Does Your Mom’s Dog Get an Employee Discount? Confusion and Misuse of Veterinary Staff Discounts and Pet Care Benefits

Hypothetically speaking, have you ever encountered a veterinary staff member who added their parent’s pets to their personal account? Do those pets receive the same discounts, priorities, or privileges as other staff member’s own pets? What about calling for after-hours assistance on behalf of friends and family? Viewfinders, how far do pet care discounts and benefits extend? Do you have written policies governing these rules? Let’s get into it. Host Dr. Ernie Ward and Beckie Mossor, RVT, share their experiences with veterinary team members skirting on the edge of extending their pet care benefits too far. Our hosts reveal real-life examples and tactics they used to avoid hurting feelings. Dr. Ward also discusses the guilt he has felt when contacted after-hours by a well-meaning staff member seeking help for a neighbor or friend’s pet. He shares how he overcame these feelings of guilt and why he believes every clinic needs to discuss this issue and develop guidelines. Beckie encourages all veterinary practices to “get ahead of this issue before it becomes a problem.” She also worries that this is a bigger problem than most clinics realize (or admit) and how it may negatively impact team morale. Viewfinders, have you experienced this? Share on our Facebook or Instagram pages or email us at [email protected].