During the two-day forum, held in Windsor, UK, low pet owner knowledge and poor adherence to regular preventative treatment for harmful vectors was identified as an important barrier to managing the global vector-borne disease burden.

With the role of the veterinarian being so important in overcoming this resistance, the forum argued that many vets may benefit from better communications tools to help facilitate more effective discussions regarding regular parasite prophylaxis with clients.

Driving the discussion within the forum was veterinarian Roeland Wessels, author of a published guide to communication strategies in veterinary practice. “We were trained as veterinarians to be the engineer of the animal body, but not necessarily in how to communicate effectively with pet owners,” Roeland explained. “As dogs and cats play a hugely beneficial role throughout our lives we should support the pet owner to provide their beloved pet the best levels of protection to ensure a happy and healthy life, especially with regards to preventative medicine and the prevention of vector-borne diseases”.

Specifically regarding vecor-borne disease prevention, veterinarians are encouraged to engage in dialogues with their clients on tailor-made strategies to better the wellness of their pet, rather than viewing parasiticide recommendation as a commercial obligation.

Asking open questions and employing active listening techniques were suggested by Roeland as useful tools to help veterinarians begin to facilitate this discussion more effectively and achieve a better understanding of clients' needs and barriers.

“Bayer is focused on ensuring the outputs of the CVBD World Forum are meaningful for veterinarians in practical terms”, said Dr. Markus Edingloh, Head of Global Veterinary Scientific Affairs at Bayer Animal Health. “We will continue to support veterinarians with the resources to communicate with pet owners the importance of parasiticide products that reduce the risk of disease transmission, such as Seresto and Advantix.”

Bayer Animal Health has continuously invested in raising awareness and education levels about Companion Vector-Borne Diseases (CVBDs) to protect dogs and cats around the world from harmful diseases. Every year, Bayer Animal Health brings together a global group of internationally renowned scientists to discuss latest findings and insights from research related to CVBDs.

Companion vector-borne diseases (CVBD) are a growing international public health threat. These diseases are transmitted by blood-feeding ectoparasites, including ticks (Lyme disease, babesiosis, ehrlichiosis, anaplasmosis, and hemoplasmosis), fleas (bartonellosis and rickettsiosis), and sand flies (leishmaniosis). They are a known health hazard to animal and people around the world.