Vet telemedicine for herps?

[wlwyverns]

I was wondering if there are any online vet options to help with reptiles and other exotics? I found out that I get a 6 month trial of pawp for free through work, and realized that would probably be a good idea (my 4th vet visit in a month is coming up on Tuesday) but it only services cats and dogs. Anyone know if there is online vet care for herps? Especially a subscription based service? Not looking for pet insurance, just an online vet for getting opinions on whether I need to go to a "real vet" (it'd be great if they did ALL species so I could get my dogs, cats, and reptiles cared for with just one subscription)

 

[mango_the_beardie]

well for my pets vet visits i like to use scratch pay and ofc pet insurance always helps some info on scratchpay:

Scratchpay​

Scratchpay is an online payment plan for veterinary costs that can be used for any species. It is not a credit card or a line of credit, so it doesn’t rely on your credit score or affect your credit score, and more pet parents get approved.

Scratchpay has a higher approval rating, no hidden fees and no deferred interest; however, the vet clinic must be registered with Scratchpay. Like CareCredit, Scratchpay pays the veterinarian up front, and then you make payments to Scratchpay.

You have several options for payment. If you pay the balance in full within 90 days, you won’t pay any interest. Or you can choose to pay monthly over a period of 12 or 24 months with the interest already figured into the payment.

 

[KarrieRee]

I was wondering if there are any online vet options to help with reptiles and other exotics? I found out that I get a 6 month trial of pawp for free through work, and realized that would probably be a good idea (my 4th vet visit in a month is coming up on Tuesday) but it only services cats and dogs. Anyone know if there is online vet care for herps? Especially a subscription based service? Not looking for pet insurance, just an online vet for getting opinions on whether I need to go to a "real vet" (it'd be great if they did ALL species so I could get my dogs, cats, and reptiles cared for with just one subscription)

I use care credit

 

[Beansbanana]

Petcube has an online vet subsciption. I don't know if it is any good, I have not used it.

 

[wlwyverns]

Petcube has an online vet subsciption. I don't know if it is any good, I have not used it.

Looks like petcube only does dogs and cats (their site says dogs, cats, and other pets, but their faq page specifically says just dogs and cats) :/

 

[wlwyverns]

I use care credit

Thanks! Not quite what I'm looking for, it seems like they just do insurance and financing. I want an online vet.

 

[KarrieRee]

Thanks! Not quite what I'm looking for, it seems like they just do insurance and financing. I want an online vet.

I see ok have you talked w/ any vets that would do the telehealth?

 

[wlwyverns]

I see ok have you talked w/ any vets that would do the telehealth?

I'm not sure I understand what you're asking? You don't go through a single vet clinic for telehealth, usually.
There are sites where you basically pay 20$ a month or whatever, and you can video call or IM with a vet at any time. It's not the same one vet every time, these sites employ a team of vets and techs. They can answer basic questions and tell you if you need to go to a local vet or if whatever you've noticed in your pet is probably fine.
The issue I'm having is that I couldn't find any of these sites with reptile vets on the team, it seems like they just do dogs and cats. It seems like no one here has any clue what I'm talking about, so I guess if doesn't exist.
Thanks for the help!

 

[CooperDragon]

I understand your question, but unfortunately I haven't come across any telehealth services for reptiles. It's possible that these have appeared or become more common during the pandemic the way telehealth for people has. My guess is that if there is one that includes a reptile specialist, it may be part of a veterinary teaching program rather than a co-op of vets or corporate chain. It might be worth checking with clinics associated with schools like Cornell, Illinois, Colorado State, Tufts, among others to see if they have rolled out a telehealth program which may include a staff doctor familiar with reptiles.

 

[wlwyverns]

I understand your question, but unfortunately I haven't come across any telehealth services for reptiles. It's possible that these have appeared or become more common during the pandemic the way telehealth for people has. My guess is that if there is one that includes a reptile specialist, it may be part of a veterinary teaching program rather than a co-op of vets or corporate chain. It might be worth checking with clinics associated with schools like Cornell, Illinois, Colorado State, Tufts, among others to see if they have rolled out a telehealth program which may include a staff doctor familiar with reptiles.

Great! Thanks for the leads. I'll look around and report back if I find anything promising.
I can understand why it might not be profitable for a herp vet to offer this service, definitely a niche within a niche. It'd just be nice to stop relying so heavily on strangers from the internet for triage...

 

[Beansbanana]

Vetster looks like they have reptile vets. I have not used it, but I was just looking at their website.