Proactive care and wellness in the virtual space

Vetster is a great place for pet owners to connect with veterinarians when they have acute needs like sudden GI distress, but it’s also well suited to proactive care and wellness. Most veterinarians are familiar with wellness care as the services provided to healthy pets, including preventive care like vaccinations and parasite control. Proactive care is a newer term that many of you might not be familiar with. Proactive care involves empowering owners to take control of their pet’s health before problems start or become too drastic. The virtual space is a great fit for educating clients on proactive care topics like:

• The importance of wellness exams and preventive care
• Nutrition information and feeding recommendations
• Husbandry tips and best practices, especially for exotics
• Exercise and environmental enrichment requirements for various species
• Planning for the costs of veterinary care, including basic information on pet insurance

Even though a virtual vet isn’t in a position to give vaccinations or carry out screening blood tests, they are ideally suited to provide information about wellness care.  Owners often have questions about which vaccinations are needed, when, and why.  The timing of testing and interpretation of results for heartworm and FeLV/FIV testing is also something many pet owners are unsure about.  Having easy access to a virtual vet helps owners find safe and effective choices when navigating the confusing variety of OTC and prescription flea and tick control options. An opportunity to explain something as simple as what to do when a dose of heartworm prevention has been forgotten is another example of the role virtual care plays in wellness care. The bottom line with wellness care in the virtual space is that it provides pet owners with the information they need to make the best decisions for their pets.

What about proactive care? In today’s world, pet owners want information so they can be empowered to make their own decisions about their pet’s care.  Misinformation abounds on the internet, so access to expert advice is a valued service to these potential clients.  Veterinary clinics are often booked out for weeks, but virtual care can bridge that gap.  As technology advances, virtual care will also allow pet owners to monitor the pets and analyze that data to receive tailored recommendations. When you promote proactive care on Vetster, you can make a significant contribution to the overall health and well-being of pets.

One facet of proactive care that’s exceptionally well-suited to the virtual space is behavior.  While some behavior problems can be prevented by empowering owners with information about their pet’s environmental enrichment requirements during wellness exams, behavior problems are still a reality for many pet owners.  Early intervention can improve outcomes, and virtual care can improve access to timely care. Video chat is an excellent medium for behavior consultations since they are conversation-heavy, and it also allows you to see the pet in its home environment. Behavior cases usually require ongoing follow-up care, and convenience and flexibility when scheduling multiple rechecks is important to clients.

Whether you’re providing proactive care or general information about wellness, following up is crucial.  Following up allows for monitoring progress while also building your relationships with clients over the lifetime of the pet.  Vetster has an easy-to-use “request follow-up” feature to facilitate this type of high-quality care. When you click the “request follow-up” on any appointment a request will be sent to the client, encouraging them to book with you.

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