Learn how IDEXX is enhancing the lives of animals, people, and the planet.

IDEXX: Contributing to something bigger

I have always prided myself on being a really good veterinary practice manager. I believe in the work I do. I work hard and enjoy my job. I care about the hospitals I work for. I love the staff that becomes a part of my life. What I’ve realized, especially over the past year, is that there is still so much more for me to learn.

We all have exceptional employees. The ones who come to work in a pinch when you need them. They are dependable, reliable, and trustworthy. You ask them to complete a task and they do it correctly and without much (if any) direction. They come in early or stay late depending on what is needed. They work hard and do an amazing job for your hospital. You have told them how much you appreciate them, and that you are so grateful for them and all they do. You probably have even provided pizza to make sure they eat during their shift.

And then, because you know these employees are going to do everything the way you want it done, you give them more tasks and responsibilities. And they carry these out because that’s who they are. What you’re really telling them is: “I am going to work you to death and provide you with only a verbal thank you, or a small random token of appreciation, instead of providing a work-life balance.”

Eventually, these exceptional employees are going to become resentful. You are giving them all these tasks, while others are rewarded by getting away with minimal effort. Just stop and look at your staff. Whom are you treating unfairly just because you know you can?

I have had some exceptional employees that I treated just like this. I knew how amazing they were and how hard they worked. So I asked more of them because I knew they would give their all. And I absolutely took advantage of that.

It was easier to give my time and attention to those I knew would do a good job rather than focusing on those who needed to do better. I used to see it as a badge of honor. Work hard and do well. I had no idea what I was talking about.

We talk about a shift in veterinary medicine that needs to happen in order to retain good long-term employees and encourage excellence in our entire profession. I think this is a giant step toward that.

Yes, it is easier and less stressful to hand off work to somebody you know is going to handle it. But that cannot continue. Those exceptional employees deserve better from us.

Things to consider doing include the following:

Delegating the “extra” tasks to other employees

Not expecting the employee to come in every time you call

Not calling the employee every time you need them (or making them feel as if they are required to come in when you call)

Not bothering the employee on their day off

You also can provide more benefits in the form of:

Opportunities for work from home (if possible)

By providing appropriate training and equal tasks for everyone, your entire hospital and our entire profession will rise together. I’m not only discussing our credentialed veterinary technicians, assistants, reception, and kennel staff. This also goes for our veterinarians and management teams.

Treat individuals fairly. Take care of those who work so hard for you, so that they will continue to work incredibly hard. Let’s not lose any more staff to burnout or compassion fatigue, leaving our profession angry and frustrated. We need them so much more than they need us.

Articles

Smart managers know that keeping outstanding workers starts with realizing when you are taking advantage of them.


Take care of exceptional employees

CityVet—a network of 24 veterinary-owned practices in Denver, Colorado; Dallas, Texas; and San Antonio, Texas—announced this week they have acquired River City Companion Animal Hospital. This hospital marks the company's third practice in San Antonio, Texas, and fourth new location of the year. 

According to a company release, River City Companion Animal Hospital is a full-service, small animal hospital led by Chris Kohnen, DVM, that offers comprehensive medical-surgical, and dental care

“Joining CityVet was an easy decision to make—I was on the verge of burnout with the after-hours administrative work that needed to be done,” said Kohnen. 

“I’m looking forward to the CityVet partnership and getting back to focusing on what I love—providing quality pet care for our clients,” he continued.

The acquisition of River City Companion Animal Hospital is effective as of October 18, 2021, and the practice will continue to operate under its current name. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed. 

“Dr Kohnen is a great veterinarian and leader,” said David Boguslawski, CityVet CEO. “We are very selective in our pursuit of acquisitions; culture and fit are the most important criteria when selecting a partner. Dr Kohnen and his team exemplify our company values and will make a great addition to the CityVet family.”

CityVet Continues Expansion in San Antonio, TX. News release. CityVet. October 20, 2021. Accessed October 20, 2021. [email]

The marks CityVet’s third San Antonio practice acquisition and fourth new location of 2021. 

CityVet acquires another San Antonio hospital 

The Morris Animal Foundation has funded researchers at the MareCet Research Organization in Malaysia to launch a study examining the effects of underwater noise on the behavior and stress levels of 2 locally endangered dolphin species—the Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin and the Irrawaddy dolphin. This research aims to accelerate conservation strategies for protecting dolphins and other regional marine mammal species.

According to an organizational release, dolphins rely significantly on sounds using whistles, squeaks, and echolocation (eg, clicks) to navigate, communicate and forage. The MareCet team suspects human activities including boat traffic from tourism, sea transportation and fishing, increase underwater noise to dangerous levels for dolphins.

“We want to understand if this noise pollution is impacting their vocalizations, making it harder to hear each other or forcing them to use more energy to whistle louder than the passing boats,” said Saliza Bono, PhD, MS, the study’s principal investigator, in the release. “We believe it could be potentially dangerous, making it difficult for them to hunt for food or even separating individuals from their pods.”

Throughout the next year, the team will analyze acoustic responses of both Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins and Irrawaddy dolphins in 2 sites in Northwest Peninsular Malaysia. Using a hydrophone—an underwater audio recording device—investigators will trace the dolphins’ sounds in relation to nearby boats.

The researchers will analyze the dolphins’ whistle rates, frequency levels and duration before a boat approaches them, while it passes and after it leaves. This data will be used to assess metabolic costs (stress levels) of the animals.

According to the release, whistles utilize a significant amount of a dolphin’s energy; therefore, if they are forced to whistle louder, longer or more frequently, it could cause them to expend energy needed to look for food. If a dolphin whistles less frequently during these periods, it may miss a critical opportunity to vocalize or signal danger to their pod.

“This project could close a crucial knowledge gap and inform new conservation measures that might be needed to help these dolphins thrive,” said Janet Patterson-Kane, BVSc, PhD, chief scientific officer at Morris Animal Foundation.

“As with so many other species, it’s important to understand how our human activities are impacting them so we can adjust our behaviors to improve both their welfare and ensure their very survival,” she added.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature classifies Irrawaddy dolphins as endangered and Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins as vulnerable. These species inhabit tropical, coastal, shallow waters of Southeast Asia and due to their proximity to the land are threatened by pollution, habitat loss and entanglement in fishing nets.

Are dolphins harmed by noise from passing boats? New study will assess impact on behavior. News release. Morris Animal Foundation. October 20, 2021. Accessed October 20, 2021. [email].

The results may help strengthen conservation efforts to protect dolphins and other regional marine mammal species. 

Study to assess impact of passing boats on dolphin’s behavior and stress levels

In an interview with dvm360®, Sue Ettinger, DVM, DACVIM (Oncology)—known as Dr Sue Cancer Vet—shares that early diagnosis of mast cell tumors (MCTs) and assessing which treatment option is ideal for each individual pet is key to successful outcomes. 

View the video for the entire discussion. The following is a partial transcript: 

: There’s so many almost controversies with mast cell tumors and really figuring out what the right treatment option [is], but when I think about [mast cell tumors] I just want pet owners and veterinarians to remember the majority of them are treatable and even for those subset of high grade mast cell tumors, a lot of the recent studies show if we treat them aggressively they can actually have a really good prognosis.

Videos

In a recent interview with dvm360®, Dr Ettinger outlines various tips and tricks for diagnosing and treating MCTs in dogs.


Diagnosing and treating canine mast cell tumors

 Hey everyone, welcome back to The Vet Blast Podcast. This episode is brought to you by our friends from 

. Thank you so much for sponsoring this podcast, because we are going to be talking about supplements too. Where do we begin and how do we navigate through this world? With us today is Dr. Janice Huntingford. How are you, my friend?

Janice Huntingford, DVM, DACVSMR, CVA, CVPP, CCRT, CAVCA:

 Hey, I'm doing well. And how [are] you doing Adam?

Yeah, good to see! I'm ready to learn. I need to learn. Let me tell you because there's a lot of noise out in this space too. So, we got to make some choices. So, I need your help. To our listeners out there, Janice is a 1984 graduate of the Ontario Veterinary College University of Guelph in Guelph, Ontario. She is certified in chiropractic, acupuncture, rehabilitation, and pain management. That's fantastic. By the way, can we just stop for a moment and just chat about how amazing that is?

Janice Huntingford, DVM, DACVSMR, CVA, CVPP, CCRT, CAVCA

: Well, I've done a lot of studying, that's for sure.

: Yeah, you have, and I think there's such a huge uptake in that now more so than ever with pet owners interested in all those different modalities. Have you noticed that as well?

Janice Huntingford, DVM, DACVSMR, CVA, CVPP, CCRT, CAVCA: 

Oh, absolutely. There are so many owners who are interested in what I would call integrative medicine, or nutrition, [or] supplements. They're looking for natural ways to treat their pets rather than using drugs and pharmaceuticals.

Yeah, it's impressive. So, get a load of this everyone—to in our listeners—in 2015 she became a diplomat of the American College of Sports Medicine and rehabilitation, and in 2018 received her master's in traditional Chinese better medicine. So, she's a consultant for VIN on rehab, sports medicine, and chronic pain—and lectures internationally on all those topics that we just mentioned. She has [written] many book chapters, and she spends her time on the farm winery with her chef husband, Harold, her pugs, cats, and horses and a few adult children, and her beautiful new granddaughter Alina—is that how you say that great name?

Yeah, yeah, so she's the love of my life now my granddaughter Alina. So yeah, that's when in my spare time that's where I hang out…but not a lot of spare time these days.

I don't know how you do it with all this going on, too! Oh, my goodness. So you know let's chat a little bit about this with supplements because, you know, you're boarded, you understand that there's such a need and understanding about this. So how do you bring up supplement use when it comes to that with an example with pet parents?

: Well, usually when they're coming in to see me and we like to take a full history, so we will ask them, is your dog on any supplements, herbs, chronic medication, anything like that? Do they have any chronic diseases? Is your dog a sporting dog? What is your goal for this dog? Those are the kinds of things—the questions that I would ask the pet parents. And many times—these dogs it's amazing—people are going on Amazon, they're going on the internet, they're buying all kinds of things. And, if [veterinary professionals] ask, "Are they on chronic medication?" Usually, [clients] say, “No, no, not chronic medication.” [But if veterinary professionals ask] "Well, what about herbs, nutritional supplements, special diets, dietary supplements?" Then [clients] are like, "Oh, yeah," and then there's usually quite a long list. It's really amazing. So, you as a veterinarian, you sort of just have to open up and say, "What are you doing?"

Right. What should veterinarians look for when choosing a supplement. And my second part to that is, do you think there's a disconnect, or [are] pet owners on the same page [as veterinarians], that we are looking for the same things in pet supplements or in supplements overall?

Well, as a veterinarian, it's a good idea to look for supplements that have some science behind them so that that's generally the first thing. The National Animal Supplement Council—the NASC—they have a seal for supplements that have been approved. But that said, there are not very many companies that have gone through with that. There are still some very good companies that have good products that don't have that. But you want, first of all, something that has some science behind it. If [the company] can connect you with their veterinary officer or their researcher as to, "What have you done with this?" [or] "Have you done any clinical trials?" [or] "Have you looked at this?" [or] "Are there any peer-reviewed papers that support the use of this particular supplement?" So, you want something that has science behind it, rather than you know, "Mary says this worked for her dog really well." I mean, all these testimonials are great, but it's nice if there's some science behind it too. So, science and outside lab confirmation of what is in the supplement is also a good thing because that proves that what's in it—what it says in it's on the label, is actually in it.

I like that outside lab supplement. That's a good one too. I always forget about that one sometimes. So, when is the right time to start these pets on supplements—like the age, breed, surgery—what's all involved with that?

Well, certain dogs I would like to start on supplements when they're puppies [especially] if I have breeds that I know are going to be prone to things like hip dysplasia, or if they're going to be sporting dogs, I like to start them on when they're young. When I start them on young, I use things like omega 3 fatty acids and undenatured collagen type 2 and that sort of stuff. So, that would be a young puppy that's maybe set to be sporting dog possibly, [or] could have hip dysplasia in its background. Then, of course, after surgery, always a good time so that we have joint healing. That is, there's an uptake with that, and definitely [with] geriatrics as they age. Once they're really over 5 for most dogs—and cats probably over 8—they really should be on some kind of a dietary supplement [and] when I'm talking about that, I'm talking about joint support. There are lots of other dietary supplements out there for other conditions but mostly we look at joint support.

And elaborate a little bit too on the expectation, I can tell you as a veterinarian when we talked about supplements, I feel like sometimes pet parents feel like the results are gonna be instantaneous like we're going to see [the patients] results tomorrow you know? How do we set that expectation when we chat with pet owners?

Well, it's a good idea if you're going to recommend a supplement that you understand how the supplement works, and when to expect results. For example, if you're using something like an undenatured collagen type 2 it may take 3 to 4 weeks before you see something. Omega 3 fatty acids might take up to 8 weeks. So, it's as important as a veterinarian that you set yourself up for success and say, "Well research shows that this percentage of dogs improved by this amount at this time." Now that means you need to have looked at the research papers for that.

And along those lines, another thing the question I always have is about dosing and administration you know sometimes it says you know, 3 chews a day, 1 chew—you know, how do we dose and administer correctly?

: So, you have to have an idea of what supplement you're using. Some of them will have as far as I'm concerned based on the literature gonna have the correct dosage. Sometimes they don't, and sometimes the dosage that's on the bottle is for one condition and you're treating another. A really good example of this is again omega 3 fatty acids—fish oils—people will look at the bottle and say, “Oh, 1200 milligrams,” but that's not 1200 milligrams of effective ingredient, you have to add the EPA and DHA together, which are the 2 active ingredients, to see what you have. Even the dose is going to be on a veterinary bottle, it may be too low for something like arthritis—what the dose may be on there would be a skin conditioning dose. So, I'm not skin conditioning, I'm looking at arthritis [so] I want to use the arthritis dose. It does require veterinarians to have a little bit more Continuing Education (CE) on how these things work.

Expand a little bit on; certain supplements have like a loading dose for it and then a maintenance dose. Is a crucial that we follow those recommendations?

I would say absolutely. There are a number of supplements that do have a loading dose, and a lot of times you have to get the higher dose into the body because say, for example, it's incorporated into the cell membrane. It takes a long time for that to take place—4 to 6 weeks for example—for those types of supplements. And then what will happen is once you are at that level then you can back it off. So, if it does have a loading dose on the supplement, you really should follow that.

Excellent, no great good to know. And you know along those lines, while I have you, I have to get your input about CBD (Cannabidiol) too. You know, we know we get questions about the CBD there are so many different things that are out there. Give me a quick little synopsis of your recommendations when we are faced with that about CBD and pet owners, they're interested in it.

Janice Huntingford, DVM, DACVSMR, CVA, CVPP, CCRT, CAVCA,9:28: 

Well, you know it's good that you asked me because I'm Canadian and you know, we know all this stuff about CBD oil here in Canada. Anyway, I was actually involved in some CBD research, and it is an interest of mine. But here's a few things that you need to be very careful about. One—and this is where if the company that's producing the CBD has on file on their website, somewhere like that—an indication that they get it tested by an outside lab. That's super important in the CBD space because you want to know that what's in it; what it says on the label is what's in it. 

There was a study that was put out by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), and they were talking about the amount of CBD and THC in supplements, that when they tested them weren't there, but this is an issue. Some of the products would say, “100% CBD” and would have a huge amount of THC in [them]. So, there's a huge variation in what you can get with CBD products. So, you want to have a reputable company; you really want to go with companies that have had some science behind them. There was some work that was done out of Cornell with a CBD product, where they determined the dose for it. They did a safety and efficacy study, and it was [for] osteoarthritis. And that particular product, [is] a great, great product. They show what, you know, what's in it and they're bothering to do the research behind it. So, I think you're far better to go with a product that has science behind it, rather than, you know, ‘Uncle Joe CBD from the corner,’ probably not a great thing.

Right? Oh, great advice, great advice. I understand that Vetoquinol has 

, right? Talk to me a little bit about that.

So Flexadin Advanced is I think one of the best supplements on the market because it contains something called undenatured collagen type 2—and undenatured collagen type 2 is a totally different type of supplement for osteoarthritis. It's made from undenatured, collagen type 2, which is basically chicken sternums. But what happens; you have to think about how arthritis works. The biggest problem is that when you have joint damage, you end up with damage to cartilage and the main component of that is undenatured collagen type 2, or UC2—we'll call it that but short. So, that gets released, and then the body makes an immune reaction against that. So, a lot of times, some of your pain of arthritis is from synovitis, an immune reaction to that particular molecule.

If you take undenatured collagen type 2 orally, what will happen is it gets absorbed in the intestinal tract, it's taken up by the gut-associated lymphoid tissue, it will have a response where it's like the immune tissue goes, "Oh, this is a normal component," and so you develop an oral tolerance. So, in your body, you're like, "Okay, I'm tolerant to UC2," then when you have problems with arthritis, when that collagen is released in the joints, the body doesn't have such a huge reaction to it. This is a totally different way of creating pain relief for these joints.

Yeah, that's incredible. Absolutely impressive. So I understand that we can find out more information at 

 about their wonderful portfolio that they have as well, right? I think it's there as well.

Yes, that's there, and I think there's a link to the scientific papers. Very, very interesting. The science on this is great. It's a small amount that needs to be given on a daily basis. They have force-played evidence that this works to improve weight-bearing and dogs with arthritis and I say very impressive science behind it.

Yeah, I happen to read the study earlier this week. I think it's fantastic. And it's 1 chewy, is that correct? It's just 1?

Yes. The funny thing is in the research project that they did, they use the same dose for like tiny dogs and big dogs, and it all worked the same. So, there's really only 1 chew depending on what it is.

Yeah, they really do love that. Well, Dr. Janice Huntingford, thank you so much for your expertise, and for all your knowledge. I think—to our listeners, I hope this cleared up some of the muddiness that could be out there when you're selecting these supplements, so thank you for joining us.

Well, thank you so much for having me, Adam.

Of course, and thank you to our friends at Vetoquinol. Thank you for all you do and for supporting today's podcast and to our listeners, thank you for tuning in! Please stay safe out there. Take care of those amazing fur kids out there and stay pawesome. Bye, everybody.

Podcasts

In this episode of The Vet Blast Podcast, Dr Adam Christman chats with Dr Janice Huntingford about the latest insights into selecting the best supplements for your patients, including the importance of recommending and utilizing products that have a substantial amount of science and research behind them. (Sponsored by Vetoquinol)

Episode 67: Choosing trusted supplements

Tired of waiting on answers from pet parents to questions like, “what medication is Fluffy on?” In an appointment, veterinary professionals are squeezed for time, but more patients can be seen or go home earlier each day by asking pet parents important medical questions before their appointment even starts with a new digital tool.

Launching October 25, 2021, FastClient.ai by VetVet is designed to help veterinarians and their staff save time by sharing questions based on appointment type through a messaging system. According to VetVet, it does not require the pet parent to log-in or download an app, and the user-friendly system is easy for all ages.

“It can be a true time waster when a pet parent cannot remember what food their pet is on. They sit there thinking, ‘I can see it in my head, Doc... It’s a white bag... there’s a small dog on it,’” said Adam Christman, DVM, MBA, chief veterinary officer at 

®. “Having a pet parent upload a picture of the front of the bag and the back of the bag ahead of the appointment will truly help the veterinary professional team ascertain adequate diet information in a timely and effective manner.”

There are 18 vacant jobs available for every veterinarian looking for a job, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association. Although we cannot magically create more veterinarians, we can make each veterinarian more efficient. Veterinary practices can get started now by using the platform for free at 

. According to VetVet, veterinary professionals can sign up by October 31, 2021 to start for free, with no commitment.

“Nutritional counseling is the backbone to every appointment, whether wellness or sick. This application tool will truly elevate both the pet parent and veterinary experience, together,” said Dr Christman. 

“This will streamline my future visits to the vet,” said Leigh Isaacson, the pet parent of a 5-year-old German Shorthaired Pointer. “It makes so much sense to make each of my visits faster and less stressful for me and my dog.”

Stop barking the same questions over and over again. News release. VetVet. Accessed October 20, 2021. [email]

Veterinary staff can reduce burnout by automating intake and post-visit questions.