Wither thou holistic vets?

Holistic veterinarians are a key resource for pet supplements. Not only do holistic vets believe proper nutrition is the best preventative medicine for pets, but they will be much more passionate about recommending supplements to pet owners as a first line of defense for the pet’s health. Given this potential for pet supplement marketers, a very important question becomes, just where do holistic vets practice?

Based on the directory of holistic veterinarians supplied by the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association (AHVMA), by far the most popular state is California, with 93 registered holistic veterinarians. In fact, the West Coast in general is a popular region, with Washington and Oregon also having over 25 holistic vets. Beyond the West Coast, veterinarians are much more spread out, with concentrations in Texas, Florida, New York, and Illinois.

However, looking at holistic vets per capita for each state paints a very different picture. States like Oregon and Washington on the West Coast remain staunch locales for holistic veterinarians. What is interesting is that states in the Northeast actually provide the most availability of holistic vets. Vermont and Wyoming both have over 10 holistic vets per million state residents, while New Hampshire has 8.3 vets per million population and Maine has 6.0 holistic vets per million.

What does this mean for pet supplements? First off, so many smaller pet supplement marketers are regional, so seeing what other areas have a strong holistic veterinarian presence indicates that more of the pet owners in those regions already support the idea of additional nutritional support for their pets. For pet owners who believe in using a holistic method to care for their pet, with supplements a part of that regime, it gives a much better sense of how easy (or how difficult) it is going to be to find the type of veterinarian who believes in the same care principles. Either way, time to head for the coasts (or perhaps Colorado).

This blog is based partially on research featured in Packaged Facts’ Pet Supplements in the U.S., 5th Edition.   Add this report to your own intelligence library and receive a 5% discount during our promotional period effective through July 31, 2015. Use code PFPETSUPPLEMENTS15.

-By Norman Deschamps