After crossing the border into Romania, a young girl showed her hamster in a cage. She called the pet her "best friend" and had traveled with it from neighboring Ukraine.

A mother and her 2 young daughters—refugees from war-torn Ukraine—arrived at a shelter in Romania, each with a pet: a muzzled dog, a cat carried in a backpack, and a hamster in a small cage. Marty Becker, DVM, a volunteer with the nonprofit, international veterinary aid organization World Vets, watched as the trio reunited with the girls’ father, from whom they had been separated for about a month. Along with the humans’ excitement, the dog greeted the man by jumping up on its hind legs and furiously licking him.

“He was happy to see the dog. The dog was happy to see him,” said Becker.

One of the girls had told Becker the hamster was her “best friend.” Upon seeing her father, she held the cage up to proudly show her pet as the man knelt to look.

“That human animal bond, to her, I think, was a lifeline,” Becker said in an interview with 

Many people are leaving Ukraine as refugees, seeking safety from the violence that has come with Russia’s ongoing invasion. The humanitarian crisis has also displaced countless pets, according to World Vets. Many of these animals need food, shelter, and veterinary care for their survival.

Volunteers like Becker, founder of Fear Free and a 

® advisory board member, and his World Vets peers are helping displaced dogs, cats and other pets at Ukraine borders. Becker recently traveled to Romania and Moldova—the 91st country he has visited—to help assess unmet needs and facilitate free veterinary services for animals arriving from Ukraine.

“Moldova, Romania, and Ukraine come together in this one spot, right by the Danube River,” said Becker.

According to World Vets, Becker’s mission was to coordinate efforts with the organization’s existing partners in Romania and Moldova.

 Cathy King, DVM, PhD, World Vets founder and CEO, said Becker spent time in clinic and on the border’s front lines. “His first hand accounts helped to guide our strategy for prioritizing aid in the region. He has also done a tremendous amount to bring awareness to the situation and to direct funding to local groups aiding refugees and their pets, especially in Romania,” said King, in an email to 

Becker also met with the head of Romania’s veterinary medical association to discuss what local veterinarians were seeing and where help was needed. “The 1 thing you don’t have to worry about is the animals in need finding love and attention,” said Becker. “I met people over there who walked 20 miles carrying a dog to safety.”

Sava’s Safe Haven in Galati, Romania is one partner Becker worked with during his trip. The family-run, nonprofit shelter is dedicated to caring for homeless and stray animals in the region’s poor, rural areas.

 World Vets knew it had a capable, dedicated partner through an established working relationship with Sava’s Safe Haven, and is providing free veterinary services to pets of Ukranian refugees as well as veterinary supplies at the shelter, noted King.

“We are helping to financially support their aid station that is located at the entry point where refugees are crossing the Ukraine border into Romania with their pets. It is anticipated that the need for veterinary services will continue long term in the region and, therefore, we are also making longer term plans to recruit a veterinary team in the coming months to go there to provide additional medical, surgical, and preventive health campaigns for pets of refugees as well as abandoned pets that are brought to the shelter,” said King.

Marty Becker, DVM, (left) with Alexandra Sava of Sava's Safe Haven, a nonprofit shelter near Galati, Romania, and Phyllis, a dog being adopted by Becker.

Sava’s Safe Haven is also working to find new homes for displaced pets in need, and sending food and other supplies across the border to Ukraine. According to social media statements made by the organization, these critical supplies are being shared with people who chose to remain in Ukraine, many of whom are elderly and include individuals who are feeding street animals.

In a social media post, Becker said he witnessed Sava’s Safe Haven sending 2.5 tons of dog food to a ferry crossing between Romania and Ukraine to feed pets that are owned and living in shelters— even though the organization was starting to run short on dog food. A similar run is made “at least every other day,” he wrote on Facebook.

At a partner clinic in Chișinău, Moldova, World Vets previously funded the costs of veterinary services for pet owners who were strugging during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to King. “We are now offering free veterinary services for any pets from Ukraine at that same clinic,” she said.

Becker, a World Vets advisory board member, said one the biggest takeaways from his experience near Ukraine are the strength of the human-animal bond and the resilience of people and pets. “If you’re tested, you’ll really see what you can do,” he said.

He recalled a Ukrainian woman who had lost her husband and her home because of the war. She arrived at the border aid station in Moldova with a young girl and a dog that had been injured. Although the dog had been limping, it began running after smelling the shelter. “It’s got a fight or flight response,” Becker said.

Grieving the death of her husband, the woman said the dog would now be her constant companion, according to Becker. “Beyond that affection connection, and the healing power of pets, I don’t know what else she would do. There’s nothing [for her] to go back to. Her house is gone,” said Becker.

Another woman, he said, crossed a border from Ukraine with 10 leashed dogs. She had walked in freezing temperatures, pulling a wagon with food and supplies to care for her pets but nothing for herself.

Becker noticed during his trip that veterinary technology in the region he visited is generally lacking compared with modern US facilities, although not as primitive as he’s seen in other countries. One clinic in Moldova had a single radiology machine, for example. Becker said the staff was using oven mitts rather than the safer, lead-lined gloves US veterinary professionals typically use to operate it.

Overall, he said, there is need for more modern veterinary technology and equipment as well as food and basic supplies to care for displaced pets. He brought with him to the Ukraine border region 3 large suitcases filled with toys for the animals he would be serving.

“There are things we can do to help,” said Becker.

According to World Vets, many in the organization’s community want to help the pets and people of Ukraine. To that end, World Vets is requesting financial contributions in support of its efforts to assist in the veterinary care of Ukrainian pets. Donors may visit worldvets.org to direct a monetary gift to World Vets’ international disaster response fund for helping pets from Ukraine.

World Vets. Helping pets from Ukraine. Worldvets.org. March 30, 2022. Accessed April 27, 2022. https://worldvets.org/campaigns/news/

Sava’s Safe Haven. A family-run shelter in Galati, Romania. Savasafehaven.com. 2022. Accessed April 27, 2022. https://savasafehaven.com/

Articles

As a volunteer with World Vets, Marty Becker, DVM, worked with local
organizations in Romania and Moldova to assess the unmet needs of pets
affected by war, and help facilitate free veterinary services to care for them.

Veterinarian travels to Ukraine border to help provide animal care

With veterinary hospitals across the country facing staffing shortages, emergency and critical care situations can put extra pressure on already-stressed clinicians. Jessica Nord, VMD, discusses the challenges veterinary professionals face and shares one tip to better handle an emergency. 

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

: In general practice setting right now, I think what we're seeing all over the country and we have for many years now, even before COVID, is the fact that many practices are understaffed. The staff that we have, while they're enthusiastic and willing to learn, may not be trained in the way that we want them to be trained. And we feel like we don't have the time to provide them with the training that they really need to handle these more advanced situations.

Videos

Jessica Nord, VMD, shared tips for taking the stress out of emergency and critical care situations when the hospital is understaffed.

How to handle emergencies while understaffed

“Where is everyone posting job ads for veterinary technicians?”

“We are not getting hits on our job ads.”

“We barely received any resumes or none.”

These are the most common statements I often hear with veterinary practice managers. We all wish to have a veterinary technician with years of experience, expectations of a reasonable wage, and exuding dependability walk in. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the projected growth of veterinary technicians from 2020 to 2030 is 15%. Veterinary technician has one of the highest rates in demand than most career paths, but veterinary technicians’ schools may be scarce in some geographical regions.

There is no magic to recruiting veterinary technicians, but some excellent practices can help you become more strategic with attracting talent to your practice.

The labor market is competitive, and everyone knows that veterinary wages are becoming competitive with other businesses. It can be challenging for companies like the mom-and-pop practices to compete with corporations, but there are ways to be strategic in your business model.

One key consideration is to conduct a competitive salary analysis. Do you know what other competitors are paying their employees? What type of benefits are they offering? Conducting a competitive salary analysis can help your organization identify fair wages in the current market and how your compensation structure compares to the competitors. You can perform the analysis by doing online research such as searching job postings on Indeed, Glassdoor, or ZipRecruiter. The Veterinary Hospital Managers Association (VHMA) also has a compensation and benefits survey report that can be viewed on their website for free to VHMA members. A competitive salary analysis also increases your employee retention and engagement. When it is time for annual performance reviews, you will be able to know where the market is on compensation for your support staff and have a better understanding of the proper salary for your team members.

Finally, candidates tend to seek compensation in the heading of the job posting. They will often analyze the advertised wage by seeing if it will compensate for their needs and wants. If you don’t post or advertise your wages, most candidates don’t care to apply and move on to the next job posting.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, sign-on bonuses have been more commonly used to attract job seekers, as the number of open positions in the market increases. According to the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) report, nearly 1 million jobs were added in the United States in August 2021, with a record-setting of 10.1 million jobs.

It has become increasingly challenging for the service industry to hire staff, which is why many businesses across the nation are offering sign-on or retention bonuses. According to GlobalData, the advertising for sign-on bonuses on job postings increased in all sectors by 454%, from 10,312 positions in August 2020 to 57,123 in August 2021.

Sign-on bonuses can help attract talent and get a candidate through your doors. Like wage transparency on job postings, sign-on bonuses attract candidates to your job posting and shows more about your veterinary practice. The labor market, overall, saw sign-on bonuses ranging from $150 to $100,000 in 2021, with animal care noted by GlobalData as a field with surging hiring bonuses. Banfield Pet Hospital, for example, was reportedly offering up to $60,000 to new hires in veterinary-related roles.

Presenting written job offers is not required with offers commonly presented informally through verbal conversation in-person or via phone calls. Presenting a written offer that documents what their potential job entails adds value when contemplating offers from multiple organizations and helps candidates make faster decisions when all opportunities are laid out. Candidates will be able to see critical information in their written offers such as payment, job title, health care benefits, and additional compensation that will be offered if accepted. Importantly, written job offers make sure the candidate and the organization are on the same page with the job details and reduce confusion on what was offered or presented.

In a Glassdoor Survey, about 60% of respondents reported being strongly attracted to perks and benefits offered in a job posting.

 Presenting a competitive benefits package can increase the attractiveness of job seekers and candidates looking for long-term employment. Benefits that seem to attract recruited technicians include the following:

Flexible time, paid time off and sick pay

Veterinary technician program scholarships or sponsorships, including license and examination fees

Wellness programs such as gym memberships, healthy snacks, or discounted meal prep services.

As the labor market continues to be increasingly competitive and retaining top talent becomes difficult, it is important to evaluate your current recruiting processes and engage existing employees within your organization. Research has shown that competitive pay to competitive benefits can boost visibility to candidates seeking new employment and displays that the organization values their people by offering benefits that positively influence their personal life and professional growth.

Mary Lopez, MSOL, is a hospital and area manager at National Veterinary Associates, in Boise, Idaho.

Kelly J. A record setting over 10 million new jobs are now available. 

. August 10, 2021. Accessed May 16, 2022. 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackkelly/2021/08/10/a-record-setting-over-10-million-new-jobs-are-now-available/?sh=4a4643181c17

Roles offering sign-on bonus increase by a whopping 454% amid staff shortages, finds GlobalData. Globaldata.com. September 7, 2021. Accessed May 16, 2022. 

https://www.globaldata.com/roles-offering-sign-bonus-increase-whopping-454-amid-staff-shortages-finds-globaldata/

Glassdoor’s 5 job trends to watch in 2016. Glassdoor.com. January 12, 2016. Accessed May 16, 2022. 

https://www.glassdoor.com/blog/glassdoors-5-job-trends-watch-2016/

It is important to evaluate current recruiting processes and engage existing employees within an organization.

Attracting veterinary talent in a competitive market

PetMed Express, Inc. (PetMeds)—a US-based online pet pharmacy—and Vetster— a veterinary telehealth and pet care marketplace—have collaborated in the hopes to expand access to telehealth for pets and their owners. 

  the partnership will expand telemedicine access to 70,000 veterinarians and over 2 million pet parents. Additionally, through the agreement, PetMeds becomes the exclusive e-commerce provider of pet medications for Vetster, and Vetster becomes the exclusive provider of telehealth and telemedicine services to PetMeds' customers.

“PetMeds pioneered the online pet medication business over 26 years ago, and this partnership with Vetster is an important step in establishing PetMeds’ expanded strategy as the go-to expert in pet health,” expressed Matt Hulett, CEO and president of PetMed Express.

Hulett added, “Simply put, we love Vetster's business model, their team, and their technology, and we are excited for PetMeds' customers to benefit from Vetster's amazing telehealth and telemedicine services, available at their fingertips 24/7. We are looking forward to a partnership that improves the lives of pets and pet parents for years to come.”

PetsMeds’ online pet pharmacy is licensed in all 50 states to dispense prescription medications. PetMeds only dispenses US FDA/ EPA approved medications.

Meanwhile, Vetster connects pet owners to thousands of licensed veterinarians available to provide online services through video chat appointments 24/7.

“We're very excited about the partnership and investment from PetMeds, which we believe truly represents a win-win for pet parents and their beloved pets, as well as for veterinarians," said Mark Bordo, CEO and co-founder of Vetster. "Pet parents receive the affordability and convenience of telehealth, pets benefit from world-class health care without the stress of a trip to the vet, and veterinarians tap into incremental revenue streams while providing quality care anywhere and anytime.”

1. PetMeds® announces exclusive partnership with Vetster for pet telemedicine. News release. PetMed Express, Inc. April 19, 2022. Accessed May 16, 2022. https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2022/04/19/2424404/10002/en/PetMeds-Announces-Exclusive-Partnership-with-Vetster-for-Pet-Telemedicine.html

2. About PetMeds®. PetMed Express, Inc. Accessed May 16, 2022. https://www.1800petmeds.com/company.html

3. On-demand online vet appointments. Vetster, Inc. Accessed May 16, 2022. https://vetster.com/en-us

First-of-its-kind agreement to enable pet telemedicine on a mass scale 

PetMeds and Vetster partner to improve access to telehealth

The Veterinary Centers of America (VCA) has cited that more than 50% of all dogs in North America are overweight or obese.

 This raises a concern as dogs with additional weight are significantly more likely to acquire arthritis and other serious joint complications, including hip dysplasia.

"As a pet owner myself, I know how hard it can be to refrain from indulging your dog's love of treats," said Russ Kamalski, Pet Wellness Direct, co-CEO, in a company release.

"But dogs aren't built to carry a lot of extra weight around. It can cause painful wear and tear on dog joint cartilage and joint fluid, which can impact a dog's mobility and energy, and even its personality. Because when a dog is dealing with chronic pain, it can become depressed and despondent and even aggressive."

Thus, Kamalski suggests pet parents with overweight canines use a preventative joint supplement such as the new VetSmart Formulas Early Stage Hip + Joint Complex, which offers a preventative solution for promoting joint health.

"Obviously, adopting a healthier diet and getting more exercise is important, too," he added. "But losing weight takes time, and an increase in physical activity will cause even more stress on the joints as your dog works to lose the weight. That's why early prevention is key, and why a joint health supplement can be so beneficial. It can reduce inflammation and prevent limping and pain as your dog gets back in shape."

According to the release, Early Stage Hip + Joint Complex has been specifically formulated to rebuild cartilage and restore joint fluid in dogs beginning to display signs of early-stage arthritis. Kamalski expressed the company created the supplement to be effective and safe to be given to canines over long periods of time. What’s more, the preventative supplement features a natural hypoallergenic beef flavor, and dog owners that have given it to their pets reported a difference in mobility, energy levels, and playfulness in their dogs.

Early Stage Hip + Joint Complex is available exclusively on PetWellnessDirect.com and Amazon.com.

Williams K, Downing R. Overweight, obesity, and pain in dogs: overview. VCA Animal Hospitals. Accessed May 16, 2022. https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/overweight-obesity-and-pain-in-dogs-overview#:~:text=More%20than%2050%25%20of%20dogs,process%20pet%20owners%20must%20face

Is your dog overweight? It may be at risk of developing this debilitating disease. News release. Pet Wellness Direct. May 13, 2022. Accessed May 16, 2022. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/is-your-dog-overweight-it-may-be-at-risk-of-developing-this-debilitating-disease-301546530.html

Preventative joint supplement offers a solution for canines showing signs of early-stage arthritis 

New supplement addresses health issues associated with dog obesity

During this dvm360® interview, Jeff Rothstein, DVM, MBA, co-president and founder of Midwest Veterinary Partners, says that he finds practice ownership a fulfilling profession, however he notes that aspects of the job can be challenging.

: For me, I [have] always loved being a practice owner. So I think of it mostly as a as a positive. I mean, there are certain stresses that come along with it.

In this interview at the Fetch dvm360® conference in Charlotte, North Carolina, Jeff Rothstein, DVM, MBA, outlines the benefits and drawbacks of practice ownership. 

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