One significant consequence of the pandemic lockdown was a dramatic increase in the demand for veterinary services due to rising pet purchases and adoptions, people working from home, and pet owners spending more time with their cats and dogs.
At the same time, more patients, longer clinic hours, inadequate staffing and a traditional services model adversely affected professional liability, license defense and animal bailee exposures.
Most jurisdictions view pets as property, limiting a client’s monetary recovery to the animal’s fair-market replacement value. Still, pet owners frequently turn to veterinary licensing bodies for emotional relief and to civil litigation for financial restitution.
Such actions exert pressure on a veterinarian’s reputation and ability to practice. Another result of COVID-19 is the expanding delivery of telehealth and telemedicine services.
Unfortunately, veterinary associations and state boards have not reached a consensus on what is acceptable. Likewise, there is no firm unanimity regarding telehealth and its impact on professional liability and license defense insurance.
