos, photos), live video streaming, practice based and third-party web-based platforms, online communication platforms, and specialized telemedicine applications.
6. With respect to the latest information on regulations pertaining to VVC within specific jurisdictions, readers are advised to contact directly relevant provincial or territorial regulatory bodies (4).
7. In all jurisdictions in Canada VVC is considered as the practice of veterinary medicine thereby requiring that a practitioner be appropriately licensed, establish a valid VCPR, and work from an approved, registered and inspected veterinary facility within their respective jurisdiction. VVC may be provided as:
   • “episodic care”, whereby there is focused, one-time or short-term intervention to address a particular issue, or as
   • “hybrid care” whereby VVC is combined with traditional in-person clinic care with innovative technologies and approaches, such as AI-powered triage, remote consultations, diagnostics, monitoring, and specialized services, to enhance efficiency and accessibility in patient care (5).
8. Benefits (6) offered by VVC include:
   • helping address the veterinary professional workforce shortage (helps increase effectiveness and efficiency of limited veterinary professional time and clinic resources),
   • overcoming barriers faced by clients such as residing in locations that are distant from in-person services, illness, mobility challenges, disabilities, transportation issues, anxious patients, family situations, among others (7),
   • allowing for professional veterinary care of patients that would not otherwise be able to access it (e.g. patients in remote locations including those isolated because of emergencies such as wildfires and floods) (8),
   • allowing clients access when they do not have a regular veterinary service provider such as when clients may not have stable housing (9),
   • VVC being the preferred choice for some situations, such as ongoing care of patients with chronic conditions and or fragile patients,
   • supporting staff wellbeing by reducing in-clinic traffic, providing more flexibility in scheduling, and enabling alternative work arrangements that can help manage workload and reduce burnout (10).
9. The CVMA position statement on artificial intelligence (AI) in veterinary medicine notes that rapidly advancing technology has raised concerns around potential risk to patients and potential liability of veterinarians (11). Given the possibility that AI and VVC will become more closely integrated in the coming months and years, veterinary professionals should ensure that VVC platforms they use provide protection of patient privacy and confidentiality, are quality assured and reliable; and their use is acceptable under their professional liability insurance coverage.
10. Veterinary professionals who provide virtual care are held to the same ethical and professional standards, and legal obligations related to in-person care. A valid veterinary-client-patient relationship (VCPR) is required before a veterinarian practicing in Canada can engage in VVC. Each provincial or territorial regulatory body in Canada defines the parameters around the establishment of the VCPR within their jurisdiction (12).
11. The CVMA supports the continued expansion and adoption of VVC options by regulatory bodies to meet the evolving needs of delivering veterinary care to patients and clients in Canada, including options that pertain to the establishment of a virtual VCPR within jurisdictions.
12. While VVC provides benefits to patients, clients, and the veterinary team, it may not be appropriate in all circumstances and in some situations may introduce risk. For example:
    • Clients may be inadvertently exposed to illegal or unauthorized services that compromise patient safety and leave clients with no recourse. Prospective clients of VVC should therefore ensure that they understand the source (geographic location/jurisdiction) from where they receive any advice and how follow up services, if required, would be provided.
    • A complaint against a veterinary professional can only be lodged if the individual is licensed in a Canadian jurisdiction. Veterinary professionals are required to hold a valid license in the province or territory where they practice, as licensure is regulated at the provincial and territorial level in Canada. Accordingly, regulatory bodies only have authority to review and investigate concerns involving veterinarians who are duly licensed within their specific jurisdiction of oversight.
    • Clients should be cautioned that if the veterinary professional is not licensed by a Canadian regulatory body, lodging a complaint may not be possible or productive. Veterinary professionals lacking Canadian licensure may not have equivalent training or operate under the same practice standards as veterinary professionals licensed by a Canadian regulatory body.
    • Clients should be aware that not all jurisdictions in Canada permit veterinary professionals to prescribe and dispense medications through VVC alone. Those that do generally have certain limitations/safeguards in place.
13. Prospective clients of VVC should refer to relevant provincial or territorial regulations. A list of provincial regulatory bodies can be found on the CVMA website (4).

References

1. American Veterinary Medical Association. Connected care: Telehealth in veterinary practice. https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/animal-health-andwelfare/telehealth-telemedicine-veterinary-practice). Last accessed April 7, 2025.
2. American Veterinary Medical Association. Telemedicine. https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/avma-policies/telemedicine Last accessed April 7, 2025.
3. Canadian Council of Veterinary Registrars (2025). National Policy Statement on Telemedicine. Not publicly available.
4. Canadian Veterinary Medical Association. Canadian Regulatory Bodies. https://www.canadianveterinarians.net/resources/regulatory-bodies. Last accessed April 7, 2025.
5. Virtual Veterinary Care Association. 2025. https://vvca.org/
6. Bell, RN et al. 2023. Near-Term Digital Health Predictions: A Glimpse into Tomorrow’s AI-driven Healthcare. Telehealth and Medicine Today, 8(5). https://doi.org/10.30953/thmt.v8.452
7. Ashraf M. Abu-Seida, 2024 Veterinary telemedicine: A new era for animal welfare. Open Veterinary Journal, (2024), Vol. 14(4): 952-961 ISSN: 2226-4485 (Print) Review Article ISSN: 2218-6050 (Online) DOI: 10.5455/OVJ.2024.v14.i4.2
8. Niemiec, Rebecca, et al. "Veterinary and pet owner perspectives on addressing access to veterinary care and workforce challenges." Frontiers in Veterinary Science 11 (2024): 1419295. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39086761/
9. Canadian Veterinary Medical Association. Access to Veterinary Care in Canada. 2024. https://www.canadianveterinarians.net/policy-and-outreach/positionstatements/statements/access-to-veterinary-care-in-canada/
10. Volk, John O., et al. "Work-life balance is essential to reducing burnout, improving well-being." Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 262.7 (2024): 950-957. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38729208/
11. CVMA. Artificial Intelligence in Veterinary Medicine. https://www.canadianveterinarians.net/policy-and-outreach/positionstatements/statements/artificial-intelligence-in-veterinary-medicine/ Last accessed April 7, 2025.
12. College of Veterinarians of BC. 2021. Guidelines for the Use of Telemedicine in Veterinary Practice https://www.cvbc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/CVBCGuidelines-Update-Telemedicine-July-2021-FINAL-for-posting.pdf Last accessed April 7, 2025.