Vet and Animal Owner Work Together – Best Outcomes

• Both have a key role to play and respect of each other’s perspective is a great foundation for a good relationship.
  • Animal owners are experts on their animals, value that expertise and
  • Veterinary Professional has the knowledge, experience and skill – complex diagnosis, different options for diagnostics, potential benefits/reasons for diagnostics v ongoing monitoring.

• Do both appreciate and understand what and why:
  • What can we do,
  • what will that tell us/rule out?
  • Help me to understand why we need/should run that test?
• Communication is not just about giving information, it is about ensuring the information is understood.

• Trusted VP help owners to understand the complexity of diagnosis in animals, and confident animal owners ask the questions to make sure they have a good understanding

• what could it be,
• what might it be,
• what do we need to rule out/ what should I be worried about.

• Balancing cost of diagnosis and treatment. What’s available in terms of budget – insurance/funds etc. How much is available for diagnostics that leaves enough for treatment – achieving that balance. This is not just about what an owner can afford, but what they wish to spend – head over heart….heart says ‘whatever it takes’, but head likely to feel different – how do we encourage and open up the space to have those conversations.

• Insurance – knowing our insurance policy is key for animal owners when considering veterinary care. Insurance is a contract between the animal owner and the insurer. Veterinary Practices will not know the details of the policy Policies vary – annual limit, limit per condition, pre-existing conditions. The situation is more nuanced than ‘is my pet insured?’. Early contact with an insurer to understand what is available so can incorporate this in the decision making. Reduces the risk of nasty surprises. Vet practices – helping clients to understand the benefits of knowing their insurance terms, helps to avoid disputes down the line.

• Treatment plans and options. As an owner, do I know the benefits and downsides to the options presented? Are there different options that we could/should consider – less invasive, more manageable for us as a family and impact/benefit assessment in terms of their quality of life prognosis, appropriate given the animals overall condition and stage of life as well as affordability.

As  animal owner’s we feel a huge responsibility to make the best decision for our pets. To do this, a collaborative and open conversation with our veterinary professionals helps to make a more confident decision taking into account all the (financial, practical and compassionate) circumstances  for our animal and our families. Each animal and each circumstance is different, and no treatment plan comes with guarantees. As animal owners, confident decisions, mean that whatever the outcome, we are can feel reassured that we made an informed decision at the time.

Top tips for animal owners:

• If unsure ask – do I appreciate the bigger picture
• It’s ok to say I’m not sure/I need more time to consider the options
• It is vital and necessary to bring cost into decision making. It does not meant the vet is only focused on the fee, it means the practice is responsible and keen to help owners make a well informed decision that considers both head and heart factors.

Top tips for practices:

• Have in mind the potential ‘overall picture’- what’s the benefit in running the diagnostic, what steps/costs might we be looking at for treatment?
• Have we given the client a indication of what the estimate covers – diagnostic phase/surgery & treatment phase/follow up etc?
• How can we make this information more readily available for clients to aid these conversations in our consults?