Expert Interviews

Jeffrey Backus, CVT, RVT, VTS (ECC), ER/ICU veterinary technician at Tufts University, explains when to use Kirby's Rule of 20.

There are a lot of new materials that can be used for dog housing, says Greg Taylor, CEO of the Mason Company. But which should you use and which should you steer clear of?

Gregory Lisciandro, DVM, DABVP, DACVECC, CEO of FASTVet.com, co-owner of Hill Country Veterinary Specialists, talks about where both the veterinary and human medical professions are when it comes to using the Global FAST approach.

Frederic Lohr, DVM, MRCVS, global operations officer for Mission Rabies, says even though people in the the United States and Europe don’t often realize it, rabies still has a massive prevalence around the world.

Good communication impacts our business in myriad ways, says Linda Fineman, DVM, DACVIM (Oncology), director of veterinary talent and knowledge strategy at Ethos Veterinary Health.

Alan Robinson, BVSc, MRCVS, DMS, director of VetDynamics UK Ltd, says that beyond self-evaluation and client feedback, your veterinary staff needs to be able to measure how well they are contributing to the business as employees.

To change the way veterinarians examine aggressive cats, says Lisa Radosta, DVM, DACVB, owner of Florida Veterinary Behavior Service, first, veterinarians need to recognize that the aggression is actually fear.

Revisit the status quo and get your practice procedures dialed in.

Some toxins only affect cats, while others only affect dogs, says Laura Stern, DVM, DAVBT, senior toxicologist for the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center.

Veterinary professionals should all have their own veterinary first aid kit ready to go at a moment's notice.

Lisa Penny, RPh, FSVHP, director of pharmacy at the Cornell University Hospital for Animals, says many veterinarians may not be aware of the new seven-day opioid prescribing law, which affects the way they treat patients.

For veterinary team members, an important step in helping animals lose weight is having pet owners recognize when their animals are overweight.

Sandra Grossman, PhD, owner of PetLoss Partners and Compassionate Practice Consulting, and Joe Dwyer, president of Daniel’s Dream and speaker with JoeDwyerSpeaking.com, give tips for self-care from their session at the 2017 International Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Symposium held in Nashville, Tennessee.

Luckily, there are several small things you can do to implement Fear Free without having to structurally change the design and layout of your practice.

Narda G. Robinson, DO, DVM, MS, FAAMA, president and CEO of CuraCore Integrative Medicine and Education Centers, says the interest in herbs and supplements is, in fact, very high.

Veterinarians should recognize that treatment now comes in many forms, says Dr. David Dycus.

Laura Muller, LVT, nursing manager at Cherry Hill Animal Hospital in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, goes through some of the Fear Free products you can use in your veterinary practice.

Heidi Lobprise, DVM, DAVDC, veterinary dental specialist at Main Street Veterinary Hospital and Dental Clinic in Flower Mound, Texas, says veterinary teams need to do a combination of things to properly manage disease in senior pets.

Get this right and you will build the bond with these discerning veterinary clients.

Dealing with co-workers can be as stressful as handling patients, says this vet tech.

Linda Fineman, DVM, DACVIM (Oncology), director of veterinary talent and knowledge strategy at Ethos Veterinary Health, says it's important to understand how to handle difficult conversations with skill.

There's a huge misconception, says Kenichiro Yagi, MS, RVT, VTS (ECC, SAIM), ICU manager at Adobe Animal Hospital in Los Altos, California, when it comes to the importance of cross-matching in dogs.

Dr. Dave Nicol says your quality of life is being compromised.

When dealing with kidney disease, says Karol Mathews, DVM, DVSc, DACVECC, professor emeritus of clinical studies at Ontario Veterinary College at the University of Guelph, the ultimate obvious goal is to stop or reverse the kidney injury. This largely depends on the cause, though.

You can always safely treat eyeballs with topical antibiotics, glaucoma medication, and lubricants, says Jennifer Welser, DVM, DACVO, chief medical officer of BluePearl Veterinary Partners.

John D. Anastasio, DVM, DACVECC, medical director of emergency and critical care at VRC Specialty Hospital in Malvern, Pennsylvania, says, ideally, drugs such as vasopressors and vagolytics would be given intravenously during CPR.

If we're better communicators, better at understanding ourselves and better at understanding the behaviors of others, says Rebecca Tudor, DVM, DACVS, owner of Tarheel Veterinary Surgical Specialists in Louisburg, NC, it makes for a better work day and a better life.

Even if you already know you want to implement Fear Free at your practice, says Laura Muller, LVT, nursing manager at Cherry Hill Animal Hospital in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, you still need your veterinary staff to get on board.

When you think about a client-veterinarian interaction in an exam room setting, says Linda Fineman, DVM, DACVIM (Oncology), director of veterinary talent and knowledge strategy at Ethos Veterinary Health, there are several parallel processes happening.

Go high to increase storage and eliminate dust at the same time.