Business

Clients love you so much they send you endless photos of Trixie drinking from the toilet and Boots chasing a sunbeam.

To many veterinarians, working capital is simply the cash they have on hand to pay their bills. Others may understand that it also includes such assets as accounts receivable and inventory.

A handout that explains to clients why pets taking medication need to be monitored.

Use this list of giveaways to boost your marketing reach.

Your practice is unique. Maybe you offer a service others don't, or maybe you just do it better. But if you don't tell clients why you're so special, they just might miss it. And wouldn't that be a shame?

An audit of these evidence-based decisions is essential to consistently practice and deliver quality medical care.

Q. I know we need to pay team members when they attend required training meetings. But what's the legal standard for paying associate veterinarians their salary to attend CE meetings? Where does the practice's responsibility end and the doctor's responsibility to maintain her license begin?

Give your patients a license to board with custom pet ID cards, suggests Collin Babcock, the practice owner and manager at McCune Animal Hospital in Eagle Rock, Mo.

Your enthusiasm should be infectious, not your hospital. When treating disease, make sure one sick animal doesn't turn into many.

Whether from accidents, illness, or euthanasia, pets die every day, often in your hospital. Do you know what to say--and what not to say--to clients before, during, and after a loss?

When a client's beloved pet dies, Julie Roberts, practice manager at Blackhawk Veterinary Hospital in Janesville, Wis., says her practice reaches out to let clients know their pets will never be forgotten.

Put the luxury hotel chain's latest values to work in your practice and increase client satisfaction.

An Easter egg hunt for cash- and candy-filled eggs makes spring cleaning fun for the team at the Maul Road Animal Clinic in Camden, Ark.

Current trends toward bigger veterinary practices - with more people using supplies, technology and equipment - and more part-time practitioners who don't have the concerns and pressures of ownership lead inevitably to decreasing profitability and higher debt.

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?