Survey shows high level of trust in veterinary care

Are pet owners ready for online consultations? How much trust do they put in their vet and do they use insurance to cover the costs? In what way do veterinarians influence decisions about which products to buy, and to what extent do owners take their vet’s advice?

A total of 1,412 pet parents (51% dog owners and 49% cat owners) from the UK, Canada, France and the US responded to these and other questions in our survey.

Going to the vet

Most dog and cat owners (75%) have consulted a vet within the last 12 months. More pet parents in France have consulted a veterinarian compared to other countries, with dog owners more likely to do so than cat owners (80% versus 70%).

On average, nearly half of the pet owners consult their vet 2-5 times a year, especially Canadians and people in the 25-34 age group. Many pet parents (38%) go once a year, with only 6% visiting their vet more than 5 times a year.

How to choose one?

Proximity is the main consideration for pet owners when choosing their vet (46%), followed by a friend’s recommendation (27%) and online reviews (12%). Younger generations, such as 25-34 year-olds, are more likely to base their selection on online reviews (25%) compared to those aged 45+ (7% or less).

Making an appointment

Most people (86%) like to phone for an appointment to see a vet, with only 10% using their vet’s website. Americans are slightly more likely to book an appointment via a website, while French pet owners are the least likely to do this.

Pet health insurance

Only 28% of pet owners have pet health insurance, with men more likely to take out insurance than women. French and US pet owners are the least likely to have insurance, compared to people in other countries. UK pet parents are slightly more likely to cover some of their costs with insurance.

Worth the money

While 76% of pet owners find veterinary care too expensive, they do believe that their vet dedicates enough time to the consultation (90%) and provides them with enough information before administering treatment or proposing surgery (91%). When rating their trust in the veterinarian, 35% even give their vet the highest possible rating.

Despite the high level of trust in the veterinary care provided by their vet, only 36% of pet owners say they will trust a product more when it’s been created by a vet. 44% do trust vet-created products slightly more. This is not the most important factor when buying a new product, but is taken into account. 20% of pet parents say it doesn’t influence their trust in the product at all.

Food and dietary recommendations

Some pet owners (28%) buy the food their vet recommends, but more than half of them don’t get pet food recommendations from their vet. Another 28% of them do get advice, but end up feeding their pet something else. UK vets are the least likely to recommend food. 18% of owners end up buying their pet’s food at the vet, with Canadians the most likely to do so. Cat owners are the least likely to buy anything through their vet at all.

Personalized food plan

Almost half of all owners (45%) would be interested in receiving a personalized food plan for their pet as a veterinary service. Some already get a plan from their vet. 41% of pet parents – 65+ year-olds in particular – wouldn’t be interested in a specific food plan, while younger pet owners (aged 18-24) are open to the idea.

Consultation by video call

Many pet owners are open to the idea of having online consultations with their vet. 45% would be willing to try this kind of video call. 43% of owners would rather not use this method. Others have already tried it, and say it went well (8%). Having experienced a consultation this way, 4% of pet owners say they still prefer seeing the vet in person.

People in the US are the most likely to have been satisfied with an online consultation. Canadians are the most open to trying a video call with their vet, whereas French pet owners are the least likely to be open to the idea.