I don’t need to tell you how massive the internet is, or that it’s here to stay. Like it or not, our clients rely on internet research when it comes to the care of their pets and that’s not going to change. As I wrote about last week, while “Dr. Google” is a quack, there are a lot of websites that are really helpful that practitioners can use to amplify their voice. Rather than trying to be all things to all people, which is a strategy that is sure to fail, smart veterinarians and practice managers are embracing this new reality.

Here’s a list of a few websites that can be helpful to veterinarians, and a few that you might consider sending your clients to:

For veterinarians:

  1. http://www.veterinarypartner.com/ Keeping a hospital library of brochures on topics from atopy to zoonotic disease is a waste of time. Unless you have an associate who has a serious interest in writing, it’s impossible to keep 10-20 brochures “up to date” with current medical research and recommendations. Even if you did, is this the best use of their time? Veterinary Partner is a good, peer-reviewed site where you can send clients for additional information on diseases, treatments, medications, etc.. Rather than let your clients stumble around the internet and end up who-knows-where reading who-knows-what, guide them to a good place and let them go from there. At least you know they’re getting quality information.
  2. www.vin.com No surprise here. VIN is a great resource for interacting and collaborating with colleagues, though it’s a bit cumbersome to navigate. The user interface hasn’t changed in a good 10 years, but neither has most practice management software. ☺ VIN has a number of very well done clinical calculators (chocolate toxicity is my favorite) that alone are worth the price of admission.
  3. https://marketing.grader.com/ Hubspot offers a very cool free service where you can enter your practice’s URL and it will “grade” you on how effective it is on attracting people to your site. It also gives you suggestions for how to improve your score.

For pet owners:

  1. http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control is a great resource for both pet owners and veterinarians. It’s loaded with current information and their database is incredibly robust. I routinely refer pet owners to this website whenever they call with a question regarding toxicity to something I don’t have absolutely memorized. There’s a charge for the consult ($65 at last check) but they provide fantastic client service and followup. Money well spent.
  2. http://vet.osu.edu/nssvet This is a powerful nutrition website maintained by the nutrition service at “The” Ohio State University. It’s a great resource to point your clients to if they start asking about the latest “organic” or “gluten-free” diets. Or if they imply that, by feeding (pick your favorite premium pet food brand), they’d be slowly killing their pets. Great resource for people who know just enough to be dangerous.

Hope this helps….any other sites you like? Let me know and I’ll keep the list updated. Click to edit your new post…