The benefits of social media for veterinary practices

In an interview with Caitlin DeWilde, DVM, founder of The Social DVM, she explained how to best use marketing and social media to your advantage and to improve client relations. Improving your skills in this area of veterinary business can help with client education and workflow efficiency.

 Client education posts are often very frustrating for most people that are working in a veterinary practice and using social media. One of the biggest reasons for that is they don't get as much engagement, especially compared to a cute puppy picture or funny cat meme. And that's really frustrating when you put the time and effort into doing that. But a few things that I would caution you to remember is that No. 1, they're still getting some engagement. And they may not be liking or commenting or sharing it, but they might be going to that article and reading it. That is education, and that is helping their pet and that owner. So that's still good.

AI can definitely help us in marketing and many other areas of our profession to be more efficient. It's going to free us up for time spent on more important things. So from a marketing standpoint, I love using AI to help write social media captions, to come up with objective, calm responses to those online reviews when we're having trouble with them, or to help us brainstorm ideas for new marketing content.

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Caitlin DeWilde, DVM, shared her tips for more engaging social media posts and marketing best practices

Ernie Ward, DVM, CVFT, on stage for his keynote session for the Fetch dvm360 conference in Charlotte, North Carolina.

“The people with a growth mindset say, ‘You know what, I can learn from my mistakes. There may not be a limit to my abilities. I have opportunities to improve and change. In fact, I'm seeking to improve and better myself,’” Ernie Ward, DVM, CVFT, veterinary medical lead for Basepaws and chief medical officer for VerticalVet, said to attendees at the Fetch dvm360 conference in Charlotte, North Carolina.

 During his keynote address, sponsored by Wedgewood Pharmacy, Ward encouraged everyone to embrace a growth mindset, rather than staying stagnant in a fixed mindset. He explained that with a fixed mindset, you become resistant to change and try to avoid any challenges or obstacles. This can be quite limiting. Instead, push yourself to achieving a growth mindset in which you are open to change and welcome challenges, because you know that they will only make you stronger, he said.

With a growth mindset, individuals can start believing in their own capabilities, even if it seems difficult. Ward explained that a person with a growth mindset would say, “We can, we just have to figure out how to do it.”

Ward recommended applying these 4 goals to elevate your personal life and veterinary practice:

“What are you good at, use them [and] lean into it. If you're very good at medicine, then make sure that you try to fill your day with as many complex medical cases as possible. If you love surgery, find a way to be in the theater all day long operating. Whatever it is, find your strengths,” Ward stated. “You can literally say ‘I love working with cats,’[and] feline practice is an incredible opportunity still in this day and age. The world is your oyster, it's an amazing time to be a veterinarian.”

Ward believes that everyone has these 9 advantages already inside them:

All of these advantages can be used to improve yourself and your career. Ward explained that only raw talent and luck cannot be control, however the other 7 is within your influence and can be enhanced based on your effort.

“If you do not take risk in your life, you will be fixed. There is a limit, it will be finite. Your success, happiness, contentment, joy, even health will be limited. Because you're not pushing yourself, you're not trying,” Ward reminded attendees.

“If you adopt a growth mindset, you see the world as opportunities to change and to grow. Every opportunity, you say, ‘this is going to make me better,’” Ward added.

To close, Ward hit home on his main point of leaning into your advantages to help yourself improve in both your personal life and your career. Of the 9 advantages he listed, Ward suggested focusing on the ones you do best. Are you calm under pressure? You that to help you with stressful situations and complex cases at work. Are you good at recruiting and coaching? Lead the team on hiring new employees. Are you open to risk taking? Be the one to suggest new processes or systems within your practice. Any of these advantages can help you better yourself and your own success.

Ward E. Elevate your practice and your life: The power of the 9 origins of advantage: Presented at: Fetch dvm360 conference; Charlotte, North Carolina; March 15-17, 2024.

Articles

Day 2 keynote speaker, Ernie Ward, DVM, CVFT, lectures on the power of challenges and how to use change to your advantage

How to flourish with a growth mindset

Jb Minter, DVM, MS, DACZM, explains how zoo animals have a lot of anatomical similarities to small and large animals

How zoo medicine is a lot like small- and large-animal practice

Jb Minter, DVM, MS, DACZM, director of Animal Health at the North Carolina Zoo, told 

 in an interview, about the similar principles veterinary professionals can apply to zoological medicine. Equine medicine can be a very similar medicine for a rhinoceros and feline medicine can be similar for a lion or tiger.

 The word zoological medicine scares a lot of veterinarians because they say, 'Well, I don't know anything about any of those animals.' And I would turn that on its head and say, 'Yes, you do. You know a lot more than what you think you do.' There are some intricacies and nuances that you may not know, but myself and a small- and large-animal [practice], and we have the same foundational veterinary knowledge, those are the same tools that I'm utilizing.

That's the great thing about veterinary medicines, we all have a very, very broad understanding of anatomy, physiology, pathology, [and] how to use those disciplines to diagnose and treat health issues in the animals that we treat.

General practitioners (GPs) typically refer patients to specialists when a patient's medical condition requires expertise beyond the scope of primary care. This referral process is crucial for ensuring that individuals receive specialized diagnostic and treatment interventions. Effective collaboration between GPs and specialists can ensure clear communication for the client and medical team. In dermatology cases, specifically, severely allergic diseases, acute-onset skin disease, chronic otitis externa, and more can be examples in which referral to a dermatologist would benefit both the patient and the owner. However, Julia E. Miller, DVM, DACVD, a dermatologist with Animal Dermatology Group in Louisville, Kentucky, and an assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine in Ithaca, New York, explained to attendees at the Fetch conference in Charlotte, North Carolina that the rate of referral for dermatology cases are less common than other specialties.

One reason for this could be the lack of client education about veterinary dermatologists. Some clients might think their pet’s GP is the only one who can help and without the GP’s recommendation of seeing a dermatologist, they would never know it’s an option. Miller stated, “What [clients] don't realize is that animal dermatologists do it all. We do the bumps on the skin, we also do ear infections, and we also manage allergies, which is very different than how human [medicine] is.”

Miller stressed that GPs could help educate clients about veterinary dermatology and provide information or resources. One of Miller’s suggestions is a website called petsgetallergies.com, and on there, clients can learn more about what veterinary dermatologists do and the diseases and conditions they can treat. Clients can also use this resource to find a dermatologist near them or they can go on the American College of Veterinary Dermatology (ACVD) website to search, as well. “What I really like about this website is it's very much geared towards clients… You could guide them towards this website because it really has some very digestible owner-friendly information.” Miller said.

In 2019, the American College of Veterinary Dermatology (ACVD) conducted a survey of pet owners who have been referred to a dermatology specialist.

 Dermatology was the second to least likely veterinary specialty to receive a referral from a GP, with only behavior being less likely. Oncology, orthopedic, and ophthalmology were some of the highest referrals.

 Only 27% of clients reported that their dogs were successfully treated after their first visit with their GP and 73% of clients visited their GP more than 3 times before they were referred. This highlights the fact that most of these dermatologic cases are complex and chronic.

A survey in the United Kingdom assessed the prevalence, diagnosis, and treatment of dermatological issues in small animals within general practice. Among the 3707 observed consultations, 795 (21.4%) involved a pet with a dermatological problem. In dogs and exotic species, pruritus was the predominant presenting sign, comprising 30% to 40% of dermatological consultations. In cats, cutaneous swellings were the most common presentation (36%).

This case to referral discrepancy is perplexing and Miller said to attendees, “it tells me that we really do need to do more referrals, because we're seeing an awful lot of these cases.”

Another reason for the low number of referrals could be because most dermatology cases are not dire or deadly, but rather chronic conditions that take a lot of effort to treat or manage. However, Miller challenges this idea by stating, “Also remember that pets can be surrendered to shelters because of chronic skin disease. And they're surrendered because dermatology cases have a financial burden, time commitment, and you have a chronic sick dog. that's a big deal, right? So maybe they're not deadly, but they certainly have a lot of negative consequences to our owners.”

GPs might postpone the referral of their patients to specialists because they believe their treatment selection will be effective. However, in that same ACVD study, the diagnosis in 46% of cases made by the GP did not align with that of the dermatologist.

 Miller underscored that referring cases to a dermatology specialist can streamline a patient's treatment and expedite their recovery process.

Open collaboration between the GP and dermatologist is paramount for setting a patient up for success. The synchronicity between both veterinary professionals can create a unified treatment plan and contributes a seamless progression of the therapeutic process. However, it is important to remind the client of the reality that, despite a quick referral, many dermatological cases are chronic and require patience and persistence before there is a noticeable improvement in the pet's condition.

“So get to know if your friendly neighborhood dermatologist, they are happy to talk through cases with you and that can be a really good resource,” Miller said.

Miller JE. Tips and Tricks for Successful Referral and Co-management with your Neighborhood Dermatologist. Presented at: Fetch dvm360 conference; March 15-17, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina.

Hanna B. Earlier dermatology referral rewards primary care practice (part 1): easing client expenses and enhancing patient care. DVM360 magazine. May 2022: 42-43. 

https://www.dvm360.com/view/earlier-dermatology-referral-rewards-primary-care-practice-part-1-easing-client-expenses-and-enhancing-patient-care

Hill PB, Lo A, Eden CA, et al. Survey of the prevalence, diagnosis and treatment of dermatological conditions in small animals in general practice [published correction appears in Vet Rec. 2006 Jun 3;158(22):763]. 

. 2006;158(16):533-539. doi:10.1136/vr.158.16.533

Julia E. Miller, DVM, DACVD, explained the importance of dermatology referrals at the 2024 Fetch conference in Charlotte, North Carolina

Combining forces: How general practitioners can work with dermatologists

Officials with the FDA have approved terbinafine and betamethasone acetate otic gel (DuOtic; Dechra) for dogs. This gel is the first animal drug indicated approved by the agency for the treatment of otitis externa associated with susceptible strains of yeast (

According to the FDA, terbinafine and betamethasone acetate otic gel is also the first otic drug intended to treat otitis externa that does not contain an antibiotic. This allows veterinarians to focus treatment and avoid using antibiotics when dogs have diagnosed yeast-only ear infections.

The drug is a fixed combination of the 2 active substances: terbinafine and betamethasone acetate. Terbinafine is an antifungal and is commonly used in human medicine to treat athlete’s foot. Betamethasone acetate is a glucocorticosteroid with anti-inflammatory activity.

The otic gel dissolves in earwax and is slowly eliminated from the ear. It also fights yeast infections for up to 45 days.

Terbinafine and betamethasone acetate otic gel is only available by a prescription from a licensed veterinarian and should be administered by a veterinary professional. Veterinary medicine professionals should clean and dry the external ear canal before administering the initial dose of the product and should administer one dose (1 tube) per affected ear and repeat administration in 7 days. The dog’s ear canal should not be cleaned for 45 days after the initial administration to allow contact of the gel with the ear canal.

The newly approved gel may cause eye injury and irritation in people and dogs. Individuals who administer this drug in the clinic should wear eye protection, and the dog should be restrained to minimize post-application head shaking to help prevent accidental eye exposure in both humans and dogs.

Terbinafine and betamethasone acetate otic gel contains 10 mg terbinafine and 1 mg betamethasone acetate per mL. It is available in a single use tube with a flexible soft tip, supplied in cartons containing 2 or 20 tubes.

FDA approves treatment for yeast ear infections in dogs. News release. FDA. March 15, 2024. Accessed March 15, 2024. 

https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/cvm-updates/fda-approves-treatment-yeast-ear-infections-dogs?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery

DuOtic by Dechra is the first otic drug intended to treat otitis externa that does not contain an antibiotic

FDA approves drug for treating canine yeast ear infections

Health Benefits of DNA Testing

 How does knowing a dog's genetic background make visits to the clinic easier for both the practitioner and for the pet owner?

 I mean, it's such a great way to really be prepared, right? The whole care team can be prepared. So as a veterinarian, you can be on the lookout for different conditions that you may not otherwise be on the lookout for and make whittling down those lists of differential diagnoses a lot easier. It also prepares your veterinary technicians, your front office staff, the pet owners as well, on things that they could know about their dog to help enrich its life. To help them take better care of their pet is such a great start on really providing great health care from the whole team throughout their life.

 Like a team care approach to genetic counseling, right? Love it. What are some of the health benefits that we could talk about with the DNA testing?

Jenna Dockweiler, MS DVM, DACT, CCRT, CVAT:

 We can test for about 250 health conditions currently, and that covers all body systems. There are skin conditions, there are urinary conditions. You name it, we can test for various conditions that affect the dog. And then kind of the other side of that is knowing the breed actually can be quite helpful for health conditions as well. Breed mix is often very difficult to determine visually. So, for example, many golden retriever mixes are going to be black and they're going to have short hair. They're not going to necessarily look anything like a golden retriever mix. But if you have a patient who comes in, who maybe is, 70% golden retriever but doesn't necessarily look like a golden retriever, I would bet you're going to check those lymph nodes extra close at each of their wellness exams.

 Yes. If you guys ever get a chance to go to the conferences, you'll see their Embark booth that's there. It is so funny because there's so many “aha” moments that the whole crowd gets because they think they know what the dog is made up of and then when they show the results they’re like, “oh my gosh”. They have these “aha” moments. What do you think that means to the veterinarian too when they see those results? Like that's got to be so powerful knowing how they're going to go ahead and practice and take care of that pet.

 Absolutely. And it can, like you say, be very surprising what those results come back as, and that can really help you narrow down some differential lists.

 Yeah, big time. How does genetic testing help strengthen the human animal bond?

 I think it's interesting in veterinary medicine. I think that genetic testing and, you know, the breed part of that is one of the few diagnostic tests we get to do that's fun. I think a lot of times when we do diagnostic tests, it's usually looking for a disease, it's preparing for a surgical procedure. Talking through a CBC chem is nothing like getting to discover what breed your dog is. I’m speaking as a pet owner too, and just how neat that is to find out about your pet. So, I think there's that piece of strengthening the bond, that it's fun. But the second piece of that and having that positive experience is being able to focus on the more serious side of genetics. So regardless of if it's a mixed breed dog or if it's a purebred dog, we all have DNA, right? And that tells a story about that animal's health and some things we can do throughout their life. So, you know, things like making diet recommendations, looking out for different health conditions. And I think that really strengthens the bond in knowing that you're doing all that you can do to take care of your pet and take care of that patient as a veterinarian too.

 It seems to me that pet owners are so much more passionate about DNA tests and then sometimes the veterinarians are, almost as if we don't have enough time to go over those kinds of results or whatnot. So, I'm curious to get your feedback on that. When a pet owner actually is recommending that they want to DNA test their dog and the veterinarian may show some trepidation to that, how do you go about leveraging that conversation?

 I think sometimes veterinarians will say, “well you know the vast majority of the time it's normal. There's nothing there.” I think that as a veterinarian myself, we tend to look for the problems. That's natural. That's our job, but I think a negative test and knowing that it's clear of all the markers that we're testing for is awesome. We need to remember that. That's a positive experience for that client. It’s a way that we can build trust with them. It's a way that they can learn about their pet. And gosh, I mean, all the things that you can find out with genetics that may be rare. I'm thinking about all the things that you would want to know before a surgical procedure—clotting disorders, different sensitivities to the anesthetic drugs, and pre-meds that we use, right? So malignant hyperthermia, not super common. But if you have a sight hound with that mutation, that's a huge deal, right? MDR mutations, sensitivity to acepromazine, butorphanol, things that we use a lot of times with pre-meds. So, when you do find those zebras, so to speak, it's impactful.

Lindsey Kock, DVM, and Jenna Dockweiler, MS DVM, DACT, CCRT, CVAT dive into the health benefits of DNA testing and how it can strengthen the human animal bond. 