Treat radiation with respect, not anxietyAugust 10, 2010Many veterinary technicians have an unreasonable fear of the harmful effects of ionizing radiation. Though a healthy concern about the potential harm is expected, an unhealthy concern may adversely affect job performance. All veterinarians should ensure that their technical staff is comfortable working with radiation and educate them about the potential hazards and ways to reduce the harmful effects. Positioning and Technique Count Radiographs are an economical, highly informative tool to diagnosis illness and injury in small-animal patents, but not any old radiograph will do. The best radiographs are obtained when good X-ray technique is combined with good patient positioning," says Anne Bahr, DVM, Dipl. ACVR, MS. "Often, veterinarians have good X-ray equipment but don't take the time to position properly and end up with suboptimal images. Dr. Bahr, a veterinary radiology specialist with PetRays, a telemedicine consulting company in Spring, Texas, says sedating a stressed animal can "do wonders for the quality of the images. John Feleciano, DMV, Dipl. ACVR, is manager of radiology at VDIC, part of the Idexx Telemedicine Division of Idexx Laboratories Inc. of Westbrook, Maine. A well-positioned study gives the veterinarian and interpreting radiologist the best chance to achieve an accurate diagnosis," he says. "Asymmetrical …
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Man Just An Oddity To Some AnimalsAugust 9, 2010 Our Seminars in the Sun group experienced a rare aspect of the human-animal bond as we walked and swam past wildlife that had no fear. Every veterinarian is really an environmentalist and a naturalist and would revel in this feeling. Experiencing animals without fear is a big treat awaiting those who venture to the Galapagos Islands. Having no fear is an interesting behavioral trait. It is almost magical yet is natural for the animals living in Ecuador’s Galapagos Islands to lack the flight reaction when they see humans. What is this behavior all about? Is it genetic? Is it cultural or instinct or learned? Do the endemic species not know danger? Did the animals learn they are safe and hand that information down for generations? The sea lions and marine iguanas resting on land don’t move out of the way as people walk past them. In fact, some of the land iguanas approach people and seem to pose for pictures. The blue-footed and red-footed boobies (Spanish for “clowns”) are content to stand on rocks and preen and socialize and not fly away as boats approach their rocky dwellings. On the Water …
Bonding With Patients, VeterinariansJuly 8, 2010 Ten years ago, the American Association of Human-Animal Bond Veterinarians (AAH-ABV) introduced or refreshed the concept of pet hospice to the veterinary profession. Dr. Caroline Schaffer of Tuskegee veterinary college was president of the AAH-ABV at the time. She wanted to provide a platform for pet hospice. She asked me to present an oncologist’s version of pet hospice at AVMA 2000. Dr. Short asked me to give the profession my energy and perspective on end-of-life care. The first thing that came to mind was to give it a new name. Instead of hospice, I came up with “Pawspice” (rhymes with hospice) because there is a big difference between human and pet hospice. Pet owners and their attending veterinarians are the decision makers at every step of the way, especially when it is the right time to end the hospice and use humane euthanasia. Sadly, at the time of this writing, my husband and I are participating in hospice care for our dear friend Tony Soich. Tony is dying of tongue cancer associated with chewing tobacco and smoking cigarettes since he was a teenager. He has been battling tongue cancer and unable to eat for over a …
Speedier Recovery After ACL SurgeryJuly 6, 2010 The wide-open fields of doggie day care were the perfect place for Diamond to run and play with pals—until the boxer started to need some special care of her own. Danielle Mayo, Diamond’s owner, noticed the pup favoring her right hind leg, then limping and struggling to climb the stairs. Over the next few months, Diamond also showed signs of injury to her left hind leg, and it turned out she had cruciate ligament injuries to both rear legs. Geoff Campbell, DVM, owner and operator of Edinburgh Animal Hospital in Chesapeake, Va., has performed dozens of cruciate surgeries using the extracapsular/Securos technique, but never on two legs at the same time. He made an exception for Diamond to save Mayo money, to shorten Diamond’s recovery time and because he had a new tool to mitigate post-operative pain. Following is a study of the case and how Class IV laser therapy played a role in treatment planning and in post-operative recovery. Patient Diamond, a 2-year-old, 49-pound female boxer who loves to romp at the day care center for dogs where his owner works. Problem Bilateral anterior cruciate injuries. Diamond also suffered a meniscal tear …
Learn To Profit From Social MediaJuly 6, 2010Second of two parts: Social media are evolving rapidly, and their power can help you drive more website and front-door traffic. Earning a social media audience is not difficult. It is fun and effective, but it does take time and an understanding of the tools. In order to decrease the time commitment, many veterinarians are very successfully using a trusted staff member to help them in their social media communications. To make this simple, let’s take a look at six tools that can be used to earn an audience and drive them “home.” Your Website Today, most people will visit your website before ever visiting you in person. Ninety-six percent of the predominant generation (Gen Y) has a social media profile and 71 percent of them has two or more. Consumers of all generations are joining the social media world and using the Web for research, finding recommendations and evaluating a business. The power of a great website and building a social network cannot be overstated. Consequently your home on the ’Net—your hospital website or blog—is your Web foundation. All the other audience-building activities will lead visitors there. Your Web home is where you tell …
Profit From The Social Media EvolutionJune 2, 2010First of Two Parts Whether it is communications, education, media or marketing, the world is rapidly changing. The stunning shift in the way we communicate is caused by interactive, instant and worldwide information delivery. We can call this the “new media.” This is a true evolution that is forever changing established industries and even the way we communicate with our clients. The way people obtain information is changing. Newspapers are in record decline, with daily readership down by 7 million. Television and radio advertising is down 11 percent. Where has this audience gone? Online news readers are up 30 million. Internet use is up 10 percent, and smart phone use is up 19 percent. The shift began in 2004. Almost overnight the Web became more about information sharing, collaboration and user-centered design rather than a one-way information delivery medium. The Web today, known as Web 2.0, is extremely interactive, searchable, customizable—and can fit in the palm of your hand. The devices used to access the Web have undergone an equally dramatic evolution. From desktop computers to smart phones, these devices are making it simpler and more compelling for millions of new users to enter the …
Genetics Tell An ‘Out Of Africa’ StoryJune 2, 2010 How did Charles Darwin buck the accepted theory of creation during the 1800s without the help of genetics? He was the ultimate zoologist, observer and collector. Darwin had experts analyze hundreds of fossils and thousands of animals collected during his five-year trip to South America and the Galapagos Islands aboard the Beagle (1831-36). The ship was commissioned to map the harbors and coastline of South America. Darwin spent 30 years working on his theory before publishing his revolutionary book “The Origin of the Species.” His theory challenged the world to think of evolution by natural selection over the millennia. It was widely debated before being accepted during his lifetime. This is the 150th anniversary of Darwin’s book, and this year also marks the seventh anniversary since the human genome was completed. The cat, dog and horse genomes are now also completed. These achievements allow genomic scientists to track the true “origin of the species” by probing for shared ancestral mitochondrial DNA found in ancient bones from archaeological sites around the world. The Molecular Clock It is hard to believe, as we look at today’s genetic diversity, that humans, house cats, dogs and some horses shared …
50 Years Of Collegiality On And Off SlopesMay 5, 2010 Do you have a group of friends in the profession who mentor you and whom you enjoy being with? Ever since joining one special professional group, I have not missed one winter meeting. In fact, I have scheduled my life to spend time with this group as much as possible, with perfect attendance at the winter meetings for the past 38 years. Fifty years ago, Robert M. Miller, our profession’s famous veterinary cartoonist RMM and the author of “Mind Over Miller,” organized an association for veterinarians who love to ski and learn. The first four winter meetings were held at Mammoth Lakes, Calif. The founders were Dr. Miller and the late Drs. Mil Custer, John Puckett and Robert Stansbury. The group grew every year and evolved into the Sierra Veterinary Medical Association. The SVMA has forged a colorful history of collegiality, friendship, recreation, travel and professional enrichment. Dr. Miller retired more than 20 years ago from his Conejo Valley Veterinary Hospital in Thousand Oaks, Calif. Since then, Bob and his wife, Debby, have traveled the globe, working hard with the mission to liberate horses from slavery through “Natural Horsemanship.” Go to his website, RobertMMiller.com, for details. …
We’ve Come A Long Way In 40 YearsMay 4, 2010 Back in the late 1960s, I applied for a job at three veterinary clinics, wanting to be a veterinarian. I got head shakes that said “no” and looks of pity. Once I was in veterinary school, it was obvious that women were not entirely welcome by some staff and classmates. I was the only student who was overtly upset when our pharmacology professor demonstrated seizure activity by administering a drug to a dog. After class, I approached our professor. “This is 1968,” I told him. “We have TV and film. I’d rather watch seizure activity on the screen so that only one dog would have to be subjected to this. Here we are in vet school to save animals and we feel horrible to see this type of unnecessary live demonstration.” The professor replied that he hated that particular class and that it was getting more difficult for him every year. He said he would film the next case so future classes would not feel so badly. Was I one of the first animal welfarists back then? Now, women are the majority in every U.S. veterinary school and ethical concern for animal welfare is standard procedure. …
Beyond Scalpels: Surgical SubstitutesMay 4, 2010 Veterinarians generally agree that the ability of laser surgery and electrosurgery to control hemorrhaging during surgery is among the benefits that make the technologies superior to the scalpel. Still, the price of the units, marketing and maintenance concerns delay some practitioners from becoming consumers. “Many veterinarians still use a scalpel instead of a laser or radiosurgery,” says Robert Slobody, DVM, of Meadowlands Veterinary Center in Willoughby, Ohio. “Scalpels are cheap and they work, but the veterinarians who stay with the scalpel exclusively don’t realize they can get their money back in little time using laser or electrosurgery and create practice revenue while enhancing the level of care for patients.” Any high-tech unit is a substantial financial investment, so there’s a lot to consider before making a purchase. Considering which procedures you’d use laser or radiosurgery for is a starting point. The type of animals operated on and your level of comfort with the technology are additional considerations. Veterinarians who have invested in these modalities suggest that a buyer learn how to use them before making the purchase and then create a marketing plan. “The success or failure of these technologies largely depends on technique,” says …
