In a presentation at a recent convention, Karen Felsted, CPA, MS, DVM, CVPM, and Barden Greenfield, DVM, DAVDC, warned against serving up lame, lukewarm dental and wellness recommendations. She modeled better language by offering a do-this-not-that approach when talking about dental care and infections.
Source: DVM 360, October 28, 2016.
- Don’t say: “Looking at Linus’ teeth, it wouldn’t hurt to consider a dental in the near future.”
- Why it sucks: It’s weak. You don’t sound sure, so why would the client ever say yes?
- A better approach: “Linus has plaque on his teeth and he’s suffering from gingivitis. We grade this as stage 2 dental disease. He needs a cleaning and a full evaluation of his oral health under general anesthesia. I’m going to bring Pam in to discuss Linus’ treatment plan and take a look at my book to see when I can do this procedure for him.”
INSIGHTS: Dialogue modeling is a good exercise for veterinary team meetings. It also applies to home care recommendations in both veterinary hospital and retail environments.
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