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Expert Interviews

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Ken Drobatz, DVM, MSCE, DACVIM, DACVECC, professor of critical care at the University of Pennsylvania, says a lot of toxins can look like medical conditions, and a lot of medical conditions can look like toxins when it comes to your veterinary patients.

The post-antibiotic world is like the pre-antibiotic world, says Jill Maddison, BVSc, PhD, FACVSc, SFHEA, MRCVS, professor of general practice in clinical sciences and services at the Royal Veterinary College.

The Fear, Stress, and Anxiety Scale helps veterinarians understand when to stop an examination before it become dangerous. Laura Muller, LVT, nursing manager at Cherry Hill Animal Hospital in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, says implementing this scale in practice is extremely helpful.

A recent study proposes the first-ever molecular model for the cause of rabies infection-associated behavior.

Oliver Knesl, BSc, BSc (Hons), MSc, BVSc, MRCVS, director of major accounts for veterinary professional services in the US Companion Animal Division for Zoetis, answers several of the questions he was asked after his presentation on assistance animals at the 2017 American Veterinary Medical Association Convention.