British Vets Reveal Career FearsAugust 19, 2015Regrets? They’ve had a few. A survey conducted on behalf of the British Veterinary Association and the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons discovered that 1 in 10 young veterinarians contemplate leaving the profession and that optimism about the industry’s future declines even before graduation. The findings—based on online questioning of nearly 900 students and 1,973 veterinarians in the first eight years of practice—were not all negative. Half of the graduates said their careers had met or exceeded expectations. Nevertheless, the results of the Vet Futures survey should be a wakeup call, said BVA President John Blackwell, BVSc, MRCVS. “The drop-off in career satisfaction for vets during this crucial first eight years in practice is something we can’t afford to ignore,” Dr. Blackwell said. “It points to frustration over career development opportunities and dissatisfaction with support available in practice. “For the veterinary profession to remain sustainable, and an attractive career choice for the best and brightest, we need to address these issues with some urgency.” The changes may have to start in veterinary school, the survey found. Only 17 percent of veterinarians working for five to eight years thought their degree had prepared them well. Young practitioners suggested a …
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Banfield Report Finds Vet-Client DisconnectAugust 19, 2015Do veterinarians and pet owners speak a different language? That appears to be so, according to a study by Banfield Pet Hospital. For starters, the Portland, Ore., company discovered that the two groups deviate in the definition of preventive care. With veterinarians, preventive care means checkups, vaccines, spay/neuter surgeries and parasite control. With pet owners, it’s diet, exercise, care and emotional well-being. And while veterinarians want to be the go-to source of preventive care, pet owners often turn to groomers, boarders, trainers and breeders as trusted sources. “It’s no secret that although the veterinary profession is making great strides in prioritizing preventive pet health care, we still have a long way to go to ensure all pets get the care they deserve,” said Vincent Bradley, Banfield’s president and CEO. Bradley released the company’s fifth annual State of Pet Health Report last week during the Banfield Pet Healthcare Industry Summit. Previous reports harvested patient data for information about pet life spans, disease prevalence and other issues. The latest report was based on what the company called “online anthropological research.” “We reviewed more than 2 million online conversations posted to blogs, forums and other social communities for more than …
Email Campaign Succeeds in Luring Former ClientsAugust 18, 2015Thousands of dollars in additional revenue may be just a mouse click away. The veterinary industry group Partners for Healthy Pets and the marketing company Vetstreet are promoting a free email service in which they do much of the work. Here’s how it is done: A veterinary practice provides the email addresses of clients who have not walked through the door over the past 14 months. Partners for Healthy Pets and Vetstreet send a personalized email encouraging a pet owner to schedule a checkup. A $25 discount may be offered if an appointment is made within a month. Does the tactic work? Yes. Speaking last week at the Banfield Pet Healthcare Industry Summit in Portland, Ore., Partners for Healthy Pets chairman Ron DeHaven, DVM, MBA, outlined the results of a 90-day pilot campaign. Just over 400 practices submitted email lists. Nearly 300,000 former patients were targeted. From that effort, 23,615 patients visited—a success rate of 7.9 percent. Dr. DeHaven, who also serves as CEO of the American Veterinary Medical Association, calculated that the campaign generated overall revenue of $5.6 million, based on an average bill of $239. The number breaks down to an average of $14,040 per hospital. “The …
$1.2 Million Raised In Seed Funding For Vet24sevenAugust 18, 2015Vet24seven announced that their Series Seed 2 funding raised $1.2 million. Life Science Angels and Launch Capital were among the investors, Market Wired reports. Vet24seven had a pilot launch in July 2015 and has since gained attention. It is a free mobile app that allows pet owners to contact veterinarians via live chat or video to consult with them about any concerns they may have for their pets. "Vet24seven is meeting a great need in the veterinary market by providing a new way for animal owners and veterinarians to engage with each other," said Cal Lai, chief executive officer at Vet24seven, according to Market Wired. "The national interest received from veterinarians in every specialty to join the Vet24seven Preferred Provider network confirms that veterinarians are ready to enter the digital age and engage with current and new clients and patients via telemedicine." For more information on Vet24seven, visit their Facebook page. Is Vet24seven (or something like it) something you’d be part of in your practice?
UF Hospital, Referral Services Win AAHA AccreditationAugust 18, 2015The University of Florida has joined more than two dozen other veterinary schools in earning accreditation from the American Animal Hospital Association. The designation is awarded to veterinary practices across the United States and Canada that meet about 900 standards in areas ranging from pain management and cleanliness to anesthesiology and continuing education. Florida received separate accreditation of its Small Animal Hospital and referral practice, the university reported Monday. AAHA-accredited referral hospitals must employ a board-certified veterinarian in each area of expertise. Florida achieved recognition in nine specialties: ophthalmology, emergency and critical care, cardiology, internal medicine, dermatology, zoological medicine, neurology, surgery and oncology. “We are so pleased to have reached this important milestone, which is a reflection of the high level of veterinary expertise we offer to pet owners and to the referring veterinary community,” said Dana Zimmel, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, Dipl. ABVP, the associate dean for clinical services and chief medical officer at the College of Veterinary Medicine. From 12 to 15 percent of veterinary practices hold AAHA accreditation, which is subject to review and renewal every few years. Other recent honorees include Crowfoot Veterinary Hospital in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and Fort Carson Veterinary Center in Fort …
Lincoln Memorial Welcomes Second Vet ClassAugust 18, 2015The Lincoln Memorial University College of Veterinary Medicine, just starting Year 2 in its brief history, has added 100 students and several faculty members and is about to open the brand-new Small Animal Clinical Skills Center. Eighty-three women and 17 men—representing 26 states and selected from among 654 applicants—make up the Class of 2019. They join nearly 100 second-year veterinary students on the Harrogate, Tenn., campus. In nearby Ewing, Va., which houses the 700-acre DeBusk Veterinary Teaching Center, students will spend time in the 43,187-square-foot Small Animal Clinical Skills Center. “Our inaugural class is beginning their second year where they will be learning small animal skills, and now, students have the opportunity to train in a state-of-the-art facility using the latest technology,” said the college’s dean, Glen Hoffsis, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVIM. The building, scheduled for completion around Nov. 1, will feature a treatment room with six tables, a 3,500-square-foot surgery suite, a laboratory, and digital radiography and ultrasound equipment. A classroom equipped with mobile tables, flat-screen monitors, wireless microphones and high-definition cameras will bring students face-to-face with live or artificial animal patients. Also inside the Clinical Skills Center will be lockers and changing rooms, a student kitchen and lounge, study rooms, …
Study: Researchers Highlight Underlying Cause of Diabetes in DogsAugust 18, 2015Advanced imaging technology has filled in details about the underlying cause of canine diabetes, according to researchers from the University of Pennsylvania and Baylor College of Medicine. Specifically, the researchers said that for the first time, they have precisely quantified the dramatic loss of insulin-producing beta cells in dogs with the disease and compared it to the loss observed in people with type 1 diabetes. “The architecture of the canine pancreas has never been studied in the detail that we have done in this paper,” said Rebecka Hess, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, professor of internal medicine at Penn’s School of Veterinary Medicine and an author on the study. Canine diabetes can be managed with insulin, similar to type 1 diabetes in humans. But, unlike the human version of the disease, dogs typically develop diabetes in middle or old age, while people with type 1 diabetes are typically diagnosed during childhood, the researchers noted. In addition, while type 1 diabetes is known to be an autoimmune condition, researchers haven’t found conclusive evidence that the same is true in dogs. As part of the study, the researchers studied tissue samples …
2 Southern California Vets Die in Car CrashAugust 17, 2015Clients and colleagues are mourning two veterinarians—a mother and her daughter—who died in a crash with a wrong-way driver Aug. 13 near San Diego. Killed were Diane Defenbaugh, DVM, associate veterinarian at VCA Angel Animal Hospital in San Diego, and Kathryn “Katie” Defenbaugh, DVM, who worked at Banfield Pet Hospital in nearby Chula Vista. Diane Defenbaugh was 61, and Kathryn Defenbaugh turned 29 the day of her death. The women were headed to SeaWorld to celebrate Kathryn’s birthday when the 27-year-old driver of a Chevrolet Yukon struck a guardrail for an unknown reason and careened across State Route 125 and into the path of the Defenbaughs’ Chevrolet Suburban, according to news reports. The women died at the scene, and the other driver survived with minor injuries. Pauline White, executive director of the San Diego County Veterinary Medical Association, said the women had been planning to swim with the dolphins at SeaWorld San Diego. “Dr. Diane’s three siblings will take the ladies home to Chicago, as they had no family remaining in San Diego,” White stated on the organization’s website. “My condolences to their friends, that remain devastated, and to this veterinary community that has suffered a horrific loss,” White added. …
Equine Veterinarian Aiming for OlympicsAugust 14, 2015Fernando Cardenas, DVM, came to the United States from Colombia in 1987. Having grown up around horses, it was only natural for Dr. Cardenas to become an equine veterinarian, opening 3H Veterinary Service in New Hill, North Carolina. But his love of horses expanded past taking care of them. He also had an interest in sport horse performance. He also competes with Quincy Car, his 12-year-old horse, in show jumping, stating that his passion is horseback riding. "Show jumping is the test between the rider and horse to clear 12 to 13 obstacle courses,” Cardenas told WRAL Sports. Cardenas, who calls his horse smart and brave, recently competed at the Pan-American games in Toronto. Now he has his sights on the 2016 Summer Olympic Games, to be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. “There are many, many people that I competed with that just ride for a living, so I said to myself I was probably one of the very few amateurs competing at this level.” In the upcoming months, Cardenas will continue to work …
Annual Pet Vaccinations may be Reduced With KSU TestAugust 13, 2015Scientists at Kansas State University's Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory have modified a test that measures an animal's immune response to the rabies virus. It's a change that will cost pet owners less money and may help reduce the number of yearly vaccines for pets. Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory scientists at Kansas State University say that testing dogs and cats for titers provides “a valid indication of the animal’s resistance to the rabies virus,” according to a KSU press release. If a pet is bitten or in another way exposed to rabies and had a titer test measurement of 0.5 international units per millimeter or more, a booster may be all that’s needed. The modified titer test developed by the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory scientists, however, does not replace a pet’s initial core vaccinations, as unvaccinated pets who have been exposed to rabies either face euthanasia or a six-month quarantine. However, it would mean the annual rabies booster would be eliminated. "In both domestic cats and dogs, there is a positive correlation between rabies …
