Lab results from our 10-year-old cat’s wellness appointment revealed Alex had some protein in his urine. Dr. Harrison Pearl at Vet Next Door in Parrish, Fla., advised running a urine protein-to-creatinine ratio test to determine if Alex has kidney disease. My husband and I immediately scheduled the follow-up test. Thanks to preventive screening, we might have missed early signs of change in Alex’s health. Getting senior pets to return for care—ideally every six months—can identify diseases early and proactive treatments can begin. Wellness appointments account for 24 percent of all visits and have decreased by 2.9 percent.1 Don’t risk lapsed visits for pets age seven and older, which represent 44 percent of patients.2 Use three strategies to strengthen your senior pet reminders: 1) Send multiple wellness recall notices Recalls are messages sent to clients who have patients due for care but haven’t scheduled appointments. Clients need a series of communication to prompt them to book preventive care. (Table 1) Recall notice When sent Delivery method 1st scheduling recall 60 days ahead Text and email 2nd scheduling recall 30 days ahead Text and email 3rd scheduling recall 14 days ahead Text and email 4th scheduling recall On due date Text and email 5th scheduling recall 30 days past due Call, text, and email Customize text and email messages with benefits of senior preventive care. Offer preventive care plans with monthly payments to reduce financial obstacles. Increase urgency as the due date nears, using a countdown and siren emoji. Here are texts for senior wellness recalls: 1st recall: needs a checkup by 🩺. Includes exam, vaccines, tests, and assessment of any health or behavior changes to keep your senior pet thriving. Book now to get your preferred date, time, and doctor. Monthly senior preventive care plans available. Schedule online or call 555-555-5555. 2nd recall: Don’t wait—book ’s checkup by ⏰. Includes exam, vaccines, tests, and more to catch issues early and ensure ’s well-being. Monthly senior preventive care plans available. Book online or call 555-555-5555 today. 3rd recall: needs a checkup in 14 days 🩺️ Exam, vaccines, tests, and more help catch issues early—preventive care can add more than two years to lives.3 Act now to protect ’s health. Monthly senior preventive care plans available. BOOK ONLINE or call 555-555-5555 today. 4th recall: 🚨 URGENT: is now due for a checkup! Exam, vaccines, tests, and more help catch issues early and protect ’s health. Don’t wait—timely care can make all the difference. Monthly senior preventive care plans available. BOOK ONLINE or call 555-555-5555 now. The fifth recall is a call, text, and email—three determined tries to get senior patients to return for preventive care. 5th recall (phone call): Call clients with overdue pets daily. Each morning, have client service representatives (CSRs) run a report of patients that are 30 days past due for preventive care on today’s date. Run a report on December 1 of patients who became overdue for wellness services on November 1. CSRs need a manageable list of clients to call—just a day’s worth. If you have 12 patients on the report and four CSRs, each will call three clients—an easy task. If you talk with the client, say, “This is calling for Dr. at . is now overdue for an exam, vaccines, and tests—we want to keep your senior pet thriving. Our next available appointments are <date, time 1> or <date, time 2>. Which do you prefer?” Use the veterinarian’s name to bring credibility and authority to the call. When describing overdue care, highlight top categories such as exams, vaccines, and tests. Clients may hesitate to schedule if you describe too many services. Simply say the pet is overdue for tests rather than the specifics of an intestinal parasite screen, blood work, and urinalysis. Present the next two available appointments, using the yes-or-yes technique to lead clients to book now. Don’t ask, “Do you want to make an appointment?” because you give clients the option to decline care. If you get voicemail, leave this message: “This is calling for Dr. at . We are concerned that is overdue for an exam, vaccines, and tests. Please call us today at 555-555-5555 to schedule an appointment. I also will text you a link to book online. Timely care can make all the difference for .” Be aware of your tone of voice. Expressing compassion will get clients to return your calls. The word “concerned” expresses empathy and creates urgency. Close with a benefit statement. 5th recall (text): If you left a voicemail message, send a text as backup communication because 67 percent of people don’t listen to their voicemails.4 Grab readers’ attention with all caps, which is like shouting in a text. Use a colored button to highlight the action you want clients to take first. Buttons increase click-through rates by 15 percent over hyperlinks.5 Buttons offer yes-or-yes choices of “Book online now,” “Call to schedule,” or “Remind me later.” If clients choose to be reminded later, send them another text and email in seven days (Figure 1). Figure 1. 2) Share pre-appointment education in confirmations Send a series of wellness appointment confirmations with senior-themed pre-appointment education. Five days ahead, share client information sheets and/or hyperlinks about early detection screening, which your medical team will discuss during the senior wellness visit. Providing information about blood work and urinalysis in advance lets clients prepare questions—or be ready to say yes—when you discuss senior diagnostics during exam conversations. Set expectations for the next communication, which will be an online health form to complete two days before the appointment. 3) Send online senior health forms with confirmations Two days before appointments, send senior health forms for clients to complete and submit one day prior to the visit. Ask about mobility, sleep patterns, changes in urination or defecation, vision or hearing changes, mentation, eating, drinking, and activity level. Having clients answer questions in advance allows your medical team to review the answers and ask follow-up questions, zeroing in on chief concerns and saving 10 to 15 minutes of history gathering. When clients complete and submit forms in advance, your team can have more face-to-face time and engage in exam conversations. Digital forms make it easier for senior pet owners to clarify concerns and share symptoms. Most clients will complete online forms in advance. An Otto report found 64 percent of digital forms sent were completed the same day—with eight hours as the average time for clients to submit forms. Review and update your recalls, confirmations, and online health forms for senior pets. Customize messages with senior themes that emphasize the benefits of recurring preventive care at your practice. Wendy Myers, CVJ, knows the right words will lead clients to accept your medical advice, driving patient and practice health. As founder of Communication Solutions for Veterinarians, she teaches practical skills through online courses, conferences, and onsite consulting. Myers’ experience as a partner in a specialty and emergency hospital helped her understand issues owners and managers face. Learn how she can train your team at csvetscourses.com. References Gilmartin S, Yost B, Zirkle K. White Paper: Behavior Shift: Implications of today’s pet owner trends on veterinary medicine in 2025. https://assets.vetsource.com/m/3e5197539521d838/original/DataServicesWhitePaper.pdf?&target=_blank. Accessed Oct. 27, 2025. Gardner M. Are You Seeing Enough Senior Pets? AAHA. https://www.aaha.org/trends-magazine/february-2023/f1-senior-marketing-feb23/. Accessed Oct. 27, 2025. Purina Life Span Study. https://newscenter.purina.com/LifeSpanStudy. Accessed Oct. 27, 2025. 22 Business Phone Statistics. Numa. https://www.numa.com/blog/22-business-phone-statistics. Accessed Oct. 27, 2025. Data on file. Otto. https://otto.vet. Geriatric Questionnaire. Lap of Love. https://todaysveterinarypractice.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/02/Geriatric-Questionnaire-Lap-of-Love.pdf. Accessed Oct. 27, 2025. Beyond the Bark: Communications That Transform Clinic Success. Otto. https://otto.vet/client-engagement-2025/. Accessed Oct. 27, 2025.
