After Retiring, Give Work Another TryDecember 1, 2008America’s baby boomers are starting to retire—or at least they’re daydreaming about it. While the economy is discussed at every turn, some veterinarians are wondering if they’re in for surprises once they take the plunge into retirement. But seasoned retirees say, “Come on in, the water’s fine.” Some retired veterinarians say they suspect the media are making matters worse by keeping economic talk in high profile. They say retirement is still the same–it’s all common sense. “Don’t put all of your eggs in one basket,” says Everett Macomber, DVM, a Centralia, Wash., native and a 2006 retiree. “Eliminate all debts and try living on the budget you’ll rely on once your earnings have decreased. If you can survive financially, the rest will smooth itself out.” All the veterinarians contacted for this story said the mental preparation of retirement is more important than financial concerns. Veterinarians, known to be wise financial planners, probably have all their ducks lined up. The big surprises will come once the traveling and golfing envisioned during long workdays gets old and the retiree needs to find something more structured and feasible to fill daily life. The American Assn. of Retired Veterinarians (AARV) helps new retirees transition …
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A Measure Of Sample IntegrityAugust 29, 2008It seems innocuous enough—draw some blood, perform some tests and take a giant leap toward an accurate diagnosis. Just don’t forget about the potential red flags—even the ones that present as yellow or opaque. Hemolysis, lipemia and icterus are three common endogenous interferants that can sabotage precise blood chemistry analysis. That’s true whether you perform blood work in-house our send out for analysis. “All hematology is affected by sample-integrity issues, whether you have a $10,000 analyzer or a $150,000 one,” says Craig Tockman, DVM, director of professional services for Abaxis, a leading maker of point-of-care blood analyzers in Union City, Calif. Dr. Tockman also owns and operates two veterinary hospitals in St. Louis. Threats to Test Results There are two overriding considerations when dealing with these interferences, experts say. The first is to ensure your system provides an alert when hemolysis, lipemia and icterus occur at levels that threaten the dependability of test results. The second key step is to employ clear and strict methods to prevent interferants from compromising otherwise reliable findings. Care in drawing, handling and storing blood should always be a primary consideration. “A lot of it is education on the proper way to draw and to …
Alta, Utah Beyond The Bond?March 21, 2007Darlene Arden, the author of "Small Dogs, Big Hearts," e-mailed me an article that revealed a human-animal bond dilemma in one of my favorite ski towns, Alta, Utah. She writes: Dear Alice: I don't know why they haven't voted to overturn this, but is there something that the American Assn. of Human-Animal Bond Veterinarians can do to turn this ugly situation around? It made me sick. The Associated Press article published in the New York Times on Dec. 31 was titled "A Ski Town with 42 Dogs and Many Lonely Dog Lovers." The article said that a city ordinance limits the number of dogs to 12 percent of the human population in an effort to protect the city's alpine watershed. The article said that, "No canine visitors are allowed, even inside cars, and violators can go to jail. Alta occupies four square miles inside a national forest where an act of Congress left Salt Lake City in charge of the water supply. City and county officers police the canyons, keeping out nonresident and unlicensed dogs to curb bacterial contamination of streams and protect Salt Lake's drinking water." The city limits the number of dog licenses to 42 and, according to …
A Labor Of Love For The Human-Animal BondMarch 21, 2007A few years ago, I was asked to write a textbook for Iowa State Press on geriatric oncology. I asked David Rosenbaum how many chapters and contributors he wanted. He said no contributors; he wanted me to be sole author and write in my "clinically breezy" style, similar to the tone of the Oncology Outlook articles that I wrote for Veterinary Practice News from 1999 through 2004. At first, I was shocked, humbled and filled with dread just thinking of taking on such a monumental task. So I mentally declined the offer but told David that I would think about it. David kept after me to remove the walls of my exam rooms and let veterinary students and practitioners in on consultations and decision -making. He wanted this to be a legacy book based on my 33 years of real-world experience. I recalled the grueling job that my University of California, Davis, oncology mentor, Dr. Gordon Theilen, and his wife, Carolyn, endured as they verified the numerous references for his landmark textbook, "Veterinary Cancer Medicine," published by Lea & Febiger. David agreed that I could emphasize the bond and use source books without citing specific references. After I sold my …
A Journey To Spain And PortugalMarch 20, 2007In November I participated in a European symposium with Robert M. Miller, DVM, author of "The Revolution in Horsemanship." In Spain, Dr. Miller presented seminars at the Barcelona Veterinary College and the Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art in Jerez. In Portugal, we held a symposium at the Royal Veterinary College in Lisbon and at the Equuspolis Center at the world-famous National Horse Fair in Golega. This traditional equestrian show began in 1571 on St. Martin's Day. It features the best Lusitanos for international buyers. Our mission was to acquaint horse enthusiasts with the concept of imprint training of foals followed by habituation training. Imprinting occurs most efficiently within the first hour of the foal's life. One hour of imprint training directly after birth, while the foal is still recumbent, removes fear of humans forever. The technique requires the trainer to touch the foal's entire body, with special attention to rubbing the ears, mouth, inside the nostrils, and legs and feet. On the following days, the foal is taught by habituation to tolerate blankets, saddles, noises, vehicles, other animals and anything that could potentially scare or "spook" an adult horse. Dr. Ron Fuller, who organized the symposium, demonstrated how he …
