Partnership for Preventive Pet Healthcare to unveil new data tools for veterinary practices

Orlando --

About 59 percent of veterinary professionals responding to a recent survey recognize the economic and health problems associated with the decline in veterinary visits.

That data comes from the Partnership for Preventive Pet Healthcare, a collaboration of associations and industry groups to improve the health of pets through disease prevention.

In a presentation today at the North American Veterinary Conference (NAVC), officials unveiled their plan to release new data tools for veterinarians to help veterinary practices survey their clientele about preventive care. The survey instrument will also allow the practice to compare attitudinal differences about preventive care practices with the hospital staff.

The tools are currently going through a beta test with 23 practices collaborating. By March, the number is expected to mushroom to 100 practices, and full implementation is expected by the end of this year or early next year.

The idea, says Dr. Michael T. Cavanaugh, executive director of the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA), is to help practices identify gaps in philosophies or approaches to prevention so that veterinary practices can develop a strategy to reverse the trend.

The most recent survey shows that almost 80 percent of respondents recognize the problem of declining veterinary visits, adds Dr. Jeremy Kees, an assistant professor of marketing and The Richard Naclario Emerging Scholar in Public Policy at Villanova University. Conversely, 77 percent of the veterinary professionals surveyed believe they can have a positive impact. Another 72 percent said they should spend more time talking to pet owners about preventive care.

Kees says that understanding this perception gap between veterinarians and pet owners will be key to implementing and reinforcing the value and benefit of annual veterinary visits.