Better Outcomes for Pets

Promoting dental care as essential care can lead to better outcomes for pets. Dental disease is progressive, painful, and can affect a pet’s overall health and longevity. Sadly, most pets have this disease — and many pet owners aren’t taking proactive measures to treat it effectively.

 

 

More Profits for Vets

Currently, dental care makes up a tiny fraction of revenue for the average clinic, but with so many pets facing dental disease, the opportunity is huge. By recommending annual professional cleanings and at-home maintenance products to every pet owner, clinics have great potential to increase profits while helping pets live happier, healthier lives.

 

 

Support the Pillars of Dental Health

With a pervasive condition like dental disease, promoting a consistent dental care routine is vital. There are three pillars of dental health care:

 

The gold standard of pet dental care will always be professional cleaning and daily at-home tooth brushing, but it’s important to offer alternative options suitable for differing lifestyles.

 

Passive home care products like dental chews and oral solutions are cost-effective and easy to use. For some pet owners, passive products might be more effective than the gold standard — simply because they’re more likely to consistently use them. Encouraging pet owners to use these products benefits the pet and presents the clinic with another opportunity to increase revenue.

 

• For a clinic that sees 2,500 patients a year, 76% might have dental disease²

• If 25% of pet owners agree to professional care at $233 per patient, dental care annual revenue increases by $110,675

• If 25% of pet owners buy only at-home dental products at $180 per year,⁸ that clinic’s annual revenue still increases by $85,500

 

• Does your clinic have a protocol for explaining dental care options to pet owners?
• Does your entire health care team know your protocol (or only the veterinarians)?
• Is the message clear and concise? 
• When was the last time you monitored your protocol?

 

If you answered no to any of these questions or would like to refine your protocol, Virbac is here to help with a variety of resources and products designed to help your team expand your dental health and wellness options. Contact your Virbac representative or distributor, or call 1-844-484-7222 to learn more!

1. ^{Pet Dental Care. American Veterinary Medical Association. https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/pet-owners/petcare/pet-dental-care. Accessed August 17, 2021.}
2. ^{State of Pet Health® 2016 Report. Banfield Pet Hospital. https://www.banfield.com/pet-health/State-of-pet-health. Accessed August 17, 2021.}
3. ^{Half of dog owners don't clean their teeth. Vet Surgeon. https://www.vetsurgeon.org/news/b/veterinary-news/posts/half-of-dog-owners-don-39-t-clean-their-teeth. August 18, 2021.}
4. ^{American Pet Products Association, 2017-2018 Pet Ownership Survey}
5. ^{WMPG 2016 vs 2014, AAHA Financial & Productivity Pulsepoints, 8th Edition}
6. ^{Cat and dog owners challenged to brush up on dental health. hhttps://origin.bank.tescoplc.com/news/2015/cat-and-dog-owners-challenged-to-brush-up-on-dental-health/. Accessed August 18, 2021.}
7. ^{Global Dental Guidelines. World Small Animal Veterinary Association. https://wsava.org/global-guidelines/global-dental-guidelines/. Accessed August 17, 2021.}
8. ^{Dental health: Pet owners spending more on medical care than prevention, VPI reports. dvm360. https://www.dvm360.com/view/communication-pearls-tips-for-answering-those-burning-pet-dental-questions. Accessed September 2, 2021.}