Market Trends

Dr. Michelle Chappel discusses how building a veterinary practice changed her perspective on veterinary business and medicine.

As a California veterinarian, my clients expect the best possible care and advice for their pets and horses. However, my clients also ask me about other animal-welfare issues, and the public expects the state's premier veterinary organization, the California Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA), to weigh in on important policy matters related to the welfare of animals.

The American Heartworm Society (AHS) asked 40,000 animal-health professionals to respond to a two-question survey this summer that could help prevent the spread of heartworm disease to areas that, until recently, rarely had had a case, AHS President Sheldon Rubin says.

The inconvenient truth isn't just a documentary about climate change. It's also the reality that many states and local governments are cracking down to protect their environmental well-being while their targets might not even know they are doing anything wrong.

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Editor's Note: Understanding consumer behavior can help you as a clinician and business manager. DVM Newsmagazine asked five veterinary market leaders to join this year's DVM Newsmakers' Summit at CVC East in Baltimore. Following is the last of three excerpts from the panel discussion.

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In 1981, calcium oxalate was detected in only 2 percent of feline uroliths submitted to the Minnesota Urolith Center, whereas struvite was detected in 78 percent. However, beginning in the mid-1980s, a dramatic increase in the frequency of calcium oxalate uroliths occurred in association with a decrease in the frequency of struvite uroliths (Figure 1) .

Focus on the proven

Decreasing budgets and changing business climates can sway the confidence of even the best marketers.