A new bill passed by the Washington state House of Representatives on Thursday morning would allow pet owners to schedule telehealth visits for their beloved companions.
The House passed House Bill 2247 on Thursday, Feb. 12, that establishes the veterinarian-client-patient relationship and under that legally allows vets to provide telehealth visits for patient animals that they have seen in person in the last year.
Washington state Rep. Lisa Parshley, D-Olympia, is a former veterinarian and described the bill as a way to address veterinarian care shortages in the state of Washington.
According to a news release from the representative and her team, Washington state is facing a veterinary care crisis with not enough professionals to care for all of the state's domesticated animals. An article from The Seattle Times from the summer of 2025 comes to a similar finding that the state is unequipped to care for the number of large domestic animals.
“Currently, Washington grades out at 44% for veterinarian coverage adequacy. You don’t need to be a math major to know that’s not good,” said Parshley. “This legislation is going to get us moving in the right direction here.”
The bill, should it pass, would allow licensed vets to perform telehealth visits and even prescribe medications for animals if certain conditions are met. In most cases that requires establishing a veterinarian-client-patient relationship by inspecting the animal at least once in-person in the last year.
Telehealth could be provided to clients and their patient pets for a variety of reasons ranging from triage in an emergency situation to simple advice and also including things like writing prescriptions or providing poison control services. The bill also reserves the right of vets to decline telehealth visits if they believe an animal needs in-person care.
Parshley in a recent statement said she believes the tool will be helpful in improving access to animal care.
“In our urban areas this is going to be a great help to people who have disabilities and mobility issues,” said Rep. Parshley. “But in our rural areas this is going to help farmers and our food supply. It’s a win for Washington.”
After being passed by the House on Thursday, the bill will now advance to the Washington state Senate and be assigned to a new committee to continue its journey through the legislative process.
