The Pet Store Client: Making This Relationship Work

Abstract

When we are asked what we do as veterinarians, most of us would answer, on a basic level, that we help ensure animal health. Usually this is what the owners, our clients, want us to do. This task may be complicated when the client is a pet store. Although pet stores also want to protect their animals' health, concerns over the cost of pet health care, the potential for disease transmission among pets, and legal implications of selling sick pets may affect a pet store's decision to treat an ill animal. In addition, veterinarians generally try to aid pet stores with the hope of obtaining referrals from these stores once pets are sold; however, in helping these stores, veterinarians may be asked, at times, to compromise their ethics.In this round table discussion, I asked 4 veterinarians who routinely deal with pet stores to describe these interactions. The participants are Steve Metz, DVM, Shelburne Veterinary Hospital, Shelburne, VT, USA; Martin Randell, DVM, Dipl ACVIM, Somers Animal Hospital, Somers, NY, USA; Gregory Rich, DVM, West Esplanade Veterinary Clinic, Metairie, LA, USA; and Ken Welle, DVM, Dipl ABVP (Avian Practice), All Creatures Animal Hospital, Urbana, IL, USA. Their experiences with pet stores are both frustrating and rewarding. I hope they will make us all reflect our past interactions with pet stores and help guide us in our future pet store relationships.