OPINION
Capturing the amount of source data about product sales and client transactions, then assembling it consistently takes much time and commitment. The efforts and vision over the last decade-plus have allowed Animalytix to lead the development of VetWatchSM.
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The sustained overall growth bodes well for the industry in the near term. However, it is likely the softer trends reflect pre-pandemic behaviors. Waning attention to detail by pet owners, as well as short-staffed and time-crunched veterinary teams threaten sustained progress.
These statements in the week 29 VetWatch commentary beg deeper thought:
- The canine and feline core vaccine indices continue to moderate versus previous weeks as YTD growth slipped to +17.5 percent
- Kennel cough vaccines showed little movement at +17.6 percent YTD
- Chronic care medication purchases held relatively steady to +8.0 percent YTD
- The growth in unique patients was lower at +4.6 percent as was the number of unique clients at +5.1 percent
- M/A/R/C Research showed 48 percent of respondents said they would use curbside in the future after COVID has ended.
Thoughts on the statements above:
- The core vaccine softening may be the result of repeat clients not needing an initial puppy or kitten vaccine multi-dose series. It may also reflect traditional pet owner apathy to timely boosters.
- With shelter-at-home restrictions lifted, people are moving around the country more readily. One would expect that more pets are being boarded, going to day care and encountering new geographies. Adding atmospheric wildfire smoke as an irritant surely increases concerns about CIRDC and Bordetella So why are we flat?
- It is surprising to see chronic care medication purchases holding steady given the 2020-2021 adult dog shelter adoptions. Shouldn’t shelter dogs be more prone to conditions requiring chronic care like OA or periodontitis?
- The unique patients and unique clients metrics seem reversed. Maybe it is because pets seen before are now returning with new clients.
- Forty-eight percent of clients would use curbside going forward . . . meanwhile by some reports, clinics are avoiding curbside as fast as possible. This seems akin to Starbucks discontinuing the sale of muffins, scones and sweet snacks.
Source: VetWatch Commentary, Week 29 through July 24, 2021. Link.
INSIGHTS: Analysts may criticize the concerns expressed here. Each practice team needs to determine how its individual trends match regional information in the VetWatchSM data. For sure, people moving around more affects pet health stability. Pets isolated for more than a year could be more prone to disease when encountering dogs in the community, day care or boarding facility.
The calls to action are:
- Continue to offer curbside as an option
- Emphasize vaccine compliance communication with internal staff and clients
- Follow-up, follow-up, follow-up and consider doing it using digital technology which allows for more response and feedback