Research
What the research says about clinics and their clients
TailPlan is built on published evidence, not on our own claims. Below is what independent studies and surveys show, grouped by the four stages.
Every figure links to its source, and we say plainly where evidence comes from human healthcare or from industry-funded work.
Clients lapse because the conversation stops
Cost matters for some owners. But in recent European surveys, many owners of unvaccinated pets didn’t know what their vet recommended, and what the vet recommended was closely linked to whether the pet was vaccinated.
of owners of unvaccinated cats didn’t know how often their vet recommended revaccination, against 6% of owners whose cats were up to date. Italy, 1,247 owners. Correlational: an association, not proof of cause. Rating vaccination cost as important was also linked to a cat being unvaccinated.
of dogs in Germany were vaccinated to current guidelines. A vet’s recommendation had the strongest association with vaccination status. 3,881 owners; correlational.
of practices that sent reminders never checked whether the client booked. 37% of cat owners did not recall their vet ever recommending an annual exam. No newer study has measured this.
of UK owners whose pets have regular check-ups agreed that their practice reminds them to attend. 1,988 owners.
in the UK was not getting regular booster vaccinations in 2026: 66% of cats and 82% of dogs were. 3,440 owners.
of inactive clients returned within six months after an email from their practice, in a 2015–16 programme across 1,612 US practices: on average 128 visits per practice. 38% had been away for over two years.
of veterinarians across 14 countries reported discussing why vaccination matters with cat owners; 27% of owners of vaccinated cats said reminders influenced their decision.
higher odds that clients followed a recommendation when it was clear and specific rather than ambiguous. Small study: 19 vets, 83 clients.
Regular, well‑worded reminders change behaviour
flu vaccination on average when patients got text reminders before a doctor’s visit, in a randomised trial of 47,306 patients. The best message, two reminders that a vaccine was “reserved for you”, added 4.6 points.
flu vaccination on average (6.8%) from text reminders versus no message, in a randomised trial of 689,693 pharmacy patients.
Appointment reminders increased hospital outpatient attendance compared with no reminder: a meta-analysis of 10 trials with 8,236 patients.
no-shows when the SMS reminder was reworded, compared with the standard reminder, in a randomised test across 14 Israeli hospitals (161,587 appointments).
attendances per 1,000 appointments with SMS reminders versus none (7 trials, 5,841 people). Text was as effective as a phone call and 55–65% cheaper per attendance in two studies. Still the main review of SMS on its own.
Patient reminder and recall raised vaccination uptake by 8 percentage points (55 studies, 138,625 people).
Dogs in France, Germany, Spain, Sweden and the UK were dewormed on average 2.3 times a year and cats 2.2 times, against ESCCAP’s minimum of four when risk is unknown. 5,001 owners.
of owners who use flea and tick prevention admitted forgetting a dose at least once in the past year, in a 15-country survey of 4,072 owners.
of owners preferred reminders by email and by text respectively; 8% preferred a postcard. 5,071 owners in 14 countries.
of animal-months in which owners updated microchip details right after a reminder email, compared with matched periods without one. 124,000 dogs and cats in Australia.
Connected clients visit more, and clients do switch
visits a year for owners with a strong bond to their pet versus a weaker one. 2,000 US owners.
visits a year for Banfield patients on wellness plans versus those without a plan (2010). Members chose to join, so this is association, not cause. 45% of owners in a separate survey said they would visit more with a monthly-billed plan.
of UK pet owners had moved to their current practice from another; 37% had a pet health plan. 2,376 owners.
Recommendation is how clients choose a vet
of UK owners named a recommendation as a reason for choosing their current vet; for 23% it was the main reason, second only to location.
of consumers left a review when a local business asked them to. All local businesses, US.
What the research does not show
We have not found a controlled trial of SMS, email or postcard reminders and vaccination rates in veterinary practice, so we do not claim a specific uplift for clinics. The closest evidence is the human-health trials and reviews above and veterinary programme data such as the AAHA results. Several widely quoted figures, for example “reminders lift visits by 40%”, come from vendor marketing without a published method, and we leave them out.
Nor does the research show that cost is irrelevant. In the Italian cat survey, owners who rated vaccination cost as important were more likely to have an unvaccinated cat. The surveys above show associations, not causes.
The most reliable number for your clinic is your own. That is why every clinic starts with a free audit and a results page from day one.
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