[Compliance of dog and cat owners in preventive health care]

Regular preventive health care is an essential part of our pets' health and quality of life. Preventive healthcare appointments can result in the prevention of disease development as well as lead to the detection and subsequent treatment of existing health problems at an early stage. In order to achieve optimal health care, the owners' compliance is of most importance in addition to the veterinary advice. However, dog and cat owners often seem to be unaware of the necessity for preventive health care appointments, often as a result of poor communication by the veterinarian. Educational conversations concerning the necessity of regular preventive health examinations are therefore essential. Communication is one of the key factors in building an owner-veterinarian relationship. Veterinarians are advised to invest sufficient time for communication, be aware of their verbal and non-verbal statements, and enable the owner to participate in treatment decisions. Older animals are presented less often for preventive health care appointments than younger animals, although the prevalence of age-related and chronic diseases increases with age. Owners should therefore be informed on the fact that early detection and treatment of these diseases increases their animals' health and survival. Cats are seen less frequently in preventive health care than dogs; many owners are not aware of the characteristics of cats tending to hide signs of disease. Another reason lies in the fact that many cats are stressed by being captured and transported in addition to the visit in the veterinary practice itself. Veterinarians therefore should educate cat owners concerning stress-reducing transportation measures and design their practice in a more cat-friendly fashion. Compliance can also be influenced positively by appropriate practice management, such as offering monthly instalment payments, establishing annual preventive care plans, as well as regular re-scheduling strategies. In addition to enhancing the animals' health, this can also result in increased owner satisfaction.