Feline Parasite Protection: Having Options for Feline Patients

[MUSIC PLAYING] I usually get this look of like, you're crazy. You want me to recommend a pill for a cat for flea treatment. And like, that just seems ridiculous. But a lot of people don't realize that the administration for Criterlio Cat can be really easy. And we have a lot of data behind why we design Criterlio Cat the way that we did. [MUSIC PLAYING] Hey, vet folio voice listeners. Welcome back. So glad you've joined me for another episode. This episode is sponsored by Alanco and features Dr. Diana McNeill, who joins me to talk about parasite protection in cats, and more specifically about Criterlio Cat. I think we can all agree that cats can present some unique challenges when it comes to developing an effective protection plan, which is why having multiple options for parasite protection matters. It allows us to individualize our recommendations based on that specific family, the individual cat, their personality, their tolerance level, so we can effectively protect cats from parasites and also protect and preserve that human animal bond. Dr. McNeill and I talk about the different parasites we're aiming to protect against in cats, and some of the unique ways those parasites might affect cats, as well as client communication around parasite protection. I mean, this can be one of the biggest barriers, especially when we're working with indoor only cats, with owners who really might not perceive parasites as a major threat. We talked about ways to approach that conversation, so we're having an open and informed discussion with cat owners and making the best individualized recommendations for them in their cat. I generally find conversations around parasites to be quite humbling. I mean, their very parasites are very clever, and I never quite know where these conversations are going until we're in the middle of them, but that's part of what makes these talks so enjoyable. Diana was a pleasure to talk to. There's so much great information here. Let me tell you a little bit about her, and we will dive into parasite treatment in cats. Dr. McNeill is currently a regional consulting veterinarian for a Lanko Animal Health serving the Carolinas. She grew up in Los Angeles, and after earning her DVM at Cornell University, she returned to the Southern California area, where she was in private small animal practice. Dr. McNeill moved to the Charlotte region with her husband, Pomoranian, and three cats, where she joined a Lanko. Her professional interests include preventative care, education, and surgery. And when not working, she enjoys cooking, traveling, and shows whether musical or comedy. All right, let's go ahead and get into our episode. Pet parents are looking for a veterinary practitioner who can prove they understand and support the relationship they have with their pet. Show you value your client's trust, and earn an official human animal bond certification from NAVC and Habri, the Human Animal Bond Research Institute. This certification, appropriate for all members of the health care team, explores the scientific benefits for veterinary staff, owners, and animals, and discusses how to establish and promote a strong human animal bond. Enroll today at vetfolio.com. For this episode, I'm joined by Dr. Diana McNeil, and we're going to talk about parasite treatment in cats, parasite management in cats. Dr. McNeil, thank you for joining me. - Thank you so much for having me today. - Yes, yeah, I'm excited to talk to you about this, because it's a topic that really does need attention of making sure that our cats aren't being forgotten when it comes to the parasite coverage. So in that vein, when we're talking about managing parasites and cats, we have a lot of options for protection. In this case, we're talking about cradiliocat. Where does cradiliocat kind of fit into the parasite options that we have at this point? - You're totally right. We've got lots of different options. I mean, I'm a cat owner. I think I can say the cats tend to get the short end of the stick and that we don't have as many options for our cats as we do our dogs, but that doesn't mean we can't have new innovation and new options for our cats. And so cradiliocat is actually the first and only oral flea and tick treatment that was specifically designed for our cats. So that makes it really nice to provide additional options to our owners when the options that might be on the market may just not be the right fit for their animal. And so traditionally, parasite control is for our cats as topicals, right? You've got the topical, you apply it once a month and you move on, but there can be a lot of reasons why owners might want to consider an alternative for their cat. I think about the families with young kids that don't like the messy, greasy application of topicals or maybe they don't like the odor that's associated with the topicals, you know, multi pet household, you have to try to isolate the animals from each other, which can be really difficult sometimes. Like I said, I have three cats of my own and the second they hear that boil opening on the topicals, they go running 'cause they really dislike the topical sensation. And then I also think about, you know, other situations. Like my mom has rheumatoid arthritis, so mobility is difficult for her. And being able to utilize a topical makes application difficult or, you know, cats that might have irritation of their skin or damage already in the area that we have to apply the topicals might make it that we need to find an alternative for that cat while still providing the protection that they need. And so what's nice? Criterio cats approve for fleas and cats as young as eight weeks of age and approval protection against the exoidy scapularis tick in cats as young as six months of age and cats as small as two pounds. So it gives us this really fast and sustained efficacy in another option for our owners. - Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. I think you made a lot of really good points there in, there's just a lot to consider. I've seen two suspected ringworm cases one confirmed in the last week. And, you know, my thought was, one was in a multi cat household and it was just the one cat so far that showing symptoms and it was one little area. So I think, you know, okay, well, we can, you know, maybe just treat that with a topical but that's so hard in a cat because they, if this cat doesn't groom it off himself, you know, it was up towards his head. So I'm like, maybe we can put a cone on him or something which everybody loves. Like the other cat in the household, we run the risk of doing this. So yeah, we have to approach medications differently and, you know, like we talked about just a minute ago, there's not always a ton of options available. So to kind of talk about what works best for your cat, is it a topical, is it an oral, do you need, you know, are we looking for a tick coverage or, you know, and kind of really consider all these different options and be very patient specific, I think is a really advantage. - Absolutely. And, you know, I think more and more, both on the human side and on veterinary medicine, we are really working to tailor our medicine to the individual patient in front of us. And these things go into that conversation is, you know, what is actually achievable for you as the owner? Is it going to be a topical or is it going to be an oral? You know, what do we need to protect against for your specific patient? What are they at risk for? And so I think being able to have these conversations openly without judgment really allows us to build that better bond with the owner, build that trust, and then find the right solution for that pet that's going to lead to the best compliance and comfort with our recommendations. - I think you made a really good point there with the occasionally, like the cats will lose hair after the topical application, 'cause, you know, theoretically, if it happened with this one, it won't happen with another one, but some owners just really aren't willing to take that risk. So, you know, or like you said, you know, we're damaging human animal bond, 'cause they're running away as soon as they know you're about to open it, and so if you have that cat that, you know, is not doing well, it's so nice as a veterinarian to be able to say, that's not the only option let's talk about what else we can do. And like you said, really customize it to the patient in front of us. So, you know, I think Cridilio has been around for quite a long time, this is Cridilio Cat. So, what do we know about the efficacy of Cridilio Cat? - You know, that's a great question, because if we're going to use a product, we want to make sure that it's going to work, especially since we know our cat owners of market research, they tend to be a bit more reactive than proactive when it comes to treatment. They wait until they see signs that they need to buy a treatment, whether they see their cat scratching, they see actual fleas or a tick on their cat, or, you know, the product that they have runs out, and then they're like, okay, now I've got a visual clue that I need to purchase treatment. But when it comes to efficacy, you know, we want to see real world data. And so, we actually just recently published our 2025 Tampa flea study, and this was a really, really interesting study, 'cause we go into Tampa, Florida, which is like the perfect environment for breeding really difficult to control flea infestations. We went into homes, graded them as low-high or no flea counts, and then dose cats with Cridilio Cat, and monitored things like flea counts, itching scores and skin lesions. And what we found is just like one week after that first dose, over 99% flea-life flea count reductions, just one week later, and control a flea infestations with three consecutive doses. And so, you know, when we're seeing the owner come in with the cat frustrated because now again, maybe that human animal bond's been fractured, because the cat brought fleas home, and they can't have that in their house, we want something that's going to work quickly to control that infestation, and get both the owner and the cat the relief that they have. they need. So I'm really interested in monitoring the itch scores and what administration of CradooCat in this study did for the itch scores of these cats. Yeah, so you know because we check those itch scores what we found is that the cats in the high household had significant reductions again just in that first week after administration from the first dose and the scores returned back down to normal about three weeks afterwards. So really quick efficacy and not just the flea cats but the itch is so safe with fleas. That is I mean I feel like that's huge in and of itself am I am I the only one that like when you get that that room on I'm not very far from Tampa Florida that it says like it's an itchy cat and you're like oh please let it be fleas because it's just not easy to manage itch in cats for other reasons. Right absolutely again cats don't have a ton of options out there so being able to be like okay good this is a flea problem I know how to handle this one and we've got we've got good medications to treat it. Yes because if it's not a flea problem this conversation just got a lot longer and and potentially more difficult so absolutely that's huge in reducing the itch scores. Yeah itch is a big topic of conversation here in Florida in general so that seems like a big deal. What about administration you know we kind of talked about individualizing medicine to our patients so you know what does this particular cat need if you if you do have a pet owner who says you know I I want to get away from using a topical for x, y, and z reasons but I don't know if I can get an oral medication into my cat certainly something we're used to hearing it's a valid concern in a lot of cases. Absolutely. What do we know about administration with Crudeleo cat? So you know when I have owners who are like well I should say actually when I talk to veterinarians and I was like hey there's an oral option for cats I usually get this look of like you're crazy you want me to recommend a pill for a cat for flea treatment like that just seems ridiculous but a lot of people don't realize that the the administration for Crudeleo cat can be really easy and we have a lot of data behind why we design Crudeleo cat the way that we did like first I'll start with load a lot of load a lot of is the isoxazling in Crudeleo cat and we took our time going through like a thousand different isoxazlings before we landed on load a lot of because of the safety and efficacy and then we took it a step further by putting it through extra purification removing the inactive and anti-mirror and what that allows us is to get that product into a really small familiar kibble size for the cats and then we took that compound and said let's develop it specifically for cats so something that I learned I didn't realize is that cats have like 70% fewer taste buds than dogs do so they really rely yeah right they rely on their sense of smell very heavily when they're deciding what they want to potentially eat now like I said three cats it makes me wonder then when I see the things that they choose right because I was like that that's what you must eat you but yeah and you must not be tasting this on the way down because they're so right absolutely so you know less taste buds but rely more heavily on scent and so what we did is we you know ran tests with lots of different flavor and smell combinations to see what cats chose themselves and cats chose the nila scent with a yeast flavor like that was the winning combination and so what we find is that when we put this in front of cats we have great acceptability now if you've ever used on sear and clinic like the tablets it has a very similar flavor profile because on sear is also yeast flavored and both products they have the flavor all the way throughout the tablet so if the cat happens to chomp on it as it's chewing it doesn't get a bitter taste because it's just a coating it is all the way through the product and when we tried this in our us field studies like we gave it to owners to administer we had a 99.5% acceptance rate from cats like that's incredible because how often do you get 99.5% of cats agreeing on anything like you just on sear and that's not a plug by any means I mean I just that when you said yeast flavor that was immediately where my mind went because certainly like I I love that as an and said and but I do get that look from the the pet owners of like oh my goodness am I going to be able to get this in my cat and I don't understand the yeast flavor but hey if the cats are happy then then we're happy right and I tell them like this is this is generally well except I don't have an issue with it and I very rarely have owners come back and say that they're unable to administer it yeah and so in that in that us field study it was a 99.5% acceptance rate if we break that down it was 46.9% of cats that took it voluntarily either out of the food bowl or out of their owner's hand and then 52.6% that took it when it was placed in their mouth by the owner and so really great acceptability when we ask users of Criterio cat what the experience is 97% say it's either positive or very positive like it is just a good experience for the owners to have something that is easy to give to their cats and we confidently back Criterio cat with a satisfaction guarantee because we've seen just how well accepted it is you know Lanko is very proud to announce that Criterio cat actually received the easy to give accreditation by international cat care because of this combination of small size great flavor great scent easy to give well accepted just overall makes it a wonderful option for a lot of cats sure sure and I mean to say you know for for an owner where a topical is not the right selection to say there is another option and it most likely does not mean shoving a pill down your cat's throat seems seems like it would be well accepted by cats and and by their owners to say oh good you know there's something that this can this can be a positive experience and you know it also I just thought about it one of the things we talked about is you mentioned opening the foil and your cats go running and you know did we hear that a fair bit because they know what we're up to and you know we're thinking like human animal bond if we're giving something that either the cats will accept ideally or at least eat it out of the food bowl and being on the wiser I think that goes a long way for the human animal bond as well absolutely and you know I I personally feel that we have a responsibility to not just protect that human animal bond but really help to let it flourish and so ensuring that we're having products that don't fracture it that we have to you know force our pets to take and also give them that protection because what's a bigger fracture of the human animal bond then finding fleas on your cat as they're curled up next to you or your child in bed right and you're like oh no like we've got to kick them out and so you know having a regular treatment that's going to be easy to give aids in that compliance like if your cat is looking forward to receiving their Cradleo cat dose every month you're going to feel good giving it to them every month and that helps with that compliance that helps with them to just consistently be like this is going to be good for my cat and then I make sure that both them and my family are protected from these parasites. Yes yeah and benefits to the human animal bond all around which I think you know human animal bond is a lot of the reason that sometimes there's a struggle with parasite protection and cats. What is the data say about current trends in terms of administration of parasiticizing cats? So you know like I kind of said before we're learning that cat owners really are more reactive and proactive they just don't tend to think that they need that protection until they see that there's a problem so you know they wait until they see parasites they wait until they see their cat scratching they wait until they see that they're totally out of it but when we ask them you know what is it that you would be open to trying nearly like three out of four owners say that they're open to trying new and improved methods for fleantic protection and chubble tablets and cats really as seen as a breakthrough especially when we can combine that with the ease of administration and the great flavor. The other thing we've learned from owners is that they really do look to the vet especially our kid owners for the recommendation for their pet like they want to know what we recommend so that they can make the decision as to what they're going to get and I think that's something that a lot of us as veterinarians tend to have a you know a negative view about you know Dr. Google and all of the like online resources and the Facebook groups and things like that but in the end truly like our owners look to us for our recommendation and so if we can provide that right recommendation for the pets lifestyle and what works for the owner they're going to be more likely to accept that and so you know I think when it comes to parasite protection for our cats it truly is finding out like what is achievable for this owner what works for that cats lifestyle and then finding the right product that fits that. Yeah I love that you said that about Dr. Google because I I really have that feeling and I feel like you know kind of echoing what you said I think we're on the same page there of making sure we're making specific recommendations for that pet and that owner and it's nice if if they're looking to us for guidance and we can be reasonably reversed in the. products that are available, I think Dr. Google can really be helpful because we can provide the information and then kind of give them a chance to make a decision and understand the different products and things. But at least, I always think about Dr. Google, I don't mind Dr. Google because as long as it's bringing up good questions that we can talk about, not when it turns into, well, you're wrong and we're doing this instead, that can create some cantankerous interactions. But, you know, if we can talk to pet owners about this and know that they are, the, the Googling they're doing or AI-ing whatever we're calling that now is about relevant information, correct and relevant information and we can offer that guidance. I think, I think it feeds into this trend that we already see of this really educated pet owner who wants to feel knowledgeable and comfortable with the way that they're treating their pet. Absolutely. And, you know, in practice, I never really disliked when owners would come to me and be like, well, I did my research and I on this because that means I've got an owner in front of me that wants to be a part of the decision process, right? They want to share what their concerns are, share what they've learned. And again, because they're coming to us with, hey, this is what I've learned, I think they're opening it up to us to say, yes, that's correct. Or, I would actually probably think of it this way. So, I don't think we need to be so contentious when people come to us with their own online research. But making sure, you know, we really encourage them to go to the right resources or, you know, be open to like, hey, I'm really glad you looked that up. These, this was absolutely correct. But I would instead rather approach something this way instead of what you read because I've, you know, seen better experience with it or, you know, my understanding is this, this would be the better option for your animal. So, you know, when it comes to product recommendations, just saying, well, your cat needs to be on a flea treatment isn't enough because they go online and they search flea treatment and they're going to get 80 different options from 40 different brands and they may not know which one to select. So sometimes they're going off of price. Sometimes they're going off of what's going to ship the soonest to their house. Cardelia cat is a prescription-only product. So, they have to get a recommendation from you guys. They have to get the prescription from the doctor. So that gives us that opportunity to say, hey, this is a good product. This is a safe product. I know it's going to be efficacious. I know that it could be the right fit for your pet. Let's move forward with this one. And that way, you know that they're getting something that's going to work for their animal and at the same time, you have the comfort that they are not just picking up the random brand that you don't necessarily know is going to be right for them. I'm going to try that one day when I have time on my hands. I'm just going to Google, like, parasite treatment for cats or worse, parasite treatment for dogs and there'll be even more options. Oh, man. I just want to see what comes up because I think I think you make a really good point. I think that's one area where maybe because our searches in that space can be much more targeted and we already have so much knowledge, it's easy to say, like, well, they need to be on something and assume that people can figure that out. But I'm just imagining what those search results are going to look like and I'm already intimidated. I mean, I'll tell you and it's kind of off track of what we're talking about. But I remembered, you know, probably I was three to four years into practice and I had run out of dog food. So I was like, okay, well, let me just run into the pet store and just grab a bag. And I was so overwhelmed walking through those aisles, multiple different aisles, multiple brands, so many different marketing terms. And you're just like, lost, how do I know what is actually right for my pet? So, you know, sometimes they're looking at the people at the pet store, but a lot of times they're coming to us and we need to be able to have that strong recommendation of like, this is truly what I recommend because I know what goes in behind the product. And you know, that's for pet food as well as medications. Absolutely. Yeah. Oh gosh. Yeah. I go, if I ever have to go to the pet store for dogs, they go straight to the food that I need and then straight out because it is overwhelming. Even when you have a general idea what you're looking at, you know, it sounds like a lot of what we're talking about here is making sure we're getting the best compliance possible when it comes to parasite protection for cats, both for the sake of the cats and the owner for that human and animal bond that they share. So I'm wondering if you have any thoughts on maybe some areas where we might be missing out on opportunities to protect cats. Definitely. I mean, I think one of the things that we're learning is more of our new adult cat owners also have dogs. And we see the shift on the K9 side of switching from topicals to oral. And a lot of our owners like the idea of well, if my dog is on this product, I want my cat to be on something similar because it's familiar. And so being able to have things within the same brand where, you know, maybe administration is very similar can help that comfort level of like, okay, I know I'm doing this for my dog, I'm doing this for my cat every single month and they're both covered. One of the other things that we know about our cat owners is a lot of times their purchase triggers is when they're reminded when they're at the vet for another animal. So if they're not bringing their cat in as regularly, but they bring their dog in all the time, ask them proactively when they're in with their dog. Hey, how's your cat doing? Do you need parasite protection for your cat? We're sending your dog home with this product. Do you need something for your cat as well so that we can, you know, proactively trigger that idea of right both animals need coverage, all of the animals in the house need coverage. And I'm good about having that conversation when they come in actively with fleas, but sometimes we forget when it's just the general wellness of like, you know, oh, I'm looking at your account. I realize you have misfluffy at home that we haven't seen in a little while is she do for her parasite treatment. And if so, let's get her in so we can get a prescription for it and just really encourage that compliance. One of the other things that I think we tend to be missing is, you know, we ask our owners, is your cat indoor only or indoor outdoor? And a lot of owners are like, they're indoor only, but we're not thinking about some of the like newer non-traditional lifestyles. So I think about the ones that like live in apartment complexes. And yes, they're indoor only, but those areas are so closely shared that there's a high risk of transferring there. Cats that go out on leashed walks or go out in strollers or have a beautiful patio that they can go out in. Sure, and that owners mind that cat is indoor only, but they have the same exposure risks as an indoor outdoor cat. I travel a lot for work. And when I travel, I'm having people come into my home to take care of my cats. And they are coming from other homes where they're taking care of other animals. And, you know, that is a risk of them bringing things into my home. And, you know, I always like to call out because sometimes they get forgotten or clinic cats. They are the prime example of an indoor only cat that has all of the exposure risks of an indoor outdoor cat. And so, you know, being able to have a product like Criterlio cat offers more flexibility in the protection options in those cats that either don't get to the vet very often and they're reminded when they bring their dog in or they have these non-traditional lifestyles that really warrant the extra protection, but we might not consider when we think of our indoor only cats. Yeah, those are some really good thoughts when it comes to talking to cat owners about parasite treatment. You're right. Like sometimes the pushback comes on from the owner, saying, well, they're indoor only. But to say, you know, here's some things that could still create some exposure risk and help to create that owner buy-in to say, you know, this is still really important. I'm thinking of those dogs that come in and they're itchy and, you know, you're doing everything you can to get control of it. And you're like, tell me about the parasite treatment. And oh, they're on whatever medication it is. And you're like, well, that's effective. What is it? And like, and it's the cat. And it's how often do we see it that it's the cat because the cat is indoor only. The cat doesn't have any. Right. The cat doesn't have parasites. It never goes outside, but it turns out like that's the source of please or whatever, you know, maybe. And because I think when pet owners and I get this, like I can be guilty of this too, think of like their indoor cat really, but they never where would they even get exposed. And so those are really good talking points to say there's actually a lot of opportunity. Hands of opportunity. And I always think too, you know, I always always laugh. You mentioned the like itchy cat appointment. And you're like, gosh, I hope it's fleas. How many times do you tell that owner your cat has fleas? And they're like, no, I've never seen a flea on the cat. And you're like, they are crawling all over your their building churches and schools. I live here now. Really. It is one of those like cats can have really heavy infestations. And we just don't see it. And the owners don't notice it. And so a lot of times I'll tell my cat owners, you know, the protection isn't necessarily because, you know, I think your cat is going to get something. It's that if your cat does get something, it's probably going to be a long time before you ever figure it out. And at that point, that infestation is it heavily established in your home. And you're talking about a much harder process to get rid of it. Oh, that's a good one because you do get the instant, which I totally relate to and understand that instant like my cat has fleas. Your cat has fleas. No, it doesn't. And it's like then I get it. Like it feels icky. And like, no, I swear I have a clean house and I'm like, I believe you. This is not that. But that's a good point because then you're not having to have the conversation of, oh, my cat has your cat has fleas. You're able to see your cat doesn't have fleas. We want to keep it that way because if your cat ever does get fleas, they're a cat. They're not going to tell you right away in most cases and and yeah we don't want you to end up with this established free infestation in your house. - Right. - Oh, I love that. So many good talking points. - I'm wondering if you can share some of your insights when you're having these conversations about what you talk to owners about in terms of selecting the right product for them, the right pair is to decide for their cat. - So, you know, when I'm thinking about what products I'm going to choose, I'm thinking about the pet in front of me, what is their lifestyle, what is their risk factors, what do we need to protect them against? I'm thinking about, you know, what goes into administration for this owner, whether it is going to be lifestyle related, cost related, administration, whatever it is, you know, how achievable is it for the owner? And then I think about what products are available that's going to best fit that particular situation. And so, you know, I get a lot of times questions like Criterlio Cat, okay, great. It covers pleas and ticks. What about the other parasites? Don't get me wrong. Ideally, we would protect every single patient against every single parasite risk every single month. - How often does that happen? - Probably not anywhere close as much as we would like. And a lot of times having that full protection against everything might not be achievable for the owner, especially if we're having issues with, you know, access or cost or whatever it may be. And so, you know, one of the things that I think about when we have these different options is while it might not be the perfect hover everything product, we can't let perfect be the enemy of good. If we can get some coverage against the biggest risks for that pet, we should reach for that. And so, you know, considering lifestyle risks, supplement coverage where needed, you know, consider combination, like combining different products to find what works for that individual pet and that specific owner is going to be the best way we can get that buy-in and that compliance, you know, 'cause if we tell them all this product covers everything, but you are going to have to chase your cat around the house and they're not going to want to be next to you for three weeks. And then once it finally gets better, congratulations, you have to do it all over again. They're not going to be compliant and they're not going to get the protection that they need. And so, you know, do we reach for two separate products? You know, we can combine Criterlio Cat with something like Interceptor Flavor Tabs that does give heartworm and intestinal parasite coverage. And now we've got two oral products for the cat that they can take to protect them and we're not having to force them to restate something they don't want. That might be, you know, the right fit for that patient versus a product that covers everything but is really difficult for the owner to administer. I agree with that so much in terms of not letting perfect be the enemy of good. You know, like you said, in an ideal scenario, everything would be covered every time. I'm imagining that would probably be a much bigger pill maybe not able to formulate it quite as effectively in terms of getting cats to accept it, which would be a big problem. And so, you know, if we say with some of the options that are available, maybe they don't work for that particular patient, you know, to start small and work our way up in some cases, if that's what we have, let's at least get something on board and then work towards this ideal coverage as we figure out what's gonna work best for that particular situation. - Absolutely. - Wonderful. Well, Dr. McNeill, thank you so much. I've really enjoyed talking to you and I love the idea of having more options for protecting cats against parasites. Thank you so much for coming on the podcast and for the conversation. Is there anything else you want to share with us? - I was gonna say, you know, first thank you so much. Like this truly was a pleasure. And it's such a fun conversation. It's just, you know, I would never think I'd enjoy talking about parasites so much, but, you know, really there's, it's such an interesting topic and we have so many good products that can work. Just finding the right one for that pet and that owner is really where we want to make sure, like go wants to make sure that you have those options. And so, you know, I would kind of just wrap up to say, you know, you get that animal in front of you, you get that owner in front of you and they're talking about all of their concerns. Some of these will be medical, some might be financial, but you know, it's also important to listen to some of the other things that they might be saying that might not necessarily trigger a like, we should consider another option. You know, things like access to care, administration, complications or difficulties, patient compliance, stress, quality of life. And I think one of the most important things that we can do out of that visit is start with, you know, what is reasonably attainable for you as the owner? Like what can you achieve? Listen to that owner's desires, their interests, what it is that they want and then finding the right product to fit their need. So, you know, what's nice is we can recommend Criterio Cat as a nice effective, safe, easy to administer option. For that owner, that may potentially want or need something different than the traditional options on the market. And that just helps us to really fill that individual care for that owner and patient. - I love that, I love that. Really letting owners know that we're listening and we're trying to meet the needs that they're expressing. - Absolutely. - Well, thank you again. - Thanks, have a good one. - I love, love, love how this conversation really centered on the importance of individualized care and protecting the human animal bond to hugely important aspects of general practice, of veterinary medicine in general. So, Dr. McNeill, thank you so much for joining me and for such a fun conversation. Big thank you to a linko for making this episode possible. And of course, thank you to each and every one of you for tuning in. If you enjoyed this episode, I would love it. If you would please leave us a five star review wherever you get your podcasts, it'll help other veterinary professionals out there find this and find other great content we're always trying to put out there. For more episodes, you can click on the Education tab on the Vetfolio website or find us wherever you get your podcasts. Of course, I want to hear your thoughts, what you thought of this episode ideas for what you want to hear in the future. So, definitely feel free to reach out to me at [email protected]. You can also find me on Facebook at Dr.CassyDVM or we can connect on Instagram at doctor.cassy.dvm. And remember, if one animal is better off because of you today, it's a great day. (music)