Don't expect clients to do things the hard way

Dr. Jim Kramer I think a lot of veterinarians see poor compliance because they ask clients to do things that are all but impossible. For example, say you're treating a dog that has a horrible ear infection, and you would need to manhandle the dog to get an ear drop in. And then you tell the client to give the dog three drops a day at home. The client can't do that.

Or say you ask a client to give her cat giant pills twice a day. That's not happening. We very seldom give pills to cats. Almost all of our formulations for cats are liquids because we're not going to ask our clients to do something that's seemingly impossible.

We try to empathize with our clients and see things from their point of view. We ask them to do only the things they're capable of. If they're not capable, we keep the pet at the clinic and treat it until it gets better. The pet's condition may not be cured, but it's to the point where it's easier for the client to perform the necessary home care.

For dental care, we recommend that clients brush their pets' teeth, but when it's nearly impossible, we offer a more feasible home dental care recommendation. For example, we tell clients, "You can brush your cat's teeth every day—or if it's completely fractious and going to bite you during the brushing, you can put a capful of this additive in its water supply. It costs very little and couldn't be easier to do." It's up to the client to do it—but we've done everything we can to make it doable.

Dr. Jim Kramer, CVPM, is owner of Columbus Animal Hospital; Columbus, Neb.