Adopting a pet into your family can bring companionship, joy, and yes, plenty of smiles, but also questions: What should they be eating? Do they need preventive flea control? What happens if they have stomach upset or injure a paw?
Designed with the support of veterinarians, TELUS Health MyPet is a virtual veterinary care service accessible via smartphone, giving pet owners peace of mind knowing a provincially licensed vet is available where and when they need them.
The easy-to-use app provides support for overall wellness, nutrition and weight management, allergies, parasite control, minor infections, mild stomach upset, chronic disease management and behavioural challenges.
Now, TELUS Health MyPet has joined forces with the BC SPCA, offering the organization reduced rates for initial virtual veterinary consultations for animals currently in shelters, as well as a 50 per cent discount for new pet owners adopting dogs or cats from seven pilot SPCA locations throughout B.C.
“This partnership will help people in more remote areas who may have difficulty getting care for their pets,” says BC SPCA Senior Officer Nathan Ramsey. “It’s also beneficial for the SPCA, because we don’t have to move animals out of the shelter that may not do well with the stress of being moved.”
With TELUS Health and the BC SPCA working together, adopting a dog or cat from a shelter can be easy and hassle-free, and owners will have access to fast and accessible virtual consultations for their pet for preventive health care and non-urgent medical interventions.
“The pandemic saw a distinct increase in the number of animals in shelters as peoples’ income went down and they couldn’t care for them,” Ramsey says. “This also meant less fundraising dollars for us, and since we receive no government funding, we rely on donations and partnerships like this one.”
TELUS has been a longstanding partner with the BC SPCA, having donated over $1.4 million to the organization since 2000. They’ll also give $2 to the BC SPCA for every download of the TELUS Health MyPet app until November 26, to a maximum of $20,000.
“Working with organizations like the BC SPCA is part of our enduring philosophy to ‘give where we live,’ a social purpose that drives and inspires our team to contribute and connect with local initiatives in the community,” says Juggy Sihota, Chief Marketing Officer, TELUS Health. “As the number of dogs and cats in animal centres increases, we’re proud to be able to provide much needed virtual veterinary support and financial contributions.”
Support the BC SPCA by visiting their website to sign up for monthly donations, organize your own fundraiser, or donate to their pet food bank.
Take a more active role in preventive health care for your pet and connect from the comfort and safety of your own home by downloading the app from your preferred app store or from www.telus.com/mypet.
