Minette not in great shape this morning? Brutus barely touched his mash? Discussing it with a veterinarian might allay your fears. But you are very far from home, on vacation, at a campsite, in the middle of nowhere. Jean-François Audrin, veterinarian for thirty years in Saint-Georges-d’Orques (Hérault), near Montpellier, imagined a platform, Liv’Vetwhich allows you to be connected in video with one of your colleagues, to understand what is wrong with your pet.
A first version of this application, launched during the Covid-19 crisis, already allowed cat or dog owners to consult a veterinarian remotely. But the practitioner could only be connected with his usual patients. “From now on, any owner of an animal can be put in contact with a veterinarian, whom he does not know, wherever he is and at any time”, explains Jean-François Audrin.
An application to “manage the emergency”
A dog has a heat stroke on the towel? A cat is breathing badly? Liv’Vet makes it possible to “manage the emergency”. And, often, to reassure anxious owners for the health of their treasures, because, most of the time, there is nothing serious. A way, too, to unclog the clinics. “The veterinarian will see what is going on, and will give the first advice, continues the Hérault veterinarian. He can then advise the owner to consult a colleague when possible, if it is not urgent. And if it is, on the other hand, urgent, he can tell him to go see a veterinarian immediately. »
After each consultation, the owner receives a report, with some advice, and any photos of their animal, to show them to their veterinarian, if necessary. But the practitioners who intervene on video via Liv’Vet do not issue a prescription. It is not yet authorized by the order of veterinarians. If medication is needed, you will have to go see a professional, in the flesh.
“In one to two minutes, in general, a veterinarian connects”
A video vet always means less stress for the animals. Cats, in particular, many of which do not have a good time during transport, in the crate, to the clinic. “Cats hate it,” says Jean-François Audrin. And we also realize that half of the cats are not medicalized, because their owners do not want to bother them… Liv’Vet also allows you to avoid traveling for very little. »
This new version of Liv’Vet has a major asset: the speed of connection. Six veterinarians are simultaneously connected to the application, from 7 a.m. to midnight, even on public holidays. And soon, 24 hours a day. “They all wear a watch that tells them, in real time, when the owner of an animal connects, explains Jean-François Audrin. Within one to two minutes, in general, a veterinarian connects. “A video connection with a veterinarian costs around 22 euros on the Liv’Vet application.