Ed Blach, DVM, MS, MBA, reminds us of the dichotomy of servicing both humans and animals as veterinary clinic customers. The same is true of retail associates who deal with the public. He says veterinary teams must love to service humans as much as they love dealing with animals to be successful. Source: Vet Advantage, September 2016, page 20. The client experience is … [Read more...]
Payne talks about Compassion-First Pet Hospitals
John Payne, founder and CEO of Compassion-First Pet Hospitals, discusses the Mayo Clinic-like approach to veterinary care he envisions. This vision includes exceptional care for animals and the need for a positive experience for both the client and referring veterinarian. Source: Vet Advantage, September 2016, page 24. We have to be good listeners. Rather than thinking we … [Read more...]
Microchip conundrum
Microchips are great for helping lost pets find their way home. But microchipping and ownership ethics present dilemmas to veterinary teams. Honoring the veterinarian-client confidential relationship trumps the chip record. This article discusses ethics, current laws or the lack thereof, and possible court cases. Source: Veterinary Team Brief, September 2016. No matter the … [Read more...]
Saving parvo puppies
Medora Pashmakova, DVM, DACVEC, presented tips about managing Parvoviral enteritis at the International Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Symposium in Grapevine, Texas. Her underlying message was when you help puppies survive the first three to four days of a parvo infection, they usually make a rapid recovery. Source: DVM 360, September 28, 2016. Dr. Pashmakova … [Read more...]
Help pets adapt to fall
Fall may be more work than fun for dogs says Cesar Milan, noted TV dog whisperer. He offers tips that will help make the transition into the new season enjoyable for owners and their dogs. He covers allergies, Halloween candy, arthritis concerns, nutrient needs, exercise needs and protective wear. Source: Cesar’s Way, September 28, 2016. The change in the season can mean a … [Read more...]
It’s dog food revolution
A series of three articles addresses the abundance of new dog foods and claims that now proliferate the diets marketplace. Why human food trends are changing how your dog eats – it’s a revolution. Should you really feed it to your dog? – demystifying life stage dog food. We demystify the lingo on dog food packaging and labels – no this, not that! Source: Dogster, … [Read more...]
Gun-shyness
Next to having a dog killed by a passing car, there is probably no worse feeling for a bird dog owner than having the hunting dog he paid dearly for, trained, raised carefully and conditioned to loud noises, come crawling into your vest at the first gun shot on opening morning. If this sounds like a personal story, it is. It was devastating and never resolved. Craig Doherty … [Read more...]
Banfield’s Aja shares his big picture
Dan Aja, DVM, chief medical officer for Banfield Pet Hospital, moved from private practice into industry roles. He shares some perspective on the challenges of those situations and about our industry. Following the Aja story is a micro-review of The State of Pet Health® 2016 Report (page 38), created by Banfield’s research team. In summary, Banfield data shows diabetes and … [Read more...]
Pet sitting generated $391 million in 2015
Pet Sitters International (PSI), the educational association for professional pet sitters, released its 2016 State of the Industry Survey. PSI’s member pet-sitting businesses performed more than 17 million pet-sitting assignments and generated more than $391 million in pet-sitting revenues last year. Source: Pet Product News, September 20, 2016. Survey results reveal that … [Read more...]
Dermatology care can demand a quarter or more of practice time
Last week, Animal Health SmartBrief published a conversation with veterinary dermatologist Karen L. Campbell. Readers were asked to weigh in, as well. About 60 percent of those responding indicated they spent more than 26 percent of their time on companion animal dermatology. Source: AVMA SmartBrief, September 22, … [Read more...]
Top 5 causes of ADR in older cats
ADR? This new acronym is soooo animal health! It means, Ain’t doing right. What follows from Glenn Allen Olah, DVM, PhD, DABVP, is a realistic view of the top five ADR causes in his practice. Dr. Olah reminds us that certain disease conditions are more common in cats more than 10 years old and are frequently a different mix than those conditions in kittens and younger adult … [Read more...]
DVMs lie to themselves
Veterinarians lie to themselves, according to Dr. Andy Roark. He says, “There’s one particular lie that undermines the way we practice, communicate and provide patient care. It affects how we educate veterinarians and how we operate our clinics.” Here’s the lie: If we just tell average pet owners what’s best for their pets, they’ll do it. Source: Dr. Andy Roark, August 27, … [Read more...]
Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds turns 50
Just for fun! This May marked the 50th anniversary of one of rock music’s seminal albums — the Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds. Beach Boy founder Brian Wilson’s opus was a compositional and engineering masterpiece that has had a lasting impression on everyone from the Beatles to Radiohead. The 1966 album featured Beach Boy classics—Wouldn’t It Be Nice, God Only Knows, and Sloop John … [Read more...]
Pet foods questions need science-based answers
Pet owners sometimes blame pet food for causing an overweight pet. Pet obesity discussions generally follow one of two main themes: that many pet owners are in serious denial about their pets’ weight or that pet food may play a role in the pet’s obesity. Both lines of thinking originate because some pet owners don’t understand pet nutrition or the ingredients in pet food. … [Read more...]
Editorial – Toot your own horn
Every day in a large percentage of veterinary practices, product is “given away.” Depending on the practice, most of these products are not recorded as a “sale at no charge.” This behavior contributes significantly to inventory shrinkage. As important, the value of the free goods is not realized by the client or by hospital staff. Additionally, hospital owners give away … [Read more...]
Sponsored Content – Videos help explain mosquito control and heartworm prevention
AHD sponsor CEVA created a video series in which parasitology experts discuss vector control and the multimodal approach to heartworm prevention. Presenters in the videos share results from studies by John McCall, MS, PhD, which examine the effects of topical repellent-insecticide plus oral heartworm preventive on development of heartworm disease. Videos like these are … [Read more...]
USDA Veterinary Services needs feedback
Emerging animal diseases have the potential to negatively affect animal health, public health, and trade. Continuing work begun in 2014, this week, the Veterinary Services (VS) division at the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service released an update titled “Emerging Animal Disease and Preparedness Plan.” The agency seeks comments on the document, which expands on the … [Read more...]
It’s good to wipe a dog’s butt
Don’t forget to wipe! It turns out that the crusty mess hiding under a dog’s tail could easily irritate the dog and make him drag his backside to scratch it. While a dog also scoots across a floor when his anal glands need to be expressed, checking for crusty messes under the tail is a cheaper and easier fix to try first. If left uncleaned for too long, the irritation could … [Read more...]
Dogs should get to keep their tails
Surgical operations such as tail docking and ear cropping are commonly performed on certain dog breeds. They’ve become so common for some breeds, that’s is difficult to recognize dogs with intact ears and tails. Katelyn Mills, a graduate student at the University of British Columbia became interested in unnecessary surgeries. She, her animal welfare professor and fellow student … [Read more...]
4 surprising flea-transmitted diseases you need to know
Unlike ticks, fleas don’t seem all that threatening. Mostly, we see the tiny bloodsuckers as a nuisance for pets and for us, not a serious threat to anyone’s health. Don’t dismiss them. Learn how fleas can transmit a surprising number of diseases to animals and humans. Source: Pet MD, September 12, 2016. Fleas can cause serious harm to you and your pet’s health through … [Read more...]
Educate yourself and clients on ringworm
Recognize ringworm, treat it and educate clients fast says Chris Keller, Animal Dermatology Center, Studio City, California. The zoonotic potential of this disease must not be underestimated. Frequent client communication and patient monitoring are the best ways to assure a successful outcome. He discusses how the disease presents, diagnosis, treatment and environmental … [Read more...]
The 3 Cs of cat care
Most cats do not get proper care, even when it is readily available. No matter where we fit in the various channels-of-influence, enabling proper cat care is improves their life quality, avoids a cat population becoming a vector for zoonotic disease and strengthens the animal care economy. Last week we posted Get a handle on cats which referenced various feline care … [Read more...]
Pacemaker Posse celebrates dogs’ longer lives
Dr. Ryan Baumwart, veterinary cardiologist at Oklahoma State University’s Veterinary Medical Hospital, has placed pacemakers in 23 dogs over the last two years. Five members of the Pacemaker Posse joined Baumwart last spring for a reunion. Some of their stories are shared in this report. Source: Center for Veterinary Health Sciences News, August 22, 2016. Our students can … [Read more...]
The latest from JAVMA
We have linked to the table of contents in the latest issue of the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. The article Risk reduction and management strategies to prevent transmission of infectious disease among dogs at dog shows, sporting events, and other canine group settings provides a series of 64 recommendations focused on group settings from multi-dog … [Read more...]
X-rays tell the story
The headline says it all, “They ate what?” The honorable mention images from the 2016 x-ray contest give a view of the challenges created when animals ingest things not intended for their consumption. We think you’ll enjoy the cases shown and could use some of them in client education as well. Source: Veterinary Practice News, September 2016, page 30. … [Read more...]
First puppy cloned in U.S.
ViaGen Pets of Austin, Texas, announced the birth of a Jack Russell terrier named Nubia on July 22, 2016. Nubia was implanted as an embryo in a surrogate and was born nine weeks later. The article suggests cloning can be a win-win for veterinarians wanting to offer a solution to help soften the loss of a favored pet. Source: Veterinary Practice News, September 2016, page … [Read more...]
September is Animal Pain Awareness Month
The second annual Animal Pain Awareness Month is being sponsored this month by the International Veterinary Academy of Pain Management (IVAPM). The IVAPM is a multi-disciplinary organization dedicated to promoting, enhancing, and advancing pain management in animals. Scheduled to coincide with human medicine’s Pain Awareness Month, its theme is “Because their pain is our … [Read more...]
Researchers want dogs to live longer
Researchers at the University of Washington are studying what may be done to increase the life expectancy of dogs. Daniel Promislow and pathologist Matt Kaeberlein at the school have started the Dog Aging Project. Guest host Patt Morrison interviews Kaeberlein. Source: KPCC, August 31, 2016. They want to understand how dogs age and explore if medications can help them live … [Read more...]
Back to school doggie blues
Now that everyone is back to their fall schedules, dogs may feel neglected and can even fall into depression. Cesar Milan presents strategies to prevent or help relieve depression and anxiety in family pets during this time period. Source: Cesar’s Way, August 31, 2016. If a dog has never experienced “back to school,” it is going to take some time. If the dog has gone … [Read more...]
Why do dogs eat poop?
Poop-eating is surprisingly common and mostly harmless to dogs eating their own poop. Coprophagia, is the scientific name for this vile habit. Ingesting the stool of other animals, on the other hand, puts a dog at higher risk for intestinal parasites, viruses or toxins. Lisa Radosta DVM, DACVB, recommends physical and fecal examinations to rule out physiological factors such … [Read more...]