SAGE partners with San Francisco ophthalmology clinicsFebruary 26, 2019SAGE Veterinary Centers, a specialty and emergency veterinary organization, has added two new partner locations to expand its services and provide patients with better specialty care. The organization has partnered with Veterinary Vision, a provider of ophthalmology treatment in the San Francisco Bay area. Its clinics in San Carlos and San Francisco treat more than 3,100 patients and perform over 12,000 examinations annually. According to Veterinary Vision's Cynthia Cook, DVM, PhD, incorporating ophthalmology into the specialty services provided at SAGE Centers will allow optimized outcomes for ophthalmic emergencies, coordinate care for patients presenting with ocular manifestations of diseases affecting other organs, and coordinate complicated patient management with anesthesia and surgery departments when needed. "SAGE and Veterinary Vision are uniquely aligned in cultural values," said Gina Del Vecchio, SAGE chief executive officer. "People are our most important asset, and we are both delighted and honored to welcome the doctors and staff of Veterinary Vision into the SAGE family."
Professionalism on social mediaFebruary 22, 2019Whether you actively use social media to market your skills or casually (as the majority of us do), every time you post on a site, you are leaving a lifelong impression. As such, what is your online outreach saying about you and your career?
Veterinarians wanted: Half-dead or aliveFebruary 22, 2019Today, as a profession and as people who share our homes with pets for comfort or therapy, our ranches with horses for work or pleasure, or depend on animals for our livelihood or research, we face a looming crisis. Simply put, the glass isn’t half full or empty when it comes to veterinarians—it’s running dry.
Hill's facing class-action lawsuit over excessive vitamin D levelsFebruary 22, 2019A lawsuit has been filed against Hill’s Pet Nutrition for selling dog food containing too much vitamin D.
MightyVet appoints new board membersFebruary 21, 2019Three industry members have been appointed to the board of directors of a career and wellness educational company for veterinary professionals.
10 golden rules of cancer surgeryFebruary 20, 2019Surgery plays a critical role in the management of cancer. One significant advantage of surgery is a chance at an immediate cure—after a single session. No other treatment modality can offer that. Here are 10 rules that must be followed to ensure the best possible surgical outcome. Do the math: Surgery is only 10 percent of the entire story. What follows mainly pertains to skin masses, but it applies to any tumor, even intrathoracic or intra-abdominal. 1) Client communication Whenever a mass is discovered, it is important to take the time to prepare the client for the worst, while hoping for the best. Don't sugarcoat things. Don't make assumptions. Don't claim to have microscopic vision. Don't overpromise. Remember, for example, that a mast cell tumor is called "the great imitator" for a reason. It can feel like anything, including a lipoma. 2) Preop workup Even though we typically say you can't diagnose cancer by looking at blood work, it will occasionally show abnormalities, such as infection, hypercalcemia, or increased liver values. Staging the patient (i.e. determining the extent of the disease) is a mandatory part of the preop workup. Before surgery is ever considered, perform three views of the thorax …
What veterinarians can learn from the Sears bankruptcyFebruary 20, 2019Sears, one of America's longest standing household names, recently raised the white flag and filed for bankruptcy. Started by Robert Sears in 1886, the company bearing his name clearly struggled in the past few years. The reasons are important and somewhat universal lessons to be applied. So how can veterinarians avoid mistakes that brought a 133-year-old iconic business to its knees? Adapt or die Sears was a pioneer in catalog sales, but slow to change with the times. More recently, it struggled to compete with Walmart and other big box stores. Similarly, veterinary practices face competition from multiple "players," including low-cost vaccine businesses (e.g. farm stores, feed stores, human pharmacies, pet stores), spay and neuter clinics, and even local family practices. This has profoundly affected the profitability of practices that relied heavily on "yearly shots," instead of focusing on the importance of (bi)yearly physical exams. Sadly, this philosophy made vaccines look like commodities, which means clients are likely to gravitate to the cheaper provider. Another factor that has historically affected revenue is the development of three-year vaccines. Again, those of us who didn't stress the value and importance of a (bi)annual exam are now facing clients who feel they …
Duck receives custom-made wheelchair to help it walkFebruary 20, 2019Walkin’ Pets has created it’s first-ever Duck Walkin’ Wheels wheelchair, a custom-built cart to help Merlin the duck get the exercise he needs.
FDA finds potential link between diet and canine DCMFebruary 20, 2019According to reports investigated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM), a large proportion of diets in canine DCM cases—both grain-free and grain-containing—include peas and/or lentils in various forms as a main ingredient.
Early bird registration open for WSAVA/CVMA 2019 CongressFebruary 19, 2019The World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) and the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) are partnering to host the annual international congress in Toronto, Canada, from July 16 to 19.
