Tell ‘em how you feel with #MyVetIsCore

Who can you rely on to come in the middle of the night when your horse has colic? Who drives through a prairie snowstorm when a mare is foaling? How many other professions can you name that take their commitment to patient care so deeply, and that always seem to go the extra mile?

These selfless qualities so often displayed by our veterinarians in turn breed a fierce loyalty among many horse owners. In fact, many owners can be as attached to their vets as they are to their horses, for a whole variety of really great reasons. 

Some talk about their vet’s incredible communication skills.  A vet needs to be able to explain a horse’s disease or injury in a way that makes sense to the owner, even when the explanation isn’t so simple. This is also important for building an owner’s horse-health knowledge and skills they themselves can apply, such as keeping out a sharp eye for clinical signs of illness.

Owners also say they love a vet who sees the bigger picture around a horse’s problem, who looks at possible environmental causes and views prevention as part of a broader approach to horse health. A lot of owners appreciate when a vet isn’t just focused on the immediate solution. They want to feel that the vet cares as much as they do about the animal. Vets who have this kind of natural empathy with animals often seem to develop strong bonds with owners as well.

The building of a vet-owner bond is key. Oftentimes owners will admit they place a high value on how vets interact with them, not just how good the person is with their horses. Which is understandable as so often owners are emotionally attached to their animals, treating them like members of the family. They may be less inclined to pursue a long-term working relationship with a vet who is “strictly business”.

Then there’s bedside manner.  Many owners want a vet that understands horses and their behaviour, and that demonstrates that ability in how they approach and address a sick animal or one that’s in distress. We love it when a vet “reads” a horse, observing nonverbal cues such actions, gestures, and facial expressions that tell a story, perhaps providing clues as to the nature of the problem.

We respect and admire our vets because they are successful clinicians, working tirelessly to save lives, perform technical services and diagnose rare diseases. But we love them because they have the ability not only to empathize with us but to understand and share the feelings of another creature, in this case one that’s not even the same species!

At Zoetis we understand how important your vet is to you and your horse and share your admiration for those amazing individuals who can do it all: love our animals as much as we do, treat them and make them better, and still have that way with we human owners that comforts us when we’re worried sick about our animal.

We think that special relationship is worth celebrating.  That’s why we set up a global initiative that gives horse owners the chance to tell the whole world how they feel about their vet and why. It’s called “#MyVetIsCore” and many horse owners have taken advantage of it to tell us how much they appreciate their veterinarian’s care.

For complete contest details, and to take a look at the many lovely testimonials we have received, visit:

ZoePro | #MyVetIsCore (zoetisprograms.ca)

Admit it, our vets do a lot for our horses but also a lot for us as owners! Zoetis is proud to have provided horse owners with this opportunity to show veterinarians a little love by entering #MyVetIsCore!