John Lofflin

John Lofflin is Veterinary Economics Special Assignments Editor, a journalism professor, and a freelance writer based in Parkville, Missouri.

Articles by John Lofflin

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This cardiologist wants to prove that the intense effects of the fight-or-flight "sympathetic storm" in pets from scary veterinary visits can wear out their hearts before their time.

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Present day veterinarians have evolved from human islands to networks of people-treating pets in concert, making the most of the rapidly expanding body of knowledge that is veterinary medicine, and reqiring the schematic of private practice to harness a healthy array of specialties in service to clients and pets.

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On a hot Sunday morning in July, J.C. Burcham, DVM, and a colleague neuter 79 cats at a local animal welfare organization. Dr. Burcham, who practices in a large veterinary hospital in Olathe, Kan., knows firsthand about relinquishment and euthanasia.

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Shelters can adopt out only so many animals, says Kate Hurley, DVM, MPVM, director of the Koret Shelter Medicine Program at the University of California, Davis. So the biggest impact on euthanasia numbers will be on the intake side of the equation, not the adoption side.

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Although it is obvious to veterinarians that a Border collie and a 96-year-old woman likely make a poor pet-owner match, it may not be obvious to a potential owner who has never been around Border collies. Indeed, one reason healthy animals wind up in shelters, says Gail Golab, PhD, DVM, American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) interim director for animal welfare, is because people "acquire a pet with an expectation the pet doesn't fulfill."

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Life, love, loss

Saying goodbye is never easy. And you face this undeniable fact of life every day. The upside: You're in a position to ease your clients through the grieving process and help them celebrate the pets they love.

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