VCPR and Why It’s Important
When an animal and owner step foot into a veterinary hospital and the pet is examined by a veterinarian they develop what is called a Veterinary Client Patient Relationship or VCPR. What does that mean? It is the basis for interaction among veterinarians, their clients, and their patients and is critical to the health of animals. With this exam the vet will have sufficient knowledge of your pets medical conditions and can provide care for follow up matters. Thus a relationship is formed and records are maintained.
While we love helping and seeing your furry pets, we love it even more when they are happy and healthy! Annual exams are the most common appointment scheduled and are crucial to a pets overall well-being and health. A full physical exam is performed by a veterinarian and your pet is checked nose to tail. During a yearly exam, veterinarians and veterinary nurses will take a detailed history and discuss important prevention topics with you such as vaccines, flea/tick and internal parasite prevention, nutritional care, and dental health. More in depth diagnostics might be suggested based on each pet’s individual needs. In the event that your pet does get sick or injured, having an VCPR with your local veterinarian can be very helpful with getting them in for an appointment. The staff will already be familiar with your pet and understand how the animal needs to be accommodated and cared for.
A VCPR needs to be in place for a veterinarian to be able to legally provide treatment, prescribe medications (including refills), or administer vaccines to an animal. The veterinarian must have examined the animal within the last year in order to have a VCPR. By having this annual exam, veterinarians are able to prescribe medication needed for medical conditions. If a pet has not been seen in over one year then the prescription is not able to be renewed.
Prevention is key when caring for our furry friends. By having an annual exam to update vaccines, preventatives, prescriptions and blood work you are taking the right steps to keeping your pets in good health. Animals age faster than humans and can’t speak or communicate how they are feeling, therefore early detection can be key for diagnosing and treating many conditions. Talk to your veterinarian today about getting your pet an appointment and a clean bill of health!