Today, I lied to a client. And I don’t feel bad about it, to tell the truth. That’s not what I’m like, either the lying or the lack of regret. Like most veterinarians, I believe that telling the truth is an essential part of who I am, and what I do. Being honest is essential… Read More
Life With Clients
My Oversight Cost a Dog’s Life- and This is What the Owner Did
Although I’ve been a veterinarian for over ten years now and feel confident in my abilities, a few years ago I made an obvious mistake that I believe cost a young dog his life, and it left me devastated. An aggressive Lab mix named Buddy was seen by my associate for not eating his dry… Read More
The 8 Hard Conversations You Need To Be Having Now
Today I spent the afternoon at a family dinner for my brother’s birthday. Gatherings with my family are always unique. My sister-in-law and I are both veterinarians, so if a meal doesn’t involve a conversation about poop or vomit, someone is off their game. This particular meal qualified in both categories. On the dinner table… Read More
Groundhog Day: How To Survive Having The Same Conversations Again & Again
The heartworm talk The flea talk The vaccine talk The allergy talk The dental talk The weight talk If you’ve been in small animal private practice for more than a year, you’ve probably lost track of the number of times you’ve had each of these talks. Many of us give every one of these “presentations”… Read More
How to Break Up With Your Veterinarian
Hopefully, you have a veterinarian who you really like. Maybe even love. (But when I say love, I do not mean love, because that is another problem.) The veterinarian-client-patient relationship is built on mutual respect and trust. Sometimes the veterinarian-client-patient relationship becomes a friendship, which is confusing, and not necessary or even advisable. A successful… Read More
5 Ridiculous Ways to Tick Off Veterinary Clients on Social Media
Facebook and other social media sites can be great customer service tools to delight your veterinary clients in between visits. However, veterinary hospitals can also manage to really tick customers off with some seemingly harmless posts. Here are a few moves I’d avoid to keep pet owners coming back to your social media accounts (and… Read More