David M. Lane, DVM, MS

With high debt and low salaries, investing in a veterinary education has a poor return on investment.

What you deem as an appropriate emotional reaction may be perceived as much more by your veterinary team.

Do you promise not to tell? The information your team members know might be proprietary. Heres what that meansand how you can protect your practice.

Dr. David Lane discusses how private practitioners can hurt themselves.

You may have found yourself dealing with an ailing pet, its angry owners and stiff competition from a nearby veterinary clinic. Use these tips to help you steer clear of detrimental, reactive practices and focus on providing the best care possible-proactively.

Being busy in a veterinary hospital doesn't mean being productive-or profitable.

Veteirnarians should avoid direct opposition of animal welfare groups during this cultural shift.

Be smart about the costs of employing veterinary team members and make sure you can pay for what you promise

If you have trouble with constant veterinary team turnover and filling open positions, take stock of your communication

Veterinarians haven't paid enough attention to this phenomenon when setting fees. Now they have to.

As Karen walked into the veterinary practice's waiting room, her cat Freddie peered out of his travel crate, bobbing his head in an unrelenting search for an exit.

You need to modify your behavior to the situation and build power relationships that help, not hurt

Woe is the day if the 10 percent of animal keepers become the majority at your veterinary practice

We can learn a lot from plumbers when it comes to charging for our services

Do: Meet and greet as much as possible. Don't: Wear flip-flops and a sweatshirt; be professional.

Will the value of our homes and business real estate return to pre-2008 levels? Is it time to sell or buy? Will we ever get back to normal?

A walrus bone, the baculum, mounted on a plaque became a traveling trophy for the winner of the annual Illinois-Purdue softball game. When it was stolen, the effort to get it back led to a life-changing adventure.

Lacey heard the tell-tale chirp from her cell phone.

While the wealthy, privileged and middle classes worry about losses in the stock market, the world's underclasses worry about food costs and shortages.

Owners who seek to avoid conflict by meeting challenges head-on actually become part of the problem.

Dr. James Brooks turned over in bed and looked at the clock. It was 8:05 a.m. He was a little late but thought he could make it to the clinic on time. He quickly headed to the bathroom to wash up and brush his teeth. He looked in the mirror - same face, different day. He laughed nervously because it really wasn't the same face. It was a suddenly aging facade marred by the daily stress of being a solo practitioner in a changing veterinary world. He had never married. His apartment usually was a mess - cleaned only when circumstances dictated.

Dr. Eb Rouge sat at his desk sorting his mail and bills. His habit was to have an ongoing conversation with himself.

Donna was 30 minutes late but finally made it into the exam room with her new puppy, Rudy.

'Betty, call Junior. I think I want to start a dispensary.'

Janet definitely is a busy veterinarian – busy doing everything at once.

Janet Gilmore peeked through the door into the small waiting room. She could see Harold, holding two cats and Harry, his pet Beagle. She saw several other clients she knew quite well and one new client, who looked a bit uneasy as she sat with a small mixed-breed dog.

Let's return to our story that began in this column in the May issue.

Lou Swinney wheeled his new SUV into the cramped parking lot. A cup holding his morning java suddenly jarred forward as he made the abrupt stop. The inertia sent a quarter of the contents on an additional journey. Swinney quickly wiped the rim and base of the cup with a tissue and barreled out of the vehicle toward the front door, a wide briefcase trailing from his right arm like a broken rudder.

Career 'journal' shows how a typical longtime practitioner could get caught unaware

"Ladies and gentlemen: the story you are about to hear is true. Only the names have been changed to protect the innocent." - Jack Webb as Sgt. Joe Friday