Get to the Vet Campaign Launched

Nine out of 10 veterinarians expressed concerns about pet health if preventive care declines, according to a new report from Bayer Animal Health.

A national veterinary voucher campaign — Help Your Pet, Get to the Vet — has begun.

The mission of the online initiative by Advantage Topical Solution, from Bayer Animal Health, which started Monday during the Western Veterinary Conference in Las Vegas, is to distribute more than $250,000 in veterinary vouchers to help offset costs for pet owners.

From now through Feb. 28, the campaign will give up to 13,000 pet owners the chance to receive a $20 rebate toward preventive veterinary care, including vaccinations, wellness exams, flea and tick treatment and prevention, heartworm preventatives and dental care.

Vouchers are available online on a first-come basis from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. EST every hour on the hour with up to 1,000 vouchers distributed each day. More than 80 vouchers will be distributed every hour.

“During these challenging economic times, we want to help consumers defray the cost of preventive care for their pets,” said Joerg Ohle, president and general manager of Bayer Animal Health of Shawnee, Kan. “At Bayer Animal Health, everything we do is to help protect, cure and care for pets. That mission is at the core of this new campaign.”

According to Bayer's “The State of Preventive Veterinary Care Report,” a compilation of third-party and original research of pet owners and veterinarians, as many as 98 percent of veterinarians believe that preventive care is one of the best ways to forgo added medical costs and treatments in the long run for pet owners.

The report also found that nine out of 10 veterinarians expressed concern about the future health of pets if veterinary visits and preventive care decline, with almost half of them expressing deep concerns.