Time to get ticked off about tick compliance!

This is the enemy. And THIS is the mission, should you choose to accept it: Run parasite compliance reports more often and act on what you find! Now ... these ticks will explode in 3 ... 2 ... 1 ... (Shutterstock.com)He may have been talking about Merck's Bravecto flea-and-tick preventive at WVC this month, but multi-practice owner Dan Markwalder, DVM, had a piece of basic, product-neutral flea and tick client compliance advice we think many practices get too busy to try: parasite preventive compliance reports.

Do you know what percentage of your patients receive flea and tick preventives regularly and correctly?

Peek into parasiticides

What's new with parasiticides? See the whole menu of options right here.

Do you have shared goals, from the veterinarian down to the client service representative, to improve that percentage?

Markwalder put it this way: "When the buzz wears off from this show, go back and find someone in your practice, probably a millennial, who can get into your practice software and run some compliance reports." Then set reasonable goals to improve those numbers.

And you want to improve those numbers, for patient health and for business health, with 18 to 35 percent of your revenue likely coming from prescriptions and sometimes 50 percent of that from parasiticides. (Hey, those are the numbers he was throwing around. YMMV.)

Finally, train your team: "One voice, one message" was Markwalder's message. Start with the veterinarian talking up the importance of preventives in those wellness visits, and make sure that message is repeated by the rest of the team.

I know, I know. You've heard this all before. But are you doing it?

P.S. Merck also officially unveiled their Bravecto topical preventive for cats. Merck says it lasts like the canine chewable does: four times a year, every three months. The important and mildly hilarious power tip? Just twist and apply the feline topical Bravecto's tip-don't try to pull it off.