Expert Interviews

More than 1.2 million dogs every year are reported to have cranial cruciate disease. Amanda Landis-Hanna, DVM, veterinary industry liaison, speaker, and consultant, explains how a lot of things that veterinarians believe about this common disease are not always true.

CVC educator Wayne Usiak, AIA, shares his frustrations with clientsnot YOU, is it?

The hardest question you have to face as a pet owner. Dr. Mary Gardner wants to help your veterinary patients have a perfect ending to their perfect life.

Heather Wilson-Robles, DVM, DACVIM (Oncology), associate professor in the veterinary medicine and biomedical sciences department at Texas A&M University, discusses some of the limitations and challenges that she believes comparative oncology faces.

Ellen Lindell, VMD, DACVB, owner of Veterinary Behavior Consultations in Bethel, Connecticut, says veterinarians should consider how much impact they have on patients during exams—especially young patients.

Amanda Landis-Hanna, DVM, veterinary industry liaison, speaker, and consultant, talks about a session she attended at the 2017 Western Veterinary Conference that explained the tie between the feline gut and the feline brain.

Most health care professionals do not realize how important the concern about the potential risk of radiation exposure is to them. Michael Bailey, DVM, DACVR, project manager for IDEXX, says while it is hard to measure whether the Lower the Dose initiative has lowered peoples’ radiation exposure, he is confident that it has raised awareness.

Amanda Landis-Hanna, DVM, veterinary industry liaison, speaker, and consultant, talks about her experience volunteering at her local animal shelter while also working with a veterinarian at a practice when she graduated veterinary school.

CERENIA (maropitant citrate), which is an anti-nausea drug for dogs and cats from Zoetis, has been on the market for several years now. Amanda Landis-Hanna, DVM, veterinary industry liaison, speaker, and consultant, talks about how this anti-nausea drug improves both the human-animal bond as well as the quality of life of the patient.

Emily McCobb, DVM, MS, DACVAA, director of shelter medicine in the clinical sciences department at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, says the goal for animal shelters is for them to become community resource centers that can target and help with specific animal-related issues.

Kristen Cooley, BA, CVT, VTS (Anes/Analgesia), instructional specialist at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine, says she prefers the term veterinary nurse because she believes it is more understood by the general public.

Amanda Landis-Hanna, DVM, veterinary industry liaison, speaker, and consultant, discusses what she has heard about the new Feliway Multicat product by Ceva Animal Health.

No fashion faux paws here-just postoperative protection for healing incisions.

If the plan is too crazy or expensive, your architect will rein you in!

The Lower the Dose initiative has been established for people in the human health care profession for about 3 years, while the veterinarian initiative is only a few months old. Michael Bailey, DVM, DACVR, project manager for IDEXX, explains that while there are well-established federal radiation safety standards, many people have become lax about them.

Older veterinarians are more likely to show resistance when it comes to implementing a pain management program. Kristen Cooley, BA, CVT, VTS (Anes/Analgesia), instructional specialist at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine, explains that this is because pain management was not as big of a deal as it is today when these older veterinarians were in medical school.

Comparative oncology means taking a one medicine approach, and if you can prove something will work in more than 1 species, it is more likely to be a successful treatment in real life. Heather Wilson-Robles, DVM, DACVIM (Oncology), associate professor in the veterinary medicine and biomedical sciences department at Texas A&M University, explains how using pathways across species is important to the future of cancer treatments.

Some of the best veterinary hospitals provide extensive mentoring programs for their staff and employees. Amanda Landis-Hanna, DVM, veterinary industry liaison, speaker, and consultant, explains how cross training programs can make sure associate veterinarians continue to be engaged and challenged, as well as veterinary technicians, veterinary receptionists, and veterinary nurses.

New England has a much higher spay/neuter rate than other parts of the country. Emily McCobb, DVM, MS, DACVAA, director of shelter medicine in the clinical sciences department at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, says the rate is so high in this region because of geographical, societal, and animal factors.

There are good ways to assist with costs after the window for pet insurance has passed.

Be yourself. Make pet owners forget those highly visible, "bad apple" vets and the shade they bring to the profession.

The Cat Friendly Practice program began with the recognition that cats and cat owners weren’t coming in to see veterinarians. Elizabeth Colleran, DVM, MS, DABVP (Feline), practice owner of the Cat Hospital of Portland, chair of the Cat Friendly Practice program, explains how the program started and what exactly it does for veterinary practices.

When you go to a dentist or other doctor for a painful procedure, paying for a local block is widely accepted and understood. Kristen Cooley, BA, CVT, VTS (Anes/Analgesia), instructional specialist at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine, explains how the same should go for veterinary medicine.

Have YOU ever had to explain your job title to an Uber driver? Ken Yagi has, and part of the reason he's in favor of the title change to registered veterinary nurse.

Susan Little, DVM, DABVP (Feline), owner of Bytown Cat Hospital in Ontario, Canada, explains what to do when dealing with a cat that isn’t obstructed yet but has clinical signs of lower urinary tract problems.

And carried with them is the threat of heartworm disease for veterinary patients.

Older, usually male veterinarians can sometimes show a huge resistance to any change in their veterinarian practice. Kristen Cooley, BA, CVT, VTS (Anes/Analgesia), instructional specialist at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine, says to make this resistant veterinarian susceptible to change, you need to find their barriers and try to break them down.

People in the U.S. seem to spend more money on pets and pet health care than people in Isael. Ron Ofri, DVM, PhD, DECVO, professor of veterinary ophthalmology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, talks about the differences he sees between pet health care in the U.S. and pet health care in Israel.