Commentary
Every week we see articles on various barriers to veterinary care. Cost consistently tops the list. Empowering veterinary professionals and clients to consider a wide range of treatment strategies, from technologically advanced and expensive to more traditional and less expensive, can potentially improve access to medical care all pets need, writes Julie Ann Nettifee, RVT, MS, VTS.
Nettifee provides a thorough discussion of the spectrum of care approach and its value to a pet, client and veterinary team. The importance of having the entire team confidently on the same page when engaging the animal owner is evident and must include the influencing capabilities of veterinary nurses. Achieving a clear understanding of the line between the minimum standard of care and substandard care is an important team discussion.
Source: Today’s Veterinary Nurse, Summer 2026. Link. Client communication and decision patience are important. Every member of the veterinary team should be encouraged to address socioeconomic and other barriers to veterinary care, discuss strategies to remove these barriers, learn how to perform financial triage, and engage in difficult discussions about the ethics of pet ownership and financial hardship.
Veterinary regulatory boards only mandate that veterinary professionals provide a range of care options that are at or above a minimum standard of care when providing a spectrum of care and that informed consent is obtained and documented.”
INSIGHTS: Veterinarians have provided care to a dozen or more dogs during my life. To date, no veterinary team offered me a single, rigid solution; there are always options, costs and outcome expectations discussed.
Image: From the article. Figure 1. An integrative model of client factors and contextual factors. Courtesy Richard A. LeCouteur.
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