Tips to celebrate World Veterinary Day within your practice

April 27 is World Veterinary Day. World Veterinary Day was established by the World Veterinary Association (WVA) in 2000 to honor the veterinary profession and promote the lifesaving work you do. The celebration is held annually on the last Saturday of April.

In 2008, the WVA partnered with the World Organization for Animal Health to develop the World Veterinary Day Award, to reward the most successful contributions to the profession. This year’s theme promotes the role of the veterinary profession in sustainable development to improve livelihoods, food security and safety.

Research data from the American Veterinary Medical Association cites there are currently 117,735 positions held by U.S. veterinarians. How will you celebrate within your practice?

Promote the global theme of food security and safety

Veterinary professionals are crucial to establishing quality standarvetsds, educating farmers and ensuring animals and animal products remain safe for human consumption. From teaching sustainable farming and livestock management practices around the world to developing and administering vaccines that improve the health and welfare of people and animals, veterinarians serve many roles including public health advocates, teachers, researchers and inspectors.

The world’s population is estimated to reach 9.7 billion people by 2050, thus creating an even larger demand for animal protein and products. Activities generated by this year’s theme will contribute to the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals such as poverty, zero hunger, good health and economic growth.

On a local level, large animal veterinarians can partner with local agricultural extension agencies to share the latest news on pest management strategies, vaccination updates or herd management techniques. Companion animal practices can take part by sharing the importance of picking up trash, not dumping into storm drains or polluting water. Consider hosting a food drive or local trash pick-up effort to engage your local community.

Show your staff how much you appreciate their efforts

Honor your staff and all the great work they do every day. This is a great way to involve your clients, too. Send an email to your client list and ask them to share photos or comments about how your staff has made a positive impact on the life of their pet. Create posters or framed collages with the photos, thank you notes and comments highlighting all the wonderful things people have said about your staff members. Display them around your office then give one to each staffer as a keepsake.

Thank clients for their trust in you

Ideally, clients will be honoring YOU on World Veterinary Day for the love and care you’ve provided for their animals. Chances are, however, that your customers don’t even know about the global celebration. Send out an email or postcard announcing the date. Consider hosting a special open house, offering a discounted service or handing out a small practice-branded gift (such as a ball or plastic food bowl) as a thank you to your clients.

Covetrus North America offers a sincere thank you for everything you do to keep animals healthy and safe. Happy World Veterinary Day to you from all of us.

Sources

https://www.avma.org/KB/Resources/Statistics/Pages/Market-research-statistics-US-veterinarians.aspx

http://www.oie.int/for-the-media/press-releases/detail/article/world-veterinary-day/

http://www.worldvet.org/news.php?item=364

http://www.worldvet.org/uploads/docs/wvd_2018_announcement_en.pdf