At the North American Veterinary Conference this year, we had the opportunity to meet many of you face to face – and to learn about what ruffles your feathers in veterinary practices.
So what were the most common vet peeves that we heard about at the show? Let’s let the cat out of the bag and have a look at the issues – and what we can do about them!
#5: When clients wait too long to bring a sick pet in
Wait a minute. Your pet has been sick for a week, and you’re just bringing them in now?!
The trouble with this vet peeve is that by the time you realize what’s happening, it’s too late. Because today’s pet owners are so accustomed to a plethora of information on the Internet (which is sure to contain the information they need, right?), maybe it’s time to narrow their search for them. A WebDVM website comes with built-in access to ClientEd Online, which gives you and your clients access to trusted veterinary articles – so instead of searching the whole Internet and potentially getting an iffy answer, they can find what they need on your website, whenever they happen to need it.
#4: “When clients would rather take advice from their breeder than me”
It takes a village to raise a pet, but it can be infuriating when the pet owner would rather get advice about medical concerns from everyone except the person who went to medical school.
Just like Internet information, it’s important to make sure that pet owners are getting good information about pet health. If you’re concerned that your clients are more willing to take advice from others, be it breeders, pet store employees, or even other pet owners, it could be a good idea to sit down with your clients and have a discussion about why they find that information more appealing, and if there’s anything you can do to adapt recommendations (within reason, of course!).
#3: Clients who don’t want to pay for veterinary services – or expect that they’re free
Pet owners should plan for these expenses, but the truth is that sometimes that doesn’t happen – and that doesn’t work out for anyone.
If you’re finding that this is a particular issue among your clients, it may be a good idea to set expectations ahead of time, so that your clients have more time to plan. For example, when pet owners are finishing up one appointment, give them a printout along with their receipt that tells them what their pet would need at the next visit, along with a projected number of what that would cost.
#2: When clients feed their pets fad diets – which aren’t necessarily healthy
It’s one thing for us to eat grain-free, gluten-free or vegan – but pets are another story.
When pet owners choose to put their pets on a fad diet, they need to be aware of the nutritional balance that their pet needs to stay healthy and happy – and they need to know how to replace missing nutrients that the diet may take away. ClientEd is designed for client education, and can help you communicate the necessary information pet owners need to care for their furry friends.
#1: Dr. Google
You probably saw this coming, but vet peeves about clients who use Dr. Google rather than their veterinarian practically stole the show. With more than twice as many veterinarians citing this as their top vet peeve compared to the runner-up, it’s clear that Internet information is an issue – but what can veterinarians do about it?
It’s time to reclaim client education from Dr. Google – and we know a few ways to help.
Honorable mention: Hypochondriac pet owners.
This one wasn’t as popular as the rest of the vet peeves in this post, but we feel it’s worth mentioning. Helicopter pet owners are definitely a thing, and can include things like not wanting a pet to go outside because the owner doesn’t want it to get fleas.
Our solution? A WebDVM website can help with this in two ways: It gives you access to ClientEd Online, which can help you educate these clients about the benefits of preventive care in helping to make sure that pets don’t get sick; and it gives you a centralized platform that you can use to broadcast seasonal pet care information across your social channels quickly and easily.That’s all, folks!
