Because Every Day Matters: How Telemedicine Can Help Patients Like Bella
A Case for Compassionate, Connected Hospice Care
Bella, a 17-year-old domestic shorthair cat, lived a long and well-loved life. In her final chapter, she faced the dual challenges of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and osteoarthritis—progressive conditions that demanded close attention, thoughtful interventions, and a deep commitment to comfort.
Her family, like so many others, wanted Bella to remain at home—safe, peaceful, and surrounded by love. But providing hospice-level support outside the clinic can be complex. For veterinary teams, it means managing pain, mobility, nutrition, hydration, and caregiver uncertainty—all without consistent in-person observation.
That’s where telemedicine—and platforms like TelmyVet—stepped in.
How Telemedicine Supports Hospice Patients Like Bella
Telemedicine allows veterinary teams to extend their reach, improve responsiveness, and enhance client communication—all while providing high-quality care. Here’s how it helped Bella—and how it can help patients like her:
1. Virtual Hospice Check-Ins: Clinical Insight Without the Stress
Using TelmyVet, Bella’s veterinary team conducted structured video consultations, allowing them to:
- Assess pain, hydration, appetite, and behavior
- Guide the family through day-to-day changes
- Avoid unnecessary in-clinic visits
These virtual check-ins preserved the clinician-client bond while improving workflow efficiency, especially for teams managing multiple complex cases.
2. Empowering Families with Tools and Structure
TelmyVet enabled Bella’s caregivers to:
- Use quality-of-life and pain scoring tools to report meaningful updates
- Receive educational handouts on topics like nutrition, medication, and mobility
- Maintain an ongoing dialogue with the veterinary team between visits
This real-time communication helped the care team make informed, timely decisions—without relying on fragmented notes, missed calls, or last-minute triage.
3. Environmental Modifications Made Easy
With TelmyVet’s video platform, the veterinary team could observe Bella’s living environment and recommend helpful adjustments:
- Heated bedding and padded mats for arthritic comfort
- Ramps and non-slip surfaces for mobility
- Rearranged litter boxes and food stations to minimize exertion
- A quiet comfort area to reduce stimulation and promote rest
These changes were implemented collaboratively, improving the cat’s daily comfort and reducing caregiver uncertainty.
4. Supporting Nutrition Through Telehealth
Nutrition is often one of the first indicators of declining health—and one of the hardest to manage from a distance. With TelmyVet, Bella’s team could:
- Share feeding logs and hydration diaries in real time
- Recommend renal-friendly diets and appetite stimulants
- Guide caregivers through warming food, offering toppers, or syringe feeding
- Adjust plans quickly as Bella’s intake and weight fluctuated
This helped the team stay proactive—and avoided crises that might have required emergency care.
5. Workflow Benefits for Veterinary Teams
Hospice care can stretch even the most dedicated teams thin. TelmyVet helps clinics streamline communication and decision-making by:
- Structuring video consults with built-in forms and QOL tools
- Reducing time-consuming phone tag and after-hours triage
- Centralizing caregiver updates and care history in one place
- Supporting flexible scheduling without overbooking the clinic
These tools reduce unnecessary visits, improve time management, and allow the veterinary team to focus more on clinical care and emotional support—not chasing information or reacting to last-minute calls.
Benefits for Families and Veterinary Teams
Telemedicine delivers a care experience that is:
- Less Stressful – Pets like Bella stay home, where they’re most comfortable
- More Responsive – Teams can act on early signs before they escalate
- Emotionally Supportive – Families feel heard and guided throughout the journey
- Collaborative – Everyone—from CSRs to technicians to DVMs—stays aligned
Final Thoughts: Hospice Care, Reimagined
Bella’s story is just one example—but every team has a Bella. And with the growing demand for comfort-focused, at-home care, veterinary professionals need modern tools that support both the patient and the practice.
TelmyVet helps bridge that gap—enabling veterinary teams to deliver high-quality hospice care that’s efficient, compassionate, and sustainable.
Because every day matters.