Get to the heart of feline heartworm prevention

Concerned about the threat of feline heartworm infection, team members at Valley Animal Hospital in Roanoke, Va., decided to launch a campaign to educate clients. To get the hairball rolling, office manager Pam Holden invited their pharmaceutical representative to a staff meeting to discuss feline heartworm disease and answer questions. Then they set a goal: If staff members could increase the practice's feline heartworm preventive sales by 20 percent, they'd celebrate with a pizza party.

Next, Dawn Roberts, the front office staff supervisor and team leader, stocked the practice with kitten kits containing a free sample of heartworm preventative and prepared additional free samples for adult cats. With the campaign and resources in place, doctors regularly discuss feline heartworm disease with clients, pharmacy nurses present clients with a kitten kit on their second visit or after the kitten is 10 weeks old, and front office team members follow up with doctors' preventative recommendations.

So far, the team at Valley Animal Hospital has doubled their feline heartworm preventive sales. "It feels good to educate clients and improve the quality of our patients' lives," Roberts says. "Of course, we're also looking forward to the pizza!"