Top 5 Tips for Preventive Care Compliance

Sponsored by Antech Diagnostics

Preventive care diagnostics (eg, fecal testing, vector-borne disease testing, annual wellness blood work) are essential for early or occult disease detection and effective, timely intervention. However, convincing owners to dedicate resources (eg, time, money, emotional bandwidth) to wellness diagnostics can be challenging when pets appear healthy.

Help owners appreciate the value routine testing has in keeping their pets feeling healthy longer with these 5 communication tips.

Tip #1: Share the Stats

Screening for occult or early disease is the primary goal of routine testing in healthy animals—and pets may have hidden disease more frequently than owners realize. The appearance of health in the face of disease can be caused by various factors, including subclinical disease, patients masking signs, differing owner sensitivity to changes, and an inability to perform a complete examination due to patient behavior.¹

Studies have shown that clinically relevant clinicopathologic changes are common in healthy-appearing pets.^1-3 One study found that a preventive care profile (serum chemistry, CBC, and SDMA) uncovered changes requiring action in²:

• 1 in 7 adult pets (dogs 3-6 years of age; cats 2-8 years of age)

• 1 in 5 senior pets (dogs 7-10 years of age; cats 9-13 years of age)

• 2 in 5 geriatric pets (dogs >11 years of age; cats >14 years of age)

Sharing these statistics with owners can help justify the expense, demonstrating the likelihood of actionable results that may lead to early intervention and improved long-term health.

Tip #2: Celebrate the Baseline

Although no owner wants their pet to be sick, normal results may paradoxically feel like a letdown, as if testing was a waste because it did not lead to tangible change. Shifting the mindset starts with recognizing the true value of a well-documented baseline.^2,3Normal results should be discussed alongside an explanation of how patient-specific reference values can aid in identifying future changes and trends.^2,3 Providing a follow-up plan (eg, retest schedule) and a printed or emailed copy of results can also help reframe normal results as actionable and tangible outcomes.^2,3Most importantly, peace of mind should be celebrated by highlighting the good news normal results reveal about current health status such as which diseases or conditions have been ruled out and which body systems are functioning optimally.^2,3

Tip #3: Validate the Parasite Prevention Plan

The specific parasite prevention a pet receives is impacted by many factors (eg, local risk, lifestyle, species covered, route of administration, price). Fecal testing with KeyScreen PCR and vector-borne disease testing with Accuplex or TruRapid4 can provide an objective measure of whether a patient’s current parasite prevention protocol is adequately protective. Positive results identify risks and can help guide investigation into the cause (eg, administration challenges, owner compliance, inadequate parasite coverage) and improved prevention to address gaps. In addition, KeyScreen PCR can identify benzimidazole-resistant hookworm infections, which may require modified parasiticide protocols.⁴

Tip #4: Focus on Zoonosis

Routine testing is not only about protecting pet health—it protects humans, too. Occult intestinal parasite infections in pets are a source of environmental contamination and exposure to humans, both in the home and in the community. KeyScreen PCR testing can sensitively detect >20 species of intestinal parasites, including all major zoonotic helminths and protozoa found in pets.⁴In addition, KeyScreen will determine the zoonotic potential of any Giardia spp. detected.⁴ These essential screening tests are of particular importance in households with at-risk individuals (eg, young children, elderly, pregnant people).⁵

Tip #5: Get the Whole Team Talking

Achieving preventive care compliance is a team effort. By highlighting diagnostic recommendations at every stage of the wellness visit, team members prepare owners to thoughtfully discuss recommendations without feeling ambushed by unexpected expenses.^2,3Client service representatives can introduce yearly diagnostics during scheduling and at check-in.^2,3Veterinary assistants/technicians can provide additional information at the start of the appointment and pull up past results for comparison.^2,3Veterinarians can personalize the diagnostic plan, answer questions, and reinforce value during the examination to support the owner in their decision.^2,3

Conclusion: Land the “Why”

Preventive care diagnostics safeguard patient and community health in many important ways, and each rationale for testing will resonate differently with each owner based on what they value most about their pet’s health. By better understanding individual owner motivations, veterinarians can tailor discussions for each pet, form deeper connections with owners, and better land the “why” of preventive testing.