Philanthropy: Manufacturers’ Presence Goes Beyond ProductsDecember 20, 2010Some companies such as Hill’s, Nestlé Purina and Bayer support the veterinary community with their generosity. Vendors—the companies that manufacture or supply medications and equipment and provide services to help veterinary practices run smoothly—don’t get much publicity for their behind-the-scenes philanthropic work on behalf of the profession and the animals it serves. Most manufacturers aren’t eager to talk about their contributions, saying they would rather spend dollars doing good than using the money to promote their work. Nestlé Purina PetCare Co. looks for the biggest impact when deciding which organizations to donate to, says marketing official Kurt R. Venator, DVM, Ph.D., of Nestle. “We like to create shared value, which means our contributions will be good for the community and good for the company,” Dr. Venator says. “We have relationships with all of the U.S. veterinary schools, which house the future of the veterinary industry.” Martin Mulroy, vice president of veterinary sales and marketing at Abaxis Inc., says the company maintains a strong relationship with Colorado State University. “We’re participating in the funding of a new avian/exotic animal wing at the veterinary hospital, and we donate equipment to the veterinary school,” he …
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Expert Opinion Just Digital Hookup AwayDecember 20, 2010 In the past, obtaining a radiology specialist’s opinion sometimes meant traveling to a veterinary teaching hospital. This required time and money and certainly delayed treatment. Today, telemedicine allows radiologists to diagnose patients without ever placing their hands on the animal. Primary care veterinarians can send X-rays and other medical information electronically and receive a report in a matter of minutes or hours. “Using a telemedicine service means a general practitioner can have a radiology department without having board-certified radiologists on the payroll,” says John Feleciano, DVM, Dipl. ACVR, manager of Idexx/VDIC Telemedicine in Clackamas, Ore. “Veterinarians say they find the service to be professionally and medically enriching and it brings financially tangible and intangible benefits. “Owners are comforted by having a built-in second opinion by board-certified veterinarians.” The days, and sometimes nights, of telemedicine veterinarians are filled with exchanges of medical information and questions. Primary care givers ask specialists to confirm a suspicion or help unravel a complex case. “We have specialists available 24 hours a day, although the cases we receive from midnight to 6 a.m. are generally limited,” says Victor Rendano, VMD, Dipl. ACVR, Dipl. ACVR (RO), president of eVet Diagnostics in …
Supplement Joins Fight Against CDSDecember 15, 2010 It starts with the unexpected. Perhaps an incident of house soiling that’s totally out of character. Or a lack of response when a dog is called by name. Maybe some aimless wandering, a new phobia, or dazed and anxious looks when entering a familiar place. These are symptoms of cognitive dysfunction syndrome (CDS), a condition of aging that some veterinary practitioners say deserves increased attention in pets, especially now that new tools for treatment are emerging. The latest option is Neutricks, a chewable dietary supplement designed to protect brain cells and combat cognitive decline in pets. Released in November as the first product from Quincy Animal Health of Madison, Wis., Neutricks uses the same technology as Prevagen, which was developed by Quincy Bioscience and has been shown to help people suffering from age-related congitive decline. At the heart of Neutricks is the patented protein apoaequorin, first discovered in 1962 in a species of jellyfish. The idea is that as aging pets stop producing calcium-binding proteins and start to lose brain function, the apoaequorin in Neutricks acts as a replacement protein. So far, clinical and lab testing have yielded positive results. Research Discoveries A …
Laser Promotes Faster Healing, Less ScarringDecember 15, 2010 Patient Benji is a friendly 5-year-old, 6-pound Pomeranian who loves to make his neighborhood rounds unencumbered by a leash. Problem Dog owner Selda King of Stuarts Draft, Va., let Benji out one morning, regrettably unleashed. Benji came home with huge gaping wounds, the victim of an attack by another dog. After assessing his extensive soft-tissue injuries and loss of skin, emergency veterinarians didn’t give the little dog much hope of recovery. They recommended euthanasia. King refused to accept that recommendation and persuaded David Parker, DVM, at her usual veterinary clinic, Clair Park Animal Hospital, to perform surgery to close Benji’s wounds. Dr. Parker tried to stitch up three large wounds but the skin kept falling away. A life-threatening second surgery attempted to minimize the size of the wound. Clair Park veterinary technicians visited Benji at home to change his dressings every day, hoping for the best. While they waited to see how Benji would recover, King’s friends and neighbors set about collecting money to pay for the expensive surgery and medications as well as the extensive treatment that would be required while the little dog healed. …
Some Hows And Whys Of Laser TherapyDecember 15, 2010 If you are not convinced by now that laser phototherapy will help your patients, ask one of the tens of thousands of U.S. pet owners whose pets now live pain free after their laser treatments. If you are not convinced that laser therapy will help your practice, ask one of the thousands of veterinarians whose revenue has grown since incorporating a laser into their practices. The question now should be,“Which laser is best for me?” Differences between commercially available laser units lie solely in the wavelength, power density, pulse modulation and aesthetics. From these parameters, you can derive the penetration depth, dose distribution, treatment time and the estimated biological effect. No single magic wavelength or setting is the cure for a disease, and to claim otherwise (as some distributors or sales reps do) is irresponsible. There are, however, certain operating regimens, such as those from K-Laser USA, that give better results than others and are more effective for particular symptoms. And because the primary mechanism of action is the stimulation of the patient’s immune system, the range of symptoms for which this modality is useful knows no bounds. Educating yourself about the …
Financial Opportunity, Challenges AheadDecember 15, 2010 Albert Einstein had it right when he said, “Necessity is the mother of all invention.” For veterinarians, the Great Recession forced the profession to find a way to become more business savvy and sustainable. Amid the economic crisis, a sharp change in veterinary product sales has had some practice owners concerned about their hospitals’ long-term strength. “Veterinarians want to know where they stand in the eyes of lenders and they want to know what they need to do to keep their practice in the green,” says Michael Andrews, DVM, chairman of the National Commission on Veterinary Economic Issues (NCVEI) and owner of Woodcrest Veterinary Clinic in Riverside, Calif. “Focusing on profitability is what NCVEI is suggesting to owners for maintaining practice revenue and building on it.” Veterinary-exclusive sales of maintenance products is a thing of the past. Building on and marketing procedures and modalities offered is the focus for 2011, experts say. One of the first steps in making a practice profitable and attractive to lenders is demystifying why patient visits have declined, Dr. Andrews says. The results of a Brakke study on that very question are expected to be released this month at the …
Vendors Give Back To The Vet CommunityNovember 22, 2010 The companies that manufacture or supply medications and equipment and provide services to help veterinary practices run smoothly also perform behind-the-scenes philanthropic work on behalf of the profession and the animals it serves. Organizations that have compelling missions often earn the philanthropic nod. For example, in 2009 Nestlé Purina PetCare Co. donated $15 million to animal welfare programs alone. Nestlé looks for the biggest impact when deciding which organizations to donate to, says marketing official Kurt R. Venator, DVM, Ph.D., of Nestlé. “We like to create shared value, which means our contributions will be good for the community and good for the company,” Dr. Venator says. “We have relationships with all of the U.S. veterinary schools, which house the future of the veterinary industry.” Martin Mulroy, vice president of veterinary sales and marketing at Abaxis Inc., says the company maintains a strong relationship with Colorado State University. “We’re participating in the funding of a new avian/exotic animal wing at the veterinary hospital, and we donate equipment to the veterinary school,” he said. “We also sponsor chair positions at several other universities, including the University of Florida, Texas A&M and the University of Pennsylvania.” …
Ask Appropriate Questions When Shopping For MonitorNovember 22, 2010 Choosing the right patient monitor for your veterinary practice can be a daunting task, but the keys are determining what’s right for your needs, doing your homework, and asking a lot of questions before signing on the dotted line, say industry experts. Here are some things to keep in mind while shopping. Determine Parameters Are you looking for something to monitor just blood pressure or something that measures multi-parameters? The American Animal Hospital Association and the American College of Veterinary Anesthesiologists recommend monitoring blood pressure, ECG/HR, CO2 and SpO2 (blood oxygen saturation). It’s also a good idea to check out your state’s Veterinary Medical Association guidelines. The more parameters, the higher the cost, and one of the most expensive parameters to monitor is the end-title CO2 (ETCO2), which measures the amount of carbon dioxide exhaled by the animal, said Dan Kozisek, customer service director of Bionet of Tustin, Calif. “In the past, they’d have to buy a unit with [ETCO2] included, and that would’ve added $3,000 to $4,000 to the price,” he said. A relatively recent advancement is a monitor that is “ETCO2 ready,” making it easy for practitioners to start with …
Butter: A Story Of Compassion And HealingNovember 19, 2010 For many, the spiritual aspect of the bond spins a vibrant web that catches us and holds us together, at least for the pet’s lifetime and often longer. Pawspice, my name for pet hospice, is a bigger part of our practice as the recession deepens and families can’t afford first-line care for their pets. Is Pawspice a containing structure for witnessing this thread more often? Is it the loom that holds the elements, emotions and threads of the human-animal bond? A Spiritual Bond As a beloved pet nears the end of life, pet owners often tell me about the transcendent elements in their relationship. The spiritual threads in their bond spin into a very meaningful realm that may extend after the pet has passed. This was the case for Carole Kammen and her beloved yellow Labrador retriever, Butter. A friend told Carole to call me for advice after Butter’s cutaneous lymphoma became resistant to the best of care at the University of California, Davis. Butter “found” Carole only four years previously, as a 9-year-old retired service dog. Butter became so attached to Carole that it became obvious to Carole and Butter’s owner that Butter …
Cost Issues Plague Recession-Battered Clients, DVMsOctober 21, 2010 The human-animal bond does not weaken during recessions, but many caregivers feel more financial and emotional stress when their pets are sick. These days, we might see three or four clients in a row who have serious financial concerns. Some of us recall previous recessions and felt more prepared to deal with this one. But few of us were prepared to endure and share the burdens of a prolonged economic downturn. This recession continues to batter our clientele with job cutbacks, unemployment, falling property values, foreclosures, maxed-out credit cards, health care issues, etc. This unrelenting pressure pushes a big percentage of our clientele deeper into debt and desperation and causes anxiety and heartbreak on both sides of the veterinary exam table when their pets are sick. During my first recession, many of our well-intended clients requested payment plans. Our facility became burdened with accounts receivable that climbed as high as $250,000. Our well-intended clients “slow paid” or “no paid.” Dr. Villalobos Shares Her Thoughts on Each Scenario Example 1: Five thousand dollars is a lot of money. It is tempting to take this case to small claims court because the veterinarian did everything correctly, but …
