Some of the hardest interventions to persuade certain clients – who have been influenced by internet misinformation – to take up are vaccinations. Bloodworth et al (2024) performed a retrospective study to assess the temporal trends in vaccination uptake in the UK, and any factors associated with these trends. Electronic health records of over a million dogs and cats from over 200 veterinary practices were interrogated, and socioeconomic and animal factors were associated with vaccine uptake were assessed. The percentage of animals receiving a vaccination within one year declined from 77% to 69% between 2016 and 2022 in dogs, and 70% to 66% in cats. However, the proportion of animals that had had a vaccination in a three-year window in that time period increased. Older animals and animals from socioeconomically deprived areas were less likely to be vaccinated. The authors concluded that the time between vaccinations appears to be increasing in recent years, and recommended that efforts are made to increase vaccine uptake in areas of socioeconomic deprivation.
A suggested management change that is less about individual patient welfare and more about the environment is to include edible insects in pet food in order to increase sustainability and decrease the environmental impact of pet ownership. Baptista da Silva et al (2024) described the results of a study of the willingness of dog and cat owners to feed insect-based pet food to their pets. A total of 435 responses were obtained, with more than half of both dog and cat owners expressing positive attitudes to insect-based pet food. They were also more likely to be positive towards insect-based pet food if it was proven to be beneficial with respect to nutrition and sustainability. Around one-third of pet owners reported eating insects themselves and they were more likely to be positive about insect-based pet food than owners who had not experienced entomophagy. The authors suggested that emphasising sustainability and nutrition may help pet food manufacturers gain acceptance for insect-based pet food-type products.
Prices are another reason why owners might decline optimal treatments, and the cost of veterinary care in the UK is highly topical currently with the Competition and Markets Authority investigation ongoing at the time of writing. Egenvall et al (2024) performed a survey of the cost of veterinary care for dogs, cats and horses in selected countries in Europe. They targeted commonly performed procedures, such as neutering and pyometra surgery, and investigated prices advertised online. Median cat and dog neutering prices increased by 2–24%. A 27% increase in the cost of pyometra surgery was seen over the course of a year. However, there was variation within and between countries and procedures. The authors advocate better price transparency to help owners make informed decisions about treatment for their pets. However, the authors noted that they did not explore whether quality of treatments had improved with the increasing price, but they did comment that there is little evidence that ‘better’ care is associated with improved outcomes, and that there may be a mismatch between the perception of vets who believe clients wish for the best possible care and clients' ability to choose the level of care.
Finally, clients' understanding of instructions for their animal's care after veterinary procedures can affect the quality of that care. Flegel et al (2024) performed a questionnairebased study asking clients and discharging veterinarians for their awareness of the pet's diagnosis, procedures and treatment, prognosis and discharge instructions at the time of discharge. The questionnaire was repeated two weeks later for the clients, and clients also had additional subjective questions related to the discharge consultation. A total of 230 clients were approached; 151 responded to the first questionnaire and 70 responded to the second questionnaire. The agreement between the answers of the clients and the vets was lowest for questions about adverse effects of medications, ongoing clinical signs and instructions on confinement. Older clients had less agreement with the answers of the vets. The authors note that the most important information should be emphasised at the time of discharge, especially for older clients.