Why we need to focus on prevention
The cost of preventative care is a worthwhile investment, as veterinarians already know. But when finances are limited, what preventative care methods maximize both affordability and efficacy in protecting the patients’ health?
Making wellness appointments, vaccinations, and parasite control more widely accessible is particularly important for protecting our patients and for reaching a broader client base. Proactive wellness care that spans a pet’s entire lifespan—with regular visits in the absence of injury or illness—helps us to catch diseases earlier, when they are generally less expensive (and less complex) to treat.
When owners struggle to pay for preventative care, a barrier is created that prevents longstanding patient care. For example, if a puppy’s first vaccination visit is already a financial burden, it’s unlikely the owner will return to your clinic. This experience could even leave the owner hesitant to bring their pet to any veterinarian unless there is a dire emergency.
Emergencies are notoriously expensive. We are familiar with the disappointment and devastation that follows when finances limit us from saving the patient. But some of these tragedies can be avoided by focusing on preventing certain types of emergencies from happening in the first place. For example, we can prevent many cases of leptospirosis and parvovirus if we simply vaccinate. We can decrease morbidity and mortality from heartworm disease and flea- and tick-borne diseases if we can consistently prescribe parasiticides. We can also reduce chronic and costly battles with endoparasites with prophylactic deworming protocols. If finances weren’t a limiting factor, we could indisputably save more patients from preventable emergencies and expensive hospitalizations.
Lower-cost preventative options are not at odds with good business or good patient care—quite the opposite, actually. Having a spectrum of recommended options that fit within an owner’s budget will ensure that their pet gets the best care the owner can afford to provide. For example, to help reduce costs while still providing adequate preventative care, the veterinarian can change the FeLV vaccine recommendation to every three years for a cat with a low-risk lifestyle or eliminate the vaccine altogether for the indoor cat. This flexibility shows clients that you are working together as a team for their pets’ best interest, earning their trust while building a strong, long-term professional relationship.
If our clients do not understand the importance of preventative care or if they cannot access our veterinary care due to cost, we as a profession are failing to help as many pets as we could be helping. By prioritizing wellness appointments, affordable preventative care, and client education, we build steady relationships with great clients; we practice proactive medicine; and we make our business model more stable and profitable.
