Expert Interviews

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.

Luckily, there are several small things you can do to implement Fear Free without having to structurally change the design and layout of your practice.

Narda G. Robinson, DO, DVM, MS, FAAMA, president and CEO of CuraCore Integrative Medicine and Education Centers, says the interest in herbs and supplements is, in fact, very high.

Veterinarians should recognize that treatment now comes in many forms, says Dr. David Dycus.

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.

Get this right and you will build the bond with these discerning veterinary clients.

Dealing with co-workers can be as stressful as handling patients, says this vet tech.

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.

There's a huge misconception, says Kenichiro Yagi, MS, RVT, VTS (ECC, SAIM), ICU manager at Adobe Animal Hospital in Los Altos, California, when it comes to the importance of cross-matching in dogs.

Dr. Dave Nicol says your quality of life is being compromised.

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.

Go high to increase storage and eliminate dust at the same time.

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.

There are a lot of misconceptions when it comes to drug enforcement and regulation for veterinary practices.

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.

Veterinary technicians should not only be able to assess a patient quickly, says Erica Mattox, CVT, VTS (ECC), patient care director and surgery manager of WestVet in Garden City, Idaho, but also run diagnostics.

Alan Robinson, BVSc, MRCVS, DMS, director of VetDynamics UK Ltd, says your business is only as good as you are.

Many veterinary practices struggle with how to implement Fear Free and still have an efficient practice, says Janet McConnell, CVT, director of education and professional development at Compassion-First Pet Hospitals.

Laura Muller, LVT, nursing manager at Cherry Hill Animal Hospital in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, says there are several Fear Free techniques that can make feline appointments less stressful for the patient, client, and you.

Laura Stern, DVM, DAVBT, senior toxicologist for the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center, describes some of the things around the house pet owners have no idea are toxic to their pets.

According to Dr. Pollard, a radiograph alone won't give you the answer you're looking for when you suspect a veterinary patient's heart is abnormal.