Veterinary medicine saw double-digit growth in many areas in 2021. Research shows that the increase is due to pet owners spending more time with their pets and taking them in for treatment when they notice problems.
Here are some trends in terms of the types of services pet owners want and the challenges practice owners face:
Telemedicine
COVID forced everyone in both telemedicine and job delivery to ramp up quickly so pet owners can get the care they need for pets. Many practices reported that their technicians and staff worked incredibly hard to help them adapt to this new option.
The consensus is that telemedicine will stay here for at least some of the practice. And training and investing in the tools you need is a good idea.
Telemedicine can be performed on the pet at the owner’s home or when the pet is dropped off and the pet owner logs on to a video call. When the pet is in the facility, you need a location where the pet, camera / computer can be in the same area as the vet.
The Preferred Lift examination table from Shor-Line offers the space and flexibility for this. It has a foot pedal and remote control that makes it easy to adjust the height, plus plenty of space for a laptop and a large dog. The back wall helps the team keep the pet calm for the exam and educational talk.
The new Feline LS surgery / examination table is the perfect addition to the treatment areas. The oval table 30 ”W x 40” L is raised to the ideal treatment height with a hydraulic lift. There is plenty of space for a stretcher, cat, laptop and staff to help you.
The refined looks of the Feline LS go well with the gentle care cat owners want their pets. This makes it ideal for telemedicine.
Emergency and emergency care
While one veterinary clinic operator found practices up 10-12 percent, the report for emergency room revenues was up 25-30 percent. This is based on the fact that pets need more intensive medical intervention.
Emergency care is an underutilized area of veterinary medicine. It has skyrocketed in human health care because of convenience.
Nightly emergency care is a great way to meet the needs of pets, as well as millennials or part-time workers who may prefer a more flexible schedule.
By using equipment to do some of the work, you can ensure the necessary staffing with an emphasis on patient care. Outpatient multi-purpose devices such as a mobile animal lifting table (MALT) or the Co-Jack® multi-purpose table from Shor-Line can bring heavier patients quickly from the examination to treatment.
Mobile preparation tables also help to easily transport supplies. Anything that allows you to minimize the stooping, lifting, and grasping will reduce staff aches and pains … and save time.
Oxygen support
The life expectancy of dogs has doubled over the past 40 years. Most of this is attributed to better diet and veterinary care.
Dogs with heart disease can benefit from occasional assistance. Your intensive care area likely has a stainless steel cage or two that could become an oxygen therapy cage. Oxygen concentrators make it much more economical to operate an O2 cage and at the same time ensure oxygen of medical quality. This blog has some ideas for the conversion.
Versatility of the tub table
Versatility is the biggest trend for new veterinary facilities. Tub tables handle a variety of non-sterile procedures. But in a pinch, you might need one for an exam area. When you invest in a stainless steel exam table, you can slide on a solid tabletop and manage exams with ease.
In practices where space is limited, this type of tabletop can provide an easy surface for preparing prescriptions as your drug delivery or pick-up business grows. Many vets report pharmacy service as a trend, especially when partnering with delivery services like Uber.
Make the investment
All of the trends emerging from COVID suggest that pet owners are spending more time working from home. This may be an indication that pet owners are still heavily involved in the care of their pets.
Now, by planning what types of services to add and what equipment to use, you and your pet customers will be happy for years.
