Germaine Greer wrote an article in the Telegraph a few days ago title “We should stop doting on our dogs”.
It had the tagline ‘Our canine friends are poorly served by the veterinary industry who indulge dogs as well as their owners‘.
Her points:
- vets are treating the wants of pet owners, not the actually pets
- the modern pet owner is unrealistic about the needs of their pet and shouldn’t complain when pets exhibit normal animal behaviour
- vets over diagnose and over treat animals and are only interested in pet insurance to fill their back pockets
- vets give unnecessary treatment
- vets cost are ballooning because of obese animals and all the new treatments available to prolong a pets life
- treating your pet at the vet costs owners a fortune and makes the animal miserable
- her lack of trust in the veterinary profession to do the right thing by her pets
- her perception that veterinarians only care about money and not the welfare of her pets
I used to find clients at time so frustrating to deal with. A previous boss explained to me that clients are always under a degree of stress bringing their pet to us which I needed to be mindful of. It is true.
An owner comes to every visit with their ‘baggage’. A previous experience with a vet they didn’t like, a case that had a poor outcome, comments from friends and research from the internet. This ‘baggage’ will cloud their perception of you, your recommendations and your treatment.
The thing most pet owners want to know at the end of their pet’s life is that their beloved didn’t suffer and it was a peaceful end.
A lack of trust affects the credibility of our profession. The lack of trust begins with doubt. Doubt about whether you care or their pet is just another pet to poke & prod. Doubt about your credibility, knowledge and skills.
Just because we have such fantastic technology, knowledge & skills available to us now, doesn’t mean that every client wants it for their pet and we must respect that.
Communication is vital. You must listen, ask open ended questions, gain clarification and also use your perception to understand the clients wants and fears. You must involve the client in the treatment of their pet.
Build rapport & relationships with your clients. Show them you do care. It is the little things that can make the biggest difference.
Enter your name & email at the bottom of the page to receive access to the VIP training videos.
Visit the Facebook page and ‘Like’ it to keep in touch with High Performance Vets.
The article I recommend reading the comments for:
- This article had >100 comments – a must read!
- This was a very contentious article and we must learn from the comments
- Pet Connection- Has the ER gotten more expensive
Leave your comments below or on the Facebook page. I look forward to your thoughts.
Judy,
It’s wonderful to hear from you!
Communication is the key to success in any profession and vitally important in veterinary practice.
We as vets know so much and have so many great skills. We must listen to our clients and that is what Germaine was posting about. We must also communicate well and speak in client language.
I go to the Doctor with the kids or myself and forget half of what they have said by the time I get home.
Do follow up calls or get the nurses to. Write thorough histories so everyone knows what is going on.
Your friend didn’t get value. The vet didn’t provide value or communicate their value. I appreciate it’s a new concept for vets but it is a must.
The profession is being told LOUD and CLEAR what clients want, if they don’t listen, we all know what is going to happen.
Natasha
Great blog Natasha. Coincedently I had a conversation with a friend yesterday who started off by saying “I don’t know about these vets – they seem to charge a whole lot of money and I’m not at all happy with what we’ve got out of it!”. I knew he’d been having ongoing problems with serious lameness in his 8yr old golden retreiver so I asked him what had happened. It wasn’t that my friend felt ripped off by the seemingly constant test after test, payment after payment but the real problem was… you guessed it… almost a total lack of communication! My advice to him was – go and find another vet. Go and find a vet who you feel really cares about your pet and you’ll be happy to pay whatever is required. How many other clients out there feel the same I wonder?