Fantastic Fall Ideas for Your Veterinary Clinic’s October Social Media

Your October 1st Preventative Reminder gets a bonus this month because it’s also National Black Dog Day! Take this opportunity to encourage engagement by asking followers to share photos of their black dogs or educate the masses with info about BDS (black dog syndrome) and encourage black dog adoption!

World Animal Day on October 4th is a fun opportunity to engage with clients. Ask them to share what their favorite animal is and why, or ask them what other animal their pet reminds them of! If you want to take a more serious approach, ask some team members what they love most about caring for animals and share their responses with your followers.

SPREAD SMILES! October 7th is World Smile Day and a perfect chance to show off your team’s sweet smiles with happy pets. Don’t forget to ask your clients also to show off their favorite smiley photos with their pets as well!

World Mental Health Day is on October 10th. Before we get started on what that means for social media, please know that if you are struggling, you are not alone. The Veterinary Mental Health Initiative (VMHI) is an amazing resource that offers free, professionally facilitated peer support groups. If your need is immediate, visit 988 Lifeline or call 1-800-273-8255  to speak with someone now. You matter, and your health is important.

Pets are such miraculous little souls, and amongst everything else they provide us, they also manage to ease loneliness, relieve depression, lower anxiety, and help us better manage stress (is there literally anything they CAN’T do?!). Take an opportunity to talk about how our fluffy miracle workers positively impact mental health!

It’s National Pet Obesity Awareness Day on October 12th. While it’s commonplace for people to giggle at fatty felines and portly pooches on the internet, we all know the battle of the bulge is no laughing matter. Help owners paws and consider their pet’s waistline with some cold hard facts about the rate of obesity in pets and the negative impact it can have on their quality of life. Do you have a recent weight loss success story? It could also be a great time to share them with the world!

Fetch is a favorite game for many dogs and even some cats! Celebrate National Fetch Day on October 15th by asking clients to share a photo of their pet playing fetch, by educating them on why pets love to fetch, or by reminding them to play a little longer today!

Give your clients some insight into your clinic and the folks that work there on Boss’s Day, October 16th! Highlight your leadership team with photos and fun facts about them, especially if they aren’t always client-facing!

Is your leadership team harder to wrangle than a feral cat? October 16th is also Feral Cat Day and a chance to talk about the differences between strays and ferals and how to help ferals! If you are a rural clinic, remind farm owners that feral cats make for WONDERFUL pest control!

National Cat Day is October 29th and the purrfect time to encourage clients to share their favorite photos of their feline family!

Halloween is here! October 31st is probably my favorite day of the year 😊 Encourage your team to dress up and share some photos on social media! You are bound to have at least a handful of followers who dress up their pet, so encourage them to share their photos too. Don’t forget some MEOWloween and HOWLoween safety tips (Friday the 28th is a good day to do so!) I like to include:
•    Costume Safety
•    Candy Dangers
•    Ding-Dong Fright  
•    And reminders to secure pets to avoid escape attempts!

Walk Your Dog Week is celebrated October 1st – 7th! Highlight some great walking spots in your area and give your clients some information about why walkies are SO important to their pooch!

Buckle up, it’s Vet Tech Week October 16-21! This year’s theme passed down from the National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America is (drum roll!) Veterinary Technicians’ Resilience is the Heart of Veterinary Medicine! Feature your VT team this week on social media by highlighting stories of resiliency, emphasizing the fact that your tech team is the beating heart of your clinic, and celebrating the essential role that Technicians fill on your team.  You can learn more, find resources, and celebrate with NAVTA here.     

October is Adopt A Dog Month and a great time to help your local shelter or rescue get more eyes on their available dogs! Share photos of adoptable dogs in your stories or page – you never know who might fall in love with a dog in need!

National Pet Wellness Month is a perfect time to explain the pillars of health that your clinic believes in! You can address topics such as preventative medicine, nutrition, mental well-being, dental health, emotional health, and regular wellness visits!  

It’s Pit Bull Awareness Month! Take a little time to bust up some myths surrounding bully breeds and rally around your love-a-bull owners to shed some light on these misunderstood snuggle bugs! If you have a passionate and responsible pitty owner or a pibble-obsessed team member, ask them for an interview!