Reasons to be a VeterinarianDecember 9, 2015Punch the numbers until the paint wears off your calculator, but there’s no way to financially justify owning a kayak. At least not if it’s only used for pleasure and you never expect to earn any income regardless of the time spent on the water. So, why would anyone own one? The obvious answer is that numbers on a balance sheet don’t tell the whole story. For many people, there are enough intangible benefits to more than justify spending money to pay for and maintain a kayak. Only a few of our clients could justify the financial cost of owning a pet. Happily for them, and us, the intangible benefits far outweigh the costs. Maybe this is another point of connection between veterinarians and pet lovers. Because of an array of current economic factors, it’s becoming more and more difficult to justify choosing veterinary medicine as a career. And there have always been easier ways to make a living. Still, the demand for acceptance to veterinary colleges remains high. It seems logical then that an important driving force behind that demand is the reality of intangible …
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Video: Veterinary Team Treats Mauled LionessJune 16, 2014Follow Veterinary Practice News on Twitter at @vetpetnews. Staff at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Nairobi, Kenya in Africa called veterinarian Michael Ngatho Njoroge of the Kenyan Wildlife Service on an urgent matter. Siena, a lioness, was clinging to life after having been gouged by a buffalo's horn. The result was a gaping wound;11-year-old Siena's flesh dangled from her body.
Step-by-Step Dental ImplantsJune 9, 2014Before one embarks on surgically placing and restoring a dental endosseous implant, a thorough and rigorous treatment planning process has to be performed. A detailed history should be taken especially looking for the etiology of the tooth fracture or loss. Pets that have habits that can lead to tooth abrasion and tooth fracture, or pets with underlying malocclusions, including tooth attrition, may not be suitable candidates for implants unless the underlying problem or habit can be modified or rectified. Pets with periodontitis may not be candidates for implants unless the periodontal disease is mild and is well controlled. The monetary outlay for an implant motor and surgical kits can be prohibitive for practitioners interested in placing and restoring implants. Other treatment options should be offered that may be more suitable or practical for the patient and the owner. PHOTO COURTESY OF DRS. CAIAFA AND MELE Placement of implant. A prognosis should be given for each option. Other treatment options may include root canal therapy, extraction and possible bridging of the edentulous space or simply extraction and no further treatment. Ethical considerations when dealing with hypodontia in breeding or show animals also need to be considered. Owners need …
Practicing in the Wilds of the YukonMarch 21, 2014Michelle Oakley’s road to veterinary practice took her from Munster, Ind., to Ann Arbor, Mich., to Prince Edward Island, Canada, and finally to Haines Junction, Yukon Territory, Northern Canada. Today, Dr. Oakley runs a small veterinary clinic out of her home in Haines Junction, population 800, where she lives with her husband, Shane, a firefighter, and their three daughters, Sierra, 16, Maya, 15, and Willow, 9. In April, cable channel Nat Geo Wild will follow Oakley on her calls across the remote Yukon in a six-part series, “Dr. Oakley, Yukon Vet.” It premieres at 9 p.m., Eastern/Pacific on April 12. But back to that road to Haines Junction. Growing up in Munster, Ind., Oakley knew early on that she wanted to be a veterinarian. “I always loved animals. We lived on a creek and I was always down building forts and rescuing animals I thought needed to be rescued. Then when I was at the University of Michigan, I went to do a wildlife study in the Yukon—I barely knew where that was at the time—and when I got there I met and fell in love with the place, and with a local firefighter who would later become my husband,” …
Ectoparasites: The Risk is Present all Year LongMarch 13, 2014“So, you’re telling me that fleas, ticks and mosquitoes are going to be in my yard, biting my dog and giving her allergies and heartworms in these freezing temperatures,” Mrs. Client says sardonically, looking at price tags and glaring at you in disbelief. “Really?” While some clients will always be skeptical about the need to use flea, tick and heartworm prevention products year round, veterinary entomologists and scientific researchers have evidence to prove that most ectoparasites are a continual problem, especially in the southern U.S. “Frankly, with ectoparasites, we’ve never been able to determine that weather has much effect on their life cycle,” said Nancy C. Hinkle, Ph.D., professor of entomology at the University of Georgia College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences. “The host maintains its microhabitat and, so long as the host stays warm, the ectoparasites are very comfortable. “If you are a flea and you live on a squirrel, your habitat is the same temperature as that squirrel,” she said, adding that mammals are always warm and the fleas will survive “unless they make the mistake of getting off the squirrel.” Ditto for people’s houses, said Susan E. Little, DVM, Ph.D., veterinary parasitologist at Oklahoma State University’s Center …
Financial Picture Far from RosyMarch 13, 2014Veterinarians have seen the future and it doesn’t look all that good. A study commissioned by Veterinary Pet Insurance of Brea, Calif., found that many veterinarians are pessimistic about the financial health of both their practice and their personal life. Veterinarians in many cases are confronted with a triple whammy: onerous student debt, fewer patient visits and paychecks that don’t come close to paying the bills. In fact, the survey of 1,193 veterinarians discovered that one-fourth of practice owners and 30 percent of associates rated their personal financial condition as poor. The study, conducted with the assistance of Brakke Consulting of Dallas, and also sponsored by Veterinary Economics, was designed only to measure veterinarians’ financial standing, not identify ways to eliminate the red ink. "It’s not about solutions, it’s about developing a foundation so we can work together to create solutions for the betterment of the industry,” said VPI President Scott Liles. Practice owners are financially the healthiest, for the most part, according to the study. They take home an average annual income of $109,000—compared to $84,000 for associates—and possess a monetary stake in the clinic. While one-third of practice owners reported their hospital was doing well, the same proportion …
