Introduction vii

 1 Why do we need clients?
Why do we need clients? – The vet as social worker – The vet’s role and status in society – The responsibility of the profession – Responsibility of the individual vet to the profession – Stress avoidance – Benefits of good client relations – Pets need vets?

 2 Making clients feel at home
Having the right state of mind – Practice ambience – Surgery pets – Staff selection and training – The practice’s attitude to clients – Dress code – How familiar should you be? – The advantages of friendly relations with clients – The pitfalls of familiarity – Meeting new clients– Making time for a client – To joke or not to joke – Children

 3 Making your message understood
Problems of misunderstanding – Missing the point – Tailoring your language – Getting a meaningful history – The advantages of getting your point across – Methods of client education – Newsletters – Handouts – The waiting room – Pre-operative instructions – Consent forms – Post- operative instructions – Vaccination health checks – Action plans– Using the media – Value for money

 4 Clients have pets as well
Pets are loved – The first time – Calming techniques – Avoiding further stress – Chemical aids to animal handling – Bribery – Outside the consulting room – Staff involvement – Experience in keeping pets – Knowing your species

 5 The art of persuasion
The need for persuasion – Advantages of keeping pets – The ‘my pet/my friend’ approach – The soft sell – Examples of situations needing persuasion – Vaccinations – Health checks – Laboratory tests – Diets: weight reducing or clinical – Operations – Treatment for less valuable pets – Treatment for the ailments of old age – Dental care – Insurance – Paying bills (getting your money) – Worming – Flea treatment – Skin and ear cases – Neutering – Alternative therapy – Encouraging well-behaved pets

 6 How to look good
How not to look bad? – Be older – The role of lay staff – Communication: vet to vet and vet to staff – Communication: vet to client – Keeping to appointment times –Promising to contact clients – Be confident – Keeping up to date with therapies – Keeping up to date with current affairs – Know your breeds – Dress code – Professional attitude – A sympathetic approach – Surgery – Contacting owners after operations – Progress reports on in-patients – Follow up calls – Noting details on the records – Noting personal details on records – Being prepared – Coping with badly behaved pets – Unrealistic promises – Avoiding telephone diagnosis – Knowing when to refer – Damage limitation

 7 How to break bad news
Think of the client – Sympathising with owners – How much to tell and when to tell it – The gloomy approach – The eternal optimist – The gentle approach – Do your own dirty work – Body language – When things go wrong – Anaesthetic deaths – The bill – The normal bill – The bill where something has gone wrong

 8 Awkward situations
Second opinions 1: to you – Second opinions 2: from you – Serial clients – Out-of-hours calls – Visits – Mistakes – Complaints – Animals which won’t get better – Misunderstandings – Inadvertent disagreements with colleagues – Bad debtors – Shedding clients

 9 Euthanasia
The gift of euthanasia – Responsibilities – The veiled request for euthanasia – Persuading a client – Recognising the ‘right time’ – Where to do the deed – When to do the deed – How to do the deed – Exotic pets – After the event – Disposal – Planning ahead – The follow up

10 How to be a helpful client
Appointments – Not wasting the vet’s time – Control of your pet – Dangerous pets – Handling pets – Children – Answering questions – Listening to the vet – Repeat prescriptions – Out-of-hours service – Knowing the form

Index