AVA Conference Gold Coast 2020

Canine heartworm (HW) is endemic in Australia and prevention is usually achieved by administering monthly topical or oral preventives, or annual injections of extended-release moxidectin (hereafter referred to as injectable moxidectin) (ProHeart SR-12*). However, poor client compliance can leave dogs susceptible to infection. This study used retrospective transactional data from 52 veterinary practices and anonymized transaction records of 228,185 dogs identified to have visited a veterinary practice at least twice in the period 2010-2015 in Australia to examine compliance, revenue and patient retention associated with veterinarian-sourced canine HW prevention. In the 5 years from 2010 to 2015, 73% of dog owners made less than two purchases of HW preventatives from veterinary practices. 18.7% recorded at least two injectable moxidectin purchases and 10.6% purchased monthly HW prevention at least twice. For those with at least two preventative purchases, data showed that 76.7% of dogs receiving injectable moxidectin and 24.4% of dogs prescribed monthly HW products purchased enough doses to provide protection for at least 2 consecutive years. Repeat monthly HW purchasers only purchased enough product to cover an average of 7.2 months per year