Business

Early planning and advance payments gave this hospital a financial edge. And this thinking has given the owners of South Suburban Animal Hospital in Perrysburg, Ohio, the freedom to focus on medicine in a new way.

A Web site lets you try out your dream career on your next vacation.

A furniture and equipment log can be a valuable tool for any veterinary practice. It can be maintained on a spreadsheet program, with columns for the date of purchase, description of the asset, purchase price, supplier and other pertinent information.

Consider including a blood-typing test in new pet wellness packages.

How effective are special promotions in attracting new clients?

I can still remember the feeling of the tractor-tire cleats thumping across my back as I fell onto the tire when my uncle unexpectedly swerved the tractor, traveling in high gear.

To increase parasite prevention and control compliance, make sure the doctors are in agreement about the standards of care and team members know what to say to clients.

Shine a light on your team members to ensure they feel appreciated and don't fade into the woodwork.

With dedication, training, and planning you can run a 5K race.

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

Q. I take my practice staff out to lunch four times a year as a way to boost morale. Can I write off these lunches on my taxes as a business expense?

An aging cat taught this doctor how to show compassion to clients with older pets.

Everybody loves detailed estimates. It's just that practices cannot afford them. The labor is just too costly.

Don't let these business mistakes corrupt your practice.

Watch for these warning signs and welcome sights to be sure your new practice is a keeper that'll keep you happy.

Are your veterinary practice's fire extinguishers properly placed and inspected-or do you need them at all?

Creating unity among clients whose pets have passed away helps solidify their bond to your practice-and shows great empathy.

Read how competing veterinarians wound up in the same band.

We get into deeply seated patterns of thinking and acting, and at some point we lose sight of other possibilities and opportunities.

If you don't have a strong desire to be wealthy, you're in good company in the United States.

The brain chemical that motivated cave-dwellers to hunt will get your staff excited about performing well.

We've adopted a major hotel chain's steps for providing excellent client service. Of course, we aren't in the hotel industry, but we are in the hospitality industry.

Who would have guessed that the great debate of this decade would focus on vaccine protocols?

Help your team develop a year-long plan to improve on weaknesses and let them run with it.

Testing, treatment, and public health all play a part.

For many years, the risk of a tax audit was barely on the radar for most veterinarians, but today the chances that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will flag a practitioner's tax return for an audit are noticeably greater.

A humble-sized facility loaded with extras, Atascocita Animal Hospital in Humble, Texas, is the 2007 Veterinary Economics Hospital of the Year.

Most of my clients would never suspect that I'm an active skateboarder. I'm certainly not a stereotypical skater who speaks in "dude" ...

Don't wait until you collapse on the floor of your clinic to make much-needed changes to your lifestyle. Personal wellness is crucial to fulfilling, successful practice ... and it could save your life.

What's the difference between a client care coordinator and a receptionist? Is there a pay difference between the two?