Clients will often call veterinary clinics to request refills of medications and for a variety of reasons: the medications has been left at home, or they suspect their pet has an ear/skin infection and it’s the same as last year and would just like the medications.
But, there are many reasons why veterinarians are not able to just dispense medications to patients they have not seen recently.
One of those reasons is the Veterinary Client Patient Relationship (VCPR). VCPR is established by a veterinarian if they choose. It sets up expectations as to the scope of care the veterinarian will provide the client and pet.
Without a valid VCPR, veterinarians are not able to provide clinical veterinary services – this includes prescribing, dispensing or administering drugs.
The relationship between the pet owner or client, your pet (a.k.a. the patient), and the veterinarian is the cornerstone to safe, reliable veterinary care. It not only develops trust between all parties, allowing the best care possible and establishing the scope of services the veterinarian can provide, but it is also a legal requirement from the College of Veterinarians of Ontario (CVO).
The VCPR can be verbal or written, and once established, it needs to be preserved by maintaining informed consent with the client to any services provided, and the veterinarian must have enough recent knowledge of the pets to make a diagnosis and prescribe.
To have that knowledge, your pet needs to have regular exams so we can make the most informed medical decisions. Pets age faster than people. The old adage that pets age seven years for every calendar year they are alive is a rough estimate; in truth, it is a lot less linear. A two-year-old dog or cat is roughly 14-23 years old, adding 4-7 “human years” for each year of life after that.
It also depends on the size of the pet. Large breed dogs age a lot faster than small breeds, with larger canines considered senior at around five years of age, whereas small dogs are considered seniors between seven and 10 years of age.
The most important tool veterinarians have to assess your pet’s health is the physical examination. Pets can’t talk and tell us what’s wrong, so you’re veterinary staff are highly trained to feel, listen and observe small details that can be crucial to determine proper tests or treatment to be prescribed.
The examination starts well before we’ve even put our hands on them — behaviour, gait and head position are all assessed before the history is taken.
Clients can have a VCPR with more than one veterinarian, but to ensure continuity of care, it is important for clients to let each veterinarian know who else is providing care so medical records can be shared.
Quality veterinary care relies on trust and cooperation between the client and veterinarian (and, of course, the pet!). Veterinarians want to provide care to your pets and see them live long, healthy lives. Maintaining the VCPR with regular exams helps them do that.
Dr. Courtney Andrews is a veterinarian in Sudbury, a graduate of the Royal School of Veterinary Studies and dog mom to Argyll and Einstein. Animals & Pets is made possible by our Community Leaders Program.
