Dentistry—A discipline in need of changeFebruary 4, 2019I am writing this article as I travel home from Phoenix, after attending a successful Veterinary Dental Forum (VDF). This event is the official annual meeting of the American Veterinary Dental College (AVDC), Academy of Veterinary Dentistry (AVD), and the Foundation for Veterinary Dentistry (FVD). This year, VDF drew its largest crowd yet, partly due to general practitioners that are filling an educational void by attending lectures and wet labs in the various disciplines of dentistry and oral surgery. In this month's column, and in honor of National Pet Dental Health Month, I'd like to discuss a challenge for the veterinary profession, specifically dentistry training at the veterinary school level. It's not a new problem, and it doesn't exist at every school, but its significance is greater today than ever before, due to the changing needs of successful general practices. Decreasing significance The number of didactic teaching hours available within the veterinary curriculum is not getting any larger. In fact, teaching hours dedicated toward a specific topic are becoming more difficult to obtain due to new specialties, expanding knowledge base, and justifiable shifts in curricular focus to feed not only the IQ, but also the EQ. Ask any small-animal …
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Compounded drugs—A literature updateJanuary 2, 2019In exciting times of new approved drug formulations for animal species, veterinarians face a myriad of challenges when balancing optimal treatment protocols and overall cost burden. Compounded drugs may offer an enticing alternative to an approved animal drug in terms of palatability and cost to the owner; however, the legal status of compounded drugs is often difficult to evaluate.
The race to develop immunotherapies for canine lymphoma and osteosarcomaJanuary 2, 2019There are many reasons why development of immunotherapies in dogs has been slow. Although cancer, and in particular lymphoma and osteosarcoma, is frequent in dogs, just one percent of owners have pet insurance; those who don’t are willing to spend only a limited amount of money to treat their dog, especially when initial treatment results are not as dramatic as in humans.
Debating raw dietsJanuary 2, 2019In spite of resistance from most veterinarians and from public health authorities, the popularity of raw meat-based diets for dogs and cats continues to grow.
Leveling the playing field with cooperatives, GPOsDecember 27, 2018It is during the maturation phase of businesses that group purchasing organizations (GPOs) and cooperatives show up, offering small fish the buying power of a big fish—in this case, the consolidated corporate veterinary practices and pet supply retailers.
Benefits of in-house labsDecember 27, 2018In the last two decades, the veterinary profession has seen rapid and unprecedented growth, yielding greater access to reliable diagnostic capabilities and effective therapeutic options.
Current and emerging approaches to managing acute pancreatitisDecember 27, 2018Fasting a dog or cat used to be step one in treating acute pancreatitis, but that’s no longer the case. It was thought feeding would stimulate pancreatic activity in an already inflamed organ, but increasingly, early intervention with nutritional support is seen as critical in cats and important in dogs.
How kennel design can help boost clinic revenueDecember 19, 2018To maximize short- and long-term boarding potential, it helps to understand the various kennel designs and materials, gate options, and available accessories. One of the first decisions to make is whether the kennel will comprise an on-the-floor system with a drain or an above-the-floor system. Generally speaking, the former can provide more flexibility to configure the kennels to fit a building’s footprint and it also is usually less expensive than an above-floor design. There are situations, though, that sometimes require an above-floor system, particularly when digging drains is not an option.
Deworming debateDecember 19, 2018Hookworms, tapeworms, whipworms, roundworms, and heartworms. They are intestinal and circulatory parasites no one wishes to encounter. Yet, they’ve squirmed their way into too many pets to continue practicing status quo programs.
What causes gastric dilatation volvulus?December 19, 2018Gastric dilatation volvulus (GDV) is a complex, scary, life-threatening emergency. We sometimes tell pet owners that we don’t really know what causes GDV, but that is not exactly accurate.
