Sea You at Fetch Long Beach
|Articles|May 29, 2019

Pearl of Practice: Make samples that lead to sales

A veterinary client returns a bag of therapeutic food that their pet refused to eat. Turn it into samples so future clients can test the food out before buying it.

No, these aren't therapeutic diets, but you get the idea. tongpatong/stock.adobe.com

We've all heard the story: You send home a bag of therapeutic food with a veterinary client and then they come back a few days later because Chance or Sassy refused to touch the stuff.

Now you have an open bag of food that you can't sell. Don't despair-this opens up a perfect opportunity. Simply take the remaining food and section it out into a sample pack large enough for a few days and label it with the expiration date and type of food. Then, when the next dog or cat comes in the door with the same stomach complaints (or risk of diabetes or need for joint support), you can give samples of the recommendation to the client. If the pet gobbles it up, they can come back and buy a bag. If it's a no go? No problem!

Try several samples of different foods if needed to arrive on the perfect one. Make clients happy and save yourself on costs and waste.

Thanks to Jennifer Vossman, RVT, CMP, for this tip! Send in one of your own here. If we publish it, we'll send you $50.


Related to this article

Q&A: Caregiver burden can begin early in pet illness. Are veterinary teams equipped to support clients, and how can veterinary social workers help both parties?
Caroline Cox, LSW, MSW, and Erika Krick, VMD, DACVIM (Oncology), discuss the role of veterinary social workers in supporting clients, communicating with veterinary teams, and helping practices address the human side of veterinary care in this Q&A from an interview at the 2026 Fetch National Harbor Veterinary Conference.
Inside veterinary social work
In a slideshow drawn from an on-site dvm360 interview at the 2026 Fetch National Harbor Veterinary Conference, a veterinary oncologist and a veterinary social worker walk through how the role supports owners and staff across a pet's cancer diagnosis, treatment, and end-of-life care.