New, old challenges beg for radical change in veterinary profession
Notes:
- Nearly a third of the nation’s pets don’t see a veterinarian at least once a year. That’s over $7 billion worth of veterinary care not being delivered to animals.
- Surveys of pet owners who don’t regularly see a veterinarian suggest two underlying issues. Either these owners don’t see the value, or they don’t think they can afford veterinary care.
- And this is on top of the reality that you deal with every day, which is that two-thirds of pet owners you see may not be in compliance with recommendations for care
Keywords: Veterinary profession, crisis, educational gap
Summary:
This article covers some problems that veterinarians are facing. Not only is it an issue to get clients in for yearly checkups but for some they don’t see the value in it. If my animal is not sick why would I take it in mindset can later cause problems later on. Not every illness can be caught with symptoms. This article also explains on ways they need to change how they present the cost of animal care and why it is needed. Expenses can add up and I feel frustration from the pet owner can come from a lack of understanding on why certain procedures need to be done.
AVMA report details pet ownership, veterinary care
Notes
- Dr. Russak asked. “We are charging what we should be charging, but nobody ever explained to the pet-owning public why we’re worth it.”
- He said the veterinary profession needs to improve marketing and customer service while finding ways to help clients afford care.
- Pet ownership was higher among people who lived in a larger household, worked full time, owned a home, and lived in a smaller community. Pet ownership was lower among people with an advanced degree beyond college.
Keywords: Pet ownership, veterinary care, affordable care, cost of care
Summary:
This article goes into people admitting animal care is very important but almost 50% of people with animals don’t bring in their pets as much as they should. Some factors and reasons for this are availability and cost. I see a large trend of animal cost being an issue on why owners don’t bring in their pets to the vet more often. I can see how design can help promote programs that aid with pet costs more to the public. Lack of knowledge of these programs existing won’t help pet owners if they don’t know they are there. There is not a decrease in people owning pets, actually the opposite. Pet owners need to be informed of why animal care costs are justified and programs in place to help with costs.
https://www.avma.org/javma-news/2013-02-01/vital-statistics
More Pet Insurance Policies Are Being Sold. But Are They Worth the Cost?
Notes:
- Americans spent about $70 billion on pets in 2017, including purchases of animals, food, veterinary care, medicines and other services.
- Buying insurance could end up being more expensive for some pet owners than going without it, if their animal doesn’t require much care.
- Cats are generally less expensive to insure than dogs.
Keywords: Insurance, medical expenses, policies
Summary:
Pet insurance is a way people can afford big medical bills if they come up for future accidents. This article covers that yes pet insurance can be helpful depending on what insurance. Not every pet insurance program is created equal and some can cost more over time then without having a program. Like any insurance programs it covers the importance of doing research before you just sign up for something. Wanting to be finactionaly stable and prepared for your pet is important but also important to not be screwed over by a bad insurance policy.
FINANCIAL RESOURCES FOR PET OWNERS IN NEED
Notes:
- ARR’s focus is on pulling at-risk dogs and cats from shelters. Rather than accepting owner surrenders, we offer the following resources to help you do everything possible to keep your pet with you, regardless of whether you’re moving, experiencing financial difficulties, or having behavior-related issues with your pet.
- Adopting a pet should be a lifelong commitment. Animal Rescue of the Rockies believes that every pet deserves a happy, loving home. When difficult circumstances arise, we encourage you to research every avenue possible before surrendering your furry family member.
- Did you know the number one reason that pets are turned in to shelters is for behavior reasons? Many of these pets never make it out alive, and it’s not even their fault! Just as parents wouldn’t “get rid” of a child for behaving badly, why should a pet owner do this to their pet?
Keywords: ownership, responsibility, commitment, resources
Summary:
This is a great article that gives resources for animals that need extra love and care. Many animals who have behavioral issues may not be adopted or worse euthanized. Getting a pet is also a commitment and like with kids there may be behavioral issues that need to be addressed. This can be frustrating but this article offers methods and resources on how to tackle these issues. Animals are hard work and some are more work than others but the pay off in the end of at least trying will end with a great relationship between you and your pet.
https://arrcolorado.org/resources-for-pet-owners/
Veterinary Viewpoints: Giving and Receiving Veterinary Medical Advice via Social Media
Notes:
- Animal owners often turn to social media for answers to all types of questions including medical advice for their pets and livestock. Online information is abundant but not always accurate, and it may be difficult for some owners to differentiate the good from the bad.
- A non-veterinarian probably does not have the intricate medical knowledge required to diagnose a condition or disease.
- Most veterinary colleges and many private veterinary practices have websites and social media accounts offering general information about specific animal diseases. These are good sources for general information; however, most will not offer specific information via social media about a particular animal without a valid relationship.
Keywords: social media, animal care experts, medical advice
Summary:
This article covers social media playing a part in answering peoples animal medical questions. Also the problem with some people thinking they can answer medical questions without being a medical professional. I agree some questions can be found using the internet like finding good pet products. Using the internet does not always hurt to learn more information to care for your pet, just don’t depend on it to cure your sick dog. Great resource to be informed but if you think your animal is having issues best to see a vet instead of relying on google.
After ‘pandemic pups,’ local veterinary clinics are overwhelmed and overbooked
Notes:
- “It makes sense that people were like, ‘Oh, I’m stuck at home, this is a great time to get a puppy. Because I’ll have all kinds of time to train them and to spend time with them,’” Balser said.
- Balser said pet owners tended to make more appointments than normal because they were home so much more during COVID-19 and noticed smaller things in their pets they wanted to get checked out.
- Clinics reported that clients have been frustrated by the wait times for appointments and emergency visits. While some clients are understanding, some take their frustrations out on staff, Maione said. Her receptionists and care coordinators are feeling the brunt of clients’ anger, dealing with “yelling and swearing” at times.
Keywords: pandemic, staffing problems, overbooking
Summary:
This article covers another problem vets are running into and that is a flood in new clients. Over the pandemic many people have resorted to getting furry companions to make the pandemic a little less dreary. This has overloaded vets and created longer waiting times for clients. Overall creating a stressful environment for both vet staffing and animal parents waiting to get appointments. Staffing issues are also a problem. Without proper staffing clinics can’t take in more patients. This also results in not very patient clients taking their anger out on staff creating not a healthy work environment. Over time these problems will be resolved but as for right now it is a struggle for most clinics to meet pet demands.
How to Use Visual Communication: Definition, Examples, Templates
Notes:
- Images are the simplest and the most effective way to make sure that the information gets stored as a long-term memory. As per Dr. Lynell Burmark, an education consultant, our short term memory processes words and can only retain about seven bits of information. Whereas, images are directly processed by our long-term memory, where they get indelibly etched.
- The positive aspects of visuals hold true only when they are used appropriately. The quality and relevance of visuals matter a lot.
Keywords: Visuals, communication, education, images
Summary:
This article covers the importance visuals have with communicating topics and people’s ability to retain this information. Hard topics like complex animal surgeries or other information can also be explained using visuals. Sometimes just hearing and seeing a lot of heavy information can be overwhelming. With visual elements it can be easier to digest all this information. This can aid my design thesis with finding research support of taking complex ideas and breaking them down in a different way.
https://elearningindustry.com/visual-learning-6-reasons-visuals-powerful-aspect-elearning
When Words Fail: How to Deliver Bad News
Notes:
- The act of physically getting the words out of our mouths to deliver such news can be a painstaking process, and yet one that inevitably must occur so that life can move forward.
- We cannot take on everyone else’s problems, but we can certainly acknowledge that the problems are there, and then work together to create a mutual agreement on how to move forward.
Keywords: process, loss, emotion, pain
Summary:
Animal care comes with the problem of breaking bad news to a client. Neither end wants to give bad news or hear bad news so situations like those need to be handled with care. A Lot of emotions run through when hearing bad news, especially news out of nowhere. It can be hard for a client to hear and come to terms that their pet is not in a good condition. This article covers ways to help convey what needs to be said but also having sympathy with what is happening. Offering resources about coping can also be beneficial with overcoming hearing bad news. This is more of the darker end of the job but it is realistic.
The Need for Humane Education
Notes:
- Humane education can play an important role in creating a compassionate and caring society which would take benign responsibility for ourselves, each other, our fellow animals and the earth.
- humane education has the potential to spur the development of empathy and compassion. Empathy is believed to be the critical element often missing in society today and the underlying reason for callous, neglectful and violent behavior.
- When a home is not a safe and caring place for animals it is not a safe and caring place for people either.
Keywords: Compassion, education, Empathy, behavior
Summary:
This article covers what can be the root of the problem of why there is no compassion towards animals or a lack of. It helps to start learning as a young child how to take care of animals and simple animal problems. More programs in place on why to be compassionate to animals and how to properly take care of them will cause the child to grow up to be more knowledgeable about the issue. Teaching adults is one thing but learning as a child is another because that is the base of what makes us a person. This knowledge earlier in life will help solve problems of how animals are treated later in life.
https://worldanimal.net/our-programs/humane-education/the-need-for-humane-education
Anti-Vaxxers: Understanding and Addressing Client Concerns
Notes:
- The World Health Organization declared vaccine hesitancy—defined as “the reluctance or refusal to vaccinate despite the availability of vaccines”—to be one of the top 10 threats to global health.
- Finally, lack of access to vaccination, lack of knowledge, and religious beliefs can contribute to vaccine hesitancy as well.
- Vaccination of animals protects both animals and humans.
Keywords: Vaccine, health, education, knowledge
Summary:
This article covers pet owners being reluctant to get their pets vaccinated. This is a problem also among human populations but also we are seeing it in animal communities as well. This issue is very education based on making sure clients’ worries are at rest when it comes to vaccines. Some pet vaccines like rabies can also affect humans if we don’t vaccinate. Parvo virus is another one that is more times fatel then survivable. It can be frustrating having a conversation explaining why vaccines are necessary for our pets but it is increasingly needed. Overall, vaccinating your pets is worth it because the alternative can cost your pet their life.
Name a general topic area.
Animal wellness
Refine the general topic area into one or two concise, descriptive words.
Pet education
Write a specific description of the topic area.
Frustration among clients when it comes to understanding why vet procedures are needed and the justification for the cost.
Write out the specific problem in the topic you are interested in solving.
I’m interested in either how to help visually show hard topics through the aid of visuals or other problems vets face and creating a design solution to help ease those issues.
Combine the topic and the problem into a concise sentence or two.
Vets are facing an increase of clientele but still struggle with problems of the past of clients not understanding the benefits of seeing a vet.
Fine-tune your topic’s focus by introducing how you believe design can be used to solve the problem.
Design can help solve or aid this problem because of its visual nature. Visuals can help break down complex ideas that are easier to understand and easier to remember. This process can help clients learn tougher information in a more timely manner hopefully decreasing frustration.
Kayleen Lawson 