More Bad News

Latest surveys show that pet populations have stabilized. Fewer people are adopting pets. A primary reason for this is thought to be the “inconvenience” associated with taking care of pets with today’s hectic lifestyles.

There Is Some Good News

Pets are predisposed to many conditions because of specific breed predilection or environmental conditions. This is especially true for ear conditions and disease. Fortunately, there is more pathology out there than would be needed to keep every veterinarian busy 24 hours per day, 52 weeks per year. The biggest problem, however, in capitalizing on this fact is complacency—many veterinarians seem to be disen­chanted with the current financial situation and feel hopeless about reversing current trends.

The human-pet bond continues to grow tighter and stronger. Many pets are no longer considered “disposable.” Pet owners who value their pets as four-legged family members want the same high quality of veterinary care as they expect for their own human health care.

Even though the United States economy has been weakened over the past few years, pet owners who consider their pets to be true “family members” have proven with their pocketbooks that they still expect and are willing to pay for quality pet health care.

Of all the marketing strategies and options currently open to the practitioner today, none is more professional, more restricted to services provided only by licensed veterinarians, or has more potential to grow both gross and net income than the profes­sional marketing of services related to ear care. These services are not easily duplicated by sources outside our profession because of the expertise required to diagnose and prescribe the appropriate treatment to resolve abnormal conditions. Clients often relate ear infections to the very painful conditions seen in human ear problems. A veterinarian’s best clients—those who want and can afford high-quality pet health care—readily accept ear care services. Pet owners in need of these services cannot readily price-shop for comparison, leading to the potential for higher gross margin profits, resulting in higher bottom-line nets. Unfortunately, a survey of practitioners today would show that only a very small percentage of practices are currently placing a significant emphasis on ear care as a major profit center.

Other reasons the practitioner should seriously consider placing more emphasis on ear hygiene, diagnostics, and treatment include the following:

• Pets have two ears, thereby doubling the potential for problems over singular internal organs.

• The ear canals of dogs and cats are anatomically formed in such a way as to increase the potential for medical problems.

• People do not put a price on pain control. Ear infections are perceived to, and often do, hurt—and the pain is perceived by the owner who observes a bad odor coming from the ears as well as the pet scratching, shaking its head, or whining when the ears are touched.

• Ear infections are often lifelong problems. Unfortunately, however, a major reason for chronic otitis is a failure to treat long enough as well as to determine the under­lying problem creating the environment conducive to otitis (e.g., allergies). It is not all the fault of the practitioner; many owners fail to return on time for rechecks or to treat according to the recommended treatment schedule or for sufficient periods of time to gain total resolution. It is human nature (coupled with today’s busy lifestyles) to avoid placing ear treatment at a high-enough priority to effect a long-term cure.

• People often feel guilty when their pet has a recurrence after they understand that it has occurred because of a failure to continue treatment long enough. The feeling of guilt may make the client more willing to seek more extensive treatment at a later time.

• Clients often leave one veterinary practice for another because the first veterinarian failed to diagnose, explain, or treat the pet’s ear disease adequately. A failure to do the job correctly the first time often causes a practitioner to lose all other potential services for the duration of the pet’s life. Therefore there is a bright future for prac­tices willing to give ear care the respect it is due and to work diligently to resolve problems and help pets lead healthier, longer lives.