Q: Our veterinary practice received a disturbing response to a rabies vaccine reminder. The client replied that she would never immunize her dog against rabies or anything else! She offered to send us research showing how harmful vaccines are and claimed she has a good lawyer to fight our county’s rabies mandate. The client is relatively new, and I’m worried she might cause us trouble. How should I handle the situation?
A: Vaccine hesitancy is alive and well. Adult and childhood vaccine rates are declining nationwide, and the spillover leads some pet owners to question veterinary immunizations. For example, a 2023 national survey conducted by the Boston University School of Public Health found that nearly 40% of surveyed dog owners believe that canine vaccines are unsafe, more than 20% consider them ineffective, and 30% think they are medically unnecessary. Shockingly, about 37% thought vaccinations could cause autism in pets. The study also found that approximately 6% of dogs were unprotected against rabies, 12% against parvovirus and 13% against distemper.
A small but combative contingent of pet vaccine opponents exists. Looks like you found one.
Don’t waste your time arguing the topic. I’ve found that adhering to the law is enough for me and most pet owners. Needless to say, abundant science backs immunizations. If you try to go toe-to-toe with vaccine foes on facts and opinions, both sides will end up limping. Skip fighting fringe folks and focus on like-minded pet owners instead.
In your case, if your clinic requires rabies vaccines, send her the policy. For example: “Our hospital policy requires animals to be compliant with North Carolina General Statute 130A-185 regarding rabies vaccination for us to provide routine or non-emergency care. Your records are attached for your convenience. We hope you are able to find a veterinary practice better suited to your needs.”
If you don’t have a written vaccine policy, now is an excellent time to create one.
Don’t expect anti-vaccine clients to go away quietly, although I hope they do. Ignore their comments and understand that their minority opinion is unsupported by research or reason. If they leave bad reviews, remain professional and provide an online link to your state law or local ordinance. Most responsible pet owners understand and appreciate the importance of vaccines, especially against rabies, and will ignore extremist reviews.
I can’t ignore the subtext of the client’s threat to hire an attorney. As soon as a client talks about legal action, I move to high-alert handling.
If you continue to see the dog owner, tread lightly, have witnesses and document everything. She might be hiding a host of contentious convictions. You don’t know her opinions on pet food, dog training, veterinary medications or preventive care. In her case, you’re justified in refusing to treat the pet, avoiding future combative confrontations.
In addition to updating your clinic’s vaccination policy, consider a blog or social media campaign explaining pet vaccines and confronting skepticism. Use the resources as a staff training tool and reference.
Q: Nearly every time we call a nearby clinic for a pet’s vaccine records, the person answering the phone is rude to my staff. I listened in on one of the calls, and I would be horrified if my staff treated another veterinary practice that way. Should I notify the clinic’s owner?
A: Clinic culture wars! What is rude and disrespectful behavior to you might be routine and accepted by someone else. And that’s just the beginning of solving your dilemma.
The behavior your team encounters likely originates from the culture cultivated by that practice’s leadership. I won’t claim that the owner and managers encourage disrespecting others, but they at least turn a deaf ear to the phone calls, indicating deeper issues within the business.
All this is to say the competing clinic’s leaders likely don’t and won’t care.
On the other hand, I’d want your team to call me. I’d like someone to see my blind spot so I could correct it. Now we’re back to cultural differences.
If you believe the other practice owner wants to improve the clinic, dial away. If not, consider the experience good for your business. Chances are, if the other clinic treats your staff poorly, it treats clients the same way, which probably is why you’re getting new patients.
No matter how you handle the situation, understand that all this is part of doing business in veterinary medicine. Some clinics are perturbed when you call to ask for medical histories, while others are polite and understand that record requests flow both ways. My goal is to be on my best behavior, and particularly professional, when dealing with colleagues, even if they’re jerks to me.
Q: My top veterinary technician gave her notice to quit. Over the past three years, I’ve been a mentor, loaned her money, paid for her expensive CE, gave her extra time off and apparently made her so valuable that a big corporation is paying her 30% more in addition to a signing bonus. All this talk of guiding and nurturing employees seems like a waste of time and money when they have no loyalty. Never again.
A: The value of relationships isn’t solely based on what other people can do for you but also on what you provide them. Congratulations are in order for you, at least after you get over the sting of losing an exceptional employee. From the sound of it, you gave at least as much as you received. You left your technician better than you found her, and that’s something to celebrate.
When I lost my first long-term employee, I was angry. How dare they leave me after all I’d done for them! How ungrateful and disloyal! I’d spent so much time, training and money on them!
How unrealistic were my expectations? Did I truly believe they would — and should — remain my employee forever?
I wondered why I felt that way and realized I was selfish. At that moment, I switched to a leadership philosophy of “Grow them so they can go.” I gave the people I cared for in my life permission to leave if they chose. Of course, permission wasn’t mine to give, but it allowed me to accept that people would come and go. And I found peace in that.
The reward of leadership is finding joy in helping others become the best possible version of themselves. That attitude must be more than a caption on a motivational poster and become essential to who you are. Enter into all relationships with an attitude of helping people reach their goals in parallel with your needs. If you do that, your outlook on team members will change.
Sure, you’re hurt when a valued employee resigns. But change your perspective and appreciate the progress and contributions you made together. And do it over and over. That is the true circle of life.
Finally, never say never. You never know when a former employee might return.