Commentary
Authored collaboratively by Wendy Hauser, DVM, Jon Ayers, MBA, and Charlotte McKay, MS, this article identifies the value and benefits inherent in moving diagnostics from reactive to an expected, key component of healthy pet wellness visits not, just chronic care. Kudos to the authors for bringing perspectives from individual practices, group practice analytics and the diagnostics industry in an easy-to-comprehend “must read” article.
Shifting paradigms
A study by Piper Sandler Research and Brakke Consulting found that diagnostics, including bloodwork, fecal analysis and urinalysis, are the most likely services declined by clients due to the lack of perceived value.
Preventive care diagnostics are one of the few tools in companion animal medicine that surface disease while it is still silent. Pairing the annual wellness visit with even a modest diagnostic panel can find disease early enough to do something about it.
Source: Today’s Veterinary Business, October 1, 2026. Link. Transparent communication around recommendations, pricing, quality of care, team expertise, and the long-term health benefits provided to the pet all contribute to perceived value. Practices that confidently explain why diagnostics matter, rather than presenting them as optional add-ons, are often better positioned to build trust and strengthen client accept.
Proactive lab work is NOT a discretionary upgrade to the wellness visit. It is the difference between practicing medicine on a known patient and practicing medicine on assumptions.”
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