Understanding the human-animal bond in dermatology care

Jennifer Miller, DVM, medical strategic lead of dermatology at Elanco Animal Health, recently spoke with dvm360 about the advancement of a canine parvovirus monoclonal antibody (Trutect; Elanco), other monoclonal antibody and dermatology therapies, and the FDA approval process.

She also discussed her passion for the human-animal bond and her efforts to promote it, as well as strengthening it. What else should other veterinary professionals know about the human-animal bond? In this video, the second in a series, Miller discusses how a pet's bond with their owner can benefit outcomes with treatment for skin conditions.

RELATED VIDEO: Strengthening the human-animal bond

The following is a transcript of the video:

dvm360: What should veterinary professionals know about the human-animal bond?

Jennifer Miller, DVM: I really excited about strengthening the human-animal bond, especially on the dermatology front, because we see that [many] veterinarians say that their itchy dog owners wait too long before they bring that dog into the clinic. A lot of those animal owners have tried multiple different over the counter products before they even come into the clinic, right? So then once they get into the clinic, they say, ‘wow, we really need something that's going to work quickly’ and ‘hey, veterinarian, you only have about 3 visits to get it right, to provide my dog with itch relief before I'm switching to a different clinic.’ Nearly 8 in 10 itchy dog owners switch veterinarians if they did not get relief within 3 visits. So I think that this is all really important, as animal owners are managing these chronic conditions, they're trying stuff at home, then they're finally coming into the clinic. We've got to get it right. We've got to get these dogs on treatments that work quickly and work well.