This week on Dr. Molly Says, I’m joined by veterinarian, feline medicine enthusiast, industry leader, and fellow “we have a lot of opinions about vet med” human… Dr. Jason Epstein.

We get into everything from cat-only hospitals, corporate veterinary medicine, the future of feline care, and one of the biggest debates happening in veterinary medicine right now.

Dr. Epstein shares his journey through general practice, leadership roles, startups, vaccine clinics, and why he’s now building cat-focused veterinary hospitals, because according to him… cats don’t belong in dog hospitals. (Yes, he said it.)

We also get into:

• Why feline medicine deserves its own approach
• The surprising problem with traditional mixed animal hospitals
• Corporate vet med, leadership, and what happens when practices collapse overnight
• Accessibility, affordability, and the realities of modern veterinary care
• The future of veterinary technicians and why they deserve WAY more support
• The controversial Veterinary Professional Associate (VPA) conversation happening in the U.S.
• Whether mid-level veterinary providers could help… or create bigger problems

PLUS: hot takes, conference friend lore, cat behavior misunderstandings, “spicy cats” vs moody monarchs 👑, and a surprisingly passionate discussion about veterinary education, legislation, and who should actually be writing healthcare policy.

LOVE YOU GUYS 💛

Timestamps:
00:00:00 Welcome + meet Dr. Jason Epstein
00:01:00 Marching band, clarinet discourse & veterinary origin story
00:05:00 Early career, GP life & leadership transitions
00:06:30 Corporate veterinary medicine + what happened with My Pets Wellness
00:08:50 Affordable care, vaccine clinics & community medicine
00:10:20 Why Dr. Epstein is building cat-only hospitals
00:11:30 HOT TAKE: “Cats don’t belong in dog hospitals”
00:13:00 Species-specific veterinary care: future or fantasy?
00:15:00 What cats actually experience at the vet (and why it matters)
00:20:00 Feline medicine gaps in veterinary education
00:30:00 Cat-friendly care, environment & understanding feline behavior
00:40:00 “Spicy cats” aren’t spicy… they’re cats
00:41:30 The VPA conversation explained (without assuming you’ve been living on vet internet)
00:44:00 Colorado, legislation & why this debate got very real, very fast
00:50:00 Education pathways, supervision rules & big concerns about implementation
00:57:00 Access to care vs quality of care — can both exist?
01:00:00 Vet tech utilization, title protection & workforce challenges
01:05:00 Where veterinary medicine might be headed next
01:07:00 Final thoughts + why this is definitely not the last conversation we’re having about this

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Listen to the pod on YouTube/Spotify/Apple:

https://www.youtube.com/@drmollysayspod 

https://open.spotify.com/show/7xmKqrXGPJXpsbDbtCMgfe?si=17148ddc74604cb1 

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-dr-molly-says-podcast/id1800302028

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