YourSAY™ 2017.1 - Corporatization of the Veterinary Industry Brings Hope Despite Some Distrust

Canada’s Thought Leaders Ponder Veterinary Industry Corporatization

The YourSAY™ public opinion poll 2017.1 is reported.

This report summarizes the YourSAY™ survey Powered by Urban Animal Corporation™ (formerly PetLynx™) that fielded March 1st-8th, 2017.

This survey captured public opinion related to several articles InfoStream has published on vet clinic acquisitions:

Mars Petcare Acquires BluePearl Veterinary Hospitals 

VCA Antech Acquires Associate Veterinary Clinics

VCA to be Aquired by Mars Inc.

And explored the pros and cons in:

Pros and Cons: Corporatization of the Veterinary Industry.

The purpose of the YourSAY™ 2017.1 survey was to discover what thought leaders in the urban animal industry believe are the positive and negative aspects of the growing trend of animal healthcare delivery moving towards large corporations and away from the owner/managed independent clinician.

Thirty-five respondents participated in the YourSAY™ 2017.1 forum out of 450 recipients and featured a variety of respondents from various backgrounds within the animal healthcare industry and at different levels of management within the industry.

Highlights of YourSAY™ 2017.1:

• A strikingly similar number of participants viewed the trend toward large corporate entities and away from owner/managed independent clinics as either positive (37%) or negative (43%). The initial response to this topic is interesting considering the polarizing opinion in the questions that followed.
  
  
• When asked about the corporate influence of commercial interests, a staggering eighty percent (80%) expressed concern to some degree with regards to the effect on animal healthcare services, a smaller percentage expressed that they are not at all concerned (20%). 
  
  
• A clear majority of individuals (66%) view the rise of large corporate providers as inevitable due to the modern healthcare demands of specialised service needs in regards to equipment, human resources and sophisticated technology which are the domain of larger, and typically wealthier, clinics and hospitals. Twenty-nine percent (29%) of individuals believe that a rise in corporate providers in not guaranteed.
  
  
• Owner/Managed independent clinics are likely to be sought out sixty-three percent (63%) of the time, while local clinics backed by a large corporation are sought out with thirty-four percent (34%) likeness. 
  
  
• It is interesting to note that when asked what type of animal healthcare service providers do respondents actually use; fifty-four percent (54%) receive services from an owner/managed independent clinic, fourteen percent (14%) from a local clinic backed by a large corporation, and twenty-two percent (22%) from a combination of both. The last either using some other option of health services (3%) or do not use animal health services at all (6%).
  
  
• When asked about any foreseen benefits of the corporate influence on animal healthcare services, majority of respondents believe that there are more harms than benefits to be found (40%). While there are many benefits cited as relating to corporate influence such as financial resources, access to specialized equipment and technology, better standards of care, employee training and benefits, and a support system of human resources, there was still a looming tone of distrust towards the corporate influence of animal services; ethical management, focus on the bottom line over quality of care, and the loss of independent decision making for individual clinics.
  
  
• When asked about experiences working for a local clinic backed by a large corporation; many individuals (28%-43%) had experienced some type of positive experience due to the corporate impact; input from other successful professionals on models of service, team training and development, advancement opportunities, or an increased benefit package. A smaller percentage of individuals (10%-24%) experienced negative impacts; pressure to recommend services that one did not agree with or thought unnecessary, requirement to follow protocol rather than provide treatment based on individual client, or stressful expectations to meet corporate financial targets. 
  
  
• Forty-five percent (45%) of informants believe that there is serious concern over the corporatization of veterinary clinics putting the owner/managed independent clinics out of business. However, a substantial percentage (23%) believe that the quality of animal healthcare services provided and the loyalty of clients will ensure the success of a business regardless of ownership and that there will always be room for both types of practices.

Demographics of YourSAY™ 2017.1:

• Gender: 51% Female, 37% Male
• Age: 14% 21-35 years old, 20% 36-50 years old, 66% over 50 years old
• Region: 14% Pacific, 31% Prairie, 37% Central, 17% Atlantic
• Pets: 56% Cat owner, 82% Dog owner
• Industry: 11% Animal Welfare, 11% Animal Services, 29% Animal Health & Wellness, 11% Animal Control & Enforcement, 34% Other
• Executive Level: 26% C-Level Executive, 37% Senior Management, 17% Middle Management, 3% Individual Contributor, 14% Other
  
  
  
  

YourSAY 2017.1 - What are the Concerns/Benefits of Veterinary Industry Corporatization?

There is a growing trend of animal healthcare delivery moving towards large corporations and away from the owner/managed independent clinician.

The purpose of the YourSAY™ 2017.1 is to discover what thought leaders in the urban animal industry believe are the positive and negative aspects of large corporations purchasing veterinary clinics.

InfoStream has published a variety of articles on vet clinic acquisitions:

Mars Petcare Acquires BluePearl Veterinary Hospitals 

VCA Antech Acquires Associate Veterinary Clinics 

VCA to be Acquired by Mars Inc.

And explored the pros and cons in:

Pros and Cons: Corporatization of the Veterinary Industry.

YourSAY™ Surveys collect opinions from thought leaders that will illuminate future discussions about companion animals, and you are invited to have your say in the latest survey.

This YourSAY™ Survey closes on Wednesday, 8 March 2017 at midnight Eastern Time. You may start and stop your participation to serve your convenience until you click the 'finished' button or until the survey closes. Click this link to proceed to the survey:

YourSAYTM 2017.1 Survey 

Your identity will be anonymous and any survey results will be shared in the aggregate. Summary results of this survey will be reported in InfoStream during the week of March 13th, 2017.

Poll 5 Summit Award Nomination - Current Leaders

The current leaders in Poll 5 of the 2014 YourSay™ Summit Awards are identified below. Those who haven't yet voted, can still honour industry nominees by clicking on the VOTE NOW link below:

Communicator
There are 4 Nominations in this category:

74% Rodney Habib - Planet Paws Pet Essentials
14% Kim Marosevich - Surrey Animal Resource Centre
7% Rich Avanzino - Maddie's Fund
5% Karen Ramsden - Langara College

Individual Achievement
There are 4 Nominations in this category:

44% Cassandra Hanrahan - Dalhousie University

36% Erica Coomber - Alberta Animal Services  

10% Kim Monteith - BC SPCA
10% Betsy Saul - Heal House Call Veterinarian

VOTE NOW

Poll 5 closes Wednesday, 24 September 2014. 

REVIEW NOMINATIONS

Poll 4 Summit Award Nominations - Current Leaders

The current leaders in Poll 4 of the 2014 YourSay™ Summit Awards are identified below. Those who haven't yet voted, can still honour industry nominees by clicking on the VOTE NOW link below:

Community
There are 3 Nominations in this category:

41% Kathy Powelson - Paws For Hope
36% Mary Lou Leiher - Toronto Animal Services
23% Bonnie Isenberg - FT. Saint John Animal Control

Sheltering
There are 3 Nominations in this category:

42% New Brunswick SPCA - Hilary Howes

37% Klassic Kennels - Jim deBoon  

21% Homeward Bound City Pound - Tiffany Sullivan

VOTE NOW

Poll 4 closes Tuesday, 23 September 2014. 

REVIEW NOMINATIONS

Poll 1 Summit Award Nominations - Current Leaders

The current leaders in Poll 1 of the 2014 YourSay™ Summit Awards are identified below. Those who haven't yet voted, can still honour industry nominees by clicking on the VOTE NOW link below:

Distinguished Service Provider
There are 3 Nominations in this category:

55% Petsmart Charities – Stephanie Kerr
27% Playful Paws INC – Heather Brown

18% Good Dog Ranch and Spa - Jamie Kinna, Heather Patz, Vanessa Janusz

Retailer
There are 3 Nominations in this category:

61% Tisol Pet Nutrition and Supply - Brenda Kozub

22% Homes Alive Pet Centre - Evan Ropp  

17% Letourno Nutrition Animale - Charles Letourneau

VOTE NOW

Poll 1 closes Friday, 19 September 2014. 

REVIEW NOMINATIONS

Public Polling to Determine the Best and Brightest

The Urban Animal Summit Awards program illuminates successes occurring in urban municipalities across North America and provides recognition for those who lead.

In 2014, Urban Animal presents and expands the ninth annual Summit Awards program by allowing Nominees and Nominators to develop social media campaigns to gather votes from supporters across their field of influence.

While nominations will continue to be vetted by the Alumni and by the Advisory Council of the Urban Animal Foundation, it is hoped this change will provide broader industry recognition for the program and for those who take home the Summits at the Friday evening Gala.

This public polling process is a new element for 2014:

• Successful nominees will be provided with a specific survey link to share publicly through their own social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter, websites, etc.
• PetLynx will continue to provide nominees and nominators with equal exposure through the Urban Animal program and the PetLynx social media channels.
• By inviting the public into the voting process, nominees will showcase their activities as well as the recognition they are receiving from peers in the Urban Animal industry to those who care most.
• The public polling process engages the entire Urban Animal value chain.
• It is an opportunity to begin conversations with this broader audience for everyone connected with the Urban Animal program.

2014 Urban Animal Regional Conference delegate survey results announced!

The analysis and summary of the 2014 Regional Conference delegate survey has been released by PetLynx Market Services and Intelligence. This report summarizes the four Regional YourSAY™ surveys that fielded April 22nd to May 14th, 2014. Fifty-eight delegates from all four regions responded to the survey with representation from each industry sector (43% Health & Wellness, 37% Pet Owner, 39% Retail and Commercial Services, 32% Humane and Rescue, 28% Care and Control, 20% Social and Community Services and 19% Other) across a broad range of management levels (41% Senior Management, 26% Director/Shareholder/Owner/Manager, 6% C-Level Executive and 27% Other). 

Highlights from the 2014 Urban Animal Regional Conference Delegate Survey: 

• 2014 Regional Conferences saw an increase in new attendees (45%) compared to 2013 (35%)
• Participants in the survey felt that the Innovation Keynote presented by Erica Coomber and Amy Pawson (in Central and Atlantic regions only) was a relevant topic (92%) and a valuable presentation (90%).
• Survey respondents felt that Judith Aubin and Tanya Firmage from the Ontario SPCA (Western and Pacific regions only) were subject matter experts (92%) and felt that reducing cat admissions was a relevant topic (90%).
• Nearly nine out of every 10 participants thought that recognition of regional peers through the Innovation Showcase was important to them (88%), and said they learned something new about their region (82%).
• Eighty-eight per cent of participants felt that the recognition and support of academics through the Research Poster Program in their region was important, while 82% felt that the research presented was useful to their organization.
• 90% of participants felt the keynote address presented by Dr. Drew Van Niekerk on Animal Sourcing was effective and engaging, 88% also thought that the Pet Experience Project was a relevant topic and indicated Drew Van Niekerk was a subject matter expert (88%).
• Eighty-four percent of participants suggested that the keynote address offered by Kijiji Community Relations Manager, Shawn McIntyre on an Urban Animal Strategy was a relevant topic and indicated Shawn McIntyre was a subject matter expert (84%).
• Conference attendees were invited to nominate their peers for Urban Animal programs. Selecting an Emerging leader was important to participants (84%), while 40% had never nominated a peer in the past. Eight out of ten respondents suggested that recognition of peers for Summit Awards was important, and enjoyed the opportunity to nominate their peers. 
• Nine of ten respondents felt that Dr. Jason Coe demonstrated strong leadership skills and was effective and engaging (94%).  Ninety-two percent felt that he facilitated conversations and encouraged valuable outcomes.
• Nearly nine-tenths of respondents said that Lisa Milton was effective and engaging, facilitated relationships, and encouraged valuable outcomes (88%).
• Overall, venues for the Regional Conference rated high with 92% of participants stating that the meeting rooms were conducive to the Regional Conference format, and the hotel staff accommodating and courteous.
• Ninety-four percent of participants said they would recommend the Urban Animal Regional Conferences to others, and 90% said they would likely attend the Regional Conferences in 2015.

 The mission of Urban Animal Regional Conferences is to showcase regional innovation, identify emerging leaders, illuminate researchers, replicate successful projects, cultivate conversations across communities, facilitate collaboration and expand the Alliance for Urban Animals. 

ABOUT UARC DELEGATE SURVEYS: The 2014 Regional Conferences were held in Toronto, Ontario; Halifax, Nova Scotia; Calgary, Alberta; and Vancouver, British Columbia. Contributions from Urban Animal surveys are important to help identify improvements for future events and programs.

Bylaw Amendments - Household pet limits

A city councillor is surveying Calgary residents to gather feedback on a bylaw amendment to limit the number of pets allowed in a household. 

Following the seizure of 33 dogs from a Calgary home last week, Coun. Diane Colley-Urquart is introducing a notice of motion to amend the current responsible pet ownership bylaw to include limits on the number of dogs and cats Calgarians are allowed to own. 

"Recent events covered in the media have highlighted the health and safety risks to both humans and animals when a single household is overburdened with pets," said Colley-Urquart in a blog post. "In the interest of public safety, it is the responsibility of Council to address this issue and protect the quality of life of both our citizens and our animals." 

Presently, the bylaw includes regulations on licensing, cleaning up after pets and keeping animals under control but does not indicate how many animals one household can have. 

Many Canadian cities, including Toronto, Vancouver, Edmonton and Winnipeg, restrict the number of household pets. On Monday, May 26, Colley-Urquart will bring her Notice of Motion forward to Council. Until then she is requesting feedback from the public through a brief survey. 

COMPLETE THE SURVEY

NOTICE OF MOTION

CALGARY HERALD ARTICLE

Cost of medical care identified as biggest obstacle to a positive pet experience: YourSAY 2014.1

The YourSAY 2014.1 polls overall indicates that the cost of medical care is the biggest obstacle and has the greatest impact on a ‘Positive Pet Experience’.

This YourSAY 2014.1 poll was conducted by means of social media (Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter) email marketing (Urban Animal Subscribers), and websites (InfoStream, petlynx.net, urbananimal.com) The questionnaire consisted of 5 answers of which respondents could choose one answer and see immediate results of the poll. The polls were open on all above media channels from 11 March 2014 to 25 March 2014.

The data collected from 145 respondents shows that people overall felt that the cost of medical care was the biggest obstacle, having the greatest impact on a ‘Positive Pet Experience’ (33%), along with behavioural problems with pet (27%). The majority of respondents came from our Facebook channel (45%) and they agreed that the cost of medical care had the greatest impact on a ‘Positive Pet Experience’ (35%). Approximately one-third of respondents that answered the poll were from email marketing sent to Urban Animal Subscribers (32%), who also agreed that cost was a factor in the ‘Positive Pet Experience’ (37%). Respondents who answered the poll by way of the InfoStream Blog and LinkedIn however felt that Behavioural problems with pet had the greatest impact on a ‘Positive Pet Experience’ with 41% and 33% respectively.

Urban Animal Polls & Surveys develops separate polls for individual media components. The purpose of this is to demonstrate the differing opinions across PetLynx's broad audience, from pet owners and consumers to industry thought leaders. 

YourSAY poll 2014.2 is NOW OPEN. Participation in this poll will help the urban animal industry understand the gaps in a positive pet experience and work towards recasting the dilemmas as opportunities to create healthy communities for pets and people.

Share this poll with your consumers, members and friends and family by using this link: http://survey.constantcontact.com/poll/a07e93oeq0zht78czow/start.html

by Constant Contact.

YourSAY Poll 2014-1 is STILL OPEN!

There are still three days to take the first Pet Experience poll hosted by Urban Animal Polls & Surveys. Participation in this poll will help the urban animal industry understand the gaps in a positive pet experience and work towards recasting the dilemmas as opportunities to create healthy communities for pets and people.

Share this poll with your consumers, members and friends and family by using this link: http://survey.constantcontact.com/poll/a07e8zl1b7jhs4qzcld/start.html

Get the facts, Have YourSAY, Move the Industry.

What has the greatest impact on a positive pet experience???

Continuing with the Pet Experience Project, the Urban Animal Program is launching a series of poll and survey questions intended to dissect the pet experiences of urban communities. 

Please participate and encourage your colleagues, networks and consumers to participate. The more responses we get, the better understanding we will have of the barriers and gaps to creating positive pet experiences all around! 

TAKE THE POLL!!!

The code below can be copied and pasted into your organization's social media channels and website: 

Poll URL: 

http://survey.constantcontact.com/poll/a07e8zl1b7jhs4qzcld/start.html

Poll HTML (embed): 

<script type='text/javascript' language='JavaScript' src='http://survey.constantcontact.com/poll/a07e8zl1b7jhs4qzcld/start.js?v=1&w=300'>
</script><noscript>JavaScript needs to be enabled for polling to work.
<a href='http://www.constantcontact.com/survey/index.jsp?cc=ViraWidPOL'>Online Surveys</a> by Constant Contact.
</noscript>

Results are posted in real-time. Overall results will be posted to InfoStream on the 25th of March along with the next poll in the Pet Experience series. 

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:

Shannon Woodward, Social Communications Coordinator  

(p) 403.401.8090 (e) shannon.woodward@petlynxmail.com

Sheena Neel, Market Research Analyst

(p) 613.355.2556    (e) sheena.neel@petlynxmail.com

Urban Animal Polls & Surveys

PRESS RELEASE

CALGARY, AB - In 2013, Urban Animal events focused on the Pet Experience Project (PEP). Arising at Summit 2012 and explored by Urban Animal Subscribers throughout 2013, the time has come to engage a broader audience. 

Two elements of data collection will be posted to pet owners, service providers and community members who would like to contribute to the ongoing pet experience conversations providing researchers to collect data from the widest cross-section.


A data collection survey, spearheaded by PIJAC Canada and the Ontario SPCA will launch later this year. To support their work, the Urban Animal Program will launch a series of brief Pet Experience Polls & Surveys, regularly throughout the year. 

The Urban Animal Program will launch these short surveys and polls on multiple social media platforms as well as the PetLynx production site. Posted on the 10th & 25th of each month, polls are formulated to discover the experiences of pet communities. Questions developed may be based on previous answers as industry leaders seek to dissect individual and community experiences.

The results will be posted in real-time and taken to the 2014 Summit where industry leaders will review the information and work to identify gaps in industry various understandings of the pet experience. 

Urban Animal subscribers are invited share these polls and to involve clients and pet owners in their networks to respond. You are also invited to pose questions for future polls and surveys through the Urban Animal LinkedIn group. 

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:

Shannon Woodward, Social Communications Coordinator  

(p) 403.401.8090 (e) shannon.woodward@petlynxmail.com

Sheena Neel, Market Research Analyst

(p) 613.355.2556    (e) sheena.neel@petlynxmail.com