I just received an email notifying me of an online Pet Portal feature offered by my veterinarian, North Arlington Animal Clinic (http://www.northarlingtonvet.com/). Although I haven’t checked it out yet, the notification claims it is a private, secure way to manage my pet’s health. Features include:
- Check your pet’s health records
- Request an appointment
- Search our extensive pet health library
- View vaccination history
- Upload photos of your pet
- Send yourself medication reminders by email
I just tried logging in, and it appears to be provided by a third party: https://www.vetsecure.com and is down for maintenance. Not exactly 24/7 quite yet. But I wonder if you’ll be able to download a proof of vaccination to take with you when your dog is boarded somewhere or goes to doggy day care?
Vet Newsletter
Every few months I also receive the Healthy Pet newsletter with reminders on the front cover of when my pets need to go in for a visit (updates on vaccinations, etc). They usually have a bunch of tips and articles, as well as a feature story with a celebrity and his/her pets. For Winter, 2009 we have an article on Jennie Garth and her pets, how to prepare and adjust your pet for lifestyle changes (a move, divorce, or new baby), tips on caring for your pet’s teeth, and answers about canine influenza, and more. I’ll definitely be reading up on brushing my dog’s teeth since he recently had to undergo a cleaning at the vet, and we don’t want to have to pay for that again if we can prevent it!
These features are a great (free) bonus offered by our vet. Does your vet offer these same features? Are there any other resources available from your vet?