Nutrition consultations just got easier

When asked about their most important pet health decisions, owners will routinely respond that what food to buy tops the list.  Pets eat every day after all, and pet owners want to make good choices. We want to raise awareness about the nutrition resources available on Vester so you can map out the nutritional support plans people are looking for.

Clients find nutrition consultations very valuable and virtual care is the perfect medium for them to access accurate, professional information. Vetster wants to set you up for success by providing you with tools to easily integrate nutritional recommendations into every case you see on the platform. It can be easy to overlook the importance of nutrition in therapeutic plans, so we make it easy by including in-app prompts and seamless connection to online food ordering and delivery through VetsterRx Fulfilled by PetMeds .

Many aspects of nutrition make it a valuable part of virtual care:

• Nutrition is fundamental to pet well-being and wellness.
• Nutrition plays a foundational role in managing both acute and chronic illnesses.
• Clients are more likely to comply with nutrition recommendations when they have convenient and frequent access to veterinary support.
• Clients want to take a broad approach to pet well-being, which includes nutrition along with preventive and acute care services.
• Relationships built on ongoing professional support set everyone up for success: clients, pets, and their veterinarians.
• Many clinics don’t have time to properly coach pet owners about nutrition and explore their options together.
• Nutrition plays a role in eliminating and reducing things pet owners don't like to do, such as brushing teeth and house-soiling.

Don’t underestimate the value of your nutritional guidance. In our ongoing effort to support you, our messaging to pet owners emphasizes the importance of veterinary guidance when making nutrition decisions. The 2003 AAHA Compliance Study determined that 90 percent of pet owners would like to receive a nutritional recommendation from their veterinarians, while only 15 percent reported getting one. The study also revealed that only 7 percent of pets that could benefit from a therapeutic diet were actually on one. Vetster makes expanding your customer experience easy by driving value for clients through nutritional coaching.

The pet obesity epidemic is worsening year over year. In 2022, 59% of dogs in the US were reported to be overweight or obese. Remember to discuss obesity and how it impacts pets during your virtual care appointments so we can bring that figure down. When you want to drive home messaging about how carrying extra weight puts extra strain on their pets and leads to other conditions like osteoarthritis and diabetes mellitus, our client education resources are only a click away. This post about preventing and managing obesity in dogs is just one example of our content on obesity in dogs and cats.

Obesity prevention and treatment isn’t just for dogs. The same 2022 study reported cats experience obesity at higher rates than dogs, with 61% of US cats affected. In addition, cats face more barriers to veterinary care than their canine counterparts. Cats are traditionally underserved, especially for nutrition and wellness care. In 2016, only 47.2% of cat-owning households made at least one visit to the veterinarian for preventive care. Stress-free conversations about nutrition from the comfort of home can be a key entry point into relationships with cat owners.

VetsterRx Online Pharmacy Fulfilled by PetMeds offers a variety of veterinary wellness and therapeutic diets for your patients. Be sure to discuss these with your clients as many of them are keen to hear your nutritional recommendations. Think of the appointments you’re already seeing on Vetster and how nutrition is fundamental to successful management of:

• Allergies
• GI upset
• Weight loss
• Arthritis
• Dental
• Urinary complaints
• Diabetes Management
• Behavior
• … and more!

US Veterinarians can use VetsterRx Online Pharmacy fulfilled by PetMeds to search for and select therapeutic diets. After the appointment, the client receives an offer to purchase and have the diet delivered to their home.

Vetster is eager to bring veterinarians and pet owners together in an effort to improve pet health and well-being, so we’re excited to make it easy for you to integrate nutrition recommendations into the care you provide on Vetster. Remember to include nutrition recommendations during your appointments, and go through the process of choosing food with your clients. When you take the time to discuss nutrition and ensure clients’ questions are answered, you can enjoy the benefits of improved client compliance and better patient outcomes.

Watch for more news to come on this exciting topic!