Practicing compassion and spectrum of care with clients and itchy patients
Sandra Koch, DVM, MS, DACVD, talks about the importance of patience, dedication, and collaboration
In this video from an earlier interview on feline atopic skin syndrome at the 2025 WVC Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada, Sandra Koch, DVM, MS, DACVD, reminds veterinary professionals to be compassionate with clients as they navigate their cat’s skin condition. She also highlights the importance of spectrum of care and collaboration among the veterinary team to achieve an improved quality of life for their patients.
Below is the interview transcript, lightly edited for clarity:
Sandra Koch, DVM, MS, DACVD: I do hope that we have more research for cats in order to help better understand the disease to provide better treatment options, because we do need better options to help our superior species.
And because managing allergies in cats can be so difficult, can be so challenging for pet parents and veterinarians, it's very important that we practice compassion with our owners because they're going to be frustrated, they're going to be angry, they're going to be upset, right?
Financially, it can be a big burden, so practicing spectrum of care and trying to work with them with something that works for them, not just their cats, and understanding that despite the limitations that we have, if we are persistent and we work together with our clients, we should be able to [help them] get them better. I mean, of course, there are those cases that are nightmare cases, right, that we're all like pulling our hairs out to figure out.
But I think with patience and dedication and working as a team—as a care team with our clients, and in pairing with our nurses and technicians—I think we're able to improve their quality of life, and that's the main goal, right?
And by improving their quality of life, we're also improving the quality of life for their families, because everybody suffers when they’re itchy.
