Podcasts about american animal hospital association

On this episode of Your Pet Matters, Dr. T talks about the crisis in the veterinary care and treatment that was posted by the American Animal Hospital Association. This is an encore of a previous episode.

On this episode of Your Pet Matters, Dr. T talks about the crisis that may occur in the veterinary care and treatment that was posted by the American Animal Hospital Association. This is an encore of a previous episode.

On this episode of Your Pet Matters, Dr. T talks about the crisis in the veterinary care and treatment that was posted by the American Animal Hospital Association. This is an encore of a previous episode.

On this episode of Your Pet Matters, Dr. T talks about the crisis in veterinary care and treatment that was posted by the American Animal Hospital Association. This is a re-run of a previous episode.

Episode 44 – Canine House Soiling – What You Need To Know!   Getting to the bottom of Canine House Soiling problems can take a little detective work and a really solid understanding of normal canine elimination - both physiologically and developmentally -, learning theory, and medical disease processes that can contribute to house soiling. In this episode, Dr Katrin explains her approach to solving Canine Elimination Problems and how she organizes the information provided to her to create a treatment plan that works!   In this episode you will learn: 1.      The normal stages of puppy development and elimination 2.      What to be able to expect when from puppies during house training 3.      Possible physical health contributors to house soiling in dogs of all ages 4.      Why learning is so important 5.      Why NEVER to punish a dog for soiling in the house   Here are the resources Dr Katrin mentions in this episode: 1.      Get your FREE HOUSE SOILING RESOURCES HERE: https://trinityvetbehaviour.com/free-resources/   2.      Learn, A., Radosta, L., & Pike, A. (2020). Preliminary assessment of differences in completeness of house-training between dogs based on size. Journal of Veterinary Behavior, 35, 19–26. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jveb.2019.08.003   3.      Yeon, S. C., Erb, H. N., & Houpt, K. A. (1999). A retrospective study of canine house soiling: Diagnosis and treatment. Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association, 35(2), 101–106. https://doi.org/10.5326/15473317-35-2-101   We really hope you enjoy this episode; it is packed with so much information!   If you liked this episode of the show, The Pet Behaviour Chat, please LEAVE A 5-STAR REVIEW, like, share, and subscribe!   Facebook Group: Join The Pet Behaviour Community on Facebook   You can CONNECT with me: Website: Visit my website Trinity Veterinary Behaviour Instagram: Follow Trinity Veterinary Behaviour on Instagram Trinity Veterinary Behaviour Facebook: Join us on Trinity Veterinary Behaviour's Facebook page Trinity Veterinary Behaviour YouTube: Subscribe to Trinity Veterinary Behaviour on YouTube LinkedIn Profile: Connect with me on LinkedIn   Thank you for tuning in!

Episode 39  - Brain Health and Behaviour   This episode is all about how brain health affects behaviour. Our brain does not exist in isolation from the rest of our body and so changes in the rest of our body can affect brain health, and therefore behaviour. Physical health, but also genetics, epigenetics, early life development and learning can all affect the brain, the brain's health and, ultimately, behaviour.   In this episode, you will learn: ·         How genetics and epigenetics affect behaviour ·         How small details such as where a puppy is located in their mom's womb can affect behaviour ·         Why Neurotransmitters are EVERYTHING

Dr. Jessica Vogelsang discusses the latest findings in veterinary retention and attrition. She is joined by Dr. Andy Roark as they dive into the American Animal Hospital Association's new white paper, "Stay Please." Together, they explore both expected and unexpected insights gathered from a survey of over 15,000 veterinary professionals. Tune in to discover the reasons behind the departures and commitments of veterinary professionals, and what these trends could mean for the future of the veterinary field. LINKS AAHA White Paper: https://www.aaha.org/practice-resources/research-center/white-paper-form-the-path-to-increasing-retention-in-veterinary-medicine/ All Dogs Go to Kevin by Jessica Vogelsang: https://www.amazon.com/All-Dogs-Kevin-Everything-Veterinary/dp/145555491X Jessica Vogelsang on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicavogelsang/ Uncharted at HiVE in Minneapolis: https://unchartedvet.com/conflict-management-training-navc-hive/ Dr. Andy Roark Exam Room Communication Tool Box Course: https://drandyroark.com/on-demand-staff-training/ Dr. Andy Roark Swag: drandyroark.com/shop All Links: linktr.ee/DrAndyRoark ABOUT OUR GUEST Dr. Jessica Vogelsang is a noted veterinarian, internationally recognized speaker, and bestselling author of All Dogs Go to Kevin. She serves as the Chief Medical Officer at AAHA and is the founder of Pawcurious Media, established in 2009. An early adopter in utilizing the internet for veterinary purposes, she successfully built an online community, influencing hundreds of thousands of pet owners globally. Her achievements include launching several veterinary brands and founding the Veterinary Telemedicine community during the COVID-19 pandemic. Besides her role at AAHA, she is an active board member of the Mark Morris Institute and the Veterinary Virtual Care Association.

On this episode of Your Pet Matters, Dr. T talks about the crisis in veterinary care and treatment that was posted by the American Animal Hospital Association. This is a rerun of a previous episode.

Episode 24 – Anxious Puppies – Eva and Atlas's Story   What is the right age to start treating puppies with mental, emotional, and behavioural ill health disorders? Well, the answer is that it is never too early. If a puppy had a bacterial infection or was in pain, we would not withhold antibiotics or pain relief, therefore, why would we not do the same when it comes to mental and emotional ill health?   In this episode, Dr Katrin chats to Eva, whose lovely boy Atlas was just such a puppy, about their journey together and how Atlas is doing now.   Listen as they talk about: 1.      Early life influences. 2.      Being committed to behavioural health. 3.      Understanding that there are good days and not so good days in any behavioural journey. 4.      How psychopharmaceutical medication helped Atlas be less fearful and reactive and grow into a wonderful, well-adjusted adult dog.   Here is the paper Dr Katrin mentions during the podcast: McAuliffe, L. R., Koch, C. S., Serpell, J., & Campbell, K. L. (2022). Associations Between Atopic Dermatitis and Anxiety, Aggression, and Fear-Based Behaviors in Dogs. Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association, 58(4), 161–167. https://doi.org/10.5326/JAAHA-MS-7210   If you liked this episode of the show, The Pet Behaviour Chat, please LEAVE A 5-STAR REVIEW, like, share, and subscribe!   Facebook Group: Join The Pet Behaviour Community on Facebook   You can CONNECT with me: Website: Visit my website Trinity Veterinary Behaviour Instagram: Follow Trinity Veterinary Behaviour on Instagram Trinity Veterinary Behaviour Facebook: Join us on Trinity Veterinary Behaviour's Facebook page Trinity Veterinary Behaviour YouTube: Subscribe to Trinity Veterinary Behaviour on YouTube LinkedIn Profile: Connect with me on LinkedIn   Thank you for tuning in!

On this new episode of Your Pet Matters, Dr. T talks about the crisis in veterinary care and treatment that was recently posted by the American Animal Hospital Association.

With women now constituting more than 80% of veterinary industry professionals, the industry is radically different from last generation's status quo. While there are more opportunities for women than ever before, female representation among hospital owners and executives still lags behind the curve. In this episode, we're talking to Dr. Sarah Baker, DVM and owner of Lane Veterinary in the Chicagoland area, to learn about her journey to hospital ownership. She recently opened her animal hospital and proudly obtained the Fear Free Certification and American Animal Hospital Association accreditation within months of opening her doors. She currently holds a seat on the board of directors at the Hinsdale Humane Society, frequently fosters pets, and feels passionately about supporting animal rescues. She'll offer advice for aspiring animal hospital owners and explain: How she arrived at the decision to pursue a career in veterinary science and open a hospital How to build a supportive team and delegate tasks to set your hospital up for success Why work-life balance is a two-way street that can help employees AND hospital owners thrive Why qualities like empathy position women as strong business owners and leaders Why there is a need for more female representation in leadership positions in the veterinary industry Are you ready to take the next step in scaling up your practice ownership dreams? Visit getprovide.com.

Noah's Animal Hospital stands out for prioritizing relationships, building trust, and offering comprehensive pet care services.With eight convenient locations, seven accredited by the American Animal Hospital Association, they aim to be your lifelong partner in ensuring your pet's well-being.On this Life. Style. Live! podcast, Director of Communication, Tom Dock, answers all of your animal questions!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What fasting recommendations are you making for your elective anesthetic procedures? Are you recommending that all your patients be fasted overnight? This has been recommended by veterinarians to countless dog and cat owners for years. However, our human counterparts have changed these recommendations in recent years to shorter episodes of fasting before general anesthesia. The most recent anesthesia guidelines provided by American Animal Hospital Association have suggested a different fasting protocol for small animal patients prior to general anesthesia that look awfully similar to the updated human recommendations. What is the evidence that veterinarians should follow suit, especially given the intricate differences between the human and animal gastrointestinal systems?To help us digest this huge topic is Dr. Ioannis Savvas, Professor of Veterinary Anaesthesia, Analgesia, and Intensive Care at School of Veterinary Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and dedicated researcher specializing in the complex details of how general anesthesia impacts the gastrointestinal tract of dogs and cats. With host Dr. Bonnie Gatson, they will discuss the impact of general anesthesia on gastrointestinal motility, how often reflux and regurgitation occur in anesthetized companion animals, and strategies to mitigate these gastrointestinal complications. And of course, they will discuss what we know and don't know when it comes to preanesthetic fasting protocols for dogs and cats.We invite our listeners to check out articles mentioned in today's episode: 2020 AAHA Anesthesia and Monitoring Guidelines for Dogs and CatsIf you like what you hear, we have a couple of favors to ask of you:Become a member at North American Veterinary Anesthesia Society (NAVAS) for access to more anesthesia and analgesia educational and RACE-approved CE content.Spread the word. Share our podcast and FB/IG posts, re-tweet, post something on a network or a discussion forum, or tell a friend over lunch. That would really help us achieve our mission: Reduce mortality and morbidity in veterinary patients undergoing sedation, anesthesia, and analgesia through high-quality, peer-reviewed education.We also ask our listeners to save the date for the NAVAS Virtual Spring Symposium on April 27th and 28th, 2024. For more information about the program, visit the NAVAS Spring Symposium website. Dr. Savvas will be one of our featured speakers during the symposium talking more about adverse gastrointestinal effects of general anesthesia.Thank you to our sponsor, Dechra - learn more about the pharmaceutical products Dechra has to offer veterinary professionals, such as Zenalpha.If you have questions about this episode or want to suggest topics for future episodes, reach out to the producers at education@mynavas.org.All opinions stated by the host and their guests are theirs alone and do not represent the thoughts or opinions of any corporation, university, or other business or governmental entity.The NAVAS Podcast is published monthly on or near the 15th of the month.Special thanks to Chris Webster for editing, producer Maria Bridges, and Saul Jimenez for IT support in making this podcast a reality.

Dr. Andy Roark engages in a dynamic conversation with Certified Veterinary Practice Manager, and Licensed Veterinary Technician, Bash Halow. Together they delve into the art of navigating difficult conversations within veterinary practice and the significance of understanding clients' needs for effective communication. This episode is brought to you by the Purina Institute. LINKS: Purina Institute CentreSquare: https://www.purinainstitute.com/centresquare Get the new Purina Institute Clinical Nutrition Handbook for free! https://www.purinainstitute.com/sign-up?utm_campaign=pin-acquisition2023&utm_medium=influencer&utm_source=cone_of_shame_podcast_sparkes&utm_content=cr-clinical_nutrition_handbook_sign_up_pt-na&utm_term= The Purina Institute: https://www.purinainstitute.com Bash Halow Consulting: https://www.bashhalow.com Better Solutions and Employee Engagement with Design Thinking: https://www.bashhalow.com/fight-pushback-with-new-management-approach/ ABOUT OUR GUEST: Bash Halow CVPM, LVT, is a graduate of the College of William and Mary, a certified veterinary practice manager and a licensed veterinary technician. As a veterinary business advisor and a veteran practice manager with more than 23 years of experience, Mr. Halow has helped dozens of veterinary hospitals understand how to build stronger teams and responsibly and ethically grow their businesses. He is a frequent contributor to DVM 360, Vetted and other publications like AAHA Trends and Today's Veterinary Business. He is a member of the advisory board for the Fetch360 veterinary conferences. He has been an invited speaker at all the major U.S. veterinary conferences including AVMA, AAHA, VMX, Western, Midwest, CVC, IVECCS; state associations, and international conferences like APVC, OVMA, the Alberta Veterinary Medical Association and addressed the Veterinary Management Association at the House of Lords, London, in June 2018. He is a member of the American Animal Hospital Association, the PVMA, founder and member of the New Jersey Veterinary Hospital Management Association, founder of the Big Apple Veterinary Management Association in New York City, and proud member of the Veterinary Hospital Managers Association. Mr. Halow was the 2013 recipient of the Pennsylvania Veterinary Medical Association's President's Award for management education in the state of Pennsylvania. He resides in New York City.

As the holiday season approaches, pet owners often find themselves indulging in festive feasts, but did you know that this time of year poses a heightened risk of pancreatitis for our furry companions? In this episode of The Family Pet Podcast, we are joined by Licensed Veterinary Medical Technician Stephanie Adams to unravel the complexities of pancreatitis in pets and discuss practical tips to ensure a safe and joyful holiday season for our four-legged friends.Key Points:Understanding Pancreatitis:Stephanie provides insights into what pancreatitis is and why it becomes a concern during the holiday season.Common Holiday Culprits:Explore the festive foods and treats that could potentially trigger pancreatitis in pets.Prevention Strategies:Learn actionable tips on how to safeguard your pets against pancreatitis during holiday celebrations.Recognizing Signs and Symptoms:Stephanie walks us through the signs of pancreatitis and emphasizes the importance of prompt veterinary attention.Stephanie's Expert Advice:Our guest shares her expertise on maintaining a pet-friendly holiday environment and offers alternatives to traditional treats.Conclusion:As we gear up for the holidays, it's crucial to prioritize our pets' health and well-being. Tune in to this episode for valuable insights from Licensed Veterinary Technician Stephanie Adams, ensuring a safe and joyful celebration for both you and your furry family members.Here are links to information we talked about today:The American Animal Hospital Association explains What Is Pancreatitis?The Gobble Gobble Thanksgiving song from Matthew WestGot a question for Michael and Stephen? Run across something interesting you want to share with the show? Do you have a topic idea for a future episode? Send it to us at thefamilypetpodcast@gmail.com. Thank you for joining us on The Family Pet Podcast! Don't forget to subscribe, and if you found this episode helpful, share it with fellow pet enthusiasts. Wishing you and your pets a happy and healthy holiday season!

Just when you thought you knew your pet well, it turns out they can be your best adviser when it comes to your relationships. Tune into Pet Talk Today, as I, your host Will Bangura, share intriguing insights into how Lenora's Yorkie, Sigmund, might be trying to warn her about her new boyfriend. Journey with us as we delve into the complex dynamics between pets and their humans. In our conversation, we also blow the whistle on Augusto de Oliveira, aka the 'Dog Daddy.' We break down why his methods are not just dangerous but possibly border on animal cruelty. Hang in there with us as we tackle the controversy surrounding The Dog Daddy,  dog training methods. We bring light to the voices of experts from reputable organizations like the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior, the American Animal Hospital Association, and the Association of Professional Dog Trainers, that condemn the use of punishment in training. We take you through why this could do more harm than good, causing long-term psychological effects on your beloved pets. We also caution you on "quick-fix" training methods and emphasize the importance of patience in teaching our furry friends. This episode promises to be an eye-opener for all pet parents, making you rethink how we treat our canine companions. Dog Training with Will Bangura, M.S., CDBC, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA, FFCP Visit the Pet Talk Today Website DOG TRAINING PODCASTSupport the showIf you need professional help please visit my Dog Behaviorist website.Go here for Free Dog Training Articles

Join Yvonne Brandenburg, RVT, VTS SAIM and Jordan Porter RVT, VTS SAIM as we talk about: In this episode, we will learn effective strategies for improving client compliance with parasite control recommendations, exploring the "6 Stages of Behavior Change" and practical techniques to support clients in each stage. #veterinary #vettechs #vettechlife

This podcast is sponsored by Ceva Animal Health. This podcast is worth 0.25 CE credits. Head to https://ce.dvm360.com/pages/podcasts and login or register for a free dvm360 Flex account to redeem your free RACE-approved CE credit after listening to this episode. Natalie Marks, DVM, CVJ, obtained her bachelor's degree with High Honors in Animal Science from the University of Illinois in 1998, and then proceeded to obtain a Masters in Veterinary Medicine and Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine degree with High Honors from the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine. She became a Certified Veterinary Journalist in 2018.   She has been a veterinarian at Blum Animal Hospital since 2006, co-owner until 2018 and current associate. Prior to 2006, Marks worked at Allatoona Animal Hospital just north of Atlanta, GA. Her media experience began in print when she created several monthly veterinary columns in multiple community magazines and was a frequent guest speaker for the German Shepherd and Bernese Mountain Dog clubs of Atlanta. Upon her return to Chicago, Marks became very active in the Chicago Veterinary Medical Association, serving on the executive board. She was also a past board member of the Illinois State Veterinary Medical Association and an active volunteer to the American Veterinary Medical Association and American Animal Hospital Association.  Marks has received many prestigious awards in her career. She was awarded the Dr Erwin Small First Decade Award, presented to a veterinarian that has contributed the most to organized veterinary medicine in his or her first decade of practice. In 2012, Marks was awarded Petplan's nationally-recognized Veterinarian of the Year. In 2015, she was awarded America's Favorite Veterinarian by the American Veterinary Medical Foundation. And, most recently in 2017, she was awarded Nobivac's Veterinarian of the Year for her work on canine Influenza. Marks is also very passionate about educating in all aspects of media, both locally and nationally. She has appeared on Good Day Chicago, WGN-Pet Central, NBC Morning News, ABC, CBS, NPR, WBBM, Northwestern University media channel and many local websites. Marks was featured nationally on the Today Show and CBS Nightly News during the canine influenza epidemic of 2015 and in multiple issues of JAVMA. She is a guest contributor in multiple media campaigns for Merck, Zoetis (formerly Pfizer), Boerhinger-Ingelheim, Ceva, Trupanion, Aratana, ScopioVet, and Royal Canin.  Marks is a regular columnist in Today's Veterinary Business, Healthy Pet magazine, and Pet Vet, and has been published in Veterinary Medicine magazine, DVM magazine, Dogster, and Vetted. She is on the Advisory Board for Health Magazine and also was the host of numerous veterinary broadcasts for the Viticus Group (formerly WVC). She is a desired national and international lecturer for many of the same companies at VMX, WVC, AVMA and regional conferences, and most recently was a featured speaker at Ceva Sweden's Derm Day, and the Royal Canin Global Symposium. Marks finds the ideal combination of teaching/mentoring and improving the emotional health of pets in the Fear Free movement. She sat on the Fear Free Executive Council and is a national educator helping other private practitioners develop these techniques. She also led her practice to become the seventh nationally and first practice in Illinois to become a Fear Free Certified Hospital. She is an Elite Fear Free Certified Professional. Finally, Marks is a serial entrepreneur, angel investor and consultant, and one of the newer members of VANE, the Veterinary Angel Network. When Marks is not working, she treasures her time with her family and her three wonderful children: Sophia, Evan, and Madeline. Marks loves traveling, scuba diving, cooking and spending time outdoors, especially anywhere there is a beach.

Dr Jan Bellows received his undergraduate training at the University of Florida and doctorate in veterinary medicine from Auburn University in 1975. After completing a small animal internship at The Animal Medical Center in New York City, he returned to south Florida, where he still practices companion animal medicine surgery and dentistry at All Pets Dental in Weston. He is certified by the Board of Veterinary Practitioners (canine and feline) since 1986 and American Veterinary Dental College (AVDC) since 1990 He was president of the AVDC from 2012 to 2014 and is president of the Foundation for Veterinary Dentistry. Dr Bellows' veterinary dentistry accomplishments include authoring 5 dental texts including, The Practice of Veterinary Dentistry: A Team Effort (1999), Small Animal Dental Equipment, Materials, and Techniques (2005, second edition 2019), and Feline Dentistry (2010, second edition 2022). He is a frequent contributor to DVM Newsmagazine and a charter consultant of Veterinary Information Network's dental board since 1993. He was also chosen as one of the dental experts to formulate the American Animal Hospital Association's Small Animal Dental Guidelines published in 2005 and updated in 2013 and 2019 

In today's episode of The Veterinary Business Success Show, our host - Brendan Howard - sits with Garth Jordan to discuss a new platform where all veterinarians share their ideas on how to improve the mental well-being of staff in the veterinary field. Garth Jordan is an accomplished C-level executive with over 15 years of diverse leadership experience growing non-profit trade and professional associations through innovation, teamwork, and digital transformation. He currently serves as the CEO of the American Animal Hospital Association. Garth has previously served as the Chief Strategy Officer & Senior Vice President at Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA), Chief Executive Officer at RevvCrew, and Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer at The Medical Group Management Association (MGMA), among other organizations and associations. Listen in to learn new ways of handling mental well-being for yourself or your staff!Podcast Outline[00:00] Podcast Intro[01:14] Garth Jordan gives his experience working with Trade Associations[05:00] Alternative ways of solving problems besides the use of associations [08:16] Brendan asks Garth to explain the first step of the Veterinary Visionaries idea and the people who participated. [13:22] Outcome after the first step and initial meeting [15:16] How did you pick the question for the project?[18:16] Ad break - Our veterinary leadership program[19:34] The episode resumes with Brendan asking Garth to explain the top idea posted on the platform[27:51] Garth talks about the second-best idea posted on the platform[33:20] Garth and Brendan discuss initiatives taken by Veterinary companies to support vet students' education[38:12] Episode Outro[38:54] The endSign up to Leaders to access the extended version of this podcast. Connect with Garth Jordan LinkedInTwitterWebsite

I love to share with my listeners things that they may not know but could benefit from. Today, I speak with Dr. Jessica Vogelsang who is the chief medical officer of AAHA about what they do and why we, as pet lovers, should care. Did you know that there isn't an enforced standard of care in veterinary hospitals like there is for human hospitals? So how do you know if the care that is provided there complies with the latest medical recommendations? AAHA accreditation is how! AAHA Accreditation is a trusted way for a practice to be voluntarily evaluated by a neutral third party and prove that they are in the top 12% of all veterinary hospitals. I get to find out the scoop straight from the "top dog" at AHAA. Check it out! EPISODE NOTES: What is the American Animal Hospital Association?

Megan Sprinkle, DVM Dr. Aaron Smiley is a practicing veterinarian, speaker, and telemedicine expert. Dr. Smiley has the unique skill of discovering the intersection of the theoretical and the practical. He is a leading telemedicine educator. AND he will entertain you through this whole episode.  To learn more about Dr. Smiley, visit his website. To learn more about the Veterinary Virtual Care Association. You can visit the Vet Life Reimagined website and YouTube channel for more. To support the podcast, please follow, share, and most of all give it an excellent rating and review. If you have someone you would recommend for the podcast, please reach out on LinkedIn or Instagram. People Mentioned in the podcast- Dr. Larry Firkins, a Professor and the Associate Dean for Public Engagement at the University of Illinois, College of Veterinary Medicine - Lisa Perius, Executive Director of the Indiana Veterinary Medical Association- Dr. Jessica Vogelsang, author, blogger, and Chief Medical Officer at American Animal Hospital Association- Dr. Ben Bergstrom, a veterinary ophthalmologist  https://www.listennotes.com/e/0c9afbb98898491bad150929208489c1/

I love to share with my listeners things that they may not know but could benefit from. Today, I speak with Dr. Jessica Vogelsang who is the chief medical officer of AAHA about what they do and why we, as pet lovers, should care. Did you know that there isn't an enforced standard of care in veterinary hospitals like there is for human hospitals? So how do you know if the care that is provided there complies with the latest medical recommendations? AAHA accreditation is how! AAHA Accreditation is a trusted way for a practice to be voluntarily evaluated by a neutral third party and prove that they are in the top 12% of all veterinary hospitals. I get to find out the scoop straight from the "top dog" at AHAA. Check it out! EPISODE NOTES: What is the American Animal Hospital Association?

Rachel Teichberg graduated Magna Cum Laude from Northeastern University with a BS in biology. In 2019, she became a Certified Veterinary Practice Manager and achieved her Certified Veterinary Business Leader in 2021. She is also a Certified Emotional Intelligence Practitioner, Certified Workplace Mediator, and a Certified Trainer in Workplace Conflict Resolution. She has worked in both general and specialty practices and though she has a deep love for pets, she has found her true passion is working with the people in veterinary medicine. With hands-on experience at all levels of veterinary practice, as well as management in small animal/exotic and specialty practices, Rachel brings over a decade of industry experience to her current position.   Shawn McVey holds a bachelor's degree in psychology and dual masters' degrees in political social work as well as marriage and family therapy. He also has a distinguished career in Veterinary Health Care Administration. Before becoming a partner and the CEO of Pathway Veterinary Management, he served as an industry consultant and speaker. He is recognized around the world for his unique management style and his experience in building successful veterinary practices. Shawn was the CEO of Eye Care for Animals, a veterinary ophthalmology company, as well as the Hospital Administrator at The Veterinary Referral Center of Colorado. He is also the founder and owner of Veterinary Specialists in Private Practice (VSIPP) and served as the first non-DVM Board Member of the American Animal Hospital Association.

Listen on: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-veterinary-business-success-show/id1536578179 (Apple Podcasts) | https://open.spotify.com/show/3HNqHm0kjUkJLVnRmIGF2G?si=af5117a3002a4a62 (Spotify) If you are interested in starting your practice firm in the veterinary field, whether you are a practitioner or not, then this episode is for you. In the episode, our seasoned resident asker of questions, Brendan Howard, sits with Stith Keiser to discuss the props and meaningful insights involved in starting a veterinary business.  Stith is a seasoned business leader having graduated from Hope College with a B.A. in Business Management and Finance. He has previously served as the CEO of MyVeterinaryCareer, Business Manager at The American Animal Hospital Association, Adjunct Faculty at Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine, CEO of Blue Heron Consulting, and Founder & COO of Inspire Veterinary Partners. He currently serves as a partner at the Northwest Animal Hospital, a Learning Facilitator at Colorado State University, and at the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine.  In this episode, Stith gives an account of his upbringing and how it shaped his career choice. He also illuminates on the challenges many people face in starting and running a successful veterinary business.  This is an eye-opening episode worth your time.  Episode Outline [00:00] Episode Intro  [01:08] Stith Keiser gives a summary of his upbringing and how he ended up in the veterinarian business [04:24] Brendan asks Keiser if he was sure that after four years in a business school, he would still run his family's veterinarian business. [05:30] Stith Keiser describes his career path just before and after graduating from the University. [08:12] Stith Keiser explains his career progress after taking a temporary job in the management and consulting field.  [10:18] Brendan asks Stith to explain how the first company he founded moved into practice ownership and more. [14:30] Stith talks about how he shifted career fields before starting his practice firm.  [17:44] Ad break. https://www.vetxinternational.com/leaders/ (Learn more) about our veterinary leadership program. [19:00] The episode resumes with Brendan asking Stith about his feelings when talking to people in the consulting field. [22:12] Stith talks about the barriers students face in owning their practice firms. [27:42] Brendan asks Stith if staffing is one of the reasons people shy away from owning a veterinarian business. [32:55] Brendan asks Stith if finding a good practice manager is important to the success of a veterinary business. [35:19] Outro Ad [36:09] The end Sign up to http://www.vetxinternational.com/leaders (Leaders) to access the extended version of this podcast. 

Lauren and JJ investigate a case of collapse in a middle-aged dog. This episode includes a detailed discussion of hemoabdomen and splenic hemangiosarcoma in the dog. References Primary sources of information for this episode: (1) Rothrock, K., Smrkovski, K., & Rosenthal, R. C. (2021). Hemangiosarcoma, splenic (canine). VINcyclopedia. Last updated 5/8/2021. Last accessed 5/26/2022. www.vin.com (2) Pope, K. (2018). Evidince-informed integrative oncology: Canine splenic hemangiosarcoma. Southwest Veterinary Symposium Proceedings, 2018. Information about rates of metastasis, splenectomy as a palliative procedure, and poor overall survival rates: (1) Pope, K. (2018). Evidince-informed integrative oncology: Canine splenic hemangiosarcoma. Southwest Veterinary Symposium Proceedings, 2018. (2) Clifford, C. A. & Liptak, J. M. (2017). Splenic tumors. Atlantic Coast Veterinary Conference Proceedings, 2017. (3) Batschinski, K., Nobre, A., Vargas-Mendez, E., Tedardi, M. V., Cirillo, J., Castari, G., Ubukata, R., & Dagli, M. L. (2018). Canine visceral hemangiosarcoma treated with surgery alone or surgery and doxorubicin: 37 cases (2005-2014). The Canadian Veterinary Journal, 59(9), 967-972. (4) Wendelburg, K. M., Price, L. L., Burgess, K. E., Lyons, J. A., Lew, F. H., & Berg, J. (2015). Survival time of dogs with splenic hemangiosarcoma treated by splenectomy with or without adjuvant chemotherapy: 208 cases (2001-2012). Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 247(4), 393-403. Information about median survival times: (1) Thamm, D., Withrow, S. W. (2013). Miscellaneous tumors: Hemangiosarcoma. Withrow & MacEwen's Small Animal Clinical Oncology,St. Louis, MO. Saunders/Elsevier, 679-88. (2) Aronsohn, M. G., Dubiel, B., Roberts, B., & Powers, B. E. (2009). Prognosis for acute nontraumatic hemoperitoneum in the dog: a retrospective analysis of 60 cases (2003-2006). Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association, 45(2), 72–77. (3) Collard, F., Nadeau, M. E., & Carmel, E. N. (2010). Laparoscopic splenectomy for treatment of splenic hemangiosarcoma in a dog. Veterinary surgery : VS, 39(7), 870–872. (4) Marconato, L., Chalfon, C., Finotello, R., Polton, G., Vasconi, M. E., Annoni, M., Stefanello, D., Mesto, P., Capitani, O., Agnoli, C., Amati, M., & Sabattini, S. (2019). Adjuvant anthracycline-based vs metronomic chemotherapy vs no medical treatment for dogs with metastatic splenic hemangiosarcoma: A multi-institutional retrospective study of the Italian Society of Veterinary Oncology. Veterinary and comparative oncology, 17(4), 537–544. A selection of information about chemotherapy and adjunctive treatments for hemangiosarcoma (outside of the scope of this episode, for further reading): (1) Wendelburg, K. M., Price, L. L., Burgess, K. E., Lyons, J. A., Lew, F. H., & Berg, J. (2015). Survival time of dogs with splenic hemangiosarcoma treated by splenectomy with or without adjuvant chemotherapy: 208 cases (2001-2012). Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 247(4), 393-403. (2) Alexander, C. K., Cronin, K. L., Silver, M., Gardner, H. L., & London, C. (2019). The addition of metronomic chemotherapy does not improve outcome for canine splenic haemangiosarcoma. Journal of Small Animal Practice, 66(1), 32-37. (3) Matsuyama, A., Poirier, V. J., Mantovani, F., Foster, R. A., & Mutsaers, A. J. (2017). Adjuvant doxorubicin with or without metronomic cyclophosphamide for canine splenic hemangiosarcoma. Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association, 53(6), 304-312. (4) Teske, E., Rutteman, G. R., Kirpenstein, J., & Hirschberger, J. (2011). A randomized controlled study into the efficacy and toxicity of pegylated liposome encapsulated doxorubicin as an adjuvant therapy in dogs with splenic haemangiosarcoma. Veterinary and Comparative Oncology, 9(4), 283-89. (5) Kahn, S. A., Mullin, C. M., de Lormier, L. P., Burgess, K. E., Risbon, R. E., Fred, R. M., Drobatz, K., & Clifford, C. A. (2013) Doxorubicin and deracoxib adjuvant therapy for canine splenic hemangiosarcoma: A pilot study. The Canadian Veterinary Journal, 54(3) 237-42. (6) Kim, S. E., Liptak, L. M., Gall, T. T., Montelth, G. J., & Woods, P. (2007). Epirubicin in the adjuvant treatment of splenic hemangiosarcoma in dogs: 59 cases (1997-2004). Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 231(10), 1550-57. (7) Alvarez, F. J., Hosoya, K., Lara-Garcia, A., Kisseberth, W., & Couto, G. (2013). VAC protocol for treatment of dogs with stage III hemangiosarcoma. Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association, 49(6), 370-77. (8) Marconato, L., Chalfon, C., Finotello, R., Polton, G., Vasconi, M. E., Annoni, M., Stefanello, D., Mesto, P., Capitani, O., Agnoli, C., Amati, M., & Sabattini, S. (2019). Adjuvant anthracycline-based vs metronomic chemotherapy vs no medical treatment for dogs with metastatic splenic hemangiosarcoma: A multi-institutional retrospective study of the Italian Society of Veterinary Oncology. Veterinary and Comparative Oncology, 17(4), 537-44. (9) Gardner, H. L., London, C. A., Portela, R. A., Nguyen, S., Rosenberg, M. P., Klein, M. K., Clifford, C., Thamm, D. H., Vail, D. M., Bergman, P., Crawford-Jakubiak, M., Henry, C., Locke, J., & Garrett, L. D. (2015). Maintenance therapy with toceranib following doxorubicin-based chemotherapy for canine splenic hemangiosarcoma. BioMed Central Veterinary Research, 11(0), 131. (10) Lana, S., U'ren, L., Plaza, S., Elmslie, R., Gustafson, D., Morley, P., & Dow, S. (2007). Continuous low-dose oral chemotherapy for adjuvant therapy of splenic hemangiosarcoma in dogs. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine, 21(4), 764-69. (11) Vail, D. M., MacEwen, E. G., Kurzman, I. D., Dubielzig, R. R., Helfand, S. C., Kisseberth, W. C., London, C. A., Obradovich, J. E., Madewell, B. R., & Rodriguez, C. O. (1995). Liposome-encapsulated muramyl tripeptide phosphatidylethanolamine adjuvant immunotherapy for splenic hemangiosarcoma in the dog: a randomized multi-institutional clinical trial. Clinical Cancer Research: An Official Journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, 1(10), 1165-70. (12) Grammel, T. (2016). A pilot, uncontrolled study of postsurgical treatment with autologous dendritic cell-based immunologic therapy in 10 dogs with splenic hemangiosarcoma. Veterinary Cancer Society World Congress Proceedings, 2016.

Byron L. Blagburn MS, PhD, DACVM Hon (Parasitology), holds the appointment of Distinguished University Professor at the Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine. He is past president of the American Association of Veterinary Parasitologists, the Southern Conference on Animal Parasites, the Southeastern Society of Parasitologists, and the Companion Animal Parasite Council (CAPC). He has served as an associate editor for the Journal of Parasitology and has served on the editorial boards of Veterinary Parasitology, Veterinary Therapeutics, The International Journal of Applied Research in Veterinary Medicine, The Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology, and the Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association. Blagburn is a recipient of the American Association of Veterinary Parasitiologist's Distinguished Veterinary Parasitologist Award, the Pfizer Award for Research Excellence (1987 and 2010), and the Auburn University Student Government Association “Teacher of the Year” Award. 

Podcast host, Katie Berlin, DVM, CVA, Veterinary Content Strategist with the American Animal Hospital Association welcomes listeners to Central Line: The AAHA Podcast. Join us for new episodes as Central Line takes you to the heart of what holds us back, what keeps us going, and what lifts us up in this complicated, beautiful profession of ours.

In today's episode of The Veterinary Business Success Show, Brendan Howard interviews one of the most charismatic speakers in the veterinary industry, certified veterinary practice manager, licensed veterinary technician, and veterinary business advisor, Bash Halow. Bash graduated from the College of William and Mary in 1987, before studying veterinary management at Purdue University Northwest. Since then he has built up 20 years of experience as a veterinary business advisor and practice manager. As a business advisor, Bash has helped dozens of veterinary hospitals build stronger teams and ethically grow their business through his company ‘Halow Consulting' which Bash set up in 2010. Halow Consulting offers “affordable strategies to save money, improve revenue and build teams in your veterinary practice”. Alongside his work as an advisor and practice owner, Bash has made a name for himself in the veterinary industry through his frequent contributions to Veterinary Economics and DVM 360. He is also a well-recognized speaker in the veterinary circuit and has spoken at many conferences, including the annual VPMA Conference. He is a member of the American Animal Hospital Association, the PVMA, Veterinary Hospital Managers Association and the founder of the New Jersey Veterinary Hospital Management Association, and the Big Apple Veterinary Management Association. To learn more about Bash, click here to listen to his episode on the Blunt Dissection episode with Dr. Dave Nicol. In this episode, Bash and Brendan talk about absolutely everything, from quantitative easing to remote working. Listen today!

A great speaker said, "Information is power.  But the "feeling is the fuel."  Find the feeling of your members and they will buy.  Do you take the step to actually ask your members what they want... what their pain points are?  This is where the greatest value exist... in asking.  Or do you rely on your board to determine the value proposition with no member input. In this week's podcast, Tom and Dave interview Garth Jordan from the American Animal Hospital Association to unpack how Garth led his board through the process of asking their members what they need and using a process like design thinking to help them to see the ideas and move forward with action that will drive your value proposition.  

Cyanobacteria is a deadly toxin and is found in fresh and brackish bodies of water worldwide but it is increasing in prevalence due to climate change and urbanization therefore we need to do more to increase awareness and prevent future blooms. Episode Hosts: Angela Warner, Lauren Rush & Val Wright Course Coordinators & Podcast Ringmasters: Colleen Duncan, Molly Carpenter & Treana Mayer Audio Engineer: Ethan Fagre Special Guests: Dr. Claire Tucker & Dr. Daniel Gustafson Episode Notes: Blue/green algae (cyanobacteria) is found in fresh and brackish bodies of water and is DEADLY to animals and humans. Due to increased urbanization, water runoff and climate change these algal blooms are increasing worldwide. Join us to learn more about the biology of this toxin, what people may or may not already know about cyanobacteria, clinical signs and cases in dogs (the companion animal most likely to die from this toxin) and ways we can all help to prevent/lessen the incidence of these dangerous blooms. ASPCA Poison Control Center: 1-888-426-4435 References: Algae, cyanobacteria blooms, and climate change. Climate Institute. (n.d.). Retrieved December 1, 2021, from http://climate.org/algae-cyanobacteria-blooms-and-climate-change/. Anneville, O., Domaizon, I., Kerimoglu, O. et al. Blue-Green Algae in a “Greenhouse Century”? New Insights from Field Data on Climate Change Impacts on Cyanobacteria Abundance. Ecosystems 18, 441–458 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-014-9837-6 Beasley VR, Dahlem AM, Cook WO, et al. Diagnostic and Clinically Important Aspects of Cyanobacterial (Blue-Green Algae) Toxicoses. Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation. 1989;1(4):359-365. Blue-green algae. Washington State Department of Health. (n.d.). Retrieved December 1, 2021, from https://www.doh.wa.gov/CommunityandEnvironment/Contaminants/BlueGreenAlgae. Blue-green algae and harmful algal blooms. Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. (2021, November 8). Retrieved December 1, 2021, from https://www.pca.state.mn.us/water/blue-green-algae-and-harmful-algal-blooms. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021, April 19). Causes and ecosystem impacts. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved December 1, 2021, from https://www.cdc.gov/habs/environment.html#bb. Environmental Protection Agency. (n.d.). EPA. Retrieved December 1, 2021, from https://www.epa.gov/nutrientpollution/climate-change-and-harmful-algal-blooms. Sebbag, L., Smee, N., van der Merwe, D., & Schmid, D. (2013, September 1). Liver failure in dog following suspected ingestion of blue-green algae (Microcystis spp.): A case report and review of the Toxin. Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association. Retrieved December 1, 2021, from https://meridian.allenpress.com/jaaha/article/49/5/342/176787/Liver-Failure-in-a-Dog-Following-Suspected.

In This Episode:Dr. Stacee and Dr. Caitlin chat with Bash Halow about how to make a conscious effort to be a better version of yourself.Listen in to get some practical tips that you can implement today!More About Bash Halow, CVPM, LVT:Bash is a graduate of the College of William and Mary, a certified veterinary practice manager and a licensed veterinary technician.  As a veterinary business advisor and a veteran practice manager with more than 19 years of experience, Mr. Halow has helped dozens of veterinary hospitals understand how to build stronger teams and responsibly and ethically grow their businesses.  He is a frequent contributor to Veterinary Economics and DVM 360 and is a member of the editorial advisory board for the Fetch360 veterinary conferences. He has been an invited speaker at all the major U.S. veterinary conferences including AVMA, AAHA, NAVC, Western, Midwest, CVC, IVECCS; state associations, and international conferences like APVC, OVMA, and the Alberta Veterinary Medical Association. He is a regular speaker at the annual veterinary management conference in Wales and addressed the Veterinary Management Association at the House of Lords, London, in June 2018.  He is a member of the American Animal Hospital Association, the PVMA, founder and member of the New Jersey Veterinary Hospital Management Association, founder of the Big Apple Veterinary Management Association in New York City, and proud member of the Veterinary Hospital Managers Association.  Mr. Halow was the 2013 recipient of the Pennsylvania Veterinary Medical Association's President's Award for management education in the state of Pennsylvania.  He resides in New York City.Sign up for #IVETSOHARD Resources Email List (below) to get the 5 takeaways from this episode in PDF form.Subscribe & Review On Apple Podcasts:Thanks for being an IVSH listener! We hope this podcast has been inspiring and has helped you learn a few new tricks when it comes to technology and workflows that really work.To help get this podcast in front of more veterinary professionals and teams, please consider subscribing to the podcast on Apple and leaving a review.Click Here to subscribe and review #IVETSOHARD on Apple Podcasts! About our sponsorVet2Pet is veterinary medicine's only customizable, all-in-one client connection platform. Built for veterinary teams by veterinary pros, the Vet2Pet custom-branded hospital app and practice dashboard have been proven to decrease phone time by an average of 3 hours per day, increase pharmacy engagement by up to 68%, and increase client spending by up to 41%. Visit the Vet2Pet website to learn more. Subscribe to Bits & Bytes, Vet2Pet's newsletter that was recently called “the best newsletter in vet med” by an industry leader.Sign up for a demo to find out how Vet2Pet can help your practice.

Garth Jordan is CEO of the American Animal Hospital Association and we're talking about replacing a traditional mission and vision statement with a simplified version called a just cause. With a mission and vision statement that was close to 70 words and a values statement of another 120 words, no one could memorize either one and it was a challenge to align overall beliefs and roles. Simplifying AAHA's mission and vision to bring focus to their work in a just cause led them to distill everything into an eight word sentence about simplifying the journey toward excellence for veterinary medicine. Listen is as we talk about the characteristics of a "just cause" and the primary benefits to your members and your organization. I'd really appreciate it if you would click the like button above and leave a review if your favorite podcast app has that ability. Thank you! Visit https://www.marybyers.com/contact/ for links to join the conversation on our social sites. © 2021 Mary Byers

2008 Annual Report     A Year in Video by Jamie Veronicahttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xo4O2srCwX4 Big Cat Rescue is more than just a place that provides permanent care for big cats.  It is a movement;  a change in the tide of human perceptions and is the combined effort of more than 80,000 supporters.  If you are one of them, you are a Big Cat Rescuer and the following is the great work YOU did!  If you haven't helped yet, you can do so now at the top right of the screen or here:  http://bigcatrescue.org/donate.htm   Big Cat Rescue's Mission Statement:  To provide the best home we can for the animals in our care and to reduce the number of cats that suffer the fate of abuse, abandonment or extinction by teaching people about the plight of the cats, both in the wild and in captivity, and how they can help through their behavior and support of better laws to protect the cats.   Advances:  With your help we are winning in the battle for compassion!  Up until 2003 the number of requests for rescues we had to turn down due to lack of space or funds had roughly doubled each year, to 312 that year. We feared it would double again to over 500 in 2004. Instead, it has steadily declined since then. Read why, and about the offers we made this year and why their owners would not agree to our terms. http://bigcatrescue.org/000news/0articlesbybcr/2008AbandonedBigCats.htm   At least one big cat sanctuary has dropped “Feline” from their name as the new laws have caused such a dramatic decrease in the number of unwanted big cats that they are turning their attention to other animals. We are on the brink of no more abused and unwanted big cats.  This change only happened because of you, and I just can't thank you enough!   CFO, Howard Baskin was a finalist in the Tampa Bay Business Journal's CFO of the Year awards.   We became the first animal charity in the world to be qualified for and utilize Mobile Giving Foundation's Text 2 Give program.  Text tiger to 20222.  We discontinued the service in Dec. 2011 however as the carriers were constantly requiring us to change the text everywhere the call to action was posted and we often did not have access to places that reposted our videos.   Animal Care:  Rescued liger and 2 tigers.  What do we do when a baby Florida bobcat arrives that is still nursing? We find a domestic cat who is nursing kittens and hope she will “adopt” the baby bobcat.  Big Cat Rescue's version of Growing Up Bobcat takes you day by day through the challenges of rescuing a baby bobcat, hand rearing her and teaching her all she needs to know so that she can one day be set free.  Watch for Hope to be released in the spring of 2009.   Big Cat Rescue planned Chance the bobcat's escape for months. Last year a baby bobcat call came in as the third one in three weeks. He only had one eye and a lump on his belly the size of an orange. Big Cat Rescue was there to get him the medical attention he needed. Emergency surgery repaired the hernia in his abdominal wall. The swelling was the contents of his intestines and other internal organs that had spilled out of the muscled area and were rubbing away at the inner lining of his skin. The attending vet, Dr. Liz Wynn, believes that his hernia and missing eye were caused by some sort of trauma. The area where he was found is completely surrounded by development in West Tampa, but bobcats are often reported there and last year one was found as road kill. After months of recuperation and rehabilitation, Chance the yearling bobcat was released. Watch the movie and see his wild dash for freedom: http://bigcatrescue.org/video/00190.htm   As our population of exotic cats continue to age, we are dealing with more and more medical issues.  You may have seen some of these procedures on our You Tube site where we have dealt with abscesses, tumors and rotting teeth.  Our cats live about twice as long as cats would in the wild, so their parts begin to wear out, long before the cats are through with them.  Some of our 2008 surgeries have included draining a hemtoma on Windstar the Bobcat's ear, removing a cancerous growth from Trucha the tiger and treating a bite wound after her sister bit her.   Removing a non cancerous growth from her sister, Modnic the tiger, pulling what was left of Indian Summer's rotten teeth to stop the infection, treating a fracture to Cachanga Caracal's front paw and removing rotting teeth from King the tiger.  Shiloh went in to the vet for an evaluation of his rotten teeth and was found to be suffering from bone cancer.  He is the 19 year old cage mate of Indian Summer and was put to sleep to end his misery.   Most captive cats do not get the early nutrition they need for healthy bones and teeth because their owners pull them from their mothers to bottle raise them.  There is no substitute for their own mother's milk and their natural diet in the wild.  While we try to supplement their diets and feed them whole prey, it is always too little, too late.  These great cats were not designed for lives of captivity.  Our hope and your help will ensure a future where wild cats live in the wild and not in cages. Read tributes to our cats who have passed on at: https://sites.google.com/site/bigcattributes/home   Only 4% of our budget is spent on fundraising, so that is why it is so easy to see where your donations go.  The cats got lots of cage enlargements and improvements in 2008.   Our snow leopard cat-a-tat was built in 1997 and featured a freezer box that is air conditioned 24/7 where the snow leopards could choose to go when it got too hot.  11 years ago these enclosures were our most noteworthy and still offer more comfort than most, but due to their shape and location, there was no way to expand them as we have done with most of our other cats' cages. We have two snow leopards and three cage sections, but had no good way to shift the cats from one side to another.  After Shaq the black leopard passed away, It only took volunteers a couple of days to join Shaq's two sections to one section of the old snow leopard enclosure.  Volunteers then spent days painting the cages, landscaping and hauling in logs and lots of stuff for Chloe the snow leopard to enjoy.  Finally the big day came for her to gain access to her new area.  See her enjoying her new, enlarged space here:  http://bigcatrescue.org/video/00205.htm   It's like musical chairs but with big cats!  Windstar moved into the waterfall cage next to Aquarius the Fishing Cat.  Of all of our bobcats, Windstar loves pools the most, so while his cat-a-tat was getting some upgrades, he vacationed with a lake side view and a fish filled private pond.  Now that his enclousure has been remodeled he has returned to his home with its window view into the President's office.   Nyla leopard has been on the list to get an 8 x 12 concrete den, cleverly disguised as a fern covered hill, with a huge room addition since August of last year.  Her project kept getting pushed back due to the rescue of four tigers from a facility that was shut down by USDA in FL and 2 lions and 2 tigers who were rescued from Ohio.  Now Nyla has a hurricane shelter like all of the other cats and she is really loving it.   Snorkel was relocated up next to Auroara's old one acre enclosure next to Shere Khan and China Doll. He will be on the tour path now and rescuers are sure that he will enjoy his new digs. Snorkel is very social and loves to snort and chuff at keepers when they clean his Cat-a-tat or when they are feeding him.   When rescuers released Snorkel into his new pad, he excitedly toured the perimeter, checked out his swimming pond, jumped on top of his den to get a better view of his territory and then chowed down on some fresh grass growing in the enclosure. All the while Shere Khan followed Snorkel, watching his every move. Keepers dug out several large weeds that were growing in Snorkel's previous home and then loaded up Flavio into the tiger transport. What was old to Snorkel was brand new and fun for Flavio. He hopped right into transport and moved just one Cat-a-tat over. All the new smells will keep him busy for quite a while.   Moving all these tigers around does have a purpose. Now two empty tiger enclosures could be joined together to make a double tiger enclosure for Trucha and Modnic. The new enclosure gave them almost twice the room. At Big Cat Rescue there are a few empty enclosures that are set aside for projects such as these. This way as an enclosure needs to be maintained, repaired, replanted or whatever else, Keepers can relocate the resident feline to one of the empty Cat-a-tats. Because we rescued three more big cats this year, we only have one empty enclosure suitable for tigers and could really use a couple more spares for these moveabouts.   The operant conditioning program has become a crucial element in making these relocations go smoothly. Through the use of operant conditioning Keepers are able to get nearly any cat into transport or their feeding lockouts by simply rewarding the cats with their favorite treats. CleoCatra Bobcat has a new, duplex with elevated dens, lots of logs and thick green ferns and bushes.  When she moved out of her old, single sided enclosure, Vern was able to connect it to Cherokee Bobcat's single sided cage.  Now Cherokee has a big duplex, giving her twice as much space as she had before.  She already had lots of ferns and foliage, but now she has a lot more room to run.   We took down a lot of dead pine trees and have planted lush landscaping in cat-a-tats that were renovated to be a new home for Mac the Cougar, Bobcats Bobby Blue Rose and Indian Summer.  When Indian Summer moved, her enclosure was connected to Bobcats, Running Bear and Little White Dove's single cage.  That gave them a duplex and the best climbing tree in the sanctuary.  (Indian Summer is 19 and her climbing days have long since passed)  These younger cats (11 yrs) love to climb and now we frequently see them lounging high in their new tree house.   It took four years of raising funds and a year of permitting hassles but only 2 weeks to build the first phase of the 10 foot high concrete wall that will one day surround Big Cat Rescue.  See photos of this imposing barrier and find out who helped:  http://bigcatrescue.org/000news/0articlesbybcr/zoning.htm   The faithful followers of our site have probably noticed the new addition of pet related articles we have posted to benefit the lives of pets.  http://bigcatrescue.org/pets/000pets.htm   We launched a huge campaign to upgrade two of the largest and most expensive enclosures that housed Auroara, Shere Khan and China Doll the tigers.  See a slide show of the cage enhancements and the biggest of our cats having the biggest of times. http://bigcatrescue.org/000news/0articlesbybcr/TigerCages.htm   As Big Cat Rescue has become more successful in ending the trafficking of exotic and endangered wild cats we have drawn the wrath of the breeders and dealers. Our lives have been threatened and our vehicles vandalized. Twelve tires on our van, trucks and trailers were rigged to explode at high speeds over a 3 month period.  We mounted surveillance cameras around the property and on the rehab cages so we can monitor the bobcats without exposing them to humans. http://bigcatrescue.org/000news/0articlesbybcr/2008cameras.htm   Education:  On March 27th, 2008 Big Cat Rescue was honored to host almost 100 visitors from a very special audience. The American Animal Hospital Association was visiting Tampa for AAHA's 75th Anniversary Yearly Conference held this year in sunny Tampa, Florida.  This specialized group of attendees included veterinarians; practice managers; vet technicians, assistants and support staff; vet students, and family guests. Read more:  http://bigcatrescue.org/000news/0articlesbybcr/2008AAHA.htm   In April Big Cat Rescue was the featured story at Encyclopedia Britannica. Anita Wolff had contacted Jamie Veronica to ask for permission to use some of her photos and she suggested they contact Carole Baskin about some of the legislative work we are doing. Encyclopedia Britannica devotes an impressive section of their site as a source of information, a call for action, and a stimulus to thought regarding humanity's relationship with the animals with whom we share our planet. They support worldwide efforts to ensure humane treatment of animals, develop the understanding of their nature, promote their survival, and protect and restore the environment. We are honored to be a part of the great work they are doing to educate, inform and enlighten.  Read it here and see some of Jamie's photos they have put to use: http://advocacy.britannica.com/blog/advocacy/2008/04/big-cat-rescue/   Our Education Department had to raise their prices to cope with growing demand, but our financial return continues to escalate.  We offer about 220 outreach and field trips per year and have committed to offering 12 of them for free each year to lower income schools, but have already given 30 such free tours this year and expect that demand will continue to rise with the cost of transportation.  Even when we offer the tours for free, many schools cannot come because they cannot afford the $200.00 fee for their busses.  Our Education Department began writing grant proposals to raise the money needed for the buses.   Huge gaps in U.S. regulations for tigers held in captivity could make the big cats a target for illegal trade, wildlife trade monitoring group TRAFFIC and World Wildlife Fund found in the first-ever comprehensive report on captive tiger regulations across the United States. The report, “Paper Tigers?: The Role of the U.S. Captive Tiger Population in the Trade in Tiger Parts,” found there are no reliable regulatory mechanisms to keep track of captive tigers in the United States. Big Cat Rescue provided investigators with crucial data and enabled them to see how the lack of protective laws and enforcement are exploited by animal abusers in the real world. http://bigcatrescue.org/000news/0articlesbybcr/   Big Cat Rescue wants to end the need for big cat sanctuaries, but until that day comes we are involved daily in assisting other sanctuaries.  We help improve their ability to convey their message and assist with manpower, resources and guidance on issues such as fundraising, animal care, volunteer training and more.   On November 21st we began assisting the Parco Zoo Punta Verde in Lignano Sabbiadoro, Italy in a three-year study on Caracal caracal for the purpose of providing information on the species to expand the knowledge of the behavioral, social and pathological state of Caracal caracal in captivity and to create husbandry guidelines on species.  GoNomad.com posted letters from Big Cat Rescuers about animal interaction opportunities that exploit big cats as a way of educating tourists of the real issues involved in keeping big cats captive.   Modified our Children's DNA ID disks so that they can be used in MO as well as FL and distributed 140 via the Assemblies of God in Springfield.  Once a month all of our Big Cat Rescue Volunteers meet to share lunch, stories about the cats and to get the essential training they need to make Big Cat Rescue the haven it is for the cats. In April we had a guest speaker, Laurie Macdonald, Florida Program Director of Defenders of Wildlife, come and educate us about the issues facing the Florida Panther, bobcats, black bears and other native wildlife.  Our boots were lined up at the door as 70 or so of us sat on the floor, mesmerized by her slide show presentation that included some of our own cats as stand-ins for their wild cousins.   Love is the universal language and the one we speak best at Big Cat Rescue, but now our website, which is well over 5,500 pages of information, is available in Chinese, Dutch, French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish.  Check out the google Translate box in the lower left hand side of every page of our site to translate the page into one of the supported languages.  The translations are far from perfect as this technology is still being developed, but we are happy to be able to reach so many more people around the globe.   Legislation/Education:  Thanks to all of you who wrote letters, attended town hall meetings and met with your lawmakers, the world is a little kinder place. Many of the worst breeders, dealers and tiger-tamer-wanabees were finally shut down.  Most of these collectors were fined or shut down by USDA or the state, or both in some cases:   • CA:  Hesperia Zoo AKA Cinema Safari Zoo owned by Stephanie Taunton was put on probation and fined $30,000 by USDA. • FL: Horseshoe Creek owned by Darryl Atkinson was shut down by USDA and FL. • FL:  Wild Things' land owned by Kathy Stearns went into foreclosure and bankruptcy. • FL:  Amazing Exotics appears to have been shut down.  It was notorious for allowing contact between large exotic cats and the public for a fee.  The head of their tiger-tamer-wanabee program was Ron Holiday (real name Ron Guay) who gained fame in the HBO movie Cat Dancers and the book by the same name.  His career in dancing with big cats ended when a white tiger he had raised from a cub killed his wife and his lover within a few days of each other in 1998. • IN:  Great Cats of Indiana, formerly known as Cougar Valley Farms, Inc., owned by Robert B. Craig and Laura Proper came under investigation by USDA. • IN:  Ervin's Jungle Wonders owned by Ervin Hall was shut down by USDA for a three year term. • MO:  Wesa-A-Geh-Ya owned by Sandra Smith was shut down after a visitor lost his leg to a tiger. • MS:  Cougar Haven closed its doors for good, sending the last 3 big cats to Big Cat Rescue. • NC:  Metrolino Wildlife Park owned by Steven Macaluso was shut down by USDA. • NE:  Zoo Nebraska was ordered to find appropriate homes for their big cats and bears. • OH:  Pearson's L & L Exotics owned by Lorenzo Pearson was shut down by USDA following six years of violations including the mauling death of his own two year old child. • TX:  Zoo Dynamics, owned by Marcus Cook was fined $100,000.00 You can read the USDA reports and news stories at http://www.911AnimalAbuse.com   Better laws were passed:   • CITES Decision 14.69: Parties with intensive operations breeding tigers on a commercial scale shall implement measures to restrict the captive population to a level supportive only to conserving wild tigers; tigers should not be bred for trade in their parts and derivatives. (Most of the tiger breeding in the U.S. is for photo booths and petting sessions. None of the breeding of generic tigers does anything to conserve wild tigers. Ask your lawmakers to uphold this CITES decision and end the breeding of tigers outside of the Species Survival Plans in AZA accredited zoos.)  • MO: Effective March 2008 MO Wildlife Code changed as follows:  Safety:  Because of the inherent danger and potential liability associated with the possession of bears, mountain lions, wolves and their hybrids, the Conservation Commission now requires owners of these animals to identify each individual with a microchip embedded under the animal's skin. The owners must also submit a blood or tissue sample for DNA analysis. All animals must be registered with the Department when acquired, born, at death, or when sold. This will aid enforcement of illegal sales of these animals and will help Department biologists distinguish escaped and released captives from wild animals.  MO Conservationist magazine Feb issue at magazine@mdc.mo.gov where Wildlife Code book for 2008 has been released. • Sheriff Kevin T. Harrison asks county to ban private possession of dangerous exotics. • December 11, 2008 Park Hills, MO bans most exotic animals, except small monkeys, within the city limits. • OK:  5/7/08 Gov. Henry signed Senate Bill 1463 into law last week. Sen. James A. Williamson (R-Tulsa) introduced the legislation which prohibits the use of computer-assisted remote control hunting of wildlife. The bill also makes it illegal to engage in, sell, offer for sale, assist in or provide facilities for computer-assisted remote control hunting. Thirty-eight states prohibit Internet hunting, and a federal bill introduced in the U.S. Congress – S. 2422 and H.R. 2711, the Computer- Assisted Remote Hunting Act – would end Internet hunting nationwide. • UT:  Internet Hunting Banned.  Gov. Huntsman signed Senate Bill 164 into law. Sen. Michael Waddoups (R-6th) introduced the legislation which prohibits the use of a computer or other device to remotely hunt an animal.37 states now prohibit Internet hunting, and a federal bill introduced in the U.S. Congress – S. 2422 and H.R. 2711, the Computer- Assisted Remote Hunting Act – would end Internet hunting nationwide. • USDA roared out in support of Haley's Act HR 1947 but Congress never took the time to hear the bill in 2008.  http://bigcatrescue.org/laws/zPDFlaws/USDAcommentHR1947.pdf • Iberville, LA:  Referring back to a law that has been on Iberville Parish's books since 1993, the LA Wildlife and Fisheries Dept. finally banned the notorious Tiger Truck Stop from using live tigers as a public display. Thanks to Sky Williamson and more than 11,000 letters from Big Cat Rescuers, the Tiger Truck Stop was finally ordered to remove the last remaining tiger from this truck stop cage in Grosse Tete, LA. This should have ended a sad history of 21 years of tigers in small concrete cages in the middle of this busy truck stop, but the owner filed a lawsuit to keep Louisiana's Wildlife and Fisheries from doing their job.  At year end we are still fighting to Free Tony the tiger at FreeTony.com   Directing the traffic to the legislative sections had to be more creative however, because by and large, people don't want to think about politics.  The cat's stories and their photographs had to be compelling enough to overcome this typical aversion to political matters and we feel that we have had considerable success in doing that since we have been able to track 728,656 visitors to our legislative pages in 2008.  1,653,788 legislative pages were viewed in 2008. 1,743,210 visits to our main web site bigcatrescue.org resulted in 5,794,358 pages being viewed.  Combined visitors were 2,471,866 who viewed 7,448,146 pages or 6,772 visitors per day who viewed 20,406 pages per day.  Our peak day in 2008 was May 13 with 9,340 page views on bigcatrescue.org alone.    The most popular campaign was to free Tony the Tiger from the Truck Stop and accounted for one quarter of all letters sent.   Carole filled in for Allen Green at the Public Interest Land Air Water conference that attracted 3,500 people from all over the U.S. who care about issues such as wildlife trafficking, climate change and other important issues concerning our planet's health.   At the Sept. 17-19 Florida Wildlife Commission hearing in Jacksonville discussed public comments on the Captive Wildlife Rules.  Of the 1,700 comments our supporters were 1,430 of them.  44,460 letters were sent via our CatLaws.com site in 2008 which is up 25% from last year.  We now have 42,826 members registered to help us with email campaigns.  That is up 9,542 in 2008.   Big Cat Wins Abroad:     • Brazil:  12/11/08 After ongoing efforts by many animal organizations an animal group in Brazil has successfully lobbied and a law has been passed banning all animals in circuses there. • Johor, Malaysia Bans ALL Commercial Hunting:  The Johor government banned all forms of commercial hunting.  Johor is home to the Endau-Rompin National Park, the second largest national park in Peninsular Malaysia. The state will lose some money in licensing fees — in 2006, it issued more than 2,000 hunting licenses — but that pales into insignificance when compared with the benefits of such a move. Johor wants to save the tiger. The ban would also help the Department of Wildlife and National Parks to collect data, train staff and curb wildlife crime. Classified as an endangered species, the tiger is fully protected. But its food is not. The ban should ensure that the population of animals that the tiger preys on — such as wild boar and deer — will increase. If the tigers have sufficient food, they are also unlikely to wander into areas with human habitation. • Australia:  August 3, 2008 Environment Minister Peter Garrett immediately banned the import of Savannah cats into Australia upon learning they were a cross between a Serval and domestic cat.  He said the Savannah cat posed “an extreme threat to Australia's native wildlife.” • Australia:  Craig Bush, the “Lion Man” was ousted from the Zion Wildlife Gardens by his mom.   Fundraising and Marketing:  Big Cat Rescue was reported favorably in the news 70 times in 2008.   Some of the national press included shows on Animal Planet, Discovery and the History Channel in addition to such publications and Encyclopedia Britannica and Women's World Magazine and major media coverage in several other countries as well.   The Fur Ball netted over $110,000.00!  Over 550 big cat supporters had a blast at the Fur Ball; dining, dancing, shopping in the Bargain Sale, tasting and voting in the cake contest, playing the Wheel of Fur-Tune casino table and bidding in the silent auction and live auctions. Spirited bidders in the live auction won exotic trips see lions in South Africa, tigers in Thailand, visits Paris, Brussels and London and golf at St. Andrews.  Roger and Wilhelmina Hopper  won the mountain condo vacation in the costume contest.  The men's and lady's Rolex watches donated by AvantGold were won by Trey Ashmore and Linda Colon.  The Wheel of Fur-tune raffle prize of $1000 Gift Certificate to AvantGold went to Richard Bosley and the King of Feasts cake contest prize went to Cakes Plus.  Watch the video of the night's fun and see if we caught you on film in the photos posted under the video. http://bigcatrescue.org/000archives/2008furball.htm   We had 24,734 visitors this year, compared to a comparably sized zoo that hosts 700,000 visitors annually.  With our annual budget approaching a million dollars a year, we have to be creative in our fund raising, so we turned to the 1,743, 210 web site visitors to bigcatrescue.org and on Valentine's Day asked them to shop in our new online store at http://www.bigcatrescue.biz/  On July 30th we began cross promoting the online store throughout our main web site.   Watch this new episode of Magnificent Obsessions starring our very own Scott Lope.  Lion Feeding Frenzy premiered with lots of interest sparked with each airing.  Scott has also been featured as the big cat expert in Untamed and Uncut and Monster Quest in the U.S. and U.K.   On 2/9/08 we added this Social Bookmarking option to every page of our site to encourage visitors to add us to their social networks.   People who love animals love to share their photos and stories.  On March 1st Big Cat Rescue unleashed a Chat Big Cats community.  It offers unlimited storage space for members' photos, videos and music.   Members can post their own blogs, or join in our forums and contests. It is a YouTube/ MySpace styled community made up entirely of animal lovers. By year end there were 785 members and nearly 2,500 videos, songs, photos and blogs posted to the site.  Get in on the action free at http://www.chatbigcats.com   In late December, 2008, we qualified for google Adsense ads to run on YouTube.  We ended the year as the 6th most viewed Non Profit of all time and the 8th most subscribed Non Profit with 4,265 subscribers and 111,015 channel views.  By year end we had 139 videos posted on YouTube and we began using TubeMogul to post to other popular sites like google, Blip, MetaCafe, Revver and others.  http://www.youtube.com/bigcatrescue   Our MySpace account now has 6,291 friends, 254,024,879 people in our network and our site has had 34,443 profile views. http://www.myspace.com/1BigCatRescue   We took our cats' faces to Face Book: http://apps.new.facebook.com/causes/68903 and enhanced our presence on Care2.org and many other such sites.  We added 134 contacts to our LinkedIn presence here:  http://www.linkedin.com/in/BigCatRescue If you live in the Tampa bay area, look for Big Cat Rescue videos on Brighthouse Channel 340 in the Pet Performances section.  Some of your favorite videos, like Hope the baby bobcat are playing there right now.   Big Cat Rescue now has an Endowment Fund to provide a secure future for the cats. The Fund resides at the Community Foundation of Tampa Bay. Thanks to the generosity of our donors we were able to qualify for a 33% matching fund by raising $150,000.00.  The Community Foundation granted us a $50,000.00 match and this brought our total to $200,000.00 that can generate income to provide for the cats in years to come. http://bigcatrescue.org/communityfoundationoftampabay.htm   We initiated the Legacy Society. This recognizes supporters who have included the cats at Big Cat Rescue in their estate planning. For more info visit:  http://bigcatrescue.org/legacy.htm   We began offering Instant Bingo in our gift shop and created free bingo to play online as well as a site for non US members to play charity bingo where the big cats win every time the player loses.   http://www.bigcatbingo.com   On 7/31/08 our Google grant went up from $10,000 a month in free ads to $40,000.00 a month at a cost of only $1,500.00 to us.   Our Ink Recycling new supporter count was up 324% increase over September 2007 thanks to 235 new ink recycling supporters!!!  This came following a 1/2 page ad about it in the fall issue of The Big Cat Times.  On Sept. 15th we began distribution of newsletters from Dunedin to Sarasota in 20 CVS, Bally's, Sears, Blockbuster and Albertson's stores at a cost of $150.00 a month.  Read all of the back issues here: http://bigcatrescue.org/cat_tales.htm   Placed first paid ads in Cat Fancy, CATS, Dog Fancy and DOGS to appear in Dec. issue.   In November we began accepting American Express and Discover credit cards.   Thanks to your votes Big Cat Rescue was awarded the People's Choice Award by WEDU, our local PBS affiliate. More than 80 charities competed in a 16 county radius for this award, but Big Cat Rescue took 31% of the vote.  This is the second year in a row that Big Cat Rescue has taken home this coveted prize. We have been advised that we are finalists again for the award in 2009.   In the lead for America's Best Animal Shelter.  Winners to be announced in 2009.   Saving Wild Places for Wild Cats:  Big Cat Rescue was welcomed into the International Tiger Coalition, which is a group of 39 organizations committed to saving the tiger, based upon our unique ability to address the captive issues that imperil tigers in the wild.   The goal is 10,000 tigers in the wild in 10 years.  There are less than 3,000 in the wild currently and we are losing one per day due to poaching.  We persuaded ITC to keep US tiger farming issue as part of their mission to eradicate because legalized trade puts even more pressure on wild populations.   What makes this initiative unlike all of the past programs is two fold.  39 major conservation groups, including Big Cat Rescue, have joined forces with one common goal:  Save the tiger in the wild.  There have been other joint efforts, but none this large and never before has an entity as powerful as the World Bank been a committed partner in saving wild places for wild animals.   Harrison Ford, one of Hollywood's hottest actors, thanks to his latest Indiana Jones movie breaking records in theaters, is on the board of Conservation International and spoke at the June 9th launch.  Also in attendance were our friend, the beautiful Bo Derek, who won the Wildlife Guardian Award at the Fur Ball last year, and Robert Duvall.  HSUS brought Tiger Kids to the launch and this photo is from their participation as a ITC members.  See these celebrities up close and purrsonal in the most important roles of their lives in this video we shot and find out more about how the World Bank and the International Tiger Coalition plan to save the tiger. http://bigcatrescue.org/video/00206.htm   Other:  On 4/4/08 we had another perfect USDA inspection.  We were “green” before it was cool with our recycling, water restrictions and other steps we have taken to walk softly and leave only footprints, but things are going to get a lot greener, and yellower and purpler. Our friends at Biological Research Associates lovingly relocated 2000 pickerelweed, golden canna and gulf coast spikerush.  They spent an afternoon transforming the lake bank and by summer you should see a green three foot swath of native plants that flower in yellow and purple like irises and canas. Kevin Atkins, PWS Senior Project Scientist and Vice President of Biological Research Associates, who once worked with Belinda Wright in the wilds of India to save the tiger, has a deep affection for the big cats.  In reference to wild excursions and his upcoming trip to Africa he commented, “It's a beautiful planet.” http://bigcatrescue.org/000news/0articlesbybcr/2008Greener.htm   With more than 100 big cats on 45 acres, we are always in the process of refurbishing and replacing old cages.  Landscaping is another ongoing project whether it be hauling off tree limbs lost in a storm, to mowing acres of grass, to installing beautiful plants to give the cats shade, privacy and the excitement of the butterflies. Most of the trees and flowers at Big Cat Rescue were donated and this video thanks John Deere, Tampa Bay Nursery, Babs of Garden Magic, our volunteers and those of you who make it possible. http://bigcatrescue.org/video/00192.htm   Helping Others:  Big Cat Rescue offered a $5,000 reward for information resulting in the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for shooting a young, female tiger to death. Her body was found next to an apartment complex and I-35E in Dallas, TX on Christmas Day. This was our first offer of a reward to solve a crime and it generated leads but no convictions.  We donated thousands of dollars worth of our tours to other worthy animal non profits including Animal Coalition of Tampa, Boxer Rescue, the Humane Society, the Lakeland SPCA, the Largo SPCA, National Humane, and many, many others.   America's injured veterans have found Big Cat Rescue a place of tranquility where they can surround themselves with beauty and grace;  a respite from all that they have endured protecting our country.  It started with one group and now they come to visit quite frequently.  It's on the house and we provide lunch when we can as well by asking donors to contribute.  They have done their part in keeping Americans free and we are doing our part to fight for that same freedom for the big cats.  Offered to provide mounted cougar and a native bobcat who was road kill to the Florida Conservation Commission to use in their exhibit at the fairgrounds, if they would stop using live cats.   Then and Now:     Our CFO, Howard Baskin, compiled a ten year snapshot of the sanctuary and its growth.  This is just a comparison between 1996 and 2007. Wildlife on Easy Street to Big Cat Rescue   1996    2007 Visitors    85  24,574 Total Expenses  $1,686,386 *    $926,619 Total Income    $0  $1,509,284 Total Net Assets    $148,455    $2,760,047 Spent on Program Services   100%    86% ** *funded by Founder        ** 14% spent on Management and Fundraising combined   Officers and Members of the Board of Directors in 2008 and meetings: • CEO and Founder  Carole Baskin (not compensated by BCR) • President and Chairman of the Board Jamie Veronica • Vice President & BOD Cathy Neumann (not compensated by BCR) • Secretary Jen Ruszczyk (not compensated by BCR) • Treasurer Howard Baskin (not compensated by BCR) • Director Dr. Liz Wynn, DVM  (not compensated by BCR for her role as a Director)   Paid Staff:  Figures from 2007 as the final reports for 2008 are not in. Check back after April 15, 2009:  We went from 3 paid staff to 7 and now provide worker's comp insurance.  We are working to offer health insurance if enough of our staff opt for it.   • Operations Manager & Volunteer Coordinator Scott Lope $35,000.00 incl. bonuses • Staff Manager, Editor & Creative Director Jamie Veronica $24,700.00 (compensated but not for her work as a member of the board)  Gift Shop & Guest Services  Honey Wayton $22,800.00 • Intern Director & Lead AdvoCat Tiffany Deavor $25,000.00 Replaced by Kathryn Quaas in 2008. Education Directors Dr. Beth Kamhi & Coleen Kremer $14,000.00 combined • Vernon Stairs Cage Builder and Maintenance $35,600.00 • Jessica Allen took Bridget's place in Feb.  Chris took Brian's place May 1. • LaWanna Jones hired as an independent contractor 3/1/08 to work on web issues.  Debra Scott was hired as an independent contractor to do CapWiz alerts in July.   All of our animal care is done by volunteers or by staff who also volunteer time before & after work.   Volunteers:  Big Cat Rescue had 110 volunteers in 2008 who clocked in 39,902.57 man-power hours in addition to staff, intern and Volunteer Committee member hours.  Roughly the equivalent workforce of 23 more full time staff.   2008 The S.A.V.E. award for Scratch's Award 4 Volunteer Excellence.  The recipients were January – Becky Gagliardo, February – Rich Bluder, March – Mary Lou Geis, April – Sherry Levesque, May – Erin Newman, June – Scott Milshaw, July – Shiloh Grant, August – who?  , September – Rachel Pipitone, October – who? , November – who?  and December –  who?  Winners of the S.A.V.E. award are allowed to direct $500.00 to the cat project of their choice.   The Volunteer of the Year Award is Big Cat Rescue's most prestigious award.  It is also the hardest award to bestow as we have the best volunteers in the world and so many of them deserve our highest honors and praise.  This year's recipient was announced at the 2008 Fur Ball by Cathy Neumann, our Vice President.  Because of her outstanding service Cathy won the award herself so frequently that the only way to get her out of the running was to name the award after her and let her present it each year.  This year's winner was Becky Gagliardo.  Check out Becky's hero page to find out more about her. http://bigcatrescue.org/hero/beckygagliardo.htm   Staff and Volunteer Training:  On Jan. 25 Coleen Kremer, Dr. Beth Kamhi, Scott Lope, Jamie Veronica, Honey Wayton, Tiffany Deavor, Jen Ruszczyk, Jessica Allen, Barbara Frank, Dr. Liz Wynn, DVM, Howard Baskin and Carole Baskin met for a four hour crash course in People Mapping by Dr. Mike Lillibridge.http://bigcatrescue.org/000news/0articlesbybcr/PeopleMap.htm  Jamie Veronica and Dr. Liz Wynn completed the Safe Capture Course on Sept. 15, 2008.  We want to say a special thank you to four of our staff & volunteers who have just completed their 10th year of service to the cats:  Bill Lewis, Mary Lou Geis, Cathy Neumann and Scott Lope.  

Lauren and JJ ask, “did you know?” In this journal club episode, the ladies discuss a possible mechanism for grape toxicity in dogs, the benefits of alcohol based rubs over traditional surgical scrubbing, a new pet diabetes app, and a veterinary satirical newspaper. References - Possible mechanism of grape toxicity: 1. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, June 15, 2021, Vol. 258, No. 12, Pages 1318-1321. https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.258.12.1318 2. McReynolds, T. What causes grape toxicity in dogs? Playdough might have led to a breakthrough. NEWStat, April 1, 2021. American Animal Hospital Association. https://www.aaha.org/publications/newstat/articles/2021-04/what-causes-grape-toxicity-in-dogs-playdough-might-have-led-to-a-breakthrough/ References - Surgical Hand Asepsis: 1. Boyce, J. M., & Pittet, D. Guideline for hand hygiene in healthcare settings. Morbidity and mortality weekly report, October 24, 2002, 51 (RR 16), pp 1-44. Centers for disease control and prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5116a1.htm 2. De Silveria, E. A., Bubeck, K. A., Batista, E. R., Piat, P., Laverty, S., Beauchamp, G., Archambault, M., & Elce, Y. Comparison of an alcohol-based hand rub and water-based chlorhexidine gluconate scrub technique for hand antisepsis prior to elective surgery in horses. The Canadian Veterinary Journal, Feb 2016; 57(2), pp 164-8. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4712995/ 3. Weight CJ, Lee MC, Palmer JS. Avagard hand antisepsis vs. traditional scrub in 3600 pediatric urologic procedures. Urology. 2010 Jul;76(1):15-7. doi: 10.1016/j.urology.2010.01.017. Epub 2010 Apr 3. PMID: 20363495. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20363495/ 4. Verwilghen D, Grulke S, Kampf G. Presurgical hand antisepsis: concepts and current habits of veterinary surgeons. Vet Surg. 2011 Jul;40(5):515-21. doi: 10.1111/j.1532-950X.2011.00846.x. PMID: 21736594. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21736594/ 5. Avagard application instructions: https://multimedia.3m.com/mws/media/128376O/application-instructions-for-avagard-hand-antiseptic.pdf Link to the Royal Veterinary College Pet Diabetes App: 1. Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=uk.ac.rvc.petdiabetestracker 2. Apple: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/rvc-pet-diabetes-app/id1095999436 The Cageliner: https://cagelinervet.com AVMA QPR Training: https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/wellbeing/qpr-suicide-prevention-training

Sarah's start in the veterinary industry came in 2011, when she was hired as the marketing copywriter for the American Animal Hospital Association. In her nearly 5 years there, she fell in love with the profession and learned how to "speak veterinary" fluently. By 2016, the need for standout veterinary writing became obvious to Sarah, so she started her company, Rumpus Writing and Editing. From blogs and social media posts to editorials and advertising copy—whether pet owner- or industry-facing—if it could be written or edited in the veterinary space, Sarah would do it. Today, Rumpus is a team of outstanding writers and editors who know veterinary medicine, know grammar, push limits, and deliver exactly what their clients want.

Heather speaks to Garth Jordan and Heather Loenser of the American Animal Hospital Association. Both leaders of this organization: Garth, CEO, and Heather Loenser, Senior Veterinary Officer, together with Heather Younger have a very dynamic discussion about their personal leadership findings.  To the Heathers, empathy comes naturally. To Garth, it has been a work in progress. Yet, they all agree that empathy is crucial to the art of leadership, and that the follow up action is just as crucial as the initial empathetic response. Leaders cannot merely seek to understand; they must go a step further. Heather Loenser describes how empaths have their own struggles, you cannot stop at feeling what the other person feels, you must help them resolve the issue, and step out of the dark hole with them, together.  Garth shares about his leadership journey and where he found a place for empathy amidst it. He speaks to the importance of hearing every voice. Leaders are responsible for responding to the findings of any listening exercise, and they have a duty to accompany their team through the changes, and to the solution. Everyone wants change, few want to change, and no one wants to lead the change.  Takeaways: Being an empath, it can be exhausting to feel another's fears.  Compassion is a necessary follow up to empathy-we see and feel someone’s pain—what do we do about it? Do unto others what they want you to do for them. Change will only happen if everyone is lifted up, understands what it looks like and their role in it. If you only have one to one empathy and compassion, design thinking helps you get from the one to many. With voice comes responsibility; a responsibility to become part of the solution.  Your worth as a person is not tied to your performance. Empathy is like a muscle, you can exercise it and find ways to bring it into personal and professional life, and find more value by practicing it every day.  Leaders bring to the table lessons learned, a lot of us learn a lot about how to exist in the world from our first families. If our experiences with our families weren’t perfect (and few are) then we will carry that with us throughout the rest of our lives. Best step to take to grow and become grounded and self aware is therapy.

Garth Jordan is the CEO of the American Animal Hospital Association and in this episode we're talking about business models and revenue for associations, something that is certainly top of mind for today's association professionals. -- What should we be thinking about when it comes to replacing lost revenue right now? -- Why do associations need to start thinking and acting more holistically about their business model? -- As associations pivot and change their focus, what challenges or obstacles often come up? -- How can we take what we've learned over the last 4 months, take the best of that, and make it part of our culture? Visit https://www.marybyers.com/contact/ for links to join the conversation on our social sites. © 2020 Mary Byers

GeniusVets Co-founder, David Hall has an amazing interview with Dr. John Tait, one of the most experienced and respected experts in the country on this topic, says that it is a bad idea for veterinary practice owners to sell now. Dr. John Tait will be discussing a variety of topics including maximizing practice value, planning for future vulnerabilities such as economic downturns, and alternative exit strategies that provide significant advantages over selling to a corporate chain.As a former veterinary practice owner, as well as the former President of the American Animal Hospital Association, current VSG Treasurer and Founder of John Tait Veterinary Consulting, Dr. Tait is well-known for his significant and ongoing contributions to the veterinary profession. 

A anestesiologia veterinária é uma das áreas que mais evoluiu nos últimos anos e a presença de um veterinário especializado é essencial. E para ajudar a garantir a segurança desses pacientes, os veterinários anestesiologistas seguem as diretrizes da American Animal Hospital Association, que este ano passou por atualizações. E quem nos falará mais sobre o tema é o veterinário anestesiologista Dr. Paulo Roberto Klaumann, da PRK Anestesiologia Veterinária, de Curitiba, Paraná. Inscreva-se no canal, ative as notificações e compartilhe! INSTAGRAM: @panoramavetbr TWITTER: @panoramavetbr FACEBOOK: @panoramavetoficial Equipe Panorama Vet Apresentadoras: Mariana Vilela e Alessandra Mussolini Editor de vídeos e áudios: Vitor Quartezani (Instagram: @smartphotofotosmobile) Editor de artes: Lucas Delgado www.vetshare.com.br Contato: vetshare@vetshare.com.br WhatsApp: +55 (41) 99267-9797 #panoramavet #vetshare #medicinaveterinária #vetpet #veterinary #medvet #anestesiologiaveterinária #anestesiavet

In this episode, Lauren and JJ work through a case involving a kitty that was too sweet for its own good. After taking some bets on what would be causing the symptoms, they reach a diagnosis of diabetes mellitus. The episode features a deep dive into management of feline diabetes mellitus, including medication, diet, and monitoring. Sources for this episode include: 1. Rand, J. 2017. ‘Feline Diabetes - Maximizing Diabetic Remission.’ World Small Animal Veterinary Association Congress proceedings. 2. Rand, J. 2019. ‘Feline Diabetic Remission: Should it be the Goal?’ American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) Forum proceedings. 3. Behrend, E., Holford, A., Lathan, P., Rucinsky, R., Schulman, R. 2018. ‘2018 AAHA Diabetes Management Guidelines for Dogs and Cats.’ American Animal Hospital Association website: https://www.aaha.org/aaha-guidelines/diabetes-management/diabetes-management-home/ 4. Rothrock, K. 2012. ‘Feline Diabetes Mellitus.’ Vincyclopedia of Diseases. Veterinary Information Network: www.vin.com 5. Reusch, C. ‘Feline Diabetes Mellitus.’ Textbook of Veterinary Internal Medicine, 7th ed. St. Louis, Saunders Elsevier. 2010 pp. 1796-1816. 6. Alt, N., Kley, S., Haessig, M., Reusch, C. ‘Day-to-day Variability of Blood Glucose Concentration Curves Generated at Home in Cats with Diabetes Mellitus.’ Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (JAVMA), April 2007. And for our non-veterinary listeners, here is an article from Texas A&M about cats hiding illness: https://vetmed.tamu.edu/news/pet-talk/when-is-your-cat-hiding-illness-or-injury/

In this companion piece for Episode 1, Lauren and JJ provide updates on dog-o-grams and treating whipworms in parvo puppies. They also discuss the prevalence of intestinal parasites in dog parks in the US, options for dog poo management, and classy Halloween decor. Sources for this episode include: 1. Duncan, Kathryn. “Dog Parks: Where pets, people and parasites collide.” aaha.org. American Animal Hospital Association, May 2, 2020. https://www.aaha.org/publications/newstat/articles/2020-05/dog-parks-where-pets-people-and-parasites-collide/ 2. Madson, Cathy. “Fast Fecal Facts and Stool Sample Steps.” preventativevet.com. Preventative Vet, April 9th, 2019.

The weather is getting better and even though we have to social distance, we’ll still be going more outside with our dogs. That can be a lot of fun, but also bring about some dangers that we need to be aware of to keep our dogs safe and healthy. Dr. Heather Loenser from the American Animal Hospital Association will share tips on keeping safe in the great outdoors. Our connection with our pets may never have been more profound than it is right now. Dr. Mark Russak drops by to talk to us about the human-animal bond and it’s importance in our lives. Steve helps listeners by phone and email.

Small Animal Fluid Therapy, Acid-Base and Electrolyte Disorders is a short text designed to highlight some of the more important aspects of fluid therapy, acid-base and electrolyte disorders, in an easy-to-read, concise format, facilitating rapid access to core information. The author, Dr Elisa Mazzaferro, is a well-respected, internationally recognised expert, and widely published author in the field of veterinary emergency and critical care. The book opens with a useful chapter on fluid compartments and total body water, and presents a concise review of the basic principles of body fluid compartments, forces of osmolality, osmosis and diffusion, and then advances to the physiological response to hypovolaemia, and fluid balance. The chapter also presents the notion of fluid therapy requirements based on energy expenditure, which is an important step in preventing excesses of fluid administration in the critically ill patient and aligns well with the most recent fluid therapy guidelines from the American Animal Hospital Association. This is followed by an excellent chapter on techniques and complications of vascular access, which is enhanced by the inclusion of numerous high-quality images and step-by-step guides to placement of peripheral venous, central venous, intra-osseous, arterial and cut-down techniques. The chapter on blood banking and transfusion medicine is likewise excellent, and provides a useful guide to blood collection, processing and administration. The book concludes with a brief description of common electrolyte disorders, and parenteral nutrition, followed by a short review of the types of shock and the “rule of twenty”. Several case-studies are also presented, highlighting the various uses of fluid therapy in the critical and emergency patient. Overall, the text is very easy to read. Being a handbook, it lacks the depth of physiology and pathophysiology of more comprehensive texts. Those studying for advanced examinations would be better served by more exhaustive references. In addition, due to the age of the text, some recommendations – particularly those on colloid therapy, and monitoring (e.g. central venous pressure) have now been superseded by advances in medical knowledge and should therefore be disregarded.  However, the book is not without merit – even given its age – with excellent chapters on vascular access and transfusion therapy. The inclusion of many tables, charts and flow-diagrams, along with excellent images, make this book a suitable reference for those wanting an introductory text for small animal fluid therapy.

On this episode of the podcast Julie has an interesting conversation with her friend Dr. Brent Calhoun.  Dr. Calhoun was a  partner and hospital administrator with Michigan Veterinary Specialists.  He was on the board of directors for the American Animal Hospital Association and the Practice Management co-editor for the Veterinary Information Network.  He has also written for AAHA Trends and Veterinary Economics magazines.  He is a stroke "Thriver" that has an amazing outlook on life.   

On today’s show I’m delighted to welcome back (back extremely popular demand) anaesthesia, feline and end of Life care guru Dr Sheliah Robertson for our very first ever “round two” interview. Sheilah is one of the insanely qualified, brilliant yet humble people in veterinary medicine so, if you missed round one then your homework is to go back to Episode 16 and catch up! Sheilah grew up in Scotland and graduated from Glasgow University which sort of means we are twins. And her career in veterinary medicine spans more than three decades and encompasses numerous roles and qualifications acquiring four diplomas and one PhD while teaching at schools in the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States. She has held many prestigious positions including work with AVMA, she's a two-time member of the American Animal Hospital Association and American Association of Feline Practitioners Pain Management Taskforce. And has served as the president of the American College of Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia. That’s saying nothing of the massive list of publications she has written or contributed to. All of which means she’s out of sight at the good end of the dunning-kruger effect curve. In 2017, Sheilah joined Lap of Love Veterinary Hospice as the Senior Medical Director and helps the team deliver the best end of life care experience possible. Now, just before we jump into the episode, I just wanted to drop a quick word from today's show sponsor which is the VetX:Thrive community. If you are a young vet looking to find your feet in veterinary medicine, grow your confidence, avoid burnout and beat you inner imposter, then VetX:Thrive is for you. As a community member you’ll have access to 12 online core training modules, monthly coaching with experienced mentors and incredible toolkits to help you thrive in your career. Access to the community is available for just $25/month and if you use the promocode ‘podcast' then you will receive a further 10% discount. Head to vetxinternational.com/thrive to take advantage of this offer and take control of your career. Now, back to the show, I learned so much from my first conversation wit Sheliah that a round two was always on the cards and judging my how well the first episide was received, you felt the same way too. So it gives me huge pleasure to bring you this, my second conversation with the fantastic Dr Sheliah Robertson. In this episode we get into a lot more detail on Sheliah’s bckstory, including her Scottish history and how she fought and won against cancer not just once, but twice. We also get into some detail on some Scottish mythology, how the faculty at Glasgow University pranked the world and as you might expect from one of the best veterinary anaesthesiologists on the planet, some outstansing advice to help you improve your patient care. This is a very eclectic and wide-ranging conversation which I hope you enjoy for the content, and if not that, then the double dose of Scottish accents and folklore.

On today’s show, I am joined by Bash Halow. Bash, is one of the most entertaining speakers on the veterinary circuit, firstly because he is tear-inducingly funny when he hits his flow, highly eloquent and not afraid to say things that others might take offence to. In short, he possesses a raw authenticity that has endears him to many in his native North America and beyond, notably he recently addressed the Veterinary Management Association at the House of Lords in London. Based in New York Bash started out life as a technician and pursued his business interest to founding both the New Jersey Veterinary Hospital Manager’s Association, the Big Apple Veterinary Management group in NYC and served as an advisor for the Mercer County Community College’s Veterinary Assistant Program, the first of its kind in the area. Bash’s day to day work involves helping veterinary hospitals understand how to build stronger teams and responsibly and ethically grow their businesses. And he is a member of the American Animal Hospital Association, the Veterinary Hospital Managers Association, and the Pennsylvania Veterinary Medical Association which recognised Bash with the President’s Award in 2013 for his educational work in that state. He is also on the editorial advisory board for Firstline Veterinary Management Magazine and the FetchDVM360 veterinary conferences. Now, just before we jump into the episode, I just wanted to drop a quick word from our show sponsor VetX:Thrive. If you are struggling in practice or you know a vet who is then please check this out. VetX:Thrive is a community that will help you find purpose and direction plus give you the skills to succeed and be happy. As a member, you'll learn and master the non-clinical skills required for success. You’ll get access to the best mentors around and you’ll be part of a supportive global network of vets. If you think that sort of support and training would help you succeed as a vet then head to drdavenicol.com/vetx and click on VetX:Thrive to learn more. Back to Bash, I can honestly say that no guest has made me laugh so much at topics that I might otherwise find quite dark, Bash was genuine, forthright, vulnerable and honest during this interview which made him such an amazing guest. So let me speak no more and instead leave you to savour, learn or maybe just enjoy this, my conversation with the wonderful, Bash Halow. Topics covered in this episode include: *Why Bash moved upstate and enjoys farming, bees and chickens *Why everything knows about people he learned from chickens (vegans be warned, you are going to laugh at something you might find distasteful). *His opinions on the modern veterinary practice *Why the job of the veterinary receptionist is almost impossible the way most clinics do it. *Much more about Bash you have never heard, but will make you love him even more. (Except vegans - and even then, it’s hard not to love Bash).

On today’s show, I’m delighted to welcome one of the most well-read, insanely qualified and awesome people in veterinary medicine you’ve most likely never heard of, Dr Sheilah Robertson. Sheilah grew up in Scotland and graduated from Glasgow University. Her career in veterinary medicine spans more than three decades and encompasses numerous roles and qualifications acquiring four diplomas and one PhD while teaching at schools in the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States. Sheilah has held many prestigious positions including work with AVMA, she's a two-time member of the American Animal Hospital Association and American Association of Feline Practitioners Pain Management Taskforce. And has served as the president of the American College of Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia. That’s saying nothing of the massive list of publications she has written or contributed two including two books. It’s safe to say she’s a titan in the world of anaesthesia and pain management. In 2017, Sheilah joined Lap of Love Veterinary Hospice as the Senior Medical Director. Where the rumour has it that the company had to reduce their font by two points to come anywhere near getting all of the alphabet of letters onto her business card! I’m not going to read it out here but in the show notes you can see for yourself, she has so many letters after her name it’s like someone got very loose with a can of alphabet spaghetti. Now, just before we jump into the episode, I just wanted to drop a quick word from our show sponsor which today is the VetX Graduate Mentoring community. If you are a practice owner and want to offer your new vets a greater level of support so they grow faster and stay longer with your practice, then jump onto my website drdavenicol.com/vetx-grad and learn how we are helping graduates across the world thrive in practices just like yours. The class is open for global entry now so check it out. This episode ranks as one of my favourites (I know I say that a lot and I genuinely mean it each time). The reason being that Sheilah is such a warm, friendly and humble person with a great sense of humour. It really was a joy to listen and learn from her. The time just flew past I could have talked for hours more. So without further ado, I present to you, my interview with the amazing Dr Sheilah Robertson. In the course of our talk, we cover many topics including: 1. Anaesthesia safety tips and risk you probably didn’t know before - my eyes were certainly opened. 2. Why and anaesthesiologist would move to work with an end of life care business. 3. What we can be doing to improve care for geriatric patients. 4. She spells out a great anaesthetic protocol for older pets for dental work. 5. How to improve anaesthesia and mortality in cats. 6. What the big ethical dilemmas are in veterinary medicine.

SoulPup Episode 1: Tips to Protect Your Dog’s Health When you bring home a dog, veterinary care is one of the most important components to raising a happy, healthy dog. Avoid sticker shock with veterinary visits with tips from Dr. Annie Price of Ormewood Animal Hospital in metro Atlanta. BEFORE you schedule a veterinary appointment.  Whether it’s a puppy or an older rescue dog, schedule that initial vet visit within the first week or two of bringing your dog home. Bring any vaccination records or other info regarding the dog’s history. Also, it pays to take note of any behavioral or health issues you may notice. Share any questions or concerns during your vet visit. New to the area or in need of a veterinarian? Ask friends for referrals. Dr. Price also suggests checking with a local referral service. For a list of accredited hospitals across the country, visit the American Animal Hospital Association. To find a board-certified veterinary expert in your are, visit Vetspecialists.com and enter your ZIP code. Prepare to vaccinate your dog. While the rabies vaccination is required for dogs, your dog’s lifestyle may mean that some other shots are not necessary. For example, a Yorkie that doesn’t socialize with any other dogs and only potties on a pee pad can probably skip the Bordetella vaccine, which is typically required for dogs that attend dog parks, boarding facilities or doggie daycare centers. Canine influenza is another vaccine to consider if your dog frequently socializes with four-legged friends. Talk to your vet about your dog’s risk factor. As for the rabies shot, it’s available in a three-year dosage. Puppy vaccinations are administered from six to about 17 weeks of age so discuss vaccinations that may already have been administered and prepare to protect your pup,  particularly if you purchased from a breeder. There are benefits to spaying/neutering a dog. If your dog has not been spayed or neutered, expect the vet to make this suggestion. (For those who are unaware, spaying means removing a female dog’s ovaries and uterus. Neutering removes a dog’s testicles and cuts off blood supply to the vas deferens. Both procedures prevent dogs from producing puppies.) Spaying a dog before she reaches her first heat also can reduce her chances of developing breast cancer.  Dr. Price notes that, with neutering, dogs are less likely to mark areas of the house, and 90 percent of dogs hit by cars are intact male dogs (probably in search of a girlfriend). Protect those pearly whites. Dental cleaning sessions at the vet’s office can lead to the biggest “sticker shock” among dog owners. Dr. Price points out some of what goes into an actual cleaning for dogs or cats: The vet is cleaning involves polishing each tooth and cleaning under the gum line. This thorough cleaning can generate a lot of saliva and bacteria. Needless to say, scaling a pet’s teeth is not a pleasant experience and requires the animal to be fully anesthetized. Dr. Price says anesthesia is typically the biggest chunk of your bill. Before anesthetizing, most vets also will run blood tests to assess whether your pet is healthy enough to handle this procedure. During dental cleanings, Dr. Price says vets also monitor things like cardiac functions and oxygen levels. Regular dental hygiene at home is one of the best ways to reduce extensive veterinary procedures. Dr. Price advocates regularly brushing your dog’s teeth. Start as early as possible to get them used to having their mouths handled. Also, do not use human toothpaste. It can be toxic to dogs. Instead, visit your local pet store for a dog version. She also recommends avoiding hard chew such as deer antlers. She has had to conduct root canals and repair several cracked teeth due to dogs chewing tough items. Instead, opt for rubbery style chews. Invest in health insurance. The best way to cut costs at the veterinary clinic — and avoid stress if there is an emergency — is ...

How do you turn your digital marketing into actual clients that come into your veterinary practice? That is the question that we're going to cover in today's episode with guest Dr. Andy Roark. Andy has done an incredible job of turning his digital community into an actual community of people who attended his conference Uncharted.  Today's episode is longer than an average episode but it is filled with some really great insight that will help you and your veterinary practice. Events are a great way to get people who just normally engage with you online to turn into clients who build a relationship with, and today's episode is packed with great tips on how to do just that.  For those of you stuck under a rock and who don't know Andy, he has some impressive accomplishments under his belt when it comes to digital marketing. Andy is a practicing veterinarian, international speaker, author, and media personality. Dr. Roark has been voted Practice Management Speaker of the Year at NAVC, one of the world's largest veterinary conferences, two out of the last three years. He also received the Outstanding Young Alumni Award from the University of Florida's College of Veterinary Medicine. Practices where Dr. Roark works were named as finalists in the American Animal Hospital Association's Practice of the Year Contest in 2013 and 2015. He also has built his website to the point where it gets hundreds of thousands of page views, has grown his Facebook page to over 234,000 likes, and most recently, launch a successful conference and online community.  I was able to speak at his conference, UnchartedVet.com and I was blown away at the quality of the attendees, the amount of community he helped to foster and the level of high execution he and his team performed to make everything come together. In today's episode, we talk about how he pulled this all together and what some of his biggest lessons from creating and promoting this conference, which is now open for registration but I'm sure it will sell out quickly! Be sure to visit UnchartedVet.com and if you have the opportunity to go to the conference, do it! Your practice will see a positive change from the information and community that you will benefit from. 

You know your pet better than anyone else. You would know if it were in pain... or would you? Though pets are basically wired for experiencing discomfort as you and I are, too often they mask the typical outward indications like crying and whining for myriad reasons. So how can you tell if your pet is hurting? If you do thing they are ouchy, how about saving some money and dosing them with a bit of your pain medication? And what is so bad about pain anyway? Isn't it just part of life? My guest is the Professional and Public Affairs Veterinary Advisor for the American Animal Hospital Association, Dr. Heather Loenser. We are going the explore these questions and more because every pet should experience the joy of a pain free life. Questions or comments? Email Dr. Cruz at: thepetdoctor@petliferadio.com. More details on this episode MP3 Podcast - Pain Management in Pets - The Joy of a Pain Free Life on Pet Life Radio.

Parameters were measured as soon as the patient was induced, at 30 and 60 minutes afterwards, and overall. What'd this study find? Overall, this study found that those patients that received 20 mL of LRS/kg/hour had the greatest total and perfused density vessel (in those vessels that were > 20 μm in diameter, which are mostly venules and arterioles). So what do we take from it? While our healthy patients undergoing elective procedures are at low-risk for hypoperfusion under general anesthesia as compared to our critically ill patients, keep in mind that fluid losses can occur through blood loss, the respiratory tract, and through the abdominal cavity. When these fluid losses occur in the face of anesthetic drugs, there is the risk of poor perfusion. And you know a criticalist's favorite answer to every veterinary question out there: perfusion and metabolic acidosis, right? “When we monitor a patient's blood pressure or oxygen levels, we're not always able to discern what is happening at the cellular level,” Silverstein said. “Sometimes there are tissues and cells that are getting a surplus of oxygen while other cells or tissues are in need of more, but our measuring the big things, like blood pressure, doesn't tell us that. The only way we figure that out is when the patient develops organ dysfunction or new complications arise following anesthesia.” The American Animal Hospital Association and American Association of Feline Practitioners recommend the use of IV fluids in their guidelines under even routine procedures. While it adds to the cost of surgery (well, barely), it's worth it. Based on this study, it may improve the microcirculation in our anesthetized patients! “The larger vessels are the ones that are constricting and dilating to feed the microcirculation,” Silverstein said. “And it appears that the animals that got the highest rate of fluids in this study - which may not be the optimal rate - are the ones that seemed to have the greatest recruitment of arterioles and venules.” For more information, check out Penn News. References: 1. Silverstein DC, Cozzi EM, Hopkins AS. Microcirculatory effects of intravenous fluid administration in anesthetized dogs undergoing elective ovariohysterectomy. Am J Vet Res 2014;75(9):809-817. 2. Keane PW, Murray PF. Intravenous fluids in minor surgery. Their effect on recovery from anaesthesia. Anaesthesia 1986;41:635-;637. 3. Terry RN, Trudnowski RJ. Intraoperative fluid therapy: relationship to anesthetic and surgical complications. N Y State J Med 1964;64:2646-;2654. 4. Trinooson CD, Gold ME. Impact of goal-direct perioperative fluid management in high-risk surgical procedures: A literature review. AANA Journal 2013;81(5):357-368.

Parameters were measured as soon as the patient was induced, at 30 and 60 minutes afterwards, and overall. What'd this study find? Overall, this study found that those patients that received 20 mL of LRS/kg/hour had the greatest total and perfused density vessel (in those vessels that were > 20 μm in diameter, which are mostly venules and arterioles). So what do we take from it? While our healthy patients undergoing elective procedures are at low-risk for hypoperfusion under general anesthesia as compared to our critically ill patients, keep in mind that fluid losses can occur through blood loss, the respiratory tract, and through the abdominal cavity. When these fluid losses occur in the face of anesthetic drugs, there is the risk of poor perfusion. And you know a criticalist's favorite answer to every veterinary question out there: perfusion and metabolic acidosis, right? “When we monitor a patient's blood pressure or oxygen levels, we're not always able to discern what is happening at the cellular level,” Silverstein said. “Sometimes there are tissues and cells that are getting a surplus of oxygen while other cells or tissues are in need of more, but our measuring the big things, like blood pressure, doesn't tell us that. The only way we figure that out is when the patient develops organ dysfunction or new complications arise following anesthesia.” The American Animal Hospital Association and American Association of Feline Practitioners recommend the use of IV fluids in their guidelines under even routine procedures. While it adds to the cost of surgery (well, barely), it's worth it. Based on this study, it may improve the microcirculation in our anesthetized patients! “The larger vessels are the ones that are constricting and dilating to feed the microcirculation,” Silverstein said. “And it appears that the animals that got the highest rate of fluids in this study - which may not be the optimal rate - are the ones that seemed to have the greatest recruitment of arterioles and venules.” For more information, check out Penn News. References: 1. Silverstein DC, Cozzi EM, Hopkins AS. Microcirculatory effects of intravenous fluid administration in anesthetized dogs undergoing elective ovariohysterectomy. Am J Vet Res 2014;75(9):809-817. 2. Keane PW, Murray PF. Intravenous fluids in minor surgery. Their effect on recovery from anaesthesia. Anaesthesia 1986;41:635-;637. 3. Terry RN, Trudnowski RJ. Intraoperative fluid therapy: relationship to anesthetic and surgical complications. N Y State J Med 1964;64:2646-;2654. 4. Trinooson CD, Gold ME. Impact of goal-direct perioperative fluid management in high-risk surgical procedures: A literature review. AANA Journal 2013;81(5):357-368.

Even though for many, pets are as dear as children, the laws definitely don't see it that way. Unless you plan, your pet is no more important, legally, than a piece of furniture. That being said, Americans seriously love their pets! According to the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association, 63% of American households have pets. A survey conducted by the American Animal Hospital Association shows that 57% of pet owners say that, if stranded on a desert island, they would prefer their pet as their sole companion. In 2012, we collectively spent $53 BILLION dollars on pet care. Men spend, on average, more than women! 5 BILLION is spent on pet gifts! Despite the fact that we love our pets so much, most people fail to plan. This simple fact is part of the reason that it is estimated that approximately 3.7 million animals were euthanized in the nation's shelters in 2008. Don't let this happen you your vulnerable loved one! Join me as I discuss pet planning with nationally renowned expert and author of All My Children Wear Fur Coats – How to Leave A Legacy For Your Pet, Peggy Hoyt, as she offers some great tips on how to properly plan for pets, and really gives perspective on why it is important — even if you think that you “already have it taken care of.” WHAT YOU WILL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE: Why pet planning is essential How to structure pet caregiver compensation, if necessary How and why to plan in a way that the court won't interfere Considerations of proper persons to leave your animals in the car of And more! ALL MY CHILDREN WEAR FUR COATS… How to leave a legacy for your pet. Animal companions… your pets… “your children.” Whatever you call them, they are dearly loved, family members. Our pets come to us from rescue shelters, from pet stores, from breeders, and from friends and family. Our pets come in all shapes and sizes — from horses to hamsters, from ferrets to felines — they inhabit our hearts with their own unique personalities. They share day-to-day struggles, adventures, special moments, and playtimes with us. We share our homes, our beds, and our hearts with our pets. We worry about our pets, too, just like our children, when they are not with us. They leave us with a legacy of happy memories after they're gone. Our pets love us unconditionally, help reduce stress and even enhance longevity. For all these reasons and so many more, you should explore all the alternatives for planning for your pet's future without you and for your future without your pet. This book is for anyone who has ever loved a pet and wondered what he or she would do if their pet were no longer with them or what their pet would do if they were no longer there. Peggy Hoyt, Estate Planning Attorney, and Pet Planning Expert About Peggy Hoyt: As a central Florida Estate Planning Attorney/Family Wealth & Legacy Counselors, Peggy works with individuals and families who want to create a lasting legacy for loved ones. Peggy is dual Board Certified in Wills, Trusts and Estates and Elder Law. Peggy practices in the areas of family wealth and legacy counseling, including trust and estate planning and administration, elder law, small business creation, succession and exit planning, real estate transactions, and animal law. In addition to her law degree, she holds a Florida real estate license. Peggy formerly held an NASD Series 7 license and health, life, and variable annuities licenses. Peggy holds her Board Certification from the Florida Bar in Wills, Trusts, and Estates and Elder Law. Peggy speaks at the local, regional and national levels on estate planning and elder law topics including pet planning, special needs planning, and planning for unmarried couples and same-sex partners. Peggy has been featured on CNN Financial News, the Wall Street Journal, and the Orlando Sentinel for her work in pet planning. Peggy is the author of All My Children Wear Fur Coats: How to Leave a Legacy for Your Pet, a book that discusses what a person should do if their pet were no longer with them or what their pet would do if they were no longer there Aside from being a partner shareholder in the law firm of She is also the founder of The Center for Animal Advocacy, Central Florida's first animal law firm dedicated to providing legal services to pets and their families. Peggy is also a Florida Supreme Court Certified Circuit Court Mediator concentrating in family business issues, elder law, and estate administration, as well as the resolution of pet disputes, AND a FINRA Arbitrator! Contact Peggy: LegacyforYourPet.com HoytBryan.com Twitter: @PeggyRHoyt

Even though for many, pets are as dear as children, the laws definitely don't see it that way. Unless you plan, your pet is no more important, legally, than a piece of furniture. That being said, Americans seriously love their pets! According to the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association, 63% of American households have pets. A survey conducted by the American Animal Hospital Association shows that 57% of pet owners say that, if stranded on a desert island, they would prefer their pet as their sole companion. In 2012, we collectively spent $53 BILLION dollars on pet care. Men spend, on average, more than women! 5 BILLION is spent on pet gifts! Despite the fact that we love our pets so much, most people fail to plan. This simple fact is part of the reason that it is estimated that approximately 3.7 million animals were euthanized in the nation’s shelters in 2008. Don't let this happen you your vulnerable loved one! Join me as I discuss pet planning with nationally renowned expert and author of All My Children Wear Fur Coats - How to Leave A Legacy For Your Pet, Peggy Hoyt, as she offers some great tips on how to properly plan for pets, and really gives perspective on why it is important -- even if you think that you "already have it taken care of." Read the show notes, and learn more: www.SmartPlanning101.com/10

The AKC Canine Health Foundation (CHF) and our corporate alliance, Zoetis, are pleased to bring you the third installment in a podcast series devoted to canine reproduction education for pet owners, breeders, and veterinarians. In this podcast Dr. Kit Kampschmidt of Brittmoore Animal Hospital in Houston Texas, discusses cryopreservation of canine semen.  Dr. Kampschmidt received his DVM from Oklahoma State University in 1983. He has developed a special interest in canine reproduction and semen cryopreservation. He is a nationally recognized authority in these areas and serves as a consultant to other veterinarians through the Veterinary Information Network. He has been an invited speaker for national veterinary meetings, state and local veterinary associations, and many breed clubs. He has trained veterinarians from all over the United States and the world in canine semen freezing and artificial insemination techniques. He is a member of the Harris County Veterinary Medical Association, Texas Veterinary Medical Association, American Veterinary Medical Association, and American Animal Hospital Association, and currently serves on the board of directors for the Society for Theriogenology.

Cancer is a disease that affects all animals. According to the American Animal Hospital Association, it is the number one cause of death in our companion animals. But how would you know if your pet has cancer? What signs could you see? Does the diagnosis of cancer have to be a death sentence? What hope is there for a pet with cancer? My guest today is Dr. Mona Rosenberg. She is a board certified veterinary internist. She is the chief of staff of the Veterinary Cancer Group in California. More details on this episode MP3 Podcast -Cancer-It Can Affect All Family Members , with Dr. Bernadine Cruz