Today's Veterinary Practice provides comprehensive information to keep every small animal practitioner up to date on companion animal medicine and surgery as well as practice building and management.
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T O day' S Ve T erinary Prac T ice | September/October 2016 | tvpjournal.com P rac T ice BU i L din G Peer r eviewed 108 be adjusted as night-time restlessness progresses. Quality of sleep for all involved is important and can be improved with help from the veterinary team. THE SENIOR PET FRIENDLY PRACTICE a s mentioned earlier, most clinics are well stocked with puppy/kitten literature and giveaways, and they typically do a good job marketing senior wellness and disease prevention. But what about making your practice more friendly for geriatric pets? Marketing specifically to this group of pet owners shows them that you empathize with the challenges they face and encourages them to come to your clinic with their pets for assistance. Practice Environment c reate a good environment for geriatric pets at your clinic by: • Providing a dedicated parking spot near the front for "Gray Muzzles" • Using yoga mats as a runway for the geriatric pet from the waiting room to the examination room • Performing tasks and sample collection in the examination room so the pet is not stressed by being removed from the caregiver's presence • Using careful handling techniques during procedures, because geriatric pets are fragile and the slightest awkward movement can leave them sore the next day • Fast tracking these patients in and out of the clinic. r emember, there is no place like home for a geriatric pet. i f the pet must stay for a procedure or boarding, encourage the owners to bring something from home to help reduce anxiety. Client Education c lient education is paramount: • Have literature available to hand to clients during the visit. • i nclude an "information prescription" that refers them to reliable online sources that provide information on disease processes and management. • c onsider creating a list of the most common challenges these pet owners face. • Provide in-home evaluations (available at lapoflove.com) or ask owners to take videos that provide insights about how the pet manages at home and how the owner is managing the pet. Client Conversations Telling an owner "old age is not a disease" is not the right thing to say when evaluating the geriatric pet. i nstead, take the time to listen to the problems the pet and caregiver are facing, and then discuss the causes and possible treatment options. Find out what is important to the owner and focus on that first. For pet owners, periodontal disease may not be the foremost problem in their minds, but sleepless nights are. Once you fix the sleepless night issue, the teeth can then be addressed. This approach allows pet owners to learn to trust your advice and follow your recommendations. BUCKET LISTS FOR GERIATRIC PETS When it comes to the last stages of life, time is precious and limited. Focus on what is important for both the pet and Mar Y g ardner & d ani M C Vet Y Mary Gardner, DVM, and Dani McVety, DVM, have focused on geriatric medicine, hospice, and in-home euthanasia since 2010 and founded Lap of Love Veterinary Hospice, the nation's largest group of veterinarians dedicated to end-of-life care. Lap of Love helps over 1500 families per month and has been featured on The Doctors and in the New York Times, USA Today, and the Associated Press, as well as numerous veterinary trade publications. Drs. Gardner and McVety speak frequently at national and international conferences and veterinary schools on many topics, including body language, communication techniques for doctors, and care of geriatric veterinary patients. g eriatric Pets: a dditional r esources for Clinicians a rticles on e nd-of-Life Care Visit tvpjournal.com to read: • Handling Euthanasia in Your Practice (January/February 2016) • Adding Veterinary Hospice Services to Your Practice (May/June 2016) Quality of Life a ssessment • lapoflove.com: Click Quality of Life tab • pawspice.com : Click Services tab; then select Quality of Life Care and Quality of Life Scale