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The American Association of Feline Practitioners has announced the publication of a digital 

 to help veterinary professionals diagnose and treat systemic arterial hypertension in cats. Sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim, the toolkit emphasizes the importance of checking blood pressure routinely to aid in tracking trends and detecting hypertension in cats early.

“Assessing blood pressure in the feline species is an important part of feline preventive care, yet it is uncommon for practices to routinely perform this test,” says Kelly St. Denis, MSc, DVM, DABVP (Feline), chair of the task force that created the guidelines, in an association press release. “This toolkit provides a quick, go-to reference that will help veterinary professionals overcome the difficulties and obstacles associated with assessing blood pressure in cats.”

When cats have high blood pressure, a lack of accompanying clinical signs often makes diagnosis difficult. While the toolkit encourages using the information provided on all feline patients, cats aged 10 years and older are at higher risk for hypertension and should be monitored more frequently than younger cats.

The toolkit provides tips for successful blood pressure management, including cuff selection and placement, recommendations for taking blood pressure measurements, and the equipment and environment. Each page also has an associated printable PDF that you can use in your practice. A new Blood Pressure Assessment Form is available to download for recording results and other necessary information. Tabbed sections on clinical signs of hypertension, treatment, classifications, frequently asked questions, client resources, and more make the toolkit easy to navigate.

“With its user-friendly format, veterinary professionals can quickly learn how to perform a Cat-Friendly blood pressure assessment, how to interpret the numbers, and how to treat hypertensive cats,” says St. Denis.

Articles

This new digital resource will help veterinary professionals access and gather vital information quickly. 

AAFP releases feline hypertension toolkit 

It had been 28 days since I had pondered wearing jeans—scrubs are so comfortable and don’t judge my waistline. After finally getting into my jeans, I was out of breath and feeling extremely uncomfortable. Then it hit me: I wasn’t myself. I was beyond stressed not just from weight gain, but also from my high workload, late hours, and exhaustion.

I always thought I was good at managing stress, but my poor quality of life told a different story. So what did I do about it? Like many veterinary professionals, I attended a well-being lecture. Afterward, I was inspired and ready to tackle the world—or so I thought.

That Monday morning, I strolled into the clinic, prepared to take my life back. I was going to stay focused and positive and leave on time. But 4 hours into my shift, after several frustrated clients and emergencies, I felt like all the strategies I learned during the lecture went right out the door. My old habits began to take over, and I wondered why my new well-being plan didn’t work.

If this scenario sounds familiar, it’s time to adjust your approach to well-being. Here are my top 3 reasons why well-being plans fail, plus some strategies to help you succeed.

It’s easy to visualize the end result of a well-being plan, but the choices, sacrifices, and willpower it takes to follow through don’t get nearly enough attention. At the beginning of my well-being journey, I was told I would have to make changes. My first impression was that it wouldn’t be too hard or take too long, but boy I was mistaken.

I quickly realized that I was in a toxic friendship and needed to reevaluate my inner circle. After feeling inspired by the well-being lecture, I was finally ready to let this friend go. I tried weaning myself off the relationship by telling myself why it didn’t work. Then I asked myself what it would mean if I let her go. If she wasn’t around, I reasoned, I would be bored and lonely. Once I confronted these underlying assumptions, I was able to release my grip. I trusted that I could connect to more positive individuals in the future. This process took more than 6 months, but with practice, the time frame for making change happen will get shorter.

To help identify—and overcome)—subconscious assumptions about your well-being plan, ask yourself these questions and write down your responses:

What expectations do I have about this well-being plan?

What will I need to give up or add to my life to make this plan work for me?

What areas of my life will I have to reevaluate to improve my well-being?

Talking about or writing down your assumptions can help put your journey into perspective. We might think we make perfect sense, but when we share your thoughts with someone else or write them down, we might notice that some of our well-being goals are unreasonable.

Well-being workshops can help inspire change. They provide lots of useful information but no real-world practice. I can tell someone how to place a central line catheter and give tips for troubleshooting problems, but until someone tries it for themselves they won’t know how to overcome obstacles. 

When coaching veterinary professionals, a majority of my time is spent troubleshooting. For example, one of my clients wanted more balance in her life. Although she loved her job and colleagues

she also valued her personal time and often felt guilty about leaving work on time. We found a way for her to uphold her 

 and her work values. It took weeks to develop a successful strategy. In the end, the solution included a combination of letting go of what others thought about her, improving her time management skills, and communicating with her teammates. The bottom line? Well-being is not black and white—every situation comes with unique challenges.

“Semper Gumby” is an unofficial US Marine Corps motto that means always flexible. Practice being strong and flexible during this well-being journey. You will try, fail, grow, and repeat. It's all part of the process.

When a dog has a fever but no other obvious signs of illness, we know there’s more going on than what meets the eye. Feeling uncomfortable is similar because it can help us to identify some trouble areas in our life.

For example, boundaries are especially hard for me. I still feel stressed when someone repeatedly pushes my boundaries. I once had a boss, Sally, who asked me to confront another coworker, Becky, about an opinion she expressed about me. I felt it would be death by communication if I started a conversation that sounded something like, “I was told that you thought I was mad at you 2 weeks ago.” The thought of having this conversation made me cringe.

I was aware that Becky and I did not get along, but I had a plan to help rebuild our relationship. When Sally pushed me for the third time, I was ready to blow. Instead of caving on my boundary, I sat with the problem and processed the situation. This helped me realize that I never told Sally what I planned to do about Becky.

I reassured Sally that I had already started a process of trying to improve my communication with Becky. Without taking the time to sit in my frustration, I might not have upheld my boundary and could have been resentful later.

The next time you feel like your only choices are to uphold your well-being or cave in, remember there is a third option. Sit with the discomfort and ask yourself: What am I supposed to learn?

Most people are doing their best to be happy. It is hard to play the long game when you can make decisions in the moment that will give you relief.

Expectations can sneak up on you in the form of feelings such as discomfort, disappointment, or self-criticism. If your well-being is low, the journey back to happiness will have moments of triumph alongside struggles.

Viewing your path to better well-being as a journey with twists and turns will help set realistic expectations and allow you to roll with the punches. Let’s face it. Improving your well-being is hard, but it can help you live a healthier and happier life—one that you’re genuinely excited about.

Kristina Guldbrand worked as a certified veterinary technician for 12 years before becoming an account manager for Veterinary System Services, where she discovered her love of leadership and well-being. She has received training through the International Coaching Federation and provides workshops, leadership, and well-being coaching, as well as teambuilding for practices

Find out why your plan to improve personal well-being isn’t working, and learn how to tailor your strategy for success.

When intentions don’t match results: why well-being plans fail

Although age is not a disease, it can be a risk factor when it comes to administering anesthesia. At the 

 virtual conference last week, Katrina Lafferty, BFA, RLAT, CVT, VTS (Anesthesia/Analgesia), a senior technician in the anesthesia and surgery department at the Wisconsin National Primate Center in Madison, talked about risk factors and considerations for anesthesia in neonatal, pediatric, and geriatric patients. 

A veterinary patient is considered neonatal from birth to weaning (about age 6 to 10 weeks) and pediatric from weaning to reproductive maturity (about age 5 to 6 months). It is important to remember that neonatal and pediatric patients are not just small dogs or cats. Rather, they should be thought of as still completing development of their organ systems. Lafferty noted that during the neonatal and pediatric phases of development there is a shift from placental/maternal control of circulation and organ function to the puppy’s or kitten’s own circulatory system and organs, and as a result these young patients have unique anesthesia considerations.

Although geriatric patients have fully developed organs, the organs begin to wear out as animals age. What age we should start to worry about this varies by patient size, with small-breed dogs being considered geriatric at about age 9 years, midsize canine breeds at about age 9 to 10 years, and cats at about age 8 to 10. Although some pets may seem “young at heart,” these are the ages at which we should start to consider that either overt or occult organ system comorbidities may be present.

Lafferty took the audience through the body system by system to discuss the various considerations when developing anesthesia protocols for these patients.

It is important to realize that baroreceptors are not fully mature until about age 12 weeks. As a result, blood vessels in puppies and kittens are unable to vasoconstrict to maintain blood pressure, so the only driver of cardiac output is heart rate. Whereas adults can increase contractility by 300% to offset deficits, neonatal and pediatric patients can only achieve a 30% increase in contractility. Further, hypoxia drives bradycardia, which perpetuates this cycle of low blood pressure. In a practical sense, this means a greater risk for profound hypotension, bradycardia, fluid overload, congestive heart failure, and pulmonary edema. In addition to normal physiologic risk factors, an estimated 17% of puppies and 5% of kittens may have undiagnosed heart defects. For this reason, all murmurs should be evaluated before anesthesia is performed.

Geriatric patients may have similar physiologic limitations but for different reasons. Instead of a cardiovascular system that is not yet fully developed, the risk in geriatric patients is that this system will fail to compensate because it is worn out. These older patients are similarly unable to cope with hypotension because their baroreceptors may be unable to compensate to the extent necessary.

Geriatric patients also have difficulty increasing cardiac output when necessary because of fibrosis and thickening of the heart or valves and altered cardiac conduction.

Physiologic and clinical anesthesia risks in geriatric patients are identical to those in puppies and include profound hypotension, bradycardia, fluid overload, congestive heart failure, and pulmonary edema. Geriatric patients are also at increased risk for cardiac defects, although these are degenerative rather than developmental. Twenty-five percent to 33% of dogs over 9 years of age have evidence of heart disease (eg, valvular disease, dilated cardiomyopathy, arrhythmias). Cats may similarly have increased risk for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and arrhythmias with increasing age.

Young animals also have immature respiratory systems, in that their ribcage is very flexible and compliant, their intercostal muscles are weak and underdeveloped and can fatigue easily when taxed, they have an increased oxygen demand, and their chemoreceptors are less sensitive to changes in oxygen and carbon dioxide. Overall, young animals are less able to compensate when physiologic parameters require it. As a result, neonatal and pediatric patients are at greater risk for overinflation, atelectasis, respiratory fatigue, and hypoxemia. Clinically, this means we should always preoxygenate these young patients.

Geriatric patients also have similar concerns, but from weakened (atrophied) intercostal muscles, lower elasticity of lung tissue, pulmonary fibrosis, decreased elastic recoil of the lungs, decreased chest wall compliance, and decreased laryngeal and pharyngeal function. Although the reasons are slightly different, the anesthetic risks in geriatric patients are similar to those in neonates. Geriatric patients are at increased risk for atelectasis, impaired pulmonary diffusion, respiratory infections, and prolonged extubation and recovery. Just as with neonatal and pediatric patients, it is important to always preoxygenate geriatric patients.

Continuing the discussion of organ system development, Lafferty said that the immature hepatic system of neonatal and pediatric patients results in low glycogen stores, decreased gluconeogenic ability, and an immature cytochrome P450 system that limits drug metabolism as well as the ongoing metabolism of endogenous products. Clinically, with regard to anesthesia considerations, patients may have normal glycemic regulation when awake but are still at risk for hypoglycemia 1 to 2 hours into anesthesia. Further, extended drug elimination times and prolonged recovery should be expected due to the immature capacity for metabolizing anesthetic and sedative agents.

Geriatric patients also have a reduced capacity to metabolize drugs due to decreased microsomal enzyme activity, decreased liver mass, and decreased hepatic blood flow. Similar to pediatric patients, risks include hypoglycemia and prolonged recovery times; additional hepatic function risks in geriatric patients include hypoproteinemia, coagulopathies, and hypothermia.

The renal system is fully functional at approximately 3 weeks of age, so these very young patients may be at risk for prolonged recoveries or fluid overload due to decreased glomerular filtration and clearance rates, decreased reabsorption of amino acids and phosphate, and low concentrating ability. Geriatric patients are also at risk for renal insufficiency or renal disease. Clinically, geriatric patients may be less able to regulate blood pressure and more likely to have acid-base imbalances, azotemia, dehydration, and hypoproteinemia. Lafferty noted that even in normal patients, general anesthesia causes up to a 40% reduction in renal blood flow and glomerular filtration. So, caution is required in patients with the potential for renal impairment.

As a result of these immature or failing organ systems, including central nervous system, gastrointestinal, or endocrine system abnormalities, we must consider accommodating the pertinent risks when performing premedication, anesthesia induction, anesthesia maintenance, sedation, analgesia, fluid therapy, and perianesthetic monitoring and patient support (ie, temperature maintenance, intubation and extubation, and recovery). A key factor in evaluating risks in any patient is a complete and thorough physical examination. Lafferty mentioned a study in which a thorough physical examination in a population of geriatric dogs identified at least 1 previously unrecognized problem in 80% of cases.

Rebecca A. Packer, DVM, MS, DACVIM (Neurology/Neurosurgery), is an associate professor at Colorado State University College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences in Fort Collins. She is active in clinical and didactic training of veterinary students and residents and has developed a comparative neuro-oncology research program at Colorado State University.

1. Davies M. Geriatric screening in first opinion practice—results from 45 dogs. 

. 2012;53(9):507-13. doi:10.1111/j.1748-5827.2012.01247.x

Old and young patients have unique needs when it comes to anesthesia. Understanding the pharmacodynamics of sedative, analgesic, and induction agents will improve safety and stability for all your anesthesia patients, regardless of age.

Pediatric and geriatric anesthesia considerations

Is it time to prescribe Mozart? According to veterinary neurologist Susan O. Wagner, DVM, MS, DACVIM, an adjunct faculty member at The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine in Columbus and coauthor of 

Through a Dog’s Ear: Using Sound to Improve the Health & Behavior of Your Canine Companion

, the answer is a resounding yes. At the Fetch dvm360

 virtual conference this week, Wagner presented evidence that suggests sound affects animals on a psychological level. She encouraged attendees to utilize particular genres of music to create a more relaxed experience for their patients.

Before delving into the specific benefits of music therapy, Wagner provided a brief overview of some basic tenets of sound measurements, noise toxicity, and the study of bioacoustics versus psychoacoustics.

At the most elementary level, sound is waves of energy that affect the nervous system. The 2 terms used to categorize sound are frequency, which is measured in Hertz (Hz), and intensity, which is measured in decibels (dB). Humans hear frequencies of 20 to 20,000 Hz, whereas dogs can hear frequencies between 40 and 45,000 Hz and cats up to 64,000 Hz.

Part of understanding how sound can positively impact a species involves recognizing its adverse effects, Wagner said. For reference, a normal conversation occurs at 50 dB and a lawnmower generally operates at 90 dB. Animal laboratories routinely reach noise levels of 80 dB, with human activity transiently increasing intensity by as much as 40 dB. Hearing damage occurs instantly at 100 dB (think standing next to a jet engine) or when exposed to 80 dB for longer than 15 minutes, which happens more often than one might think, she said.

Although noise levels in a typical veterinary clinic could become detrimental to staff working lots of overtime hours, it is the patients Wagner called attention to. “Researchers have examined the effects of noise toxicity in animals, which expands beyond hearing damage,” she said.

 found that dogs exposed to sound blasts of 85 dB experienced increased heart rates and salivary cortisol levels.

 The noise also elicited postural signs of anxiety. Birth defects have been documented in mice and rats when the mother was exposed to noise pollution during pregnancy.

 Behavioral changes were also detected in their offspring.

While there is decades-old research on the effect of noise on animals, Wagner said the study of sound in animals historically was categorized through bioacoustics. This places an emphasis on how animals communicate and the positive and negative effects of their environments, but it does not account for psychoacoustics. Typically applied only to humans, psychoacoustics examines the perception of sound, psychological responses, and its impact on the nervous system.

Examining the physiologic effects of sound and music opens the door to understanding how certain melodies can be used to calm anxious pets.

“Music therapy and sound enrichment are low-cost, easy modalities to enrich the lives of captive animals,” Wagner said. “Whether it be a short-term stay in a veterinary clinic or shelter, or long-term captivity in a sanctuary or zoo, sound can play a key role in enhancing the welfare of these animals.”

Sound therapy research has illustrated music's influence on a variety of species. In 1 study, cows were more likely to come into the milking parlor if signaled by music.

 “Behaviorists might say that is classical conditioning, and some of it can be, but it has to start with a pleasant stimulus,” Wagner said. “You play pleasant music to the cows and then they are adapting to it. It is a combination of classical conditioning and sensory relaxation.”

In a separate study, when chickens listened to music, they had increased growth and reduced stress.

 There are also indications that animals may have musical preferences. In the same study, horses showed a decreased appetite when listening to jazz and an increased appetite with country music.

 “This is an example of going beyond bioacoustics into psychoacoustics. That makes perfect sense to me,” Wagner said. She surmised that the differing tempos and frequencies in jazz could become uncomfortable to the horses. Sorry, Miles Davis.

Through her research, which became the basis for 

, Wagner and coauthor and sound researcher Joshua Leeds examined how music with varying tempos and instruments might elicit favorable responses. More than 150 dogs were observed in home environments and kennels to see if they would sit down, lie down, or even go to sleep when listening to certain music. “We found that the simple piano with low tones and a slow tempo is what made them most calm,” she said. When listening to the piano in the home environment, 85% of the dogs went to sleep, compared with 70% to 75% in a kennel setting.

When presented with a patient that displays signs of general anxiety or pain, Wagner suggests creating a sound inventory of the home. She encouraged attendees to prompt clients to sit and listen to all of the ambient noise in and around their homes to pinpoint overlooked stressors. This works 2-fold by providing the veterinarian with pertinent information while also conditioning the client to become more perceptive to the noises their pet encounters. “Humans are good at tuning ambient sounds out, be it the TV or something happening outside,” she said. “But animals are not.”

A similar noise evaluation should be conducted in the veterinary hospital, too. “How loud is the conversation in the room? Are you drawing blood on a cat while someone is clipping a dog’s nails right next to it? It is not about you and your need to keep things moving or about convenience,” Wagner said. “What about the patient? Think about it from their perspective.”

Once possible noise toxicities are addressed, the right music can create an enhanced, stress-free experience. “To keep animals as calm as possible, instrumental music is best,” she said. Animals do not need the added stimulus of processing voices.

“Music reduces the complexity of the orienting response. As the patient hears the music, the sound will resonate with its brain waves and heart rate,” Wagner explained. “You get a physiologic effect that feeds back to the nervous system. It can be really helpful.”

showed that respiratory rates and pupil diameters in cats changed depending on whether classical music, pop, or rock was played during spay procedures. Classical music had the most positive effect, whereas heavy metal caused increased respirations and pupil diameters, indicating a stress response. The response to pop was intermediate.

 Research has also shown that cats prefer music with frequencies and tempos similar to what is heard in feline communication.

At home, Wagner said, hearing calming music for as little as 30 to 60 minutes a day will help reduce the sympathetic overdrive from the nervous system in pets. “We cannot teach our patients to meditate, but we can use music to do a very similar thing,” she said.

Beerda B, Schilder MBH, van Hooff JARAM, deVries HW, Mol JA. Behavioural, saliva cortisol and heart rate responses to different types of stimuli in dogs. 

Cook RO, Nawrot PS, Hamm CW. Effects of high-frequency noise on prenatal development and maternal plasma and uterine catecholamine concentrations in the CD-1 mouse. 

Nawrot PS, Cook RO, Staples RE. Embryotoxicity of various noise stimuli in the mouse. 

Uetake K, Hurnik JF, Johnson L. Effect of music on voluntary approach of dairy cows to an automatic milking system. 

Houpt K, Marrow M, Seeliger M. A preliminary study of the effect of music on equine behavior. 

Mira F, Costa A, Mendes E, Azevedo P, Carreira LM. Influence of music and its genres on respiratory rate and pupil diameter variations in cats under general anaesthesia: contribution to promoting patient safety. 

 Snowdan CT, Teie D, Savage M. Cats prefer species-appropriate music. Applied Animal Behaviour Science. 2015;166:106-111.

Certain musical tones and melodies have proven to elicit calming responses in animals. Learn how music therapy can benefit your pets and patients.

The sound of music in veterinary medicine

Pets with disabilities are nothing new in veterinary medicine. In fact, they are often the face of veterinary educational programs, rescue groups, and other nonprofit organizations. Unfortunately, many pets that become disabled are euthanized, abandoned, or relinquished to shelters, sometimes due to a simple lack of education on how to best care for them. According to Melissa Shapiro, DVM, owner of Visiting Vet Service in Westport, Connecticut, and the driving force behind the social media phenomenon @pinkpigletpuppy featuring her deaf and blind dachshund-Chihuahua mix, disabled pets today can enjoy a good quality of life thanks to the evolution of pet wheelchairs and carts, advancements in physical and alternative therapies, and the power of social media.

Decades ago, many clients whose dogs became paralyzed because of conditions such as spinabifida, cerebellar hypoplasia, or congenital leg deformities opted for euthanasia, either because they believed their pet would have poor quality of life or they felt unprepared to care for a disabled animal. Recent years have witnessed a movement among pet owners to keep disabled dogs and provide them with wheelchairs and other necessary equipment to give them a second chance at life, Shapiro said during a lecture this week at the 

“The perception of paralyzed and mobility-challenged dogs has changed dramatically in the past 10 to 15 years,” Shapiro said, attributing the shift largely to improved networking capabilities through social media. Now rescuers can fundraise to help save, treat, accommodate, and find homes for dogs that need wheels to get around, and owners can connect with other owners of disabled dogs for support and care information.

This increased interest in providing wheels for disabled dogs means veterinarians have a new role in advising and guiding their owners on how to care for wheelchair dogs.

The canine wheelchair industry has grown exponentially in recent decades, and new lightweight materials and designs can now accommodate dogs with a wide range of needs. Front carts, for example, can assist dogs with front limb abnormalities, including congenital deformities, missing limbs, and amputation due to cancer or injury. Clients must learn how to train their dogs to use the front wheels until they become accustomed to them.

Let owners know about social media groups, books, and other resources that can guide them as they care for their disabled pet. Here are some options:

According to Shapiro, front-leg amputees or dogs with congenital leg deformities should be acclimated to carts at about 7 months of age. The sooner they can get adjusted, the better.

Rear carts are useful for dogs paralyzed from intervertebral disk disease, spinal injury, neoplasia, hind limb deformities, injuries, and weakness due to arthritis and spinal cord degeneration. Quad carts provide support for dogs with overall weakness, generalized arthritis, cerebellar hypoplasia, and other musculoskeletal conditions, as well as those recovering from cervical surgery. Additionally, carts can be customized to accommodate individual dog needs.

According to Shapiro, there’s an art to caring for disabled pets. “You’re balancing medicine with compassion,” she said. “Clients look to you for support and guidance as they navigate this new and stressful situation with their pets. Having compassion for the people who are taking care of these animals is a big part of the package.”


One of the veterinarian’s roles is to guide clients with the difficult and emotional decision of whether to keep a disabled pet. Shapiro’s advice? Educate them about what is available to care for disabled pets, discuss quality of life, and provide general care recommendations and a list of useful resources.

Caring for disabled pets also involves treating secondary problems. For example, dogs using rear wheelchairs are at increased risk for developing urinary tract infections, abrasions from rubbing, ulcers, sensitive skin, and more. To help avoid some of these issues, make sure the cart fits properly and advise clients to change the pet’s diapers regularly.

Depending on the severity of paralysis, you may need to teach clients how to express the bladder and bowels and treat pressure sores. Some patients may also benefit from physical therapy, acupuncture, laser therapy, or swim therapy in conjunction with medical treatment.

Finally, make sure you connect clients with other owners who have disabled pets through social media support groups. Having a like-minded network of people to talk to can provide them with the support they need to adjust to this new way of life.

Caring for a disabled pet can be challenging, but the rewards are great. “These special pets can inspire their owners to face their own challenges, help children with special needs feel and be accepted by others, and promote empathy,” Shapiro said. “For veterinarians, caring for these pets presents a unique opportunity to be a part of something very special.”

The equipment and resources available today for disabled pets ensures that they can enjoy an excellent quality of life, but the veterinarian plays an integral role in ensuring a successful outcome.

Caring for disabled pets: balancing medicine and compassion

Although Black History Month is coming to a close, the significant contributions African Americans have made in this industry deserve to be celebrated all year long.

In honor of this special month, we will highlight several prominent Black veterinarians who have broken through the glass ceiling of 

 to help build a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive future for veterinary medicine.

one of the most influential Black veterinarians

 in American history, Frederick D. Patterson, DVM, PhD, earned his degree from Iowa State University and his Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD), from Cornell University.

 He later became the 3rd president of Tuskegee Institute in 1935, along with being selected as a department head. He also founded Tuskegee’s veterinary college, allowing African-American students to finally pursue a veterinary education in a very segregated south.

 A year before his death on June 23, 1987, Patterson was awarded the nation’s highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Raleigh H. Allen, DVM, is recognized as the

 first African American to pass the 3-day certification examination in Florida,

 making him the first licensed African American veterinarian in the state.

 Allen passed away on January 26, 2012, but his contributions and significant role in veterinary medicine have made a lasting impact on the entire community.

Lila Miller, DVM, graduated from Cornell University, where she received her DVM and BS in Animal Science.

She was one of the first two black women to graduate from Cornell’s College of Veterinary Medicine. During her 40-year plus career in veterinary medicine, Miller served as the vice president of shelter medicine for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animal (ASPCA) and 

is recognized for writing the first veterinarian-written guidelines for shelter animal care

. She’s also coeditor of the “Shelter Medicine for Veterinarians Staff” textbook and a contributing author to the “Recognizing and Reporting Animal Abuse, a Veterinarian’s Guide” publication.

Debbye Turner, DVM, earned her BS from Arkansas State University in 1986 and her DVM, from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1991.

—it took her 7 years, 11 tries, and 2 states before being crowned Miss America in 1990. Since 2001, Turner has been a broadcast journalist and contributor to the CBS television program, “The Early Show,” and has hosted “The Gentle Doctor.” In 2002, Turner interviewed President and Mrs. Bush at the White House for a Pet Planet segment 

. She is also a minister and motivational speaker on leadership development.

These are just some of the many Black industry leaders who have climbed through the trenches of adversity to fight for equal opportunity and advancement in this profession.

CVM Diversity. K-state.edu. Accessed February 26, 2021. 

https://www.vet.k-state.edu/about/diversity/history-aa.html

CU played a key role in educating first black veterinarians. Cornell.edu. Accessed February 26, 2021. https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2011/02/cu-played-key-role-first-black-veterinarians

Here’s a look at a few Black veterinarians whose leadership, determination and resiliency made a lasting imprint on this profession.

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