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Featured article

Why staff retention deserves your attention in the New Year

AAHA surveyed nearly 15,000 veterinary professionals and learned that 30% plan to leave their current job within the coming year. What might make them want to stay? It starts with the right goals.

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How Do We Keep Good People in Clinical Practice?

New insights from an AAHA survey into why people in vet med leave, and what could make them want to stay.

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Recent articles

  • March 2, 2010

    Freedom from the cold chain? British team develops heat-stabilized vaccines

    A new method of stabilizing viral vaccine vectors in sugar glass could lead to easier transportation of vaccines, and potentially help veterinarians working in the field. The so-called “cold chain,” where vaccines must be transferred from one refrigerated environment to the next until they are used, can sometimes be difficult to maintain, especially in remote, tropical or resource-poor areas. But now, a team of British researchers has developed a method of immobilizing viral vaccine vectors in sugar glass on a membrane. The resulting product can be stored at up to 45 degrees C (113 F) for six months with minimal losses in titer or immunogenicity, according to the study. The research team also devised a way to quickly reconstitute the vaccine with an attachment that fits between the syringe and the needle.
  • February 16, 2010

    Obama’s small business proposals could help veterinary practices

    President Obama recently introduced a series of proposals designed to create jobs, increasing access to loans and freeing up credit for small businesses. At this point, the proposals are just proposals, and they would have to go through Congress to become a reality. NEWStat asked VetFinance Group, a veterinary-specific financial, management and marketing services company, how practices could take advantage of Obama’s initiatives if they pass through Congress. VetFinance Managing Directors Steve Dafnis and Ron Paterson provided their insight. NEWStat: One part of Obama’s plan calls for the elimination of the capital gains tax on small business investments. How could a veterinary practice take advantage of this? Dafnis & Paterson: On a macro level, economists tend to agree that a reduction in capital gains taxes will lower the cost of capital, boost investment, and stimulate economic growth. As it relates to veterinarians, those looking to sell their practices will automatically see a profit increase without having to adjust their prices. For example, the practice that sold for $300,000, at a 17 percent capital gains tax rate would net the practitioner $249,000 (this example does not account for other selling charges). With no capital gains tax, that’s an extra $51,000 in your pocket. Other types of investments, (stocks, bonds, mutual funds, real estate) could also be sold. With unexpected cash in pocket, any new veterinary practice investments now appear much cheaper. Expect an increase in all types of veterinary capital investment.
  • February 16, 2010

    Glucosamine study finds no link to diabetes

    A short-term study on the supplement glucosamine-chondroitin sulfate (Glu-CS) in dogs found no link to diabetes mellitus or to an increase in serum fructosamine. The researchers gave 12 healthy adult dogs Glu-CS supplements and a placebo orally for 21 days each. They found that the supplements did not significantly change the serum fructosamine levels of the dogs. The study cites some concern among veterinarians that glucosamine supplements can either affect glycemic control in diabetic patients, or may even cause diabetes mellitus. However, none of the dogs in the study developed diabetes mellitus, and the changes noted in serum fructosamine concentration after the supplements were given did not differ significantly from the effects of the placebo.
  • February 2, 2010

    Tufts study finds wide variation in “diet” pet foods

    The fight against pet obesity is not as straightforward as finding a low-calorie or reduced calorie pet food. A new study from Tufts University’s Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine found a wide variation in calorie density and recommended intake in so-called “low-calorie” dog and cat foods. The researchers studied nearly 100 commercially available diets with either weight management claims and specific feeding instructions, or foods with implied weight management claims that did not carry feeding instructions. They found that more than half of all foods in the study had a calorie density greater than the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) maximum calorie density for light diets.
  • February 2, 2010

    Dogs skulls show astounding variety in shape

    In a mere century and a half of selective breeding, humans have managed to create a range of creatures within a single species that are more diverse than the members of an entire biological order. In a new study, a pair of researchers measured the diversity among skull shapes in dogs, from the pushed-in face of a Pekingese to the long slender skull of a collie. And astonishingly, the differences in skull shape between these two breeds is more extreme than the most disparate animals in the order Carnivora (namely the walrus and the falanouc, similar to a mongoose), which has been evolving for about 60 million years. The authors of the study, biologists Christian Klingenberg, PhD, of the University of Manchester and Abby Drake, PhD, of the College of the Holy Cross, say the study is important because it furthers our understanding of microevolution and selective breeding as an evolutionary force.
  • January 20, 2010

    Behind the scenes with Angel surgeon

    Early in the new year, an amazing story broke about an 11-year-old boy whose golden retriever, Angel, saved him from a cougar attack in rural British Columbia. The story was picked up by Canadian and American news outlets and the boy and his dog were famous for a day. But what happened behind the scenes? The veterinarian that treated Angel was Jack Anvik, DVM, hospital director of Sardis Animal Hospital in Chilliwack, B.C. Anvik said the dog was brought in by a friend of the family a day after the attack due to bad weather and other factors. “Their examination of the wounds just showed some puncture wounds and the dog did not seem critical enough to them to get it to us right away,” Anvik said. “When Angel walked in she had a limp and some bloodstained fur on her head that the owners had trimmed and cleaned up, but the dog was in surprisingly good spirits, but hey it’s a golden retriever!”
  • January 20, 2010

    Economic sessions packed at NAVC

    The economy was on the mind of many attendees at the North American Veterinary Conference in Orlando, Fla. Several sessions on practice management and financial concepts were attended by well over two hundred people. Karen Felsted, CPA, DVM, CVPM, presented several talks including a lecture on benchmarking, and another on managing cash flow. In “Benchmarking: What Data Should You Compare Your Hospital To?” Felsted discussed the key economic indicators that practices should be looking at, in comparison to other practices. “If you are not comparing your numbers on a regular basis, you’re not on the way to being a financially successful practice,” Felsted said.
  • January 5, 2010

    Delaware adopts exotics regulations

    Delaware has enacted a set of new regulations that puts increased restrictions on owners of exotic animals. The state Department of Agriculture’s Division of Animal Health and Food Products Inspection adopted the regulations last month, and they became effective Dec. 28. The regulations give the state veterinarian the authority to grant, deny or revoke permits for people wishing to own, sell, display or rehabilitate an exotic animal. The regulation defines “exotic” as “a live wild mammal, hybrid of a wild mammal, and a live reptile not native to or generally found in Delaware. An exotic animal is ecologically foreign to Delaware.” The regulations make exceptions for certain exotics.
  • January 5, 2010

    AAHA names new executive director

    The American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) has named Mike Cavanaugh, DVM, DABVP, as its new executive director. He replaces John Albers, DVM, who served as AAHA executive director for 23 years, and retired at the end of 2009. Cavanaugh was selected by the AAHA board of directors after a four-month search by an appointed executive search committee. The five-member search committee included AAHA president John Tait, DVM; president-elect Gregg Takashima, DVM; past presidents Tom Carpenter, DVM, and Dennis Feinberg, DVM; and Carin Smith, DVM. "As chair of the selection committee, our mandate was to find the best possible candidate to lead AAHA into the future,” Tait said. “The selection committee used a collaborative, and thorough, multi-stage process in screening candidates and arriving at our choice.”
  • December 22, 2009

    Heartworm medications in short supply

    Dogs suffering from heartworm disease will have to make their case in order to get treatment, at least temporarily. Merial announced recently that supplies of Immiticide (melarsomine dihydrochloride) will be limited through the first quarter of 2010. Immiticide is the only licensed, FDA-approved product available for the treatment of canine heartworm disease. A letter signed by Zack Mills, DVM, Merial’s vice president of sales, was sent to veterinarians at the beginning of December. The letter said the shortage was due to “unforeseen technical difficulties.” “The difficulties are connected to meeting certain regulatory requirements at an independently owned facility that manufactures the active ingredient of Immiticide (melarsomine dihydrochloride),” said Merial spokeswoman Natasha Joseph.