Online Exclusive

Online retailers are gobbling up more pet food sales than ever. What does this mean for the industry and for veterinary practice customers?

There’s no way around it — online retailers are changing the global marketplace. That includes the pet products channel, where heavyweights like Amazon, 1-800-PetMeds and Chewy are rolling out more customer-friendly shopping options and product choices. Nowhere is this more evident than in pet food sales, the largest spending category in pet products. According to […]

Petco’s plan to expand veterinary services has many moving parts.

A local approach with a national reach might best describe Petco’s entry into veterinary services. In May 2017, the national pet retailer announced a joint venture with Thrive Affordable Vet Care to incorporate full-service Thrive clinics into select Petco stores. But in-store clinics are just part of the company’s strategy. Today’s Veterinary Business spoke with […]

Practice owners considering a new or remodeled hospital can draw inspiration from innovative designs by leading architectural firms.

Floor plans that offer the ultimate in efficiency. Glass blocks that allow more natural light. Comprehensive designs that follow stress-free practice principles at every touch point. Acoustical roofing that reduces noise. State-of-the-art therapies. These are just a few of the features incorporated into the designs of some of the newest hospitals. If you have an […]

Technology and automation can help a veterinary practice communicate better with pet owners and deliver a top-notch in-clinic experience.

Have you ever visited a business and thought, “Wow, what a great experience!”? If so, were you inclined to tell people about this business, maybe even write a review? How does your veterinary practice compare? Do pet owners leave your practice thrilled by the experience? Do you keep in touch with them when they’re not […]

Is your clinic website optimized for mobile users? Do you populate the website with videos? Now add more.

You evaluate patient wellness using a checklist: physical exam, presenting signs, test results, age, weight and so forth. And from there you know how to advise clients and address health issues. It’s part of your daily protocol, right? But what about the wellness of your hospital’s online marketing efforts? Do you have a daily protocol […]

Here’s what you need to know about managing millennial employees, instituting drug testing and granting paid leave.

Recruiting, training and retaining quality employees is an ongoing challenge for veterinary practices of all sizes. Successfully doing so, though, is crucial if a practice is to thrive. Team members involved in human resources should know how to address the three key issues below. Let’s look at the issues, questions to consider and methods of […]

Focusing solely on durability and price during a hospital remodel or construction could leave you on shaky ground.

A practice manager contacted me recently with a problem. Her hospital’s client areas had been renovated six months earlier, but the new floor emitted a pervasive odor. She wanted to know what to do. I knew the cause as soon as I saw the product specifications. On paper, the flooring was a fine material: an […]

The incidence of cavities in American mouths plummeted when fluoride was added to the U.S. water supply. Rather than surrender, the dental industry adapted and thrived.

What can we learn from other medical professions, particularly those that have experienced significant disruption? Which medical practice most resembles that of veterinary medicine? Pharmacists and optometrists are largely commodities-based and greatly corporatized. Physicians are similar to veterinarians in training but are highly regulated and driven by third-party payments. But what about dentists? Dental practices […]

Maximize your website’s visibility so internet users — and potential clients — can find you easier.

Guessing how many Google searches are performed each year is a bit like guessing the speed of a domestic house cat. Sure, it’s fast, but how fast? And sure, we use Google a lot, but how much are we using it exactly? Well, Google’s search engine performed 1.2 trillion searches in 2016 alone. You can […]

Properly managed incentives can boost client loyalty, improve patient health and lift the bottom line over the long term.

Our best veterinary clients — the ones who have come to us for years — are compliant with our recommendations, inherently trust all members of our team, choose to support our small business by utilizing our ancillary services despite less expensive alternatives, and promote our hospital in the best light to all their friends and […]