Pet poison hotlines impacted by new law

When a pet ingests something questionable, many people turn to one of the two main pet poison hotlines: the Pet Poison Helpline (PPH), or ASPCA Poison Control. But, a new law may prove hard to swallow for Georgia pet parents wanting to get help from the call centers.

Both hotlines are staffed with board-certified toxicologists and other specialists and are available 24/7/365. Both services charge a fee for the consultation: PPH charges $89, and ASPCA charges $95—but much of those costs can covered if the pet has pet health insurance.

PPH says it has helped manage over 3 million cases since the service began more than 40 years ago. And recently, ASPCA Poison Control reported that it assisted its 5 millionth case since it started in 1978.

While ASPCA is celebrating this milestone, pet parents in Georgia are wondering if they will be able to access either hotlines’ services again.

According to the Georgia Veterinary Medical Association (GVMA), Senate Bill 105, which became law on July 1, amends Georgia’s Veterinary Practice Act to formally define and regulate three types of remote veterinary services: teleadvice, teletriage, and telemedicine.

GVMA says that the law simply clarifies the tele-terms and does not prohibit poison control centers from providing their services, since these types of services are apparently preserved under a series of exemptions written into the Georgia state code.

That said, the hotlines are taking a more conservative approach. They are wary of breaking any new laws, since many of the sections regarding teletriage (which poison control falls under) appear to require anyone offering those services to be a Georgia-licensed veterinarian.

Section 3a of the legislation reads: “No person may practice veterinary medicine, veterinary telemedicine, or veterinary teletriage in this state who is not a licensed veterinarian or the holder of a valid temporary license issued by the division director pursuant to this article.”

Hands are tied—for now

The PPH website has a disclaimer on their site, stating that as of July 1, 2025, “Pet Poison Helpline can no longer provide direct risk assessments or treatment guidance to Georgia pet owners due to Senate Bill 105, but can still assist Georgia pet owners through their veterinarian.”

The ASPCA and PPH both said they will not be able to directly assist Georgia pet owners since the law amended the conditions that must be met before veterinary care can be provided over telehealth.

“We examined ASPCA Poison Control’s standard operational procedures to ensure compliance with the law’s new requirements, and as a result of these requirements, we are not currently able to directly assist Georgia pet owners who may need emergency assistance,” said Mindy Perez, vice president of ASPCA Poison Control.

She said that ASPCA does have several Georgia-licensed veterinarians on staff, but they “cannot provide 24/7/365 coverage to Georgia residents under this law’s requirements.”

Renee D Schmid, DVM, DABT, DABVT, Director of Veterinary Medicine for the PPH, said the PPH has been working with Georgia State Board of Veterinary Medicine and the Georgia Veterinary Medical Association and are hopeful to find a resolution to the issue soon. She added that while they can’t help Georgia residents directly, they are managing to provide help indirectly.

“For the time being, Georgia pet owners are still able to call into Pet Poison Helpline and give information regarding their pet’s exposure to our team of veterinary experts,” Schmid said. “Our staff can then make an assessment as to whether the exposure is a concern and speak directly with the pet’s veterinarian as to what those concerns may be. While this is not as ideal as relaying the information directly to the pet owner, it has still shown to be an effective temporary method to helping Georgia pets.”

The Georgia State Board of Veterinary Medicine (GSBVM) met on August 20 and may have looked at the issue further. However, the Georgia Secretary of State’s office said in an email that the official minutes from the meeting will not be available until after they are approved at the next board meeting on Oct. 8.

The ASPCA has been working with the GSBVM and the GVMA to try and hash out what is and is not allowed under the law.

“We have had productive discussions with the GVMA and understand that their intention with SB 105 was not to restrict access to poison control services,” Perez said. “We look forward to working with the GSBVM, GVMA, and other stakeholders to restore access to poison control.”

As more states begin to look at telehealth regulations and to create laws around it, more issues could arise as a result.

“We are hopeful that this situation will increase awareness of the potential impacts of legislation relating to veterinary telehealth,” Perez said. “We welcome the ability to engage with other states in advance of legislative/regulatory efforts if they are considering changes to their state’s veterinary practice acts relating to the provision of telehealth.”

Until then, Georgia residents will need to contact their veterinarian to get help with any poisoning cases. The veterinarian can then call the hotline directly for advice on specific cases.

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