Practically speaking, veterinarians have 2 patients: the pet and the owner who is providing care for that pet. In other words, the veterinarian is caregiver-squared

“We know that veterinary professionals can be impacted by caregiver fatigue as a result of their caregiver role,” said Mia Cary, DVM, at a recent 

® virtual conference. In this role, she explained, veterinarians need to recognize their clients’ struggles, from nursing the dog recovering from spinal surgery to maintaining the elderly cat in kidney failure.

Caregiver burden—the load carried by one who tends to a chronically ill, disabled, or elderly person or pet—can, over time, lead to burnout. One reason for this burnout is that, much to their detriment, caregivers often turn down help because of the notion that they alone are equipped for the job.

“The caregiver is unable to step back from the caregiver role to really recalibrate and recharge,” said Cary, who heads Cary Consulting and is the former chief of professional development and strategic alliances at the American Veterinary Medical Association.

A 2019 clinical study confirmed that the caregiver burden some clients suffer while managing their chronically ill pets can be so severe as to render them unable to engage in healthy human relationships.

 And this distress can lead to a shift in their behavior, which trickles down to the team members at their veterinary clinic and may even dampen hospital morale. But being aware of our owners’ strife can remind us to ramp up our empathy.

Unlike sympathy—a sense of pity that drives one to paint silver linings for the pitied—empathy involves traveling the emotional path 

that person. By pulling empathy out of our crash kit, we can help neutralize the 3 self-defeating habits these pet parents often display:

 painful emotions; when you see this, encourage the person to embrace the sadness.

 overthinking to the point of painting negative scenarios; motivate clients to trade this for favorite activities.

 self-flagellation; support the client verbally with uplifting words.

Too often, Cary noted, we cast empathy asunder when dealing with critical cases: “We are so wrapped up in the diagnosing and treating and communicating that treatment plan that we forget this important part of our role as their veterinary caregivers.”

And we also forget to care for ourselves, Dr Cary pointed out. Self-care strengthens us to handle the angst of a sick pet, which can travel downstream from the owner to us through a psychic snarl known as compassion fatigue, or—more aptly put—“vicarious traumatization.” Because we work closely with the owners, we inoculate ourselves with their tension.

By keeping a finger on our own pulse, we can shoo away the compassion fatigue that threatens to creep in on us when we dare to empathize with the burden our clients withstand when caring for sick pets. Instead of fatigue, we must espouse compassion satisfaction, a sense of joy in helping others.

In helping our clients, veterinarians can take a page out of the flight attendants’ instruction manual: Should the cabin lose pressure, adults flying with children should fasten the oxygen mask on themselves before putting it on the youngsters. “Remember that self-care is not selfish,” Cary reminded the audience. “You have to practice self-care in order to properly care for others.”

Using a healthy-dose of self-awareness, she said, take inventory of the 9 dimensions of well-being as they apply to you: work/career, emotional, spiritual, social, creativity, environmental, intellectual, financial, and physical. And be sure to maintain a healthy work-life balance.

And when the journey from compassion fatigue to compassion satisfaction is too bumpy, she added, it’s important to seek help from mental health professionals.

Spitznagel MB, Cox, Jacobson DM, Albers AL, Carlson MD. Assessment of caregiver burden and associations with psychosocial function, veterinary service use, and factors related to treatment plan adherence among owners of dogs and cats. 

2019;254(1):124-132. doi:10.2460/javma.254.1.124

Articles

While charged with managing the health of 4-legged patients, veterinarians must also be cognizant of burnout in their 2-legged caregivers when those pets are sick. To do so, we must also care for ourselves.

Caring for those who are caring for those

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced last month the approval of Stelfonta (tigilanol tiglate injection), the first intratumoral injection to treat nonmetastatic cutaneous mast cell tumors (MCTs) in dogs.

Stelfonta, which is injected directly into the MCT, activates a protein that spreads throughout the treated tumor and disintegrates tumor cells, according to the 

“This approval provides an additional treatment option to help treat local mast cell tumors on or under the skin in dogs,” says Steven M. Solomon, DVM, MPH, director of the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine.

MCTs are the most common malignant skin tumors in dogs. Full surgical removal of mast tumor cells can be challenging when tumors are located in certain areas, like the leg. If not fully removed, the remaining malignant cells can start to grow and spread rapidly. “Stelfonta offers a novel way to treat nonmetastatic MCTs as the only approved intratumoral injection,” according to the FDA.

Stelfonta’s safety was demonstrated in a laboratory study of 118 dogs with a measurable cutaneous or a subcutaneous MCT on the lower leg. A total of 80 dogs were treated with Stelfonta, and 38 were in an untreated control group. After monitoring the dogs for a month, the complete remission rate of the treated group was 75%. 

Eighteen dogs in the treatment group, whose tumors didn’t completely disappear, were retreated with Stelfonta a second time about a month after their first treatment. Approximately a month after receiving their second treatment, 44% of these dogs’ tumors had disappeared completely. Dogs in the untreated control group were treated with Stelfonta for the first time a month after the study began; 62% of those dogs’ tumors disappeared.

The most common adverse reactions associated with Stelfonta administration include wound formation at the tumor site and injection site reactions, such as pain, swelling, reddening of the skin, bruising, thickening, scarring, and death of some cells in the tissues.

Stelfonta is available by prescription only, as it should be administered only by veterinary personnel with the expertise to ensure safe use of the drug, assess the patient for contraindications, and monitor for adverse reactions.

 be administered with a corticosteroid, an H1-receptor blocking agent and an H2-receptor blocking agent, thus decreasing the risk of severe systemic adverse reactions, including death, from mast cell degranulation.

The FDA also advises veterinarians to provide clients with handouts detailing important information about Stelfonta, including how to care for their pets after drug administration.

Stelfonta provides an additional treatment option for local mast cell tumors on or under the skin in canine patients.

FDA approves intratumoral injection for dogs

From prepping a cat for surgery to cleaning a dog’s teeth and taking x-rays to filling a prescription, there is a wide range of technical skills to consider when interviewing and hiring at your veterinary practice. It is equally important to select team members who possess key soft skills such as flexibility, open-mindedness, and creativity. These types of traits will help them to provide the best possible service and care to your patients and clients and to become a valuable part of your team.

Although you can easily review hard or technical skills on a resume or observe them in action, it’s more challenging to discern soft skills. As these can be such an integral part of an interviewee’s personality, they may not even be aware of them much less able to articulate them. Integrity, for example, is an important soft skill, but oftentimes people with integrity live ethics-based lives without considering it a skill that they need to highlight during an interview. That’s just 

People may feel more comfortable highlighting their technical skills. Thus, you should consider including soft skills in your practice’s job descriptions and advertisements. For example, if you are looking for a veterinary technician who works well with others and can communicate clearly and compassionately with clients, include those attributes in your job descriptions and not just as an add-on.

Each practice may value different traits, but here are some soft skills that every hospital can benefit from.

 of in-demand soft skills, here are the top 5, in order:

To tackle the day-to-day challenges of a veterinary practice, you need team members who can thrive under pressure. For example, you want to hire people who can remain calm when dealing with stressed and frightened animals or when responding to anxious clients. Additionally, veterinary professionals must be prepared to deliver heartbreaking news such as a terminal illness—or help clients make the challenging decision to euthanize their beloved pets. Having team members who can remain calm, especially during emergencies, is critical.

When everything is running smoothly, this trait may not come to the forefront. But paying attention to detail is crucial when following protocols, taking notes, labeling samples, and more. Being detail oriented usually goes hand in hand with being organized. When pet records, for example, are well organized, your team can easily access accurate details, thus putting clients at ease.

Empathy is the ability to discern the emotions of others or to put yourself in someone else’s shoes so you can better understand what they might be feeling.

Compare someone who can do their job effectively with someone who can manage technical skills while also communicating with empathy and you will understand why soft skills are so valuable. Empathic team members build trusting relationships with clients, thus allowing them to provide the best possible care to their pets.

Although the practice can plan its day, emergencies happen and even the seemingly most ordinary appointments can become difficult. Having a practice team that can roll with the punches is essential to providing optimal care.

Identify which soft skills are important to your practice and then tailor your interview questions to reflect them. If you have an exceptionally busy practice and time management is key, you could say, “Please share a time when you had multiple deadlines to meet and tell me how you prioritized your tasks to meet those deadlines.”

If creativity and problem solving is important to your practice, you could ask interviewees to describe a time when they faced a problem they had never encountered before and have them share their problem-solving process.

To measure an interviewee’s level of empathy, try asking them about a time they had to share bad news with a client. Ask about the specifics of the situation and find out how the interviewee responded.

If collaboration is crucial in your practice culture, ask the applicant about a time when they had to collaborate with someone who was not easy to get along with.

Throughout this interviewing process, you can determine how well an applicant communicates and how they respond under pressure by how effectively they answer your questions.

When it comes to hiring new talent, it’s all about balance and paying attention to soft skills that may not get the time and attention they should do during the recruiting, interviewing, and hiring processes.

In a hectic practice, it can be tempting to choose a candidate with great technical skills and mediocre soft skills over someone who has the soft skills you want but less work experience. Why is this so tempting? Let’s face it. Your practice likely needs positions filled ASAP. And, under those tight time constraints, it’s normal to want someone who can hit the ground running. In the short run, that’s probably true. Here’s a flaw, though. Soft skills are typically inherent. Sure, someone can work on improving communication skills, but the reality is that integrity, creativity, and adaptability, for example, tend to be ingrained into someone’s personality—or not. So, envisioning that a candidate with excellent technical skills will somehow develop the soft skills you need and want may not happen.

According to Daniel Goleman, in his book 

, soft skills more accurately predicted top performance than experience did, or, for that matter, IQ. So, hiring someone with desired soft skills and working with them to gain adequate work experience may be a more practical approach to consider when hiring new team members.

Kellie Olah, CVPM, SPHR, is a practice management and human resources consultant at Veterinary Business Advisors, Inc.

When it comes to hiring new team members at your veterinary practice, you should consider a nice balance of both technical and soft skills. Here’s why, plus how to identify key soft skills.

 Hiring new talent: Why soft skills matter

A spirited boxer named Chopper won the “Most Unusual Pet Insurance Claim of the Year” at the 12th annual Hambone Awards, presented by Nationwide.

This unique award, named after its first recipient, who devoured an entire Thanksgiving ham while stuck in the refrigerator, recognizes the most unusual pet insurance claim of the year, while honoring local veterinary practices that provide care to these pets.

Chopper’s story became a public favorite, beating out 4 other award nominees (see below). The tumultuous boxer bolted through a glass window in a desperate attempt to greet a visitor outside. Unfortunately, she suffered multiple injuries to her paws and tendons, requiring emergency surgery, according to a Nationwide 

 in Springfield, Virginia, and fully recovered within a month.

“Chopper’s unbridled enthusiasm may have landed her in the operating room, but the great work done by the treating veterinary team got her back on her 4 feet quickly,” said Nationwide’s Chief Veterinary Officer Jules Benson, DVM, in the release. “We are happy to present the 2020 Hambone Award to Chopper, and salute all of the veterinary professionals that care for our beloved companions every day, in every way.”

According to the release, The Referral Veterinary Center will receive a $10,000 Nationwide-funded award through the 

 (VCF) to help fund care for pets in their community whose owners could otherwise not afford treatment.

The veterinary practice’s that provided care to the 4 finalists below will receive a share of the overall Nationwide-funded award through the VCF:

Olive, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel from San Diego, pursued a squirrel up a 12-foot-tall tree. She lost her footing and fell but survived thanks to emergency care from Blue Sky Veterinary Services.

Max, a Shih Tzu from Goleta, California, courageously fought against a coyote in his backyard. He received care from the VCA Care Specialty and Emergency Animal Hospital.

Penny, a 16-year-old short-haired tabby cat from La Jolla, California, took a tumble down a two-story balcony and received urgent care from Cote Animal Hospital.

After enduring a scary mouth-to-mouth collision with another dog during an uproarious play-time encounter, Pistol, an Australian Cattle Dog from Los Angeles, received tentative care from Beverly Hills Small Animal Hospital. 

Finalists for this year’s award were chosen after reviewing more than two million recent claims submitted by Nationwide members. All nominated pets have made full recoveries, and their owners will receive insurance reimbursement for eligible expenses.

This spunky pooch, who busted through a window to greet a neighbor, received the 12th annual Hambone Award for the “most unusual pet insurance claim,” presented by Nationwide.

A Virginia boxer wins 2020 Hambone Award

Many veterinarians are familiar with the term “FAST scan,” which stands for 

focused assessment with sonography for trauma

. This diagnostic tool was first used in human medicine by trauma surgeons in the 1990s, with some considering the approach an extension of the physical examination.

 It came to veterinary medicine in the early 2000s as a tool to detect free fluid in the abdomen and thorax, usually in emergency cases.

 Since then, it has evolved as a tool to assess trauma patients, triage critical and unstable patients presenting without a history of trauma, and track patient status over time.

Gregory R. Lisciandro, DVM, DABVP, DACVECC, of Hill Country Veterinary Specialists and CEO of Fastvet.com, played a key role in developing the abdominal FAST scan, now known as AFAST.

This screening tool offers clinicians a systematic way to evaluate the abdomen and use a standardized, goal-directed template for recording findings. AFAST includes evaluation of target organs in its 5 defined acoustic windows and a fluid scoring system that better defines a positive result. Moreover, AFAST fluid scoring helps guide diagnostics and treatment, including blood transfusion and surgical intervention in bleeding patients.

During a session at the 2020 American Veterinary Medical Association Virtual Convention, Lisciandro discussed the essential components of the AFAST evaluation and why it should be used as an extension of the physical examination for all veterinary patients.

One of the advantages of AFAST is that the patient does not need to be shaved. Images are obtained by parting the fur and placing the probe directly on the skin with a small amount of coupling gel. Another advantage is that AFAST can be performed with the patient standing, in sternal recumbency, or in lateral recumbency, all of which are much safer and less stressful than dorsal recumbency.

The fluid scoring system requires the patient to be in lateral recumbency; however, in standing or sternal AFAST-negative studies, lateral recumbency is likely unnecessary because the score will remain negative. Right lateral recumbency is preferred because it is standard for echocardiography and electrocardiography, facilitates visualization of the gallbladder and caudal vena cava, and has increased safety for abdominocentesis, when indicated, because the spleen is left-sided.

Basic principles of ultrasound for successful AFAST

Lisciandro stressed that a “repetitive, standardized approach is the best way to learn ultrasound.” In AFAST, standardized views are obtained in a set order and performed the same way in every study. Of note, AFAST is not a flash ultrasound, in which the probe is swept over the abdomen or thorax to search for free fluid, or point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS), in which only a specific organ or clinical question is addressed. Lisciandro cautioned that while flash and POCUS are sometimes referred to as AFAST examinations, they can be “detrimental to patient care and outcome” when performed in lieu of a complete AFAST exam because they lead to imaging errors such as satisfaction of search error (stopping the exam at the first abnormality found) and confirmation bias error through selective imaging.

According to Lisciandro, veterinarians do not need extensive ultrasound training to perform AFAST. “The only pressure is looking for anechoic [black] triangulations, which doesn’t take a lot of training, especially if you do your views the same way every time,” he said. “Everything else is a bonus, including obvious AFAST soft-tissue abnormalities.” In other words, as long as a clinician can recognize free fluid, they can perform AFAST and continue to develop their ultrasound skills with every subsequent study.

The ultrasound probe is kept in the longitudinal scanning plane throughout the AFAST exam with the marker oriented toward the patient’s head and the screen marker to the left of the screen. The presence of free fluid has been shown to be independent of probe orientation, and beginners generally recognize anatomy more easily in longitudinal planes. Transverse orientation is considered an add-on skill learned after mastering the fundamentals. At each location, the same probe maneuvers are used, following the mantra of “fan, rock cranially, and return” to the starting position.

Target organ evaluation in the 5 AFAST views

Every AFAST exam elicits 5 views, the first 4 of which are part of the abdominal fluid scoring system. These 4 views are as follows when the patient is in right lateral recumbency: diaphragmatico-hepatic (DH), spleno-renal (SR), cysto-colic (CC), and hepato-renal umbilical (HRU). These are followed by focused spleen and then the hepato-renal 5th bonus view, which is scored but not part of the total abdominal fluid score (

). Views are analogous in left lateral recumbency. See the 

 for a summary of methodology, target-organs, and obvious soft-tissue abnormalities.

AFAST evaluates its target organs for obvious soft-tissue abnormalities that are often missed or only suspected on physical examination, laboratory testing, and radiography. During AFAST, deviations from the expected at each respective AFAST view commonly indicate abnormalities. The use of this target organ approach is generally more specific than sensitive, meaning that a deviation from the expected is likely to be real. However, with detection being user dependent (and keeping in mind that AFAST is a screening test), observing no target organ abnormalities does not exclude their presence. Thus, AFAST does not replace other imaging modalities, including a complete abdominal ultrasound.

When reporting AFAST soft-tissue abnormalities, Lisciandro suggests that practitioners record them as “suspect” abnormalities, so they are not assumed to be a diagnostic (eg, suspect renal pelvic dilation, suspect gallbladder mucocele, suspect cystic calculi). These suspect abnormalities can then be assessed further using other diagnostics, including a complete abdominal ultrasound and radiography.

The AFAST abdominal fluid scoring system has been validated in lateral recumbency.

 However, AFAST may be performed in the standing or sternal position in the same way as in lateral recumbency. If the standing or sternal AFAST is negative for free fluid, lateral positioning in unnecessary. If the AFAST is positive in sternal recumbency or standing, then place the patient in either right or left lateral recumbency and wait 3 minutes before scoring to allow the free fluid to redistribute for a more valid score.

To score, assign the DH, SR, CC, and HRU views each a score of 0 (no fluid present), ½ (weak positive), or 1 (strong positive), then add these numbers together for a final score with a maximum of 4. A maximum dimension of greater than 5 mm in cats and 1 cm in dogs is considered a strong positive score of 1, and less would be a ½.

 Total scores of less than 3 are considered small-volume hemorrhage-effusion, and scores of 3 or higher are considered large-volume hemorrhage-effusion (

A small-volume bleeder (fluid score <3) should not cause anemia directly, so perform a thorough physical exam and a Global FAST ultrasound by adding thoracic FAST (TFAST) and lung (Vet BLUE, veterinary brief lung ultrasound exam) to search for other sites of bleeding.

 By contrast, a large-volume bleeder (fluid score ≥3) may indicate the need for a blood transfusion and possibly surgical intervention,

 depending on clinical profile, presence or absence of coagulopathy, and patient subset. Of note, by recording which AFAST views have fluid present, the clinician may also get a better idea as to the origin of the fluid based on the target organs in positive locations in lower-scoring patients (ie, source of bleeding and source of sepsis).

When free fluid is safely accessible, perform an abdominocentesis to collect a sample for analysis because ultrasound cannot characterize fluid reliably based on echogenicity. At a minimum, compare the packed cell volume measurement between the effusion and peripheral venous sample because blood contamination can appear grossly and falsely as hemorrhage, and perform cytology while saving a tube for culture and additional biochemical testing.

Finally, repeat scoring following patient resuscitation and rehydration, and track over time to monitor patients with any and all types of effusions for remaining static (no change in score), worsening (higher score), or resolving (lower score) (

 Furthermore, AFAST and ultrasound are considered more reliable for the presence of fluid over abdominal radiographic serosal detail.

Everyday ultrasound on nearly every patient

“AFAST is a screening tool that outperforms radiography for free fluid and soft-tissue abnormalities, and thus helps capture important problems that would otherwise be missed by physical exam, introductory blood and urine testing, and radiography,” Lisciandro said. “Moreover, by ‘seeing’ the problem list using the Global FAST approach, resuscitation, diagnostics, and treatment are better directed.”

Global FAST is 1 of only 3 standardized veterinary ultrasound formats and the only ultrasound examination that evaluates both body cavities by using a combination of AFAST, TFAST, and Vet BLUE.

Once trained in this technique, most clinicians can perform a Global FAST evaluation in under 6 minutes.

Lisciandro believes that Global FAST should be used as “everyday ultrasound on nearly every patient.” During his presentation, he encouraged veterinarians to use the Global FAST standardized approach not only in the emergency setting (ie, triage) but also as part of patient rounds, annual and semiannual wellness evaluations, and for preoperative testing. He showed preoperative case examples in which undetected uroliths, small splenic masses, and an unknown pregnancy were detected using AFAST, but could easily have gone undetected by physical examination, blood and urine testing, and radiography. Each of these conditions could have caused significant morbidity, and possibly mortality, if the patient had been anesthetized or left untreated, demonstrating the potential of Global FAST to improve patient outcomes, including diagnostics and treatment.

The upshot? According to Lisciandro, the use of AFAST and Global FAST should become a core skill for all veterinarians seeing clinical cases, as this ultrasound extension of the physical exam is fast becoming standardized in medical school curriculum and thus offers a rare opportunity for veterinarians to be ahead of our physician colleagues.

Kate Boatright, VMD, is an associate veterinarian and freelance speaker and author in western Pennsylvania. She is actively involved in organized veterinary medicine at the local, state, and national levels and is a former national officer of the Veterinary Business Management Association.

Rozycki GS, Ballard RB, Feliciano DV, Schmidt JA, Pennington SD. Surgeon-performed ultrasound for the assessment of truncal injuries: lessons learned from 1540 patients. 

 1998;228(4):557-567. doi:10.1097/00000658-199810000-00012

Boysen SR, Rozanski EA, Tidwell AS, Holm JL, Shaw SP, Rush JE. Evaluation of a focused assessment with sonography for trauma protocol to detect free abdominal fluid in dogs involved in motor vehicle accidents. 

 2004;225(8):1198-1204. doi: 10.2460/javma.2004.225.1198

Lisciandro GR, Lagutchik MS, Mann KA, et al. Evaluation of an abdominal fluid scoring system determined using abdominal focused assessment with sonography for trauma in 101 dogs with motor vehicle trauma. 

 2009;19(5):426-437. doi: 10.1111/j.1476-4431.2009.00459.x

Lisciandro GR, Lagutchik MS, Mann KA, et al. Evaluation of a thoracic focused assessment with sonography for trauma (TFAST) protocol to detect pneumothorax and concurrent thoracic injury in 145 traumatized dogs.

2008;18(3):258-269. doi:10.1111/j.1476-4431.2008.00312.x

Lisciandro GR. Abdominal and thoracic focused assessment with sonography for trauma, triage, and monitoring in small animals. 

 2011;21(2):104-122. doi:10.1111/j.1476-4431.2011.00626.x

McMurray J, Boysen S, Chalhoub S. Focused assessment with sonography in nontraumatized dogs and cats in the emergency and critical care setting. 

Lisciandro GR. The use of the diaphragmatico-hepatic (DH) views of the abdominal and thoracic focused assessment with sonography for triage (AFAST/TFAST) examinations for the detection of pericardial effusion in 24 dogs (2011-2012). 

Boysen SR, Lisciandro GR. The use of ultrasound for dogs and cats in the emergency room: AFAST and TFAST. 

 2013;43(4):773-97. doi:10.1016/j.cvsm.2013.03.011. Erratum in: 

Lisciandro GR. Cageside ultrasound in the emergency room and intensive care unit.

2020;50(6):1445-1467. doi:10.1016/j.cvsm.2020.07.013.

Lisciandro GR, Fosgate GT, Romero LA, et al. The expected frequency and amount of free peritoneal fluid estimated using the abdominal FAST-applied abdominal fluid scores in healthy adult and juvenile dogs [published online ahead of print, November 11, 2020]. 

Lisciandro GR, Fosgate GT, Fulton RM. Frequency of ultrasound lung rockets using a regionally-based lung ultrasound examination named veterinary bedside lung ultrasound exam (Vet BLUE) in 98 dogs with normal thoracic radiographic lung findings. 

Lisciandro GR, Fulton RM, Fosgate GT, Mann KA. Frequency and number of B-lines using a regionally based lung ultrasound examination in cats with radiographically normal lung compared to cats with left-sided congestive heart failure. 

2017;27(3):267-277. doi:10.1111/vec.12637

Lisciandro GR. Point-of-care ultrasound. In: Mattoon JS, Sellon R, Berry, eds. 

Lisciandro GR. Ultrasound in animals. In:Lumb P, Karakitsos D, eds. 

Lisciandro GR, Armenise A. Focused or COAST3 – cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), Global FAST (GFAST3) & the FAST-ABCDE exam. In: Lisciandro GR, ed. 

Focused Ultrasound for the Small Animal Practitioner. 

Proper use of focused assessment with sonography for trauma, triage, and tracking (monitoring) allows clinicians to evaluate both obvious soft-tissue abnormalities and ascites in the abdomen.

Up your imaging game: The power of AFAST

We are proud to announce that we are hosting 4 free veterinary webinars this month. Each live event will cover topics relevant to you and your entire team. Check out the full list of topics along with detailed event descriptions below.

Sit. Stay. Heel: Compliance alliance and follow through with the revenue: Innovative ways to have both

In this webinar, you'll find out why and how frequent, timely, and accurate communication improves medical outcomes, increases revenue secondary to improved compliance, encourages client loyalty, and allows recovery of lost revenue to online pharmacy competitors.

Charles McMillan, DVM, practiced both general and emergency medicine for 4 years at 2 large referral hospitals in New Jersey. Dr. McMillan later moved to Georgia and currently practices small animal general medicine in Atlanta.

Emily Shiver, CVPM, CCFP, CVBL, is a certified veterinary practice manager serving as the regional director of operations for Family Vet Group.

This event is presented by dvm360 and sponsored by Heel!

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This webinar will explore the current state of the pet insurance industry, debunk myths, and present the speaker’s philosophy on pet insurance, having worked with multiple companies in his role as a practice manager and administrator.

David Liss, RVT, VTS (ECC, SAIM), CVPM, has served as the emergency room department manager and hospital manager of 2 different 24-hour veterinary practices and led the Platt College Veterinary Technology Program as the program director. Liss has also dedicated more than 10 years working as an ER-ICU technician.

This event is presented by dvm360 and sponsored by Nationwide.

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3. Integrative oncology: Building your tool kit

During this webinar, the speaker will discuss anticipatory grief counseling, goal setting, and how to assess quality of life. Plus, you’ll learn about some of the most commonly used cancer supplements.

Robert J Silver, DVM, MS, is chief medical officer of Rx Vitamins and was chief veterinary officer for one of the largest vertically-integrated hemp companies in the United States.

This event is presented by dvm360 and sponsored by Rx Vitamins.

4. Telemedicine: How to get maximum benefit with minimal effort

This webinar will discuss the basics of veterinary telemedicine. You’ll find out how to decide which telemedicine platform to use at your practice and how to best utilize it to improve workflow.

Jeff Werber, DVM, is an Emmy Award-winning, nationally renowned veterinarian and former president of the Association of Veterinary Communicators.

This event is presented by dvm360 and sponsored by Airvet.

These 1-hour events will address a wide array of veterinary topics including owner compliance, pet insurance, oncology, and telemedicine.