Clinic spending edges up as lockdowns lift

Veterinary clinic spending in the first week of June was below last year’s levels, but it’s still increasing as pandemic restrictions ease. This is according to the latest data from VetWatch, an initiative from Vet Advantage publisher NAVC, Animalytix and several other partners.

Particularly, purchases of canine and feline core vaccines improved, while veterinary supply purchases were down as clinics work through their existing stockpiled inventories. The data accounts for more than 32,000 practices and shelters in the Animalytix database.

The Veterinary Consumption Index increased 1.6% from the previous year and 0.4% from the previous week. VCI is an indicator of general patient volume based on clinic purchasing.

Net purchasing of parasiticides rose 1% from the same period in 2019. Thirty-three states achieved positive net growth compared to the same year-to-date volumes in 2019.

The United States in early June was in the midst of protests, which appeared to affect business for some clinics. In 20 markets heavily affected by protests, 50% reported revenue below 2019 levels. Still, 19 of those 20 markets saw better revenue over the previous week.

In the VetWatch survey, 68% of respondents reported moving exclusively to a curbside service or drop-off patient experience. Less than 6% of respondents said they’re allowing normal client access to their physical space, while 31% said they’re using telemedicine.

Visit VetWatch for the latest data.