Technology Brings Stem-Cell Therapy In-HouseNovember 2, 2011 Stem-cell therapy for the treatment of joint diseases in animals, particularly dogs, cats and horses, has been available in the U.S. for a number of years. Today, second-generation technology is enabling more veterinarians to take advantage of this modality by making the investment less expensive and improving the process and delivery. Proponents say stem cells harvested from adipose tissue accelerate the healing of muscles and joints in adult animals suffering from osteoarthritis, hip dysplasia, ligament and cartilage injuries and other degenerative joint diseases. Researchers have found that “activating” stem cells before returning them to the animal’s body enhances the healing of these musculoskeletal problems. “This technology can be adapted for any animal, be it a dog, horse, cat or an exotic,” said Mike Hutchinson, DVM, owner of Animal General of Cranberry, near Pittsburgh. “We take that individual’s fat, process it and activate the stem cells. Then, we put them back into the same animal. We are using the animal’s own repair system, the adult stem cells.” Because it is an autologous procedure, he said, it is safe and effective. MediVet America of Nicholasville, Ky., is the company that sells the in-clinic equipment, adipose stem …
SPONSORED CONTENTStart Treating Canine MMVD Patients at Stage B2Learn about early treatment with pimobendan for canine Stage B2 preclinical MMVD patients. + Learn More
The $10,000 DogNovember 1, 2011 When Christine Gowen took her 7-year-old Labrador retriever, Shelby, to the veterinarian for a cough in January 2010, she could not have been less prepared for the eventual outcome. After an initial diagnosis of kennel cough, a few days on medication and several follow-up calls to the veterinary hospital, alarm bells started going off all the way around. Gowen, an employee of Veterinary Pet Insurance Co. (VPI) in Brea, Calif., has seen many examples of veterinary medical issues that were more serious than they originally appeared, so she and her family were concerned. The veterinarian took some radiographs, and the journey to the $10,000 medical bill began. Shelby presented with no history of trauma or cardiac/respiratory disease, had not been to the dog park, boarding kennel or groomer recently, and appeared to have a normal appetite and energy level. Her owner indicated that she was breathing oddly, taking deep, slow breaths, and was coughing occasionally. The exam was relatively unremarkable, although her respiratory rate and heart rate were elevated at 28 and 90, respectively. Diagnosis Shelby was re-presented on emergency a week later. She was in obvious respiratory distress, was tachypneic and had decreased …
Lavage Or Drug—What’s The Right Treatment?November 1, 2011 When a horse or companion animal becomes sick or lame, the owner turns to his trusted veterinarian for a diagnosis and the best proven treatment to make his animal better. However, what is prescribed might not always be the best option, as when a lavage solution is injected systemically. So do you treat with an FDA-approved drug, a generic drug, a medical device or a compounded product? In considering this question, Jeffrey Berk, VMD, a veterinarian at Equine Medical Associates in Lexington, Ky., says two things need to be considered very carefully. “You need to consider the safety of the patient and the liability or legal issues regarding the use of those products,” says Dr. Berk, a member of the Executive Committee of the American Association of Equine Practitioners. FDA-Approved Products “It’s important for veterinarians to understand that they are not guaranteed the same level of quality, i.e. potency and purity, that you would be with an FDA-approved product,” Berk says. “And if there is a therapeutic failure, the veterinarian has more legal exposure when treating with medical devices or compounds than when he treats with FDA-approved products.” Some experts estimate it takes …
Finding Software’s Hidden GemsOctober 31, 2011 Veterinarians would pay closer attention during practice management software training if they realized how much revenue they could gain and how much time they would save. Software companies offer on-site, on-phone and online training with the purchase and installation of software, but many clinic staffers never quite get to the “hidden gems” that can grow revenue and save time. “Especially in this economy, utilizing your software to the fullest is the key to helping your practice grow,” says Stephen McAllister, president of McAllister Software Systems of Piedmont, Mo., the company behind AVImark veterinary practice management software. Information searches, for example, can target patients for specific marketing. “Track who’s coming in regularly and who’s not,” McAllister says. “Or target certain breeds or ages of pets and develop certain programs for groups of clients. That’s captured revenue.” Some software lets practitioners look at how the clinic discounts services and tracks inventory. Integrating the software to track procedures for surgery, lab and radiography, along with reference labs and specialty hospitals, prevents missed charges. Software systems present a variety of communications aids, from educational handouts to e-mail reminders to direct mail. Owner compliance translates into increased revenue. “Through …
Building Bonds To Improve Patient CareOctober 27, 2011 If there is one thing we can all agree on, it is that the ability to build strong relationships with clients and their pets is one of the most defining characteristics of a successful veterinary practice. It’s not rocket science—we live and breathe the importance of this bond. We train our staff to master it, keep our eyes and ears open for new ways to enhance it, and recognize that a practice’s greatest strength can be found in how well it becomes an integral third party in the relationship between owners and their pets. Similarly, could there potentially be additional benefit for a practice that chooses to emphasize building a bonding between individual veterinarians and clients? According to the 2011 Bayer Study, the answer is a “yes,” and the data from the study actually point to this one-to-one relationship between a practitioner and client as a key driver of increased visits. The study found that practices that encourage clients to bring their pets to the same veterinarian for every visit are the same practices that experience increased compliance and acceptance of recommended treatment protocols. It appears that the apparent disconnect between what veterinarians think they are …
Why We Hate Online ReviewsOctober 27, 2011 Here’s a not-very-well-kept secret: Most of us detest online reviews. Why? Well, isn’t it obvious? We know that plenty of people now use them almost exclusively to find their new pets’ healthcare provider (us). So we can’t ignore them. We’re compelled to read them and make sure they say only good things about us—for the sake of our livelihood (never mind our egos). As if it weren’t enough to have one more task to manage, now we’re told by practice management gurus (you know who they are) that we’re supposed to assign a staff member to manage these reviews and sign up for Google alerts to make sure our reputations are squeaky-clean. So it is that our already-stretched resources must be allocated in this direction—stressfully. We know how angst-provoking reading the reviews can be. She said what about me? After all that awesome work I did on her cat? Which, of course, only makes you want to furiously check the timing on your PLIT policy. And invariably, also makes for one downer of a day. Sure, everyone knows a disgruntled client is a hundred times more likely to leave a negative review than a perennially …
Banishing The Bane Of BandagingOctober 27, 2011 “Bandaging is the bane of my world.” These words were recently spoken by Dr. Noel Fitzpatrick, the world-renowned veterinary orthopedic and neurosurgeon. This echoes the sentiment of many in our profession. Bandages are ancient, dating back to the early Egyptians, and many chapters in veterinary texts and even entire books are dedicated to their design and application. Although many other areas of veterinary medicine have radically changed, bandaging techniques have changed little. How many of the bandages you have recently applied look like something out of King Tut’s tomb? The materials that we now commonly use—such as Vet-Wrap, Elasticon, nonadherent semi-occlusive sponges, hydrogel dressing and calcium alginate dressing—have superior properties for bandaging and have replaced white linen strips and cotton batting. The aural compression bandage. Yet we still use some techniques from the King Tut days with honey- or sugar-based bandages. We would all like bandaging to be a science, masterable by the majority of practitioners simply by exact and consistent following of a set of well-understood steps. The reality is that it is currently more like an art, where skill and imagination applied to basic materials are uniquely combined. Two …
Case Study: Managing Feline Hyperthyroidism With NutritionOctober 21, 2011 Veterinarians have a new option in feline hyperthyroidism management: nutrition. Until now, they have typically relied on radioactive iodine, thyroidectomy and antithyroid drugs, options that can prove expensive and have varied side effects. This new therapy is expected to transform the management of feline hyperthyroidism, according to Hill’s Pet Nutrition Inc. of Topeka, Kan., which is launching Hill’s Prescription Diet y/d Feline Thyroid Health in both dry and wet formulations this month. Chad Dodd, DVM, a senior brand manager for Hill’s, said the company has spent about 10 years studying the relationship between dietary iodine and feline hyperthyroidism. The theory was if iodine is an essential component of all thyroid hormones, then limiting dietary iodine in hyperthyroid cats would result in normalization of circulating thyroxine concentrations. Hill’s studies proved the theory correct. A technician and Dr. David Bruyette examine Billy while owner Judy Bernath looks on. The next task was manufacturing a pet food that was limited in iodine content without being iodine deficient. The result: Prescription Diet y/d Feline. The therapeutic pet food has an iodine content of 0.1 ppm – 0.3 ppm, compared to 1.5 ppm - 99 ppm found in …
Recapping A Bit Of AVMA St. LouisSeptember 28, 2011 The American Veterinary Medical Association Convention in St. Louis provided a forum for numerous aspects of our profession. Philippe Cousteau presented a vital keynote address with awe-inspiring videos advocating global clean water and a sustainable earth. AVMA marked World Veterinary Year with a display created by Dr. Fred Born of the American Veterinary Medical History Society honoring the 250th anniversary of the first veterinary school in Lyon, France. Dr. J.F. Chary, the president of Vet2011, opened a full day symposium with Drs. Pappaioanou, Gorczyca, B.A. Miller, Vallat, Deem, Jessup, Vroegindewey, and Mazet, covering history, public health, wildlife and disaster response for improving global One Health. The Leo Bustad Companion Animal Award went to Dr. Nancy Kay, Dipl. ACVIM, for her book, “Speaking for Spot,” and her devotion to helping pet owners learn more about the health, care and well-being of their companion animals. The prestigious award is sponsored by The Delta Society, AVMA and Hill’s Pet Nutrition. At next year’s AVMA convention in San Diego, Dr. Kay will present the Bustad Memorial Keynote Lecture to kick off the human-animal bond sessions organized by Dr. Robin Downing, president of the American Association of …
How To Be Found Above The Noise On The WebAugust 24, 2011 Your knowledge, experience, and commitment to your practice and community are exceptional. But that does not mean you can ignore a few new laws of nature. One: The Web is the way communications are done, now and for the foreseeable future. Two: There are a bazillion people on the Web (both users and businesses) and your grand entry will not be greeted with the fanfare you deserve. Three: To market your practice you must rely on the Web. Four: It is hard to be found on the web. If you really want to grow your business, even in a horrible economy, learning findability on the Web helps connect you with new clients. The SEO Process The term “SEO,” or search engine optimization, is a process that optimizes your site’s content to allow search engines to easily find you. It adds focused key words and phrases to your site so that when a user types in appropriate key words—there you are, at no cost to you. The goal of any smart marketer is to gain Page 1 visibility in a search tool such as Google. Page 3 may not be bad out of …
