Steal this back-to-school playbook to win back routine with quick, actionable steps any lean team can run to keep schedules full.
If your annual exam bookings are down, you’re not alone. Pet owners are stretching the time between checkups and saying no to routine care. A recent Gallup survey found that 52% of U.S. pet owners said they had skipped or declined needed veterinary care in the past year. Of those, 37% visited a vet but declined one or more recommendations, and 15% didn’t go in at all, often due to cost.
The pattern has been building. The AVMA reported that while practice revenue increased between 2021 and 2023, client visits fell by about 2.7%, indicating price sensitivity and delayed care. Newer AVMA updates show that visit pressure is expected to persist throughout 2025, as shown in their Industry Tracker.
Costs are a big part of the slowdown. Synchrony’s 2025 Pet Lifetime of Care study estimates lifetime veterinary expenses are up more than 10% for dogs and nearly 20% for cats versus 2022, and many pet parents admit they misjudge the true cost. When budgets tighten, routine visits are often the first to be cut, which is bad for long-term pet health and tough on practice finances.
So what can a small clinic do right now? Make September your “back-to-school” comeback. Families are back on routines. Schedules settle. It’s a great moment for a focused, empathetic win-back campaign that meets clients where they are and lowers the friction to book.
The Plan, Step by Step
- Campaigns that lead with value, not fear
Your clients want healthy pets and predictable bills. Keep the message simple and specific: “Annual screening catches problems early and keeps treatment costs lower.”
Many of our partners offer incentives to encourage visits. For prevention, offer a set-it-and-protect option like ProHeart 12, a once-yearly moxidectin injection that solves the “I forgot the pill” problem and can be aligned with wellness visits. For others, educational content on osteoarthritis shows pet parents that pain may look like unexpected behaviors or clinical signs, leading to a physical exam.
Our VerticalVet Custom Marketing Campaigns utilize short, positive, and effective language that highlights the benefits of prevention and respects tight budgets without resorting to scare tactics.
Custom Marketing Campaigns offers practice-branded education on annual blood work, lifestyle vaccines, osteoarthritis, and year-round prevention, along with ready-made social media templates and creative support when needed. Many are available at no cost to you! - Use three channels, one voice
Multi-modal outreach works best. VerticalVet’s Patient Health Reminders combine postcards, email, and text, so you are not betting on a single channel to win. Our data show that postcards can drive 50 to 70% compliance, email averages a 37% open rate, and 64% of clients prefer text for service follow-up. That is the kind of reach an independent clinic needs when time and team size are tight. Member practices report about $1,600 in weekly revenue tied to reminder-driven appointments. - Run a two-week cadence
Week one: Send a friendly postcard or email to remind individuals about overdue wellness and parasite testing.
Week two: Follow with a concise reminder and an easy online scheduling link. Keep the tone encouraging.
Offer a couple of prime-time slots for families juggling school and work. Measure booked appointments, kept-appointment rate, and add-on services per visit in addition to total revenue. - Script for price sensitivity
Train CSRs and techs to reframe cost conversations. Try: “Screening early can save significant costs and risks later. We can start with the essentials today and map out the rest.” Clients feel supported, not judged. Most want a plan. Give them one. - Close the loop on every missed call
Missed or mishandled calls quietly drain demand. Some reports estimate that up to 30% of new-patient inquiries go unanswered, and one in three callers never tries again. If your phones are slammed or your staff is stretched, consider an AI assistant such as our partner Peerlogic’s Aimee to capture voicemails, summarize calls, and flag hot leads for fast follow-up.
Quick callbacks protect hard-won marketing dollars and keep your schedule full. Pair this with your reminder campaign for the best effect.
Here is your four-step September plan:
- Pick your focus. Wellness check-ups, heartworm testing and/or prevention, osteoarthritis management, or senior pet care.
- Launch a two-week, three-channel reminder campaign. Postcard, email, text. Track results and refine as needed.
- Tighten your phone follow-up. Same-day callbacks for all new-client inquiries.
- Coach the team. Use clear, supportive scripts that connect prevention to savings.
Preventive care is the backbone of better medicine and a healthier business. The data indicate that visits have softened and budgets are under stress. The good news is that a small clinic can move fast. With simple scripts, short training, and a smart reminder plan, you can put routine care back on a routine schedule.
Win back preventive care. It’s better for your patients, easier on your team, and good for your bottom line.
Dr. Ernie Ward
Chief Veterinary Officer, VerticalVet
PS - If you have any questions or suggestions for “The Altitude,” please email them to me at
Quote I’m Contemplating
“He who cures a disease may be the skillfullest, but he who prevents it is the safest physician.” Thomas Fuller (1654-1734), English physician and writer
Dr. Thomas Fuller gives us the headline for this month. Our goal is to be the “safest” team for pets by prioritizing routine care.
Lead with value, not fear, and invite clients into simple wins: wellness exams, basic screenings, OA check-ins, and year-round preventives, especially for any once-yearly options for the “I forgot the pill” crowd.
Then make it easy to say “yes” to prevention. Use three-channel reminders: postcard, email, text, with one clear call to schedule. Offer a friendly script for price questions, an easy online link, and hold a few prime appointment slots for preventive visits. Close the loop on every missed call so interest never evaporates. Track what matters: booked exams, kept appointments, and add-on services, not just opens and clicks. When we act like “the safest physicians,” clients feel supported, not judged, and pets get timely preventive care.
Practice Predicament: Dr. Ernie Answers your Questions
What happens if you find out that new grad makes almost your 8-year salary?
Question: I’ve worked at the same clinic since I graduated eight years ago. I love my job, and my boss has always treated me well. I thought I was fairly compensated until we hired a new grad. She slipped up and told me her starting salary, which is just slightly below mine. To be honest, I feel disrespected. Should I confront my boss, demand a raise, or look for another job?
Dr. Ernie Answers: The gap between veterinarians' starting and maximum salaries has been closing over the past several years. I first described this trend in the early 2000s when I studied consolidated industries as part of a profession-wide study. I discovered that as independent pharmacies and optometrists were sold to corporations, they shifted their compensation models. The corporations captured a generation of professionals mainly because they could offer significantly better salaries and benefits, even if at an initial loss. By the time the salary cap was reached a few years later, the individual was less likely to make a risky change. Sound familiar?
My first response is that this may be the new normal. It sounds like you’re in an independently owned practice, and the owner is doing what they must to hire a new vet. In any business, it’s a struggle to determine the “top” salary for every position. Whether or not you’re getting close to that ceiling requires a bit of sleuthing and financial analysis by the owner. In uncertain economic times, those projections can be tricky, and if your model is wrong, you can face a severe budget shortfall. My guess is that your employer is doing everything possible to hire another veterinarian without considering the unintended consequences for you.
You should talk about this with your boss. The challenge is how to do it without sounding confrontational, ungrateful, or betraying your new colleague. My advice is to focus on your contributions to the practice in terms of revenue generation, leadership, reliability, and clientele. You’ve built a valuable portfolio and should be fairly compensated. Unless your practice has pay transparency, I wouldn't mention the other vet’s salary. Ultimately, this is about you, not them.
“Over eight years, I have grown my production, trained others, and built strong client loyalty. I want my compensation to reflect that value. Here are my numbers. I would like to discuss a base adjustment and a performance component tied to agreed-upon goals. I am committed to staying and helping us grow.”
Start by preparing examples demonstrating to the owner how a pay change can benefit you both. If you’re not on a production-bonus or profit-sharing program, float those ideas, backed by your research. Carefully evaluate any possibilities to increase your pre-tax benefits. Ask your accountant about creative ways to improve your total compensation that don’t include wages. Finally, would you be happier with more free time? That could be a powerful compromise for both of you if you can justify working less while maintaining the same production.
Your long-term commitment will probably be determined by how your boss responds to this conversation. Hopefully, they’ll respectfully consider all your issues and ideas, and you’ll reach a mutually beneficial resolution. If not, you have to consider whether you will feel appreciated and valued in another three to five years if nothing changes. Don’t be afraid to tell your boss you feel undervalued, as long as you back it up with data. Keep your arguments centered on business principles, not personal issues.
Finally, a gentle but important reality check: there is a practical limit to what veterinary professionals can be paid, one shaped by the number of patients we can see and what clients can afford. That doesn’t mean we’ve reached that limit or that we should accept the status quo. But recognizing the economic framework we’re working within helps us advocate more effectively, for ourselves and the profession. That’s not an excuse to pay less, but rather an acknowledgment of a feature and constraint of capitalism.
Meanwhile, independent practices must better manage their finances and run profitable enterprises to pay their staff fairly and competitively. Far too many veterinary professionals remain underpaid, leaving corporations an easy win. The current compression between starting and top salaries may feel like the “new normal,” but that doesn’t mean we stop pushing. There’s still room to grow and raise the ceiling.
For more of Dr. Ward’s practice advice, check out his regular column, “Opening Shots,” in Today’s Veterinary Business, or send your Practice Predicament to