Interview with Priscilla Teague, president
Q: How did you get involved in this business?
A: We wanted to have a business that would be mutually beneficial to ourselves and our clients, as well as their pets. Annual vaccinations are a very important part of a pet’s health and well-being, so it seemed logical that one of the best ways to help both pet owners and their pets was to begin offering a vaccination service at much more affordable prices than are available at most veterinary clinics.
Q: What distinguishes you from other businesses in your category?
A: It is the responsibility of every practicing veterinarian to offer high-quality medicine to all of their clients’ pets. However, very few veterinarians focus attention on trying to provide this high-quality care at prices that are easily affordable. In the case of major surgery, radiology, etc., it is usually not possible to reduce the fees due to the high cost of providing these services. With vaccinations, it is possible to reduce the cost to the client without sacrificing the quality. We use vaccines of the highest quality, manufactured by leading companies. We are able to make these vaccines available to the general public at much more affordable rates due to our very low overhead costs. We believe that it is possible to provide high-quality veterinary service to pet owners while making it affordable in today’s challenging economy.
Q: What do you like best about your line of work?
A: What we have always considered to be the most enjoyable part of practicing veterinary medicine is having the opportunity to interact with pets in an affectionate and playful manner. The doctor gets the chance to do this, briefly, with a large number of pets during the day. Most pets seen at our clinics seem to view the experience as just another place to go to spend time with other people and animals, and get played with and petted by someone new.
Q: What is your business’ biggest challenge?
A: Our biggest challenge is an opinion among the general public that rabies vaccinations are the only important vaccinations, that there are really no other vaccinations needed on a regular basis. Regular vaccinations are just as important to a pet’s well-being as our annual flu vaccines. Without regular vaccination for various communicable diseases, we would still be having problems with very serious diseases.
Q: Something people might be surprised to learn about you or your business:
A: First, the truth is that it is possible to give injections to pets in such a way that very few of them are even aware that anything happened at all. Second, I think clients will be surprised to know that we will soon be providing lower-cost prescription drugs, prescribed by their primary vet, on our website. Third, we provide in-home pet euthanasia at a significantly lower price than other veterinarians who provide this service.
Profile
Business: VaxSmart Corp
Address: 8801 Fox Drive, Thornton
Hours: 4-7 p.m. every day
Founded: 2008
Contact: 303-487-6305, ,
Employees: 2
