Has ‘Realty Reality’ Created More Pet Rest Homes?June 22, 2011 Most of us have been able to help clients who loved adopting one or two older pets. Many of these older pets were left behind due to the “no pets allowed” policy of rest homes that their owners moved into. Some were left behind when their owners died. It surprised me that the bond between the adopting person or family and the older pet was so strong. The bond was filled with as much love as if the pet was theirs since it was young. It surprised me how much love and money was poured into the older adopted pet to battle cancer or organ failure. There is a special compassion and kindness in these caregivers who rescue older animals. Veterinarians are seeing more pet lovers adopting older pets. Most of these kind-hearted caregivers feel that they are helping to save lives of wonderful, unfortunate animals. They are dutiful and care for their charges with love and attention. They seek professional medical care for their animals’ age-related conditions and ailments. Most good Samaritans who rescue older animals are able to keep a balanced life and maintain their jobs and personal affairs while providing proper care …
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The Purebred ParadoxJune 22, 2011 Here in the U.S., we have a purebred problem: People demand them—millions of them. So someone supplies them via a pet shop, airport, website, breeding kennel or living room near you. Casual backyard breeders, puppy millers, importers, upscale breed club breeders ... someone. But, as they say, you can’t make an omelet without breaking a few eggs. Herein lies the paradox: We all love dogs. We all want healthy, happy dogs. No responsible breeder wants to breed unhealthy dogs––this we know. • But it’s also true that no backyard breeder thinks that anything unhealthy will come of his or her ill-bred dogs’ union. No puppy miller or unscrupulous importer, even, wants to sell you a defective product. It’s bad for business. • Yet plenty of genetically ill-designed animals come from responsible breeders. Puppy millers breed dogs under woefully inadequate conditions. An increasingly alarming percentage of importers ship pups too young to be away from their mothers (much less travel). And the casual backyard breeder is still stuck on having her kids see the miracle of life happen, whatever the cost—or the death toll. • And the consumers? They’re willing to …
What Is An Animal And Why Should The Law Care?June 22, 2011 Arecent piece in the newly minted Journal of Animal Ethics suggests that the word “pet” is a derogatory term for the animals that we share our lives with. Whether this is the case—and I’m reasonably sure my dog Annie is not offended by the term, although she would probably prefer “princess”—a great deal of interest is being focused on our companion animals and the people who care for them. So while it might have been simple for Juliet, things are rarely that easy when it comes to the law. The law has many definitions for the word “animal.” Depending on the law in question, an animal might be a live (or dead) hamster, but not a rat, bird or mouse (the Federal Animal Welfare Act) or “every living creature except members of the human race” (the Minnesota Animal Cruelty statute). Books, Tables ... Dogs No matter which creatures fall into the legal definition of an animal, there is one thing they all have in common: They are all personal property under the law. That means that, in general, the legal rights a pet owner has in his pet are the same legal rights as he has …
Get Found On The Web With Dynamic ContentJune 22, 2011 In the June issue, I explained the importance of classic search engine optimization, or SEO, and gave you some tools to do the job for your website yourself. Now that you have accomplished the basic SEO and placed keywords and phrases in your home page content, you can now move on to new and more fun ways to drive traffic to your site. It is called dynamic marketing or content marketing. Ever since Google bought Blogger.com it has started giving higher rankings to sites with dynamic or ever-changing content. You should still set up basic “phone book marketing” such as Merchant Circle, Yelp and Google AdWords. These small-fee systems will definitely help to get you found. The real trick is to have fresh new content going onto your site at least three times a week. Google’s artificial intelligence “reads” this and sees it as active and engaged and will give you a higher ranking. Some experts say that if all you did was write a short new article about your subject several times a week and post it to your site, you would rank higher than sites with highly paid SEO techno-wizards on staff constantly …
Do You Know the Power of Paint?June 21, 2011Design renovations don’t have to cost a fortune. Although some veterinarians may long for a complete design overhaul of their practice, practical budgeting in a down economy typically allows only for basic upgrades. Designing on a budget, however, can still make a meaningful difference in client perception and workflow. Architects and designers recommend prioritizing cosmetic changes to waiting areas, exam rooms and the reception area, saying not to underestimate the power of a new coat of paint and other minimal-expense projects. “A new coat of paint can be a simple solution and many veterinarians do not use this option often enough,” says Mark Hafen, AIA, of Animal Arts in Boulder, Colo. “Shades of orange and lime green are some of the ‘in’ colors that really make a wall pop. Clients notice positive changes and it makes them feel better about their veterinary experience and bill.” If finances prevent a major overhaul or multiple changes at once, experts recommend that veterinarians tackle individual jobs that have the greatest effect on client comfort and perception first. “The logical areas to update are the areas clients will be exposed to most in the practice,” says Peter Hill Sr., president of HDA Architects in …
‘I’ve Got My Boy Back’June 21, 2011 The prospect of curbing cognitive decline brings light to a shadowy place. It has hovered like a dark cloud over many a senior pet wellness exam: the consideration of euthanasia because of cognitive decline. Karen Martin, DVM, already knew the pain of tackling such considerations, but the issue really hit home when her beloved 121⁄2-year-old boxer, Takeo, started wandering around aimlessly and didn’t recognize things that used to bring him joy. “When that object of affection no longer barks as you come in the house, or doesn’t even look at you, that’s very difficult to deal with,” said Dr. Martin, owner and operator of East/West Veterinary Clinic in Thousand Oaks, Calif. “They’re the ones who are supposed to keep us sane so we can deal with all of the other things going on in our lives.” But these days clinicians such as Martin are finding that questions about cognitive function don’t have to come with ominous overtones. In fact, she now makes such inquiries a routine part of senior wellness checkups, and she speaks with optimism about a growing number of treatment options. To her arsenal she has added Neutricks, a product released …
Trends In Mobile Veterinary ClinicsJune 9, 2011Follow Veterinary Practice News on Twitter at @vetpetnews. A tight economy can encourage practical changes in the way some equine practitioners travel, store medications and supplies, and organize their practices. Mobile clinic and insert manufacturers can help veterinarians make the most of their chassis-mounted or insert clinics, whether new or reconditioned inventory. Steve Sinnard says veterinarians are choosing more versatile trucks for their practice vehicles. He is executive vice president of mobile veterinary clinic manufacturer Bowie International of Lake City, Iowa. Bowie and Porta-Vet joined forces some time ago and the Porta-Vet units have been manufactured in Iowa for more than a year now. “Veterinarians tell us they want more storage space,” Sinnard says. “They are buying trucks with crew cabs and extended cabs, so they not only have their mobile clinic in the back, they have more room in the cab for larger equipment such as ultrasound or digital X-ray equipment. “Shock wave and laser therapy equipment seem to be growing in popularity,” Sinnard said. “A bulk storage compartment in an insert unit will easily accommodate specialized equipment.” Dennis Van Roekel, DVM, owner of Van Roekel & Associates, an equine practice in Alva, Fla., has a …
Mobile Vets Are Driven To SucceedJune 9, 2011 Affordability, practice requirements and revenue growth are important considerations when establishing a mobile veterinary clinic. Mobile clinics may be self-contained units, an insert or box, or chassis-mounted. They may provide just the basics—exam room, surgery area, standard equipment—or be colossal examples of today’s high-tech design, complete with the latest equipment. They roll along without overhead, property taxes or other real estate costs a brick-and-mortar clinic would require. Koni Wade, senior sales consultant for La Boit Inc. of Gahanna, Ohio, says each unit is customized with as much or as little equipment as a practitioner wants. “Of course,” she says, “the more options and upgrades you add, the higher the cost. For instance, more clients are putting digital X-ray in their clinics, which raises the complete cost by $40,000.” Without digital radiography, La Boit’s self-contained clinics usually are available for about $150,000. The base price starts at $104,495, with financing available and no down payment required, Wade says. “La Boit also provides working capital,” Wade says, “which is great for veterinarians just starting out and needing to keep as much of their cash in hand as possible to grow the business.” Satisfied Customer Seely …
Boosting Equine Joints’ Wear And Repair CycleMay 23, 2011 When the natural “wear and repair” process in a horse’s joints is disrupted, non-infectious degenerative joint disease (DJD) begins. This disease is a vicious cycle of destructive enzymes attacking the fluid and cartilage. Continued disruption to the joint fluid can lead to irreversible cartilage fragmentation, and eventually the complete destruction of the cartilage. DJD is estimated to cause one-third of all lameness cases. Balanced Joint A healthy equine joint is a complex system of internal and external tissues that provide stability and protect the joint while allowing for freedom of movement. During routine activity, a functioning balanced joint is in a constant state of wear and repair. As normal forces are exerted on the joint, cells are actively regenerating and repairing the components of damaged cartilage while replacing the synovial fluid in the joint. This constant renewal, repair and replacement cycle assures that no cartilage loss occurs and a functionally balanced, healthy joint environment is maintained. The synovial membrane is the inner layer that acts as a permeable barrier and is very important to the joint’s balanced “wear and repair” cycle. This membrane filters blood, excludes the protein and adds hyaluronic acid (HA) to form …
Breaking The Cycle Of Recurrent Urinary Tract InfectionMay 23, 2011 As much as any practitioner does, Dr. Joseph Bartges enjoys an engaging challenge that tests his veterinary skills. But if diagnosis and treatment dissolve into the “antibiotic alphabet game,” count him out. When treating recurrent lower urinary tract infections, he notes it’s easy to get caught up in such an A-to-Z game. You know the potential progression: Start with amoxicillin and hope to hit on something effective before working through to Zeniquin. “The practitioner may not even have proved that the patient has an infection,” says Dr. Bartges, DVM, Ph.D., Dipl. ACVIM, Dipl. ACVN. Dr. Bartges is professor of medicine and nutrition and the Acree Chair of Small Animal Research in the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Tennessee. If what has been diagnosed as a lower urinary tract infection is not responding initially, “Changing antibiotics is not the way to go,” he counsels. “Looking harder is a better option.” It’s time to do a urine culture by cystocentesis (to help ensure its accuracy), as well as perhaps take radiographs, do an ultrasound or MRI and get a full blood workup, say both Dr. Bartges and Ronald Lyman, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, founder and …
