Australian Pet Owner Research 2024

Running a veterinary practice today is significantly more complex and involved than ever before. Today’s competitive market means higher and expanded client expectations, and meeting these while concurrently managing your business goals effectively can prove incredibly challenging.

Pet ownership in Australia has grown over the last five years, from 61% in 2019 to 69% in 2024. Representing one of the highest global pet ownership rates. The pressures within the veterinary market (and subsequently on your practice) are unlikely to abate in the foreseeable future.

A veterinary clinic is often an extremely emotionally-charged environment, for both staff and clients. As a veterinarian, understanding what your clients need, want, and anticipate is an important route to delivering the coordinated care and services they expect – enabling your business to thrive. Practically addressing these needs is essential to easing pressures within your clinic and supporting the physical and psychological wellbeing of your staff, clients, and their pets. This requires a targeted approach to the services you offer and their delivery.

Therian is committed to delivering the very best solutions in the veterinary industry in terms of innovative veterinary design, equipment, and technology. We are better able to meet our client’s needs when we understand and appreciate the factors that impact their market and their business.

Our survey demonstrated that modern, welcoming veterinary clinics and hospitals that have state-of-the-art design and equipment and innovative service offerings are a drawcard for a statistically significant number of our respondents.

Of particular note, we learned that:

• 60% of pet owners would welcome telehealth options for their pets
• 43% would be interested in wellness plans and/or subscription-based animal care.

This markedly differs from the traditional concept of veterinary care, and it represents a change in direction for how practices must operate to remain competitive in our modern market.

We also noted an overall trend whereby dog owners tend to prioritise veterinary practice location and staff when selecting their provider, whereas cat owners place more importance on the selection and affordability of services offered. This supports the industry trend where veterinary businesses could benefit from implementing tailored subscription models to entice pet owners to their practice – particularly in areas that have several different practices within proximity.

The most important factors for clients when selecting a veterinary practice include:

• Location (convenience/proximity to home)
• Price/affordability (particularly among cat owners)
• Staff (and how pets respond to them)
• Services offered
• Practice environment

The most important factors for clients when selecting a veterinary practice include:

• Emergency care
• An online appointment booking portal
• In-home care options/Telehealth
• Training services (e.g. behaviour modification for dogs, puppy preschool, etc)

Other popular offerings included:

• Boarding services
• Grooming services
• Mobile apps providing additional health resources
• Pet health education sessions
• Walking services
• Commercial pet products for purchase

Our research found that, overall, dog owners are more committed to regular preventative care pet health visits, and are less price-sensitive than cat owners tend to be in terms of veterinary costs.

• The most common reasons for visiting the vet are annual vaccinations, regular health checkups, veterinary reminders, and arthritis management (more likely for dogs).
• Just 4%of pets are currently on a Wellness Plan (mostly dogs) and very few pets have routine teeth cleaning performed (this is more commonly performed for cats).
• 41% of all pet owners visit their vet just once per year. Dog owners are more committed to regular preventative vet care, with 72% taking their dog to the vet twice yearly.
• 15% of respondents take their pet to the vet only in an emergency or for a specific, irregular illness, injury, or other health concern. This applies to twice as many cats as dogs.

Our research found that veterinary practice owners can increase quarterly visitation rates for pet health and wellness checks by 155% simply by setting up automated email or SMS reminders to be sent to their patients/clients. Cat owners are more likely than dog owners to be influenced by reminders; this may be because dog owners are generally more naturally proactive about visiting the vet.

Once a pet owner chooses a vet, more than 50% will remain loyal to the practice (for at least as long as they reside in its local area). While convenience and proximity play a major role in loyalty, many will stay or leave based on their satisfaction or lack thereof with the services provided and the environment they experience within the practice.

Overall, the majority of respondents were satisfied with the services their current vet practice offers. Owners of dogs are slightly more loyal to their vet than those of cats.

The main reasons why clients remain loyal to their vet include:

• Location
• Staff like the pet and/or the pet likes them
• They offer excellent services at an acceptable price

Those clients who move to another vet usually do so because:

• They have relocated
• They or their pet had a negative experience (including issues with staff and their level of friendliness to the human and/or the animal)
• They required different services that were unavailable in the original practice (e.g., different clinic hours, specialisation needs, or the ability to adequately care for/treat a larger animal)

The in-clinic experience plays a major role in ongoing client (and pet) satisfaction.

For example, taking steps (in terms of the architecture and design of the clinic) to minimise pet anxiety and maximise comfort during vet visits makes an enormous difference to both client satisfaction and staff stress levels within the practice.

This may include:

• Separation of cats and dogs in waiting areas
• Using dedicated dog/cat examination rooms
• Dedicated cat/dog animal housing in the hospital
• Having a walking area for dogs
• Using calming aroma mists or sounds
• Offering treats, toys, calming blankets, scratchable surfaces for cats, etc.

You could also provide anti-anxiety medication for particularly sensitive pets; offer Telehealth appointments or in-home vet visits (house calls); and implement veterinary technology to streamline the experience (for example, digital patient education flyers, direct SMS messages, or email newsletters to better prepare for vet appointments).

Therian’s commitment to providing the veterinary industry (and associated providers) with innovative veterinary fitout solutions from reputable brands you trust is unwavering. Our suite of products and services are designed to improve efficiencies, drive profitability, and promote superior staff and patient outcomes.

These include (but are not limited to):

• Veterinary surgery tables
• Veterinary lift tables
• Veterinary hospital equipment
• Veterinary technology solutions
• Vet clinic design
• Animal housing

Understanding what your clients expect from your veterinary practice enables us to offer industry-leading, world-class solutions that support you to deliver the very best for your clients and drive growth in your business.

Let us help you take your practice to the next level for the benefit of your patients, your human clients, your team, and your bottom line.

Contact us today to discuss your needs or visit our website to explore our solutions.