After roughly a year and a half of deliberations, negotiations, and discussions, veterinary telemedicine will soon become law in Ohio.

Gov. Mike DeWine recently signed HB 96, which contained the entirety of SB 60, first introduced by Sens. Shane Wilkin and Steve Huffman. This means that, on Sept. 30, 2025, you will be able to utilize telemedicine in your practice for the first time. Until then, veterinary telemedicine remains not allowed under current Ohio law.

Veterinary-Client-Patient Relationship 

The new Ohio law allows for the establishment of a VCPR through virtual means in most cases.  This means that licensed Ohio vets, and non-Ohio vets that are licensed in Ohio, can care for and prescribe most medications using telemedicine, without first having to see the patient in-person.  

There are some limitations to the virtual VCPR which are covered below, but by and large, a virtual VCPR will soon by the law of the land in Ohio. In order to utilize telemedicine in your practice, these steps must be taken first:

• All veterinarians using telemedicine to care for patients, either to establish or maintain a VCPR, must first be licensed to practice veterinary medicine in Ohio.  (Note: there is not a dedicated “telemedicine” license. Your existing license must simply be active and approved by the Ohio Veterinary Medical Licensing Board.)
• A veterinarian wishing to use telemedicine must obtains the informed consent from the client, including an acknowledgement that the standards of care prescribed by the law governing veterinarians equally apply to in-person and telehealth visits. The veterinarian must maintain documentation of the consent for at least three years after receiving the informed consent.
• The veterinarian provides the client with the veterinarian’s name and contact information and secures an alternate means of contacting the client if the telehealth visit is interrupted. Following the telehealth visit, the veterinarian must make available to the client an electronic or written record of the visit. The record must include the veterinarian’s license number.
• Before conducting an evaluation of a patient via a telehealth visit, the veterinarian advises the client of all the following:
  • The veterinarian may ultimately recommend an in-person visit with the veterinarian or another licensed veterinarian;
  • The veterinarian is prohibited under federal law from prescribing certain drugs or medications based only on a telehealth visit; 
  • The appointment for a telehealth visit may be terminated at any time.

Prescription Limits and Controlled Substances

The new law prohibits (as does federal law) from prescribing controlled substances utilizing telemedicine.  The law also allows a licensed veterinarian to prescribe drugs or medications after establishing a veterinary-client-patient relationship via telehealth services (see below), except that all the following apply: 

• The veterinarian may issue an initial prescription for up to 14 days. The veterinarian may issue one refill for up to 14 days if the veterinarian sees the patient for another telehealth visit. For additional refills, the patient must visit the veterinarian in person.
• The veterinarian must notify the client that certain prescription drugs or medications may be available at a pharmacy and, if requested, the veterinarian will submit a prescription to a pharmacy of the client’s choosing.

Livestock Exemption

The new law prohibits the establishment of a VCPR using virtual means for certain food production operations.  Specifically, a licensed veterinarian whose client is engaged in the raising of livestock for human food products may not use telehealth services for those livestock unless the veterinarian has established a veterinary-client-relationship (see below) in person with respect to the livestock prior to the use of telehealth services. 

However, a licensed veterinarian whose client is engaged in the raising of livestock for human food products may conduct tele-advice services for those livestock prior to the veterinarian establishing a veterinary-client-patient relationship in person with the client. 

The new law also defines all of the following terms: 

• “Human food product” means livestock raised for human consumption or livestock whose products are used for human consumption; 
• “Livestock” means porcine animals, bovine animals, caprine animals, ovine animals, and poultry; and 
• “Tele-advice” means the provision of any health information, opinion, or guidance by a veterinary professional that is not intended to diagnose, treat, issue certificates of veterinary inspection, or issue prognoses of the physical or behavioral illness or injury of an animal or issue. 

More Information

If you have questions on how this law might impact you, your clinic, your patients, or anything else, please reach out to OVMA at ohiovma@ohiovma.org.  For licensing-specific questions, please contact the Ohio Veterinary Medical Licensing Board at 614-644-5281 or at info@ovmlb.ohio.gov.

Ohio’s sales tax holiday returns Aug. 1–14

All Ohio retailers, including veterinary clinics, are required to comply with Ohio’s upcoming two-week sales tax holiday.

From Aug. 1 to 14, 2025, any good that costs $500 or less—such as pet food, pet supplies, and supplements—will be exempt from sales tax.

The exemption does not generally apply to taxable services. However, if items that meet the exemption are sold in connection with services that do not meet the exemption, then the entire price is subject to sales tax.

For reporting purposes, sales exempted by the holiday should be included with all other exempt sales and reported on line 2 of the return. Please consult your tax advisor with any specific questions related to your business.

For additional information, please see Ohio Dept. of Taxation’s Sales Tax Holiday FAQs.