25 Vets To Watch In Our 25th YearDecember 21, 2012Veterinary Practice News marks its 25th anniversary this year. In observance of that milestone, we set out to identify 25 up-and-coming veterinarians who, through skill, talent and perseverance, are poised to do great things for veterinary medicine. We contacted numerous people in the veterinary community for their suggestions and came across many terrific candidates. In alphabetical order, we present our 25 to Watch in Our 25th Year. Chris Adolph, DVM, Southpark Veterinary Hospital, Broken Arrow, Okla. After earning his DVM in 1996 from Oklahoma State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, Chris Adolph owned a successful practice in Broken Arrow. But something was bugging him. “As we started diagnosing more and more parasites, it became apparent that I needed additional continuing education,” he said in an interview with the National Center for Veterinary Parasitology. “It was during this time that I became acquainted with the leading parasitologists in the country. They have inspired me to take my professional development to the next level.” Now, he’s working toward a Master’s degree in veterinary parasitology under the center’s director, Susan Little, DVM, regents professor of parasitology at Oklahoma State. Adolph’s research has focused on feline tapeworms. He’s considering going for his Ph.D. …
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Practice Lending Looking Up In The New YearDecember 19, 2012 If you’re looking to step out of the shadows and buy your own veterinary practice–or if you’re looking to sell and hang up the ol’ surgical gloves–2013 may be your year. Banks with cash to lend are looking for you. If that sounds like a commercial, it may be just the pitch potential practice buyers and sellers will hear this year. A business lending environment that has been less than stellar since 2007 may be nearing an end, and borrowers may once again start feeling more like coveted customers and less like they’re waiting in line at the department of motor vehicles. “There’s capital available for the first-time practice owner,” said Bill Murray, senior vice president with Bank of America Practice Solutions, headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. That’s one of the nation’s largest and best known lenders speaking like a salesman with money to hand out. And Murray has plans to make more loans in 2013. “We’ve tripled the amount to capital we’ve lent to the veterinary industry in the last couple of years,” he said. “And we expect to see that type of growth going forward for the next two or three years.” …
Tech, Service Seen As Top Growth Areas In Veterinary ProfessionDecember 18, 2012 A stagnant economy and fierce competition in the veterinary medicine market made 2012 a tumultuous year for the veterinary industry, but there is reason to be hopeful in 2013. New technologies, a renewed focus on service and communication and a pipeline of new treatments will help veterinarians increase client visits and provide better care to patients in the coming year and beyond. The industry may also receive some much-needed support from the federal government in the form of grants and loan repayments, but the notorious Fairness to Pet Owners Act is likely to resurface. Mobile Technology The first mass-produced personal computer, the Apple-powered Commodore PET, debuted in 1977 with a 1 MHz processor. Thirty-five years later, Apple put a device with 1,300 times the power of the Commodore PET into our hands with the iPhone 5. Cellular devices will continue to affect the veterinary industry both in the practice and in marketing to clients. A new device from San Francisco-based AliveCor can transform an iPhone into a clinical-quality electrocardiograph device. Called the Veterinary Heart Monitor, the device attaches like a case to an iPhone 4 or 4S. It includes a pair of …
Higher Consternation: New Vet School Plans Press On Amid An Industry In FluxNovember 30, 2012In the past three decades, only one new veterinary school has been established in the United States. But in just the past 18 months, four new schools have been proposed. At least one will open by 2014. The wave of proposals has stakeholders in academia and the profession at large wondering about the wisdom of starting new schools considering the economic reality facing today’s new veterinarians: lower wages, fewer job opportunities, rising tuition and skyrocketing student loan debt. The New Players Of the four proposed schools, only one is assured. The other three are in the planning stages. Like Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, Calif., which boasts the most recently established college of veterinary medicine, Midwestern University is a private, nonprofit institution that offers degrees in several medical disciplines at campuses in Glendale, Ariz., and Downers Grove, Ill. The school’s first class of 100 veterinary students will arrive on the Arizona campus in fall 2014. Meanwhile, 120 miles to the southeast in Tucson, the University of Arizona’s board of regents committed $2 million to investigate building a school of veterinary medicine, which Shane Burgess, Ph.D., dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, called a natural …
One Pro’s Take On Orthopedic AdvancesNovember 2, 2012 Prosthetic limbs on dogs, total knee and elbow replacements, and stem cell therapy are all on the horizon for veterinary orthopedics, according to a veteran Oklahoma State University orthopedic surgeon whose bonafides include more than 270 scientific presentations and 110 publications. At the same time, Mark Rochat, DVM, MS and diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons, encourages both practitioners and the lay public to temper the hot prospects of medical breakthroughs with the cool logic of scientific integrity. Improved prosthetic limbs for people are a by-product of America’s wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Dr. Rochat said. “Endoprosthetic that have a stem that can grow into the end of the bone allow for better attachement of the prosthetic to the limb than a sleeve approach,” he said. “Who knows, someday we may routinely be putting limbs on animals. It’s come a long way. “Now, we have a total knee replacement and several options for total elbow replacement,” added Rochat, a member of the Veterinary Orthopedic Society and small animal surgery professor at OSU’s Center for Veterinary Health Sciences. “Coronoid disease is the most common of the elbow maladies in dogs, and the least understood. …
Animal Health Supplements Continue To Gain TractionSeptember 27, 2012Dietary supplements, both the nutritional and issue-targeted varieties, continue to gain interest among dog and cat owners—and veterinarians who recommend and sell them through their clinics have an opportunity to not only offer them as part of an overall health and wellness plan, but also to provide the best-quality products to their clients. According to the Nutrition Business Journal, the animal supplement market represents more than $1.6 billion in sales, with a predicted 7.4 percent compounded annual growth rate increase from 2010 to 2015. Packaged Facts notes that 21 percent of dogs and 15 percent of cats are given a supplement of some kind, with 8 percent and 7 percent respectively being purchased from a veterinarian. The supplements segment is strong, and more veterinarians are recognizing their value, says Bill Bookout, chair of the National Animal Supplement Council’s board of directors. “There aren’t any magic bullets out there, but I think supplements are becoming more and more recognized and substantiated as a valuable component of a comprehensive care program where we either try to maintain general health and wellness, or manage health as a result of the aging process or some health challenge,” he says. Though supplement makers have developed …
Animals Do It Better Than MenAugust 20, 2012 Did you know that the Great Wall of China is visible from Space? Well, I'm sorry to tell you that it's a complete urban legend. Think about it. The wall may be long (5,500 miles), but it is not that wide (about 20 feet). There are structures much wider than the Wall, and they are not visible from space!* But here is something amazing that is visible from space. And it is not man-made. It is animal-made. Actually beaver-made. In 2007, researcher Jean Thie discovered (by accident) a gigantic beaver dam that is about half a mile long (2,800 feet). To appreciate how incredible that is, imagine that the average beaver dam is around 20 feet long. The Alberta dam is twice as long as the Empire State Building, or more than twice as long as Hoover dam, or more than eight football fields long! I guess it's only fair, since it is located in Wood Buffalo National Park, Alberta, which happens to be the largest National Park in Canada. The record for the world's largest beaver dam was previously held by a 2,100-foot-long structure in Three Forks, Montana. The dam is located in …
Sidestepping Senior Mobility Issues With Preventive MedicineJuly 10, 2012Sidestepping Senior Mobility Issues with Preventive MedicineSidestepping Senior Mobility Issues with Preventive Medicinecover storiesPosted: June 24, 2008By Jessica TremayneAlthough senior care has vastly improved over the past 10 years, senior-health advocates say practices need to focus on education and prevention in all facets of their senior care regimen. Senior pet mobility is an area that doesn’t need to wait for more scientific improvements. Educating owners on what to look for with their older pets goes beyond that they’re moving slower. “Clients aren’t typically going to bring their senior pet in for an exam and ask, ‘What more can be done for my pet?’ unless there’s an obvious problem,” says Fred Metzger, DVM, of Metzger Animal Hospital in College Station, Pa. “This is why vets need to intervene earlier by offering preventive testing [and consultation on issues of] arthritis, cognitive dysfunction, diet and exercise.” According to the American Veterinary Medical Assn., pets are increasingly living longer. In 1987, 31.7 percent of owned U.S. dogs lived past the age of 6. In 2006, 44 percent of the surveyed population lived past age 6. The feline population experienced an increase as well, from 15.3 percent living past age 6 in 1986 to 31.9 …
The Vet And The 'NetJuly 3, 2012The Vet and the 'NetThe Vet and the 'Netcover stories, practicemgmtPosted: June 30, 2010By Jessica Tremayne The days of using the Yellow Pages alone to promote a veterinary practice are long gone. Most veterinarians today have a hospital website and find the Internet to be an integral part of working in the industry. The 2008 Digital Clinic Study, conducted by the global public relations firm Fleishman-Hillard Inc., reported the patterns of veterinary professionals' Internet use and is the only survey of its magnitude to date. The study showed that veterinarians are recognizing how to make the Internet work for them—from enhancing research capabilities to making the daily practice more efficient. "We wanted to offer insight into how technology and digital communication play a role in meeting the needs of veterinarians, their staffs and clients," says Greg Connel, senior vice president and co-chairman of Fleishman-Hillard's animal care practice. "We had about 2,000 responses that showed that while research online is a priority for veterinarians, only 43 percent of respondents say they use the Internet for client communications." More clients than ever are using the Internet to find a veterinarian and learn …
Pharmacy Options For Veterinary PracticesJune 26, 2012 It’s certainly no secret that the pharmacy landscape has shifted in veterinary medicine. Consultants, practitioners and other industry experts point to a steady transformation rather than a tectonic jolt, but that doesn’t make the shift any less unsettling. “These days everyone is selling pet drugs, both prescription and non-prescription,” said Karen E. Felsted, DVM, CPA, MS, CVPM, chief executive of Felsted Veterinary Consultants. “There’s no doubt that veterinarians are feeling the competitive pressure.” From discount online pharmacies to neighborhood drug and grocery stores as well as big-box retailers such as Walmart, Costco and Sam’s Club, competitors for pet-medication business abound, chipping at sales that once were solid for veterinary practices. The struggle to retain such revenue has stirred emotions, but the challenge is best met strategically, say experts, who suggest new tools to navigate successfully. Considerations range from creating contract partnerships that give practitioners their own pharmacy presence, to the realization that some segments of drug and product sales might no longer be worth the fight. Those most closely connected to the issue agree that a well-constructed plan can have a substantial effect on the bottom line. “It’s not like …
