AVMA, AAHA & More Than 90 Veterinary Health Organizations Partner to Launch Direct to Consumer Campaign Urging Annual Checkups for Family Pets
With reports of pet obesity, diabetes and cancer on the rise, officials of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) and more than 90 organizations across all levels of the veterinary profession have joined together to form Partners for Healthy Pets (PHP), a group that today previewed a public information campaign urging pet owners to schedule annual checkups for their cats and dogs.
“This is an unprecedented opportunity for the veterinary care community,” said Ron DeHaven, DVM, Chief Executive Officer of the AVMA and chairman of the partnership. “It’s a platform for all of us to communicate the importance of preventive care to pet owners, to enhance the relationships we share with them, and ultimately to deliver even higher quality preventive care.”
Dr. DeHaven reinforced the campaign’s core message, “Annual checkups give veterinarians the opportunity to detect and treat disease and conditions before they become expensive, life threatening problems for pets.” He noted, “Pets age much faster than humans, so disease and crippling conditions come on faster too. That’s why we’re urging pet owners to make annual veterinary checkups part of their health care routine. Annual checkups are a simple, effective way for pet owners to ensure that their pets receive veterinary care when it can do the most good.”
The new public information campaign was introduced to the veterinary profession at the AVMA’s annual conference in Chicago. The two-part campaign includes a tool kit to help the veterinary healthcare team better communicate the need for annual checkups with their clients and a fully integrated direct to consumer communications program designed to engage pet owners with their veterinarians.
Veterinarians have been urged to join the campaign and access the toolbox by enrolling or through their distributor or industry sales representative. http://www.partnersforhealthypets.org/
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