Australia: Vet telehealth grows amid cost pressures, but awareness lags

As the cost of living and veterinary shortages continue to affect Australian pet owners, who make up about 70% of the population, veterinary telehealth is emerging as an alternative.

A survey by veterinary player VetChat unveiled that 8 out of 10 pet owners are still unaware of telehealth as an option.

The majority (97%) of Australians say their pet being unwell has a negative impact on their mental health, and 71% treat their pet as their child.

The conclusions also revealed that 1 in 6 Australian pet owners chose not to go to the vet in the last 12 months when they needed or wanted to, due to cost and affordability concerns.

VetChat’s Veterinary Telehealth in Australia 2025 report was published in September 2025 and includes research and data from market studies, consumer surveys, consumer tracking, consult records and feedback based on more than 190,000 consultations.

Vet telehealth

Only 13% of Australians have tried veterinary telehealth, but 81% say they are likely to consider using it in the future.

The most common pet health concerns among those who use veterinary telehealth include digestive or gastrointestinal issues such as diarrhea and vomiting (21%); skin problems (itching, rashes and irritation – 13%); hazards like pets swallowing toxins or objects (6%); lameness, limping or difficulty in walking or moving (4%); lumps, bumps and wounds (3%).

VetChat also notes that these concerns are most common in dog breeds such as the Cavoodle, Golden Retriever, French Bulldog, Goldendoodle and Labrador.

Benefits of veterinary telehealth

For pet owners, the top reasons for using telehealth are when they need general health or wellbeing advice (27%), want advice on diet or feeding (22%), have questions after a recent vet visit (22%), need advice about a minor issue or symptom (19%), have questions about medication (16%) and need help deciding if a vet visit is necessary (16%).

Meanwhile, 75% of veterinarians have reported a positive or substantially positive impact on their mental health, stress levels and work enjoyment after entering the veterinary telehealth industry.

Their top reasons for entering the veterinary telehealth industry include the positive impact on mental health (100%), supplementing in-clinic income (50%), supporting their ability to remain in practice while having a family or other caring responsibilities (45%), having control and predictability over hours and schedules (33%) and staying in practice after retiring or taking a break from in-clinic work (33%).

Regulatory barriers

In Australia, veterinarians can only prescribe medication online if they’ve seen the pet recently in person, which “stands as a barrier to successful telehealth consultations,” according to the research.

To ensure equal access to care, VetChat argues that state regulations should be updated to allow more support to be delivered online.

The report highlights that in Ontario, Canada, where online prescription via telehealth has been in practice for 9 years, there have been no related complaints.