A quick tip on stocking therapeutic veterinary diets

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Obesity. Food allergies. Gastrointestinal problems. Joint disease. Urinary tract disease. Kidney disease. Liver disease. Dental disease. Thyroid disease.

And ... we can go for a while.

List a clinical problem one of your veterinary patients is experiencing, and there's likely a therapeutic diet that can help. Not only that, but several veterinary nutrition companies offer similar products to choose from to fulfill a patient's clinical needs.

So what's not to like? An easy and a palatable form of treatment with a variety of options for your more persnickety patients. Ah, but your shelf space is not unlimited, you say. And there are both canine and feline formulations to consider. So how do you keep a variety of diets readily on hand for your clients to choose from?

Sean Delaney, DVM, MS, DACVN, founder of DVM Consulting, Inc., says you don't have to think so big. “It can be really helpful to carry a couple of small bags rather than just one large bag for a particular condition,” he says. “That way you can offer a couple of varieties to a client, see which one is preferred and have them feel more involved in picking one that their pet prefers.”

After your patient has met its therapeutic diet match made in heaven, Delaney says you can special order bigger bags of that diet for the client.

A huge benefit of having several options on hand for clients to try out? Delaney says it increases client compliance because the client feels more involved. Imagine your patient actually receiving the treatment you've prescribed exactly as you prescribed it. Worth plotting out your shelf space for sure.

Just remember to think small.