Year in review: The top 10 veterinary news stories of 2016

Worries, frustations (including with a few notorious colleagues), alternatives to typical everyday veterinary practice. These are the themes arising from the most popular news articles this year. Here's to a fresh start in 2017!

10. State of the profession: What's keeping veterinarians up at night?

Getty ImagesFrom work-life balance issues to financial concerns, from competitive worries to the changing corporate landscape, veterinarians have their share of challenges to consider in the wee small hours. In this year's State of the Profession Survey we asked more questions related to income and student debt and, sure enough, they were near the top of the list of professional worries. Competition from nontraditional providers of veterinary services (retailers, shelters and humane societies, Internet sales websites and so on) are also advancing in prominence.

Read the whole story here.

9. Pet owner 2.0: Your millennial clients

Getty ImagesA definitive guide to understanding and connecting with this new generation of pet owners. The information is courtesy of generational expert Cam Marston of Generational Insights, who presented his findings at an event hosted by Banfield Pet Hospitals. We thought his message was important enough that the entire profession should hear it.

Read the whole story here.

8. New research cited in support of change to new heartworm protocol

Image courtesy of Ceva

New research conducted by John McCall, MS, PhD, professor emeritus at the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine, shows that topical application of dinotefuran-permethrin-pyriproxyfen (DPP), the active ingredients in Ceva Animal Health's Vectra 3D, can help block the transmission of Dirofilaria immitis from mosquitoes to dogs.

Read the whole story here.

7. Can we quantify the true cost of veterinary student debt?

Many veterinary students say they've wanted to be a veterinarian since they were small children. Passion for the profession is what allows these students to look past the sacrifices and strenuous academic requirements necessary to pursue a veterinary degree. The question the profession faces now is whether those individuals know the true cost of these financial sacrifices.

Read the whole story here.

6. The service spectrum: Exploring the dazzling array of ways to use a veterinary degree

Getty ImagesAs veterinary medicine evolves, so do the needs of pet owners, the planet and veterinarians themselves. Opportunities for diverse careers are coming to the forefront as veterinarians look for alternative uses for their degree-and alternative visions for what practice looks like.

Read the whole story here.

5. dvm360 sits down with Dr. Pol

At the Western Veterinary Conference in Las Vegas, the editors of dvm360 had an opportunity to chat with Dr. Jan Pol, the title character in Nat Geo Wild's reality show The Incredible Dr. Pol. Here are some highlights from the conversation.

Read the whole story here.

4. Not One More Vet: Veterinary peers discuss suicide, offer safe place for dialogue

Getty ImagesNot One More Vet is a Facebook group founded in 2014 by Nicole McArthur, DVM, a practicing veterinarian in Northern California. Our author had the opportunity to speak with McArthur to get some insight into what inspired NOMV and how it's impacting our profession. Bottom line? McArthur hopes it will help struggling veterinarians know they're not alone.

Read the whole story here.

3. Bow-killing veterinarian's motion for new trial denied

Photo courtesy of Alley Cat AlliesKristen Lindsey, DVM, the Texas veterinarian infamous for shooting a cat with a bow and arrow, was denied a partial retrial after her lawyer moved to strike the testimony of an expert witness who testified on behalf of the Texas veterinary board. The administrative law judges overseeing the case found that Lindsey failed to show good cause.

Lindsey's license was later suspended for one year.

Read the complete articles here and here.

2. Top 10 confessions from emergency veterinarians

The Vet Confessionals Project rolled through Dallas, Texas, for the 2016 International Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Symposium

to give attendees a chance to share their secrets. Turns out ER and critical care veterinarians have a lot on their minds! Out of 100-plus submissions, we chose these 10 favorites.

Read the whole story here.

And the No. 1 news article on dvm360.com in 2016 was ...

1. Michigan appeals court finds in favor of Dr. Pol

Photo courtesy of Nancy McCarty Iannios, Core PR GroupDisciplinary action taken against Jan Pol, DVM, star of Nat Geo Wild's The Incredible Dr. Pol, by the Michigan licensing board in regard to claims of negligence and incompetence was overturned on appeal. The Michigan Court of Appeals found 3-0 in favor of Pol, reversing the $500 fine and year of probation the board had ordered.

Read the whole story here.