Kyle Palmer, CVT, shares the challenges and solutions to scheduling in mixed equine and companion animal practices. His experienced view is that equine clients are not more, or less, bonded to their horses than their companion animal counterparts. Yet, for some reason they need a different approach. Source: DVM 360, April 24, 2017. Designated equine staff members. It's just … [Read more...]
Becky Turner Chapman bids farewell to veterinary media
Becky Turner Chapman, longtime vice president of UBM’s Veterinary division reflects on her animal health family as she retires after 30 years in veterinary publishing. She is a true leader, consummate professional and exemplary role model for women in our industry and will be missed. We wish her the best. Source: DVM360, March 29, 2017. Each and every day, UBM Americas, … [Read more...]
Behind the Mars-VCA merger
Bob Antin, CEO of VCA, and Poul Weihrauch, president of Mars Petcare, talked with DVM360 in an exclusive interview. They discussed their companies, the veterinary profession and if corporate practice is the downfall or salvation of veterinary medicine. Both men addressed the January 9 Bloomberg article. Source: DVM360, January 11, 2017. Weihrauch’s parting thoughts: This is … [Read more...]
Monthly preventives are not 100-percent effective on worms
Richard Gerhold, veterinary parasitologist, sets the record straight about monthly preventive medications and the possibility of pets still picking up parasites. He discusses a case where a dog picked up hookworms, even though the client was believed to be compliant on a monthly preventive regimen. Source: DVM360, January 3, 2017. The preventive effectiveness and the … [Read more...]
Embrace dentistry
There’s no shortage of dental opportunities says one veterinarian. "The incidence of dental disease is 100 percent in cats and dogs," says Dr. Dave Nicol, BVMS, Cert. Mgmt. MRCVS. Matthew Lemmons, DVM, DAVDC, agrees. “Veterinary dentistry is almost an instant gratification for our patients.” Each veterinarian makes the case for pet dentistry in these two … [Read more...]
Unplugged, the digital sabbatical
Two straight weeks without a phone or internet access? Whether this sounds like heaven or hell, possible or impossible, Eric Garcia wants you to join him. Unplugging isn’t one-size-fits all. “Begin by spending a day without your phone,” Garcia suggests. “Then, try a day without social media or stop answering emails after 5:00 p.m.” Source: DVM 360, November 16, 2016. Garcia … [Read more...]
Malware got his hospital data. He fought back.
Veterinarian Phillips Raclyn is a hospital owner and self-described computer geek. His crew had backup after backup after backup. Then the thinkable happened. His system was hacked with ransomware. From individual machines, all the way to backups, including the external hard drive, every file had been encrypted. Fortunately, Raclyn was allowed to pay a negotiated ransom and got … [Read more...]
VFD, the law every DVM needs to know
The title,“VFD: The law every food doc needs to know,” is true. But, many suburban veterinarians will be affected by this law thanks to the many acreages and the increasing popularity of goats. Even beekeepers are subject to VFD regulations. Source: DVM 360, November 2016, page 18. The new regulations go into effect on January 1, 2017. INSIGHTS: The scramble to be … [Read more...]
DVM 360 shares its Top-Ten lists
The Top 10 List was a regular segment of the television programs Late Night with David Letterman and the Late Show with David Letterman. Our animal health colleagues at UBM Americas, Veterinary (DVM 360) have created their own versions of the top 10 lists from their readership. They sent the links for us to share. Source: DVM 360, December 2016. Top ten lists from UBM … [Read more...]
Call groups help after-hours conundrum
Employees today don't want to work as many hours as they used to, points out Kyle Palmer, CVT. He thoughtfully discusses a call-group solution to after-hours service requests in equine practices. Source: DVM 360, October 11, 2016. Equine practitioners are stuck with whatever comes their way: colic, dystocia, traumatic injury and more. They’re often knee-deep in disaster … [Read more...]
6 stinky dental recommendations
In a presentation at a recent convention, Karen Felsted, CPA, MS, DVM, CVPM, and Barden Greenfield, DVM, DAVDC, warned against serving up lame, lukewarm dental and wellness recommendations. She modeled better language by offering a do-this-not-that approach when talking about dental care and infections. Source: DVM 360, October 28, 2016. Don't say: "Looking at Linus’ … [Read more...]
Curbing cribbing in horses
Cribbing is a compulsive behavioral disorder in which a horse habitually bites down on a horizontal surface with its incisors and sucks in air, often making a grunting or gulping noise. Interventions address concerns that cribbing wears down the incisors and is linked to issues of unthriftiness, poor performance, dental issues, gas colic and strangulating lesions such as … [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...]
11 things you love about equine medicine
Portia Stewart takes readers on a fun ride from the perspective of DVMs and technicians who work with horses. The sequence is nicely illustrated as well. One of these is guaranteed to make you smile. Source: DVM 360, September 14, 2016. These were my two favorites: The feeling of relief after you float a horse's mouth, knowing you got rid of those sharp edges that … [Read more...]
Test your horse smarts
During a recent event, a UBM representative shared that quizzes and brain teasers were very popular. So, if you missed this one and you love horses, try these trivia questions. Source: DVM 360, September 2, 2016. Whoa! Stop what you’re doing and try your brain, which weighs about twice as much as a horse’s brain (that’s a freebie), at these horse trivia questions. … [Read more...]
Dynamics of a practice going defunct
This is a very thought-filled piece about the times a corporate buyout goes bad. Christopher J. Allen, DVM, JD, offers many things to think about, including patient records, liability, controlled substances and more. Take special note of the discussion about whose name is on the orders for controlled substances. Source: DVM 360, August 5, 2016. Allen suggests that if a … [Read more...]
When veterinary clients spend the most—and the least
Dr. Ross Knippenberg, assistant director of economics with the American Veterinary Medical Association, and the association's economics intern Sean Barker have completed a deep dive into seasonality and client spending in veterinary clinics. They confirm that business is slowest in the winter. Their analysis quantifies this effect and shows what the national average looks … [Read more...]
Drug abuse and addiction in the veterinary workplace
Jon Geller, DVM, DABVP, writes about this serious issue in veterinary medicine. He cites veterinary team access to a large variety of mind-altering, potentially addictive drugs, including controlled and non-controlled substances. He also notes light or non-existent drug testing, light inventory access and control, and inconsistent employee assistance programs for substance … [Read more...]
Isolate when canine flu hits
If you're seeing canine influenza in your practice, recent findings show it's best to suggest a 21-day isolation period. A study published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association that tested shelter dogs with H3N2 canine influenza found that the virus was shed intermittently for up to 24 days after the initial positive test. Source: DVM 360, July 18, … [Read more...]
Sponsored Content – Add mosquito control to heartworm protocol
In this special insert, veterinarians and parasite researchers discuss heartworm disease and a new multimodal approach that may help solve it. The research and roundtable were sponsored by CEVA, a supporting sponsor of Animal Health Digest. Source: DVM 360, July 2016. We still have to administer the preventative – that is foundational and critical – but we can also reduce … [Read more...]
Flea control toolkit available
Death to the devil’s jumping beans! sets the tone of the flea control toolkit featured in this issue. A series of articles covers client issues, selling products, handling client objections, how fleas got here, infestations and script examples. Source: DVM360, May 2016. What do you tell the client who, three weeks ago, started the flea control you recommended and now sees … [Read more...]
Top dog and cat medical conditions
Learn about the top 10 medical conditions affecting dogs and cats and their associated costs based on Nationwide claims data from 2015. Here are the top three in each category. Top three medical conditions in dogs: Allergic dermatitis Otitis externa Benign skin neoplasia Top three medical conditions in cats: Feline cystitis, or FLUTD … [Read more...]
Pet weights are swelling
Cats and dogs are getting heavier, according to a release from the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention (APOP) that compares 2015 data to 2014 data. Source: DVM 360, March 17, 2016 cited in April 15 newsletter. One problem is that “overweight” remains largely undefined industry-wide. APOP defines clinical pet obesity as 30 percent above ideal weight. “Our profession … [Read more...]
Promote good canine behavior
Veterinary teams and retail associates will find this article helpful to help clients get the support they need for their animals. increases in pet adoptions are yielding a high probability of behavioral issues in rescue dogs. There are no quick fixes, so setting a plan is critical. Source: Veterinary Practice News, March 18, 2016. The number one issue in any study that’s … [Read more...]
7 steps to better two-legged care
Mike Paul, DVM reminds veterinary hospital teams to remember the needs of the animal owners in this reminder article. Source: DVM 360, March 2016, page 44. Pets don’t walk themselves into your veterinary hospital. Check to make sure you’re doing these seven things to make your practice a success with clients. INSIGHTS: Representatives might take a cue or two from Dr. … [Read more...]
Darned dermatophytes
Dermatophytosis is most frequently associated with the zoonotic ringworm infection. However, those circular areas of hair loss can signal more than just ringworm. These articles address the need for proper diagnosis and include a discussion about the origins of the infections. Source: DVM 360, March 2016, page M4. Three species of fungi most commonly cause dermatophytosis: … [Read more...]
Does this make my pet look fat?
About every third client you see is likely overweight or obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. When you tell someone their pet is overweight, you might as well rub their own weight problem in their face. Weight is personal. Yet, when it comes to a pet’s health, veterinarians are obligated to deliver the news effectively. Source: DVM 360, March … [Read more...]
Use best nutritional practices for liver disease patients
Liver disease affects animals differently. Jennifer L. Garcia, DVM, discusses common clinical signs associated with liver disease and individualized dietary plans to consider. Senior veterinarians can use this article when mentoring associate DVMs and technicians. Source: DVM 360, March 7, 2016. Patients with liver disease will require special dietary considerations, but … [Read more...]
Editorial – Things that keep vets up at night
The results of dvm360’s triennial survey are out. The survey makes clear veterinarians are concerned. They feel the same changes we feel and more. Addressing their concerns with proper action remains a strong challenge. Enterprising reps will set aside the detail book and use these survey results to have solution-centered dialogues with their accounts. “B” accounts will … [Read more...]
Editorial – Generational overload
Media sources are full of information about boomers, gen Xers, millennials and recently the iGens, or Generation Z. Depending on which date ranges you use, I live with a boomer, a gen Xer, a millennial and an iGen. We’re all different, have different attitudes and approach communication, problem solving and planning differently. I’ve found that engaging in safe, open discussion … [Read more...]