CAPC-Bayer study reveals major opportunity to grow veterinary practices by educating clients about local parasite prevalence

ORLANDO, Fla., Jan. 19, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- A study conducted by the Companion Animal Parasite Council (CAPC), in collaboration with Bayer HealthCare Animal Health, found that: local, timely parasite information can be a driver for veterinary clinic visits; and  parasite testing and education provides an untapped opportunity for veterinarians to generate greater revenue and develop stronger relationships with their clients. In fact, 90 percent of pet owners surveyed said they want their veterinarians to provide them with local parasite prevalence data. When armed with this information, 89 percent of pet owners are likely to make an appointment with their veterinarian.

The Connecting with Today's Clients (CTC): The importance of local, timely parasite information Study also found that: 92 percent of veterinarians agree their clients would more likely seek out their services if they were aware of parasite risks in their area; 78 percent of pet owners consider their veterinarian to be their primary source of parasite information; and 66 percent want that information immediately, including 55 percent who want to be notified by phone.

These and other study findings were announced today at the North American Veterinary Community (NAVC) Conference in Orlando. The findings are based on a nationally representative online survey of: 2,000 pet owners; 400 veterinarians, practice owners and decision makers; and 300 veterinary technicians.

"The CTC Study's primary objective was to gather definitive data from pet owners, veterinary technicians and veterinarians that demonstrated practices can win by focusing on parasite prevention and education," said Christopher Carpenter, DVM, MBA, executive director, Companion Animal Parasite Council. "When we found that 9 out of 10 pet owners do want to know about local parasite prevalence and will seek veterinary care if there is a problem, our next step was to help veterinarians put these findings into practice. We created easy-to-use tools that will help ensure their practices become more proactive in communicating with clients about the threat of parasitic activity in their area."

Resources that will be made available at no charge to veterinarians include: Parasite Prevalence maps that are updated monthly; educational webinars; and CTC Study key findings video series, among other tools. According to Dr. Carpenter, CAPC believes veterinary practices will find these resources valuable because, while the study found 68 percent of veterinarians do not currently track positive parasite cases in their area, a nearly equal number—67 percent—indicated they were interested in doing so.   

Strengthening veterinary practices and animal health through parasite awareness
"The CTC Study provides veterinarians with a clear call-to-action, which is to provide their clients with local parasite prevalence data," said Cristiano von Simson, DVM, MBA, director, Veterinary Technical Services, Bayer HealthCare LLC Animal Health. "Pet owners will see the value in that information and, in turn, take their pets to their local clinics—increasing revenue for the veterinary profession and helping their pets stay healthy. So it's a win-win!"

About Companion Animal Parasite Council (CAPC)
The Companion Animal Parasite Council (www.capcvet.org) is an independent not-for-profit foundation comprised of parasitologists, veterinarians, medical, public health and other professionals that provides information for the optimal control of internal and external parasites that threaten the health of pets and people. Formed in 2002, CAPC works to help veterinary professionals and pet owners develop the best practices in parasite management that protect pets from parasitic infections and reduce the risk of zoonotic parasite transmission.

About Bayer HealthCare
The Bayer Group is a global enterprise with core competencies in the fields of health care, agriculture and high-tech materials. Bayer HealthCare, a subgroup of Bayer AG with annual sales of EUR 18.9 billion (2013), is one of the world's leading, innovative companies in the healthcare and medical products industry and is based in Leverkusen, Germany. The company combines the global activities of the Animal Health, Consumer Care, Medical Care and Pharmaceuticals divisions. Bayer HealthCare's aim is to discover, develop, manufacture and market products that will improve human and animal health worldwide. Bayer HealthCare has a global workforce of 56,000 employees (Dec. 31, 2013) and is represented in more than 100 countries. More information at www.healthcare.bayer.com

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This release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer Group or subgroup management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Bayer's public reports which are available on the Bayer website at www.bayer.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.

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