Charting CDS Science And Looking To The FutureJanuary 21, 2011 There are scores for evaluating patients with dental problems, for overall body condition and for distinguishing levels of pain. Why not a means for scoring the cognitive condition of aging pets? The idea is just one of the potential steps forward addressing cognitive decline in animals. And as Ken Lambrecht, DVM, considers the growing possibilities, he gets more and more excited. “We are just in the infancy of diagnosis and treatment,” he says, “but it’s encouraging that we’re seeing new options that reflect an evidence-based approach.” Each step in the treatment of cognitive dysfunction syndrome, or CDS, can mean a substantial advance in quality of life, says Dr. Lambrecht, founding owner and clinical medical director at Westside Family Pet Clinic in Madison, Wis. The AAHA-accredited small-animal practice sees a healthy number of senior patients. That’s why Lambrecht champions early detection and has added questions about cognitive function to every six-month senior wellness exam he and his clinic colleagues perform. At Westside, the list of options for addressing cognitive issues has included Anipryl tablets and Hill’s Prescription Diet Canine b/d. To that list, the doctors have added a new chewable dietary supplement, Neutricks by Madison-based …
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CR Imaging Is Affordable Digital OptionJanuary 21, 2011 When a veterinarian wants to take the leap from analog X-ray to digital imaging, the decision usually comes down to one central question: Computed radiography (CR) or direct digital radiography (DR)? A growing number of veterinarians have found that CR systems are becoming an easy, viable and—at about half the price of DR systems—more affordable way to enter the digital world. CR systems use a phosphor plate, instead of film, to capture images. The cassette is inserted into a CR reader, which scans the plate and produces a digital image on a computer screen. (Some lower-end systems require manual removal of the imaging plate before the plate is scanned.) The image can be manipulated, e-mailed, archived and printed. DR systems, which usually use flat-panel detectors either retrofitted to an X-ray table or included in a new X-ray table, skip the secondary processing step and produce an image directly from the panel. But for some veterinarians, especially those with start-up practices, the expense can be a deal breaker. Cost Considerations Practice manager Lisa Jendrasek jokingly calls herself a bona-fide expert after her extensive research exploring systems for Deer Run Animal Hospital in Schererville, Ind. “Digital …
Minimal Marketing Spend, Max ResultsJanuary 21, 2011 It’s not enough anymore to place an ad in the Yellow Pages and count on referrals from existing clients to market a veterinary practice. The Internet has changed the way people search for all types of businesses, including veterinarians. It’s time for most veterinary practices to reassess what they are doing and make new marketing decisions. It’s not as hard as you might think; keep in mind that marketing is really about understanding what your clients want and need and communicating how you can meet their needs in ways that are relevant and appealing to them. People in medical professions are often uncomfortable with marketing. They often have companies knocking on their doors promising quick-fix, instant-result marketing programs. Most medical people do not have the training or expertise to make these decisions and can make costly and ineffective choices. Marketing should get the phone to ring and the door to swing, retain existing clients and attract new ones. The key is identifying marketing efforts that will produce the best results for the lowest investment. A good place to start is to assess what your colleagues are doing and compare your marketing activities to …
Philanthropy: Manufacturers’ Presence Goes Beyond ProductsDecember 20, 2010Some companies such as Hill’s, Nestlé Purina and Bayer support the veterinary community with their generosity. Vendors—the companies that manufacture or supply medications and equipment and provide services to help veterinary practices run smoothly—don’t get much publicity for their behind-the-scenes philanthropic work on behalf of the profession and the animals it serves. Most manufacturers aren’t eager to talk about their contributions, saying they would rather spend dollars doing good than using the money to promote their work. Nestlé Purina PetCare Co. looks for the biggest impact when deciding which organizations to donate to, says marketing official Kurt R. Venator, DVM, Ph.D., of Nestle. “We like to create shared value, which means our contributions will be good for the community and good for the company,” Dr. Venator says. “We have relationships with all of the U.S. veterinary schools, which house the future of the veterinary industry.” Martin Mulroy, vice president of veterinary sales and marketing at Abaxis Inc., says the company maintains a strong relationship with Colorado State University. “We’re participating in the funding of a new avian/exotic animal wing at the veterinary hospital, and we donate equipment to the veterinary school,” he …
Expert Opinion Just Digital Hookup AwayDecember 20, 2010 In the past, obtaining a radiology specialist’s opinion sometimes meant traveling to a veterinary teaching hospital. This required time and money and certainly delayed treatment. Today, telemedicine allows radiologists to diagnose patients without ever placing their hands on the animal. Primary care veterinarians can send X-rays and other medical information electronically and receive a report in a matter of minutes or hours. “Using a telemedicine service means a general practitioner can have a radiology department without having board-certified radiologists on the payroll,” says John Feleciano, DVM, Dipl. ACVR, manager of Idexx/VDIC Telemedicine in Clackamas, Ore. “Veterinarians say they find the service to be professionally and medically enriching and it brings financially tangible and intangible benefits. “Owners are comforted by having a built-in second opinion by board-certified veterinarians.” The days, and sometimes nights, of telemedicine veterinarians are filled with exchanges of medical information and questions. Primary care givers ask specialists to confirm a suspicion or help unravel a complex case. “We have specialists available 24 hours a day, although the cases we receive from midnight to 6 a.m. are generally limited,” says Victor Rendano, VMD, Dipl. ACVR, Dipl. ACVR (RO), president of eVet Diagnostics in …
Supplement Joins Fight Against CDSDecember 15, 2010 It starts with the unexpected. Perhaps an incident of house soiling that’s totally out of character. Or a lack of response when a dog is called by name. Maybe some aimless wandering, a new phobia, or dazed and anxious looks when entering a familiar place. These are symptoms of cognitive dysfunction syndrome (CDS), a condition of aging that some veterinary practitioners say deserves increased attention in pets, especially now that new tools for treatment are emerging. The latest option is Neutricks, a chewable dietary supplement designed to protect brain cells and combat cognitive decline in pets. Released in November as the first product from Quincy Animal Health of Madison, Wis., Neutricks uses the same technology as Prevagen, which was developed by Quincy Bioscience and has been shown to help people suffering from age-related congitive decline. At the heart of Neutricks is the patented protein apoaequorin, first discovered in 1962 in a species of jellyfish. The idea is that as aging pets stop producing calcium-binding proteins and start to lose brain function, the apoaequorin in Neutricks acts as a replacement protein. So far, clinical and lab testing have yielded positive results. Research Discoveries A …
Laser Promotes Faster Healing, Less ScarringDecember 15, 2010 Patient Benji is a friendly 5-year-old, 6-pound Pomeranian who loves to make his neighborhood rounds unencumbered by a leash. Problem Dog owner Selda King of Stuarts Draft, Va., let Benji out one morning, regrettably unleashed. Benji came home with huge gaping wounds, the victim of an attack by another dog. After assessing his extensive soft-tissue injuries and loss of skin, emergency veterinarians didn’t give the little dog much hope of recovery. They recommended euthanasia. King refused to accept that recommendation and persuaded David Parker, DVM, at her usual veterinary clinic, Clair Park Animal Hospital, to perform surgery to close Benji’s wounds. Dr. Parker tried to stitch up three large wounds but the skin kept falling away. A life-threatening second surgery attempted to minimize the size of the wound. Clair Park veterinary technicians visited Benji at home to change his dressings every day, hoping for the best. While they waited to see how Benji would recover, King’s friends and neighbors set about collecting money to pay for the expensive surgery and medications as well as the extensive treatment that would be required while the little dog healed. …
Some Hows And Whys Of Laser TherapyDecember 15, 2010 If you are not convinced by now that laser phototherapy will help your patients, ask one of the tens of thousands of U.S. pet owners whose pets now live pain free after their laser treatments. If you are not convinced that laser therapy will help your practice, ask one of the thousands of veterinarians whose revenue has grown since incorporating a laser into their practices. The question now should be,“Which laser is best for me?” Differences between commercially available laser units lie solely in the wavelength, power density, pulse modulation and aesthetics. From these parameters, you can derive the penetration depth, dose distribution, treatment time and the estimated biological effect. No single magic wavelength or setting is the cure for a disease, and to claim otherwise (as some distributors or sales reps do) is irresponsible. There are, however, certain operating regimens, such as those from K-Laser USA, that give better results than others and are more effective for particular symptoms. And because the primary mechanism of action is the stimulation of the patient’s immune system, the range of symptoms for which this modality is useful knows no bounds. Educating yourself about the …
Financial Opportunity, Challenges AheadDecember 15, 2010 Albert Einstein had it right when he said, “Necessity is the mother of all invention.” For veterinarians, the Great Recession forced the profession to find a way to become more business savvy and sustainable. Amid the economic crisis, a sharp change in veterinary product sales has had some practice owners concerned about their hospitals’ long-term strength. “Veterinarians want to know where they stand in the eyes of lenders and they want to know what they need to do to keep their practice in the green,” says Michael Andrews, DVM, chairman of the National Commission on Veterinary Economic Issues (NCVEI) and owner of Woodcrest Veterinary Clinic in Riverside, Calif. “Focusing on profitability is what NCVEI is suggesting to owners for maintaining practice revenue and building on it.” Veterinary-exclusive sales of maintenance products is a thing of the past. Building on and marketing procedures and modalities offered is the focus for 2011, experts say. One of the first steps in making a practice profitable and attractive to lenders is demystifying why patient visits have declined, Dr. Andrews says. The results of a Brakke study on that very question are expected to be released this month at the …
Vendors Give Back To The Vet CommunityNovember 22, 2010 The companies that manufacture or supply medications and equipment and provide services to help veterinary practices run smoothly also perform behind-the-scenes philanthropic work on behalf of the profession and the animals it serves. Organizations that have compelling missions often earn the philanthropic nod. For example, in 2009 Nestlé Purina PetCare Co. donated $15 million to animal welfare programs alone. Nestlé looks for the biggest impact when deciding which organizations to donate to, says marketing official Kurt R. Venator, DVM, Ph.D., of Nestlé. “We like to create shared value, which means our contributions will be good for the community and good for the company,” Dr. Venator says. “We have relationships with all of the U.S. veterinary schools, which house the future of the veterinary industry.” Martin Mulroy, vice president of veterinary sales and marketing at Abaxis Inc., says the company maintains a strong relationship with Colorado State University. “We’re participating in the funding of a new avian/exotic animal wing at the veterinary hospital, and we donate equipment to the veterinary school,” he said. “We also sponsor chair positions at several other universities, including the University of Florida, Texas A&M and the University of Pennsylvania.” …
