They Used To Apply What On Wounds?June 16, 2010 Here is a short list of remedies our forefathers have reportedly used on open wounds: Aluminum foil Maggots Beer Myrrh Boiling oil Oil Bread Onion Carrots Pectin paste Chlorophyll Preparation H Cinnamon Rose water Dung Rust Egg white Saliva Frankincense Sesame oil Fresh meat Silicone spray Garlic Soot Gold leaf Sugar Grease Tannic acid Heavy metals Turnips Honey Vinegar Hot iron
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What Does It Take To Be A Great Technician?June 16, 2010 What does it take to be a great technician? It’s arguably easy for a vet to know if they do a good job or not. Does the sick cat live or not? Does the paralyzed dog walk or not? Does the broken bone heal or not? But how do technicians know if they do a good job? Any technician questioning his or her abilities may have wondered: “Am I a good technician?” or “What does my doctor think of me?” and beyond, “How do I go from good to great?” Ross Palmer, a board-certified veterinary surgeon at Colorado State University, tried to answer these tough questions in a courageous and interesting study [“Inside the Surgeon’s Mind: What Makes a Great OR Technician?” American College of Veterinary Surgeons 2007 Symposium, Chicago, Ill.]. Dr. Palmer analyzed questionnaires filled in by 10 surgeons, who answered questions such as: Have you ever worked with a surgery nurse who you felt was outstanding or excellent? Average? Below average? What personal qualities, actions, habits, skills/abilities, knowledge, etc., made these persons outstanding? Which attributes lacked in average technicians that prevented them from being outstanding or excellent? These are certainly difficult …
"We have met the enemy and he is us"June 7, 201005/24/2010 - Do You Want to Retire Someday? 05/11/2010 - Despite Odd Requests, the Client Is Always Right 04/26/2010 - Is Palliative Surgery Ethical? If there were something larger than Texas, floating in the Pacific Ocean, do you think you would have heard about it? Have you ever heard about pelagic debris? How about chemical sludge? Now: have you heard about the thing that is larger than Texas, that floats in the ocean, and that is made of pelagic debris and chemical sludge? I was embarrassed I didn't know about it. Now that I do, let me fill you in. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is the ultimate ocean dumpster. It is a gargantuan mass of pelagic or marine debris (pelagic means "in the open sea" as opposed to close to the shore) in the central North Pacific Ocean, somewhere between Hawaii and California. Its size is somewhat controversial, in part because scientists can't agree on where the debris stops. At some point, along the edges of the Garbage Patch, the concentration of debris becomes "normal." But most seem to agree that the Patch is larger than Texas. Some even claim that it is as large as the continental US! …
Osteosarcoma StatisticsJune 2, 2010 Here are some numbers to keep in mind when dealing with osteosarcoma of long bones: Early peak in age: two years Late peak in age: eight years Breeds: most often large and giant Area most affected: the metaphysis of long bones Front leg: often “away from the elbow” Hind leg: “close to the knee” may be debatable Front vs. back: front limbs are affected twice as often as hind legs Without chemotherapy, 90 percent will metastasize within one year Average survival with amputation alone: four months Average survival with radiation therapy alone: four months Average survival with amputation and chemo: 10 months, though some say one year What on earth is limb sparing? Limb sparing, or “limb spare,” is a highly specialized limb salvage procedure that consists of en bloc excision of the tumor. Depending on the specific location, the missing bone may or may not need to be replaced with some sort of graft. The most common and practical location for limb sparing is the distal radius. The missing bone can be replaced with a variety of grafts: the distal ulna; the distal radius segment itself after radiation or pasteurization; …
Transforming Client AngerMay 21, 2010 It happens; clients get angry from time to time. Every position in the practice has had to deal with an angry client at some point. Clients get mad for a variety of reasons, but we can keep in mind some basic concepts no matter the reason. First, the angry client wants to be heard. Clients who are angry want the time and space to speak their mind. They need someone to give them that opportunity, or their anger will only increase. However, you do not necessarily want them to be heard by everyone in the lobby, so the first plan of action is to isolate the incident. This is typically done by escorting the client into an empty examination room or another place such as a comfort room or office. If there is no empty private space, then at least take the client to the quietest corner in an empty hallway or to the most remote end of the front counter, where you can give the client undivided attention and minimize the range. Then let them tell their side of the story. Come prepared both mentally and physically. Your attitude needs to be one of calm control …
Who Cares About The Diagnosis?May 15, 2010Siouxsie is a 9-year-old female standard poodle who presented with dysuria and stranguria. Her diagnostic workup, which included an abdominal ultrasound, revealed an obstructive mass near the neck of the bladder. Traumatic catheterization and cystoscopy were unsuccessful at getting diagnostic biopsies. Exploratory laparotomy was recommended to obtain both a diagnosis and a treatment. The owner agonized about what to do. To make things worse, she had adopted the dog just three weeks before presentation. She wondered about the rationale of spending "so much money" to find out that her brand new dog had transitional cell carcinoma. What else could it possibly be? Granted, Siouxsie could do well for a while on piroxicam. Ultimately, the owner decided that she had a responsibility toward Siouxsie when she rescued her, and she elected to do surgery. Cystotomy revealed a pea-sized mass in the neck of the bladder. It was clearly impairing urine flow into the proximal urethra. Since aggressive surgery was likely to cause incontinence, the mass was debulked. A cystostomy tube was also placed. It was removed a few weeks later, once we were reassured that she could urinate normally. We are happy to report that Siouxsie is still alive one year …
Despite Odd Requests, The Client Is Always RightMay 11, 2010BY PHIL ZELTZMAN, DVM, DIPL. ACVS 04/26/2010 - Is Palliative Surgery Ethical? 04/12/2010 - Reflections of a Modern Dinosaur 03/29/2010 - I Don't Want to Put Him Through This Ultrasound revealed a hepatic mass in Colson, an 11-year-old male golden retriever. Surgery was recommended to excise the mass. The owner is a physician's assistant who works with a human surgeon. He insisted that a GI endoscopy be performed first. Despite the oddity of the request, we accepted. The scope revealed ulcerative lesions in the pylorus, with a mass in the duodenum. Impression smears were suggestive of lymphoma. Surgery was canceled. Geisha, a 9-year-old female shepherd mix, presented with a mass in the right anal sac. Abdominal radiographs showed an obviously enlarged sublumbar lymph node. We discussed the pros and the cons of surgery. As surprising as it might seem, an enlarged sublumbar lymph node actually does not decrease life expectancy after excision of the anal sac mass. The owner, who had just started a new job and clearly could not afford treatment, requested an abdominal ultrasound. Despite the oddity of the request, we accepted. The ultrasound revealed a splenic mass. He then requested surgery. We removed the anal sac mass, the sublumbar lymph …
Do You Want To Retire Someday?May 1, 2010BY PHIL ZELTZMAN, DVM, DIPL. ACVS 05/11/2010 - Despite Odd Requests, the Client Is Always Right 04/26/2010 - Is Palliative Surgery Ethical? 04/12/2010 - Reflections of a Modern Dinosaur Today, I would like to take a step away from medicine and surgery and focus on a topic that affects many veterinary professionals, whatever their positions. I recently read, yet again, some somber statistics about the financial health of Americans. • 43 percent of Americans have less than $10,000 in retirement savings, excluding pension and housing equity.. • 27 percent of Americans have less than $1,000 in retirement savings.. • 54 percent have not planned at all for retirement. • Few employees participate, or participate much, in employer-sponsored retirement plans. Some don't contribute enough to get the "match," which is basically free money offered by their generous employer.. • In 2007, the Congressional Research Service published a report about 401(k) plans. It states that "If the median retirement account balance of $100,000 among households headed by persons 55 to 64 years old in 2007 were converted to an annuity, it would provide a monthly income of $700 per month to (someone) retiring at age 65 in 2009." That's $8,400 annually. Ouch! Meanwhile, without going into …
New Revenue Source Just Under The SurfaceApril 27, 2010 Veterinarians interested in adding a modality to boost practice revenue may want to consider aquatic medicine. Aquatics is the fastest-growing discipline in veterinary medicine, says David Scarfe, DVM, Ph.D., assistant director of the American Veterinary Medical Association’s Scientific Activities Division. Despite the growth, veterinarians hesitate to add fish to their patient list because they’re uncomfortable treating an animal that lives underwater, experts say. They may have questions about anatomy, drugs and how to perform surgery. “To begin treating fish, all veterinarians need is a working knowledge of water quality and how aquariums work,” says Michael Stafford, DVM, of Fair Grove Veterinary Service in Fair Grove, Mo. “They need a continuing education course or a university class on basic fish health, a water testing kit, a few basic drugs and a client. Procedures are very similar to small-animal medicine.” A client base is an obvious necessity. Communicating to potential clients that you have the expertise can be done by joining a local garden group and through online listings and the practice’s website. Proper communication with the client is important, says Helen Roberts, DVM, of Aquatic Veterinary Services of Western New York in Orchard Park, N.Y. …
