To celebrate the unique bond people and pets share, the AVMA sponsors National Pet Week during the first full week of May each year. Between May 5 and 11, 2024, consider the daily Pet Week themes as a starting point to identify opportunities for client education and strengthening the veterinarian-client-patient relationship. Inspired by these Pet Week themes, our Rumpus team presents current pertinent education topics your team can share with clients through social media posts, email blasts, blogs, or handouts.
Day 1: Choose well — Commit for life: Pet selection counseling
Responsible pet ownership starts long before the client brings a new pet home. Remind pet owners that choosing the right pet for their family is crucial to a harmonious life together. Veterinary teams should also emphasize the decade-plus commitment pet ownership requires and the importance of considering your future plans before adopting.
Day 2: Behavioral health — Habits for healthy pets: Addressing behavioral myths
Behavioral issues can significantly impact a pet’s well-being and the human-animal bond. Seize the opportunity to address common misconceptions about pet behavior by providing guidance and resources on topics you address ad nauseam in the clinic. For example, you can remind clients in a blog post that cats who pee outside the litterbox aren’t doing so because of some negative human emotion such as revenge or anger. Cats who urinate inappropriately are likely stressed or experiencing physical discomfort that requires the pet owner’s understanding and veterinary intervention.
Day 3: Nutrition and exercise matter: Expanding exercise horizons
Proper nutrition and regular exercise are fundamental pet care aspects that pet owners often overlook. Remind clients that a dog’s exercise should include more than a daily walk and that cats need exercise too. Encourage pet owners to explore dog sports, interactive indoor play, or swim classes to keep pets mobile and trim throughout their lives.
Day 4: Love your pet? See your vet: The value of preventive care
Preventive care is crucial for maintaining a pet’s health and allows for early disease detection, but many pet owners skip routine visits because their furry pal seems healthy. Emphasize the value of regular check-ups and wellness exams, highlighting examples of how prevention and screening tests can mitigate disease risk and add years to a pet’s life—something all pet owners want but aren’t sure how to achieve.
Day 5: Travel with care: Reducing travel stress
Traveling is stressful for everyone, but pet owners can minimize their pet’s anxiety and ensure a smooth journey with careful preparation. Arm clients with travel tips, including strategies to help cats acclimate to carriers and to help dogs settle in their vehicle restraints using training, supplements, pheromones, and calming wraps. Encourage pet owners to schedule a vet visit before long trips to discuss whether prescription sedatives would benefit the pet.
Day 6: Emergencies happen — Be prepared: Emergency preparedness
Most pet owners don’t plan for the worst, but emergencies happen all the time. Offer clients a refresher course on emergency preparedness, including how to make a first aid kit and pull together contact information for poison control and the nearest veterinary emergency facilities. Remind them that swift action can save their furry pal’s life.
Day 7: Plan for their care — Give them a lifetime of love: Senior pet care
Senior pets hold a special place in pet owners’ hearts and deserve to be celebrated, but they also require specialized care and attention. Provide tips for helping senior pets adapt to changing physical or cognitive abilities, including recommendations for daily movement and mind-sharpening games. You can also take this topic down another path and provide pet owners with advice to plan for a lifetime of pet-related costs, including information about insurance or the third-party payment options your hospital accepts.
National Pet Week is a great time to show veterinary clients that you care about their pet’s health and well-being. If you get stuck trying to coordinate daily social posts or don’t have the time to write a blog, reach out to Rumpus Writing and Editing for professional and impactful veterinary copywriting services.
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