Discussing Wellness with Clients

The term wellness has been a buzz word in veterinary practices for a number of years, but what exactly does wellness mean to the veterinary team? More important, perhaps, what does it mean to pet owner clients?

What constitutes “wellness”?

Wellness is the balance of internal and external forces that promotes optimal health and longevity. In general, for dogs and cats that share our homes, this means they should:

• Be free from preventable discomfort and/or pain
• Be free of preventable disease (including obesity)
• Have access to fresh water and food that meets the pet’s specific nutritional needs
• Have the opportunity for regular exercise
• Have an enriching environment free from unnecessary stress
• Have routine preventive care

Wellness is often equated with good health, but there are many medical conditions that are not preventable. Thus, wellness should also take into account the given individual’s life stage and any concurrent disease. A pet with a chronic medical condition can still follow wellness guidelines to maintain optimal health for its specific circumstances. Pet owners are routinely bombarded with information from a variety of sources, and not all of this information will be accurate. It is important for the veterinary team to talk to owners about what they believe are the best ways to keep their pets healthy, and dispel any myths they might have accepted as fact.

Developing a Wellness Strategy

The best wellness strategies are those that are tailored to an individual pet’s needs. Thorough histories and risk assessment forms will help gather the information necessary to customize a plan for optimal pet health. A number of veterinary organizations provide guidelines for pet wellness on everything from vaccinations and parasite protection, to dental care and senior health.

As a pet’s health is not always readily apparent based on physical appearance, diagnostic tests might be part of developing a pet’s wellness plan. The veterinarian should determine which specific tests will be required based on the patient’s history and exposure risks. Once a plan is developed that will enable the health care team to keep track of what has been communicated with clients, what still needs to be done, and when the pet might be due for follow-up.

Stick with the Plan

In order to engage clients in the process of achieving and maintaining wellness in their pets, the veterinary team must first agree on a wellness plan, then communicate its significance to clients. It is best for the whole team to be involved in the wellness plan. Time, training, and teamwork are keys to this. Once everyone has been trained in the practice’s general wellness standards, a staff meeting should be held to designate which team members will be responsible for covering each part of the wellness plan.

The cinicl’s wellness checklist can be used as the springboard for creating a wellness dialogue that generates client interest in actively participating in their pets’ health. What topics are covered during each meeting with a client will vary with the individual pet’s needs, but all wellness checklists should cover some essentials:

• Vaccination
• Nutrition
• Exercise
• Parasite Control
• Behavioral Issue

For Hill’s Pet Nutrition, nutrition is an important vital assessment. There is no one perfect food or feeding strategy for every animal. The best food is one that provides a complete and balanced profile of the essential nutrients for the individual pet, that the animal likes to eat and the client likes to feed, and one that makes the animal look and feel good. Hill’s offers each clinic product feeding charts and access to the Feeding Guide Software. Backing up a specific recommendation with a sample to take home is helpful for clients as well.

Clients should understand that they cannot take a substandard food and make it better by adding supplements; supplements should only be necessary for helping to manage a chronic condition. More is not necessarily always better. Nutrient excesses can be just as damaging as deficiencies. Clients also should not allow personal beliefs to interfere with what is best for the pet or other members of the household - eg, a vegetarian owner forcing a feline (an obligate carnivore) to eat a vegetarian food.

Obesity should not be overlooked. Handing every client a body condition score (BCS) sheet to help them see what a healthy pet should look like will help break the ice for discussions about weight.

Working Toward Wellness

Wellness may be about the individual, but getting there is a group effort. Instilling a wellness mindset into veterinary team members and organizing how the team approaches wellness to better communicate its importance to clients. With owners on board with health care team recommendations, the best health for patients can be achieved.

*As reported in NAVC clinician’s brief, September . 2008

References
KJ, Jewell DE. Vet Clin North Am 36:1183-1198, 2006.
2. Hill’s data on file.

Order Now

Convenient easy ordering with real-time pricing and product availability.

Order Now