A new online programme with Improve Veterinary Education treats vaccination expertise as an operating asset for veterinary teams, not simply a product conversation.

Preventive medicine is often measured through product uptake. But the business of vaccination is also shaped by the quality of the consultation that precedes it: whether a clinic can assess risk, tailor a protocol and explain the decision in language an owner trusts. Virbac's new partnership with Improve Veterinary Education brings that less visible part of preventive care into focus.

Announced on 16 July, the online course is aimed at European veterinary practitioners and is led by recognised experts in veterinary immunology. Virbac says the programme is designed to provide clinical and practical knowledge that can be applied in the consultation room, addressing the challenge of keeping teams current as scientific knowledge and vaccination practices evolve.

Its three stated objectives are revealing. First, the course covers fundamental immunology and disease context to help clinicians tailor protocols to each animal. Second, it seeks to support day-to-day clinical decisions with current scientific data. Third, it focuses on owner communication: establishing a transparent, educational and reassuring dialogue about the benefits of vaccination strategies.

That third element has a direct economic dimension. Vaccine visits sit at the intersection of clinical standards, client retention and recurring preventive-care revenue. When an owner understands why a protocol is recommended - rather than receiving a generic reminder - the consultation can support adherence without reducing the discussion to a transaction. Better explanations can also help practices manage the operational cost of questions, hesitancy and inconsistent follow-through.

For Virbac, education is therefore more than a professional-service add-on. It is a way to strengthen the clinical ecosystem in which prevention products are selected and used. The model does not prescribe a specific schedule; it equips practitioners to make evidence-based, case-specific choices. That is important in a category where the value proposition must rest on medical judgement, local epidemiology and an individual animal's circumstances.

The wider signal is that companion-animal prevention is becoming a capability market as well as a medicine market. Companies able to help veterinary teams convert complex science into practical protocols and credible owner dialogue may earn influence beyond the product shelf. In a mature preventive-care segment, that ability to make consultations more confident and more consistent can be a durable commercial differentiator.

For more information: Virbac.