The halls are decked and the presents are under the tree. It is a holiday card in the making, except for one small thing. You may not have realized that those beautiful gifts under the tree might be a hazard for your household pets.

A commonly cited paradigm for how we should think about marketing is “The 4 P’s”:  product, price, promotion, and place.  For our use, place is synonymous with distribution:  how do your clients receive products and services from you?  The obvious answer is “at the clinic”, and that might have been the end of the discussion when I graduated from vet school in 1995.  In 2015, however, the complete answer is far more complex than that.  Where else are you providing service to your clients?  The Internet has completely revolutionized the idea of “place” with respect to the traditional definition of marketing mix.  Truth be told, this is the one “P” that has changed the most in the digital revolution.  

Animal shelters, rescue organizations, and other animal-related nonprofits work around the clock to save and improve the lives of animals throughout our country and the world. Many of these groups are focused on using as much of their available funds as possible to help animals in need, leaving them to operate on shoestring budgets and an army of volunteers.

Veterinary practice owners and managers are becoming increasingly aware of the power of mobile technology, which is a great thing.  There’s no doubt that the explosion of smartphone technology has created a tremendous opportunity to provide value to clients year-round, not just when they’re in the office.

There are certain breeds of dogs that have a bad stigma that they just can’t shake. This can result in discrimination and hardship for these breeds, and leaves many of these dogs sitting unwanted in shelters and more likely to be euthanized.