Veterinary Trend-Watch 2023
Lily is always happy to pose for a photo.
Veterinary Trends to Watch in 2023
The following is a short list of items that EVERY animal guardian should know about.
Monoclonal Antibody Therapy
Already established and emerging in the human health field, we are finally starting to reap the benefits in the veterinary field. Monoclonal antibodies are laboratory-produced antibodies that mimic that body’s natural immune system to eliminate or neutralize unwanted cells or proteins. For dogs and cats, this has meant the development of some really effective and SAFE treatment for arthritis. Librela (for dogs) and Solensia (for cats) are both manufactured by Zoetis, which is the veterinary department of Pfizer. They are monthly injections that allow for significant reduction of pain in arthritic dogs and cats without the potential for adverse effects associated with long-term anti-inflammatory use. That being said, it can safely be used alongside all of the traditional treatments for arthritis, which means we have yet another tool in our kit to ensure that our dogs and cats are living comfortable and pain-free lives.
Ask your veterinarian if monoclonal antibody therapy might be the right choice for you cat or dog.
Tailored Insurance Plans
Gone are the days of one-size fits all insurance plans. You can now choose from a variety of providers that really allow you to select a plan that suits your pet’s needs, you financial budget, as well as your personal risk assessment. Basic plans still exist which are great for emergencies and one-off veterinary visits. However you can now choose plans that provide coverage for inherited conditions, personal travel associated with your pet’s medical needs, emergency pet boarding, acupuncture, and more. Some plans even allow for direct billing with your veterinary hospital and up to 90% coverage after your deductible has been paid. I like to say that you don’t need insurance until you need it. So if insurance is an option for you, I would encourage you to check out any of the online discovery forms with the most popular providers to find a plan that suits your needs.
Ask your veterinarian whether your clinic works with insurance companies to facilitate free trials, and whether they do direct billing.
Loyalty Programs
Loyalty programs are everywhere. From a stamp card to complex point systems, every consumer likes a loyalty program. Just ask any Starbucks fan. Veterinary clinics have taken notice and they too want to help reward their loyal clients with special offers and programs that help to support the continued care that their clients provide to their pets. PetDesk is a veterinary clinic app that has been instrumental in helping clinics to establish a loyalty program as points accumulate on the client’s account with every transaction at the clinic. Clinics are granted flexible ways in which to structure their point system, which allows for a reward system that is tailored to their clientele.
Ask your veterinarian if your clinic has a loyalty program, and if so how you can join right away!
Titre Testing
A titre test is a blood test that determines if your pet has enough antibodies to a particular disease to protect them from infection. It is essentially a test to determine if they need a booster vaccination. Titre testing used to only be available as a send out test, and as such it also came with quite a hefty price tag. Now we have the option for table-side testing in dogs for the Distemper, Parvo and Adenovirus vaccine. The test takes about 30 minutes and tells us whether the vaccination requires a booster on that particular year. There are still important timelines to adhere to and your veterinarian can guide you to ensure your dog is on schedule. It should also be noted that though Rabies titre testing does exist, due to the potential human health concerns surrounding Rabies infection, the vaccine needs to be updated on a three-year schedule regardless of titre testing.
Ask your veterinarian if table-side titre testing is available at your clinic for Distemper, Parvo and Adenovirus.
Consumer Awareness and the Corporate Takeovers
All veterinary clinics are corporations. But not all corporations are “corporate”, if you catch my drift. Over the past few years, large corporations have been buying up privately owned veterinary clinics, and adding them to their ever-swelling portfolio. Vet Strategy for example owns approximately 363 veterinary clinics across Canada, and in 2020 a private equity group acquired a majority interest in the company for somewhere in the ballpark of 1.4 billion dollars. Then the next year, Vet Strategy announced plans to merge with a large European conglomerate, thus becoming a combined force equalling the largest group of veterinary clinics in the world. Why does this matter? Clients deserve to know whether they are in the hands of a local and privately owned company, or part of a corporate portfolio. There may be values that are important to you as a client that are only available at a locally owned clinic where the owners are on the floor, working alongside their team. This is not to say that corporate clinics aren’t full of amazing and talented professionals. It is simply the case that the client deserves to be informed.
Ask your veterinarian who owns the clinic.
Spectrum of Care
The American Animal Hospital Association defines spectrum of care as, “ –the idea that veterinary care exists along a continuum instead of requiring us to always exceed a set baseline or follow a prescribed gold standard.” In other words, it is a continuum of care in which the “best” diagnostic and treatment plan is not based solely on a textbook. It is based on what is “best” for that particular patient, client and set of circumstances. More time and resources are being invested in teaching veterinarians to embrace spectrum of care, so that they can balance the needs of their patient and client, with their innate drive to cure disease. Communication strategies are being taught that are centred around maintaining the human-animal bond and patient welfare. Success is no longer just about a cure rate, but rather measured by the shared quality of life for both animal and animal guardian.
Ask your veterinarian about alternative options if you are uncomfortable with a particular treatment plan, and know that they do not think any less of you when you ask for additional options.
Artificial Intelligence
This one is a doozie because we just don’t know where it’s heading yet. We can take a few guesses based on the rumblings within the veterinary networks. AI assisted interpretation of radiographs is already in the works, and will likely be the next big thing that we see widely used. We are already using machines to run urine samples and fecal samples—tasks that used to take 20-30 minutes of active labour, now take 5-10 minutes of passive labour. The next is a version of Dr. Google, but times a billion. Clients may soon be able to plug in their pet’s information and symptoms with a real-time digital list of differential diagnoses presented to them without ever entering a veterinary clinic. Imagine a waiting room with clients holding an AI-produced report that has to be validated by a veterinarian to confirm the diagnosis and treatment plan? It seems wild now, but so did the idea of a smart phone not long ago.
Tiny Vet, GIANT Carlos.
