Spectrum of Care

In every veterinary hospital, professionals share a fundamental belief: every pet, along with their owner, deserves to be treated with equal care, respect, and non-judgmental understanding. However, this approach is often misinterpreted.

A common complaint we encounter from pet owners at my clinics and is commonly seen on social media tend to go something like, “The vets are just trying to upsell,” or “They’re only after more money.” These comments suggest that pet owners believe veterinary teams are pushing unnecessary services.

When you bring your pet to us, particularly in times of illness, our first step is usually a comprehensive consultation and external evaluation to understand their specific health needs. This process includes an open conversation with you, the pet owner. We aim to listen attentively to your concerns and observations to understand what’s been happening at home. After our evaluation, it’s our legal and ethical responsibility to present and educate you about our recommendations for your pet’s care. I believe it’s at this point that misunderstandings arise.

It’s important to note that you, the pet owner, ultimately have control over your pet’s care. The veterinary team requires your consent before proceeding with any treatments.

Veterinary medicine is not one-size-fits-all, presenting a challenging balance for vets and their teams. Every pet family has different desires, needs, and limitations – be they emotional, financial, practical, or otherwise. To fairly accommodate each family, we offer what is called a “spectrum of care.” At one end are the most comprehensive options, with more conservative choices available as well.

This conversation typically begins with the veterinary team explaining their recommendations at the comprehensive end of the spectrum, along with their reasons. This isn’t “upselling”; it’s fulfilling their legal duty and demonstrating a commitment to equitable care.

It then becomes the pet owner’s responsibility to communicate any concerns, hesitations, or limitations to the veterinary team. Your relationship with your veterinary team is precisely that: a relationship. It requires trust, partnership, and communication. As mentioned before, you are ultimately in control of your pet’s care. If the comprehensive options presented aren’t feasible for you, it’s essential to communicate that so the team can find a suitable plan within your constraints.

Veterinary medicine is not one-size-fits-all…

However, accusing the veterinary hospital of suggesting unnecessary procedures, medications, and diagnostics in pursuit of profit is unfair. Such actions would be unethical, and making these accusations undermines our integrity as professionals. Remember, you are not the only client a vet sees in a day. Your needs and preferences may differ from those of the clients before and after you. What you decline for your pet might be what the next person chooses.

Let’s consider some real-life examples from our hospitals.

 A simple situation where we’ve faced accusations of “offering unnecessary things” involves parasite prevention. In our area, ticks are prevalent. Previously, parasite prevention was recommended for half the year: April through November. However, with changing weather patterns and parasite migration, our clinics now advise year-round prevention. We inform owners that ticks are active whenever temperatures rise above 0 degrees Celsius, even if just for a day. We’ve found ticks on dogs in every month of the year. Despite our education efforts, some owners perceive our recommendation as an “upsell,” which is an unfair judgment. This advice is consistent across all clients because we believe it’s in the pets’ best interest. Neglecting to recommend parasite prevention could lead to a pet contracting Lyme disease, a disservice to the animal and its family. 

 Another situation that has come up in the past happened when a client was new to our hospital. They brought their dog in for an annual appointment and the history from the previous vet indicated a heart murmur. Our doctor confirmed the murmur and discussed a cardiac work up. The owner took the estimate for the suggested diagnostics and left the appointment. The client later phones and asked to speak to me, the Hospital Manager, to make a complaint that our veterinarian was “upselling” and suggesting unnecessary diagnostics. They felt this way because their previous vet advised them to monitor the dog at home, and only to start on a medication for the heart when the respiratory rate increased while at rest. I had to explain to this owner that our vet was not wrong for informing him of his options for his pet. I can’t speak to what his conversation with his previous veterinarian might have been like, but it’s our duty (as he paid for a consult with our clinic) to let him know that we have options for diagnostics that can lead to treatment in the aim of extending the good years he can have with his dog. He could certainly could monitor respiratory rates and wait to intervene at that time, but it was our duty to inform him that there was more options available to him.

This client was unhappy with our vet for presenting a comprehensive option. However, it wasn’t wrong, or malicious of our vet to do so. This client could have simply declined the treatment plan, which he did, and move on. But it is important to note that there are many pet owners out there that do choose the comprehensive treatment plan when a veterinarian detects a heart murmur in their pet. Therefore, we will continue to present this as an option to our clients.

…pet owners have the right to be informed, but you also have the right to decline.

When visiting your veterinary hospital next, it is important to remember that you as pet owners have the right to be informed, but you also have the right to decline. Misunderstandings about our intentions, while unfortunate, are an opportunity for us to reinforce the trust and communication that are essential in the veterinary-client-patient relationship. We encourage open dialogue, as it helps us tailor our care to meet the unique needs and circumstances of your family. We stand by our recommendations as a reflection of our professional integrity and our dedication to providing the highest standard of care.