Q&A: Why it's best to encourage veterinary wellness tests

Q: How can I explain the importance of wellness or pre-anesthetic testing to my clients? Many of them are hesitant when they hear the price.

"I tell our clients, 'Ninety-nine percent of pets won't experience complications. The tragedy is when the remaining 1 percent happens to include your pet,'" says office manager Nicole Winkler, LVT, of Suffolk Veterinary Group in Selden, N.Y. "I explain to them, 'In order to make sure your pet doesn't fall into that 1 percent category, we'd like to perform [insert wellness, pre-operative, or diagnostic screening here].'" When you put the situation into perspective for clients who hesitate, they'll be more likely to comply with the testing. "It almost never fails to hook a client," Winkler says.

Most of your clients might not care that you didn't perform an early renal screening on their pet, but think about that one who could end up in an emergency clinic because her pet has end-stage kidney disease, Winkler says. Naturally that client will be upset and ask, "Why didn't you pick up on this earlier? Why wasn't my pet diagnosed sooner?" Failing to meet the needs of even just one of your clients or patients can break your practice's spirit and lower team members' morale. "You should at least offer the screenings in a way that educates clients," Winkler says. "That way—with your help—they can make an informed decision on how to proceed."

Does every test need to be performed on every patient at every visit? Of course not. This is when a strong doctor-client relationship comes into play. If you know your patients' needs, you'll be able to do a proper risk assessment so you can tailor the testing services to the needs of each patient. After all, your clients won't know what screening tests to ask for—that's why it's important for you to educate them to keep their pets healthy.