Business

Are your in-house testing analyzers doing a better job gathering dust than guiding your diagnoses? Blow off the cobwebs and put your in-house testing tools to work.

Q: How do you implement major changes, such as mandatory preanesthetic blood work, without alienating long-term clients?

A large group of owners pooled money over a long period of time to build the Emergency Animal Clinic of Collin County, serving four cities.

Dogs can't wait to get through the front door of Chanhassen Veterinary Clinic in Chanhassen, Minn. For 12 years, the clinic has been throwing free puppy parties in its reception area.

Sometimes you just can't anticipate all of the potholes in your path. But these four recommendations will guide you over the rocky road ahead and help you steer clear of dangerous legal ground.

Do you see the faces of your elderly or disabled clients as often as you'd like? When the team at Millsap Veterinary Clinic in Millsap, Texas, noticed some older clients were missing their pets' checkups, they started asking questions-and uncovered a transportation problem. Their solution: a pet taxi.

You know the routine all too well: Mr. Smith visits with his rambunctious English springer spaniel, Burt, and all goes well until you mention Burt's oral health. Enter the blank stare. Or the anxious shifting from foot to foot. Or even the hasty, "Oh, he's fine!"

The next time clients refuse care, use this advice from Caitlin Rivers, a Firstline Editorial Advisory Board member and technician supervisor at Metzger Animal Hospital in State College, Pa.: Don't take it personally.

The dentist had been in the room less than four minutes.

We might think pets have it easy. No calorie counting. No comparing their thighs with supermodels on television or perusing the latest issue of Vogue and wondering how the pouty face on the cover got so thin. Nope. For pets someone measures out their food daily and with just a meow or a faithful wag of the tail, they're adored no matter how rotund they become. What a life!

A large group of owners pooled money over a long period of time to build the Emergency Animal Clinic of Collin County, serving four cities.

My boss often fails to call pet owners after he performs surgeries to give them updates on their pets. These clients get worried and frustrated, and I feel sorry for them. How can I convince him to spend a little time to reassure these clients?

The key to convincing clients to schedule dental appointments for their pets might just have everything to do with your pen, says Louise Dunn, a practice management consultant with Snowgoose Veterinary Management Consultants in Greensboro, N.C. She offers this tip to market your dental program:

Smooth over communication wrinkles when you refer to specialists, and provide better case management for your patients.

Most clients would be pretty grossed out to find a flea or tick on their pets. But they don't always take all the steps to protect their pets from infestations. That's where you come in. You want to start pet owners off on the right paw, so begin discussing parasite control the first day clients visit with their new pets.

You get what you pay for, so it should be no surprise that paying peanuts yields less-qualified, more-likely-to-be-unhappy employees-and high turnover.

Q: How do I counteract poor reviews of my clinic on the Internet?

An estimated 45 percent of all U.S. pets are obese, according to the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention. Teach your clients about their pets' ideal weight with this obesity handout.

Download these tools highlighted in the November/December Firstline supplement to improve client compliance in your practice.

Before graduation we should have been taught how to use these surrogates profitably.

Yes, credit cards make it easier for clients to pay. But the costs add up. Use these tips to balance the fees and turn credit card use to your benefit.

You hope you never see that "specializes in bad news" TV reporter at your door. But you could. And then you need this advice.

Q: How many incoming phone lines does my practice need for each veterinarian?

Dancing keeps this veterinarian on her toes.

It's uncomfortable for managers to be wedged in between you docs, who want things done your way -- the right way -- and a team that thinks the manager should have the influence and authority to rein you in. Here are some ways you get your manager tied in knots:

You don't have to redo your entire exam room to change the look and feel. Really, you don't. One of these 10 changes, each starting under $500, might just do the trick.

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Sometimes it's OK to give clients permission to euthanize. And making this choice doesn't make them bad people -- or you a bad doctor.

We put a suggestion box in the waiting room with my (hospital manager) business cards next to it.