I’ve got Dr. Jules Benson on the podcast today and we’ve got a doozy of a topic for ya: The sad, sad state of research in vet medicine (my words, not his!) I am bothered by what seems to be a tidal wave of crappy, biased, cherry-picked research lately, and I ask Dr. Benson to get into it with me. How do we get our information in vet med? What do we believe and what do we not believe? How do we actually incorporate data and research into a future that’s feeling more cynical and less trusting? Let’s get into it!

Dr. Jules Benson is the Principal at Tapetum Lucidum Consulting and the 2025 Chair at the Veterinary Innovation Council (VIC). With over two decades as a practitioner, industry executive, strategist, and data and technology leader, his focus lies in identifying and applying innovation that can improve the lives of pets, pet families, and veterinary healthcare teams.

Dr. Andy Roark welcomes Dr. Isaac Bott, an Utah practice owner and theriogenologist who works with reindeer, to discuss his run for AVMA president (election July 2027) and the profession’s sustainability challenges. They explore how rising cost of care intersects with the need to pay living wages and retain veterinarians, technicians, and support staff, arguing vet medicine is not overpriced even if care can be unattainable for some clients. Bott emphasizes retention through sustainable workplaces, burnout reduction, and clear development pathways that let team members fully use their training, including technician specialization and continued growth for veterinarians. They discuss burnout drivers such as student debt, emotional strain, call burden, and workplace dynamics, and advocate for unity through organized veterinary medicine so veterinarians keep a strong voice amid regulatory and industry changes.

Dr. N. Isaac Bott was raised in the small town of Castle Dale, Utah. He is a 2009 graduate of Washington State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. He owns and operates Mountain West Animal Hospital, a mixed animal veterinary facility in Springville Utah. He currently serves on several national and state veterinary boards. He is a past president of the Society for Theriogenology, an international group of veterinarians with expertise in animal reproduction. In 2023, he was Awarded the Dr. John Steiner Award for Practitioner Excellence. In 2024 he was given the Utah Veterinarian of the Year award. He has also served as a council member and chair of the American Veterinary Medical Association’s Council on Veterinary Service. He also has served as the co-chair of the Utah Veterinary Medical Association’s Legislative Committee. He currently serves as the American Veterinary Mecidcal Association (AVMA) delegate for the Society for Theriogenology. He also serves on the board for the AVMA Political Action Committee, the dean’s advisory board at Utah State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, and as a member of Theriogenology Foundation board. He has extensive experience with strategic planning, legislative process and organizational leadership. He has also authored over a dozen peer-reviewed scientific articles, a dozen textbook chapters, and has traveled the globe providing theriogenology services for camelids and cervids. He is the proud father of three children: Kaycee, Kayden and Kendyn.

Dr. Chad R. Brown, DVM (Purdue), executive director of the Lloyd Veterinary Medical Center at Iowa State University, joins Dr. Andy Roark to tackle a gut-punch truth in veterinary medicine: good decisions do not always equal good outcomes, and outcome-based judgment can be brutal on clinicians. They unpack how hindsight bias and outcome bias trick us into “judging our past self with our future self’s information,” rewarding lucky medicine and fueling shame after tough cases. Chad argues for de-emphasizing outcomes and emphasizing decision-making processes we can control, like communication, diagnostics, anesthesia monitoring, and checklists, especially when training students, interns, and residents. They also discuss how outcome fixation can break good clinicians through overcorrection or apathy, and how focusing on process can reduce burnout and support spectrum-of-care thinking.

Dr. Steve Deels, a New Zealand emergency veterinarian and career coach, joins Dr. Andy Roark to tackle a familiar gut punch: "you can save a life at 2:00 a.m. and still get a one-star review because the wait was too long." They dig into dark humor as a healthy coping tool, the unrealistic expectations placed on vets as jack-of-all-trades clinicians, and how Steve’s early mixed-animal work and later corporate clinic burnout pushed him toward life coaching and practical strategies like daily journaling (three successes and one gratitude). You will walk away feeling validated, more resilient, and better equipped to spot the 90 percent that is good, not just the 10 percent that drains you, plus a preview of Steve’s upcoming book 'Bite Marks and Burnout'. Gang, let’s get into this episode.

Dr. Ivan Zak, DVM, entrepreneur and former CEO of SmartFlow and Galaxy Vets, joins Dr. Andy Roark to dig into one of the spiciest topics in vet med, whether production pay is actually “bad,” and what happens when salary-only pay gets weaponized as burnout prevention. They unpack Ivan’s experience switching Galaxy Vets to straight salary, watching productivity and hours drop, and realizing the business risk of blocked schedules and reduced case acceptance. Ivan shares how that led to Galaxy Vets’ shared production approach in Canada, where vets earn 25% based on total organization revenue divided by shifts, paired with employee ownership and core values like owner’s mindset and big picture thinking to drive teamwork, accountability, and cost awareness. Ivan also discusses leadership transitions, culture as a selection tool, and his new Serenity Vet mission to reduce labor costs. Gang, let’s get into this episode.

Ivan "Zak" Zakharenkov, DVM, MBA

Dr. Ivan Zak is a veterinarian, entrepreneur, and operator. His startups include SmartFlow, the first workflow optimization system (acquired by IDEXX), Galaxy Vets, an employee-owned group of urgent care clinics, and, most recently, Serenity Vet, an operating system for relief management and labor optimization.

Ivan is passionate about bridging the gap between clinical excellence and strong business outcomes — building veterinary organizations where vets don't have to choose between being great doctors and understanding the enterprise they're part of.

Dr. Zak graduated from the Atlantic Veterinary College and holds an MBA in International Healthcare Management. He lives in Saint John, New Brunswick, with his wife and two kids.

Tabitha Kucera, VTS (Behavior) and founder of Chirrups and Chatter, joins Dr. Andy Roark to unpack what "keep them quiet" actually means after surgery. Using real cases like a beagle mix post-abdominal surgery and a cat post-PU, Tabitha shares low-mobility enrichment options such as snuffle mats, frozen Kongs, and scent work that support recovery without heavy sedation or strict confinement. The result: better client guidance, stronger outcomes, and stronger relationships.

Episode Links:

chirpsandchatter.com

small-paws.ca

@chirpsandchatter

Tabitha Kucera is an Elite Fear Free Registered Veterinary Technician, Veterinary Technician Specialist (Behavior), Certified Cat Behavior Consultant, and Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner. She owns Chirrups and Chatter Cat and Dog Behavior Consulting and Training and is the animal behavior technician at The Gentle Vet in Ohio. Tabitha lectures at both regional and national levels, enjoying the opportunity to help people better understand and connect with animals. Additionally, Tabitha is a Fear Free certified speaker and coach, a Fear Free Practice Certification and Implementation Consultant, and the host of the podcast, Tails from a Vet Tech.

Tabitha offers organizational consulting and education for veterinary clinics and animal shelters, focusing on best practices that address both the emotional and physical needs of animals. She specializes in behavior and training programs and handling skills. Tabitha has contributed to the development of training and behavior programs for numerous veterinary hospitals and shelters and continues to provide ongoing support to these organizations through her consulting work.

Dr. Roberta Westbrook, DVM, takes us inside the world of shelter medicine and challenges what many of us think we know about high quality, high volume surgery, access to care, and animal welfare. From the evolution of modern shelters to the realities of pet homelessness, community responsibility, and the future of keeping pets with the families who love them, this conversation will leave you with a whole new perspective on the incredible work happening behind the scenes.

This episode is brought to you ad free by Hill's Pet Nutrition!

Dr. Lisa Radosta, DVM, DACVB, joins Dr. Andy Roark on the Cone of Shame Veterinary Podcast to discuss canine cognitive dysfunction syndrome (CDS) and how to tell normal aging from something treatable. Radosta emphasizes screening all dogs starting at age seven, tracking mentation and behavior changes against each dog’s baseline, and watching for signs such as disorientation, interaction changes, sleep-wake disruptions, house-training lapses tied to learning and memory loss, anxiety, and aggression. She recommends annual screening until about age 10 to 11, notes CDS exists on a spectrum that can affect quality of life, and advises working up systemic disease while starting symptom-focused treatment immediately. She also highlights brain health support with researched supplements introduced gradually and encourages regular enrichment and “old dog” learning activities to help cognition

Dr. Radosta graduated from the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine in 2000. She completed a residency in Behavioral Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. During her residency, she was awarded the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists Resident research award two years in a row.

Dr. Radosta is the owner of Florida Veterinary Behavior Service, a specialty behavior practice in southeast Florida and co-owns Dog Nerds, an online educational resource for owners whose pets have behavior disorders.

She is a sought after speaker nationally and internationally. She is a coauthor of several books including: Behavior Problems of the Dog and Cat, 4th edition and From Fearful to Fear Free. She is a contributing author for Blackwell’s Five Minute Veterinary Consult, Blackwell's Five-Minute Veterinary Consult Clinical Companion: Canine and Feline Behavior, Decoding your Cat, Canine and Feline Behavior for Veterinary Technicians and Nurses and Feline and Small Animal Pediatrics. Her new textbook, Handbook of Behavior Problems of the Dog and Cat, 4th Edition is due out May, 2023.

She has published research articles in the Journal of Applied Animal Behavior Science, Journal of Veterinary Behavior and The Veterinary Journal and written review articles for Advances in Small Animal Medicine and Surgery, Compendium, NAVC, Veterinary Team Brief, Clinician’s Brief and AAHA Newstat. She has served on the Fear Free Executive Council and the AAHA Behavior Management Task Force.

She has been interviewed for many publications including Cat Fancy, Dog Fancy, Palm Beach Post, NAVC Clinician’s Brief, Sun Sentinel, WebMD, AAHA trends, Real Simple, Good News for Pets, Catster, DVM 360 and AAHA News Stat. She has appeared on Lifetime television, Laurie Live, local news in southeast Florida, Mitch Wilder's Amazing Pet Discoveries, Nat Geo Wild, Animal Planet, Steve Dale's Pet Talk and Dogs, CNBC and Cats and Scapegoats.

Building Confident New Grad Vets: Mentorship, Psychological Safety, and Onboarding That Works

Dr. Jason Szumski, DVM, joins Dr. Andy Roark to tackle a problem every hospital feels, new grads want to do great medicine, but they are often scared of mistakes, lawsuits, and being “on their own” before they are ready. They dig into why mentorship is the top priority for vet students, what strong onboarding actually looks like (psychological safety, structured but flexible timelines, and honest expectations that new grads are an investment), and how to build real autonomy without ripping away the security blanket. Jason shares practical mentor and mentee strategies, including having new doctors bring a plan, getting hands-on in surgery, using curiosity instead of confrontation, and reinforcing confidence by revisiting past wins. Gang, let’s get into this episode.

Keywords: veterinary mentorship, new graduate veterinarian, veterinary onboarding, clinical confidence.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonszumski (LinkedIn)

Dr. Jason Szumski is an entrepreneurial practicing veterinarian, speaker, and educator focused on helping veterinarians work more efficiently and sustainably in clinical practice. He graduated from the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine in 2023, where he served as both class president and president of the Veterinary Business Management Association (VBMA). After spending three years in a fast-paced suburban Chicago emergency hospital, he transitioned into his current role as Medical Director of a five-doctor general practice, giving him experience in both high-volume ER medicine and long-term primary care leadership. He is also the co-founder of VetSOAP, an AI-powered workflow tool used by thousands of veterinarians daily to streamline medical records, improve communication, and help teams get home on time. Jason regularly speaks on topics including new graduate development, AI in veterinary medicine, and clinical efficiency, with a focus on building practical systems that help doctors move from chaos to confidence in practice.

A Cry for Help in Veterinary Pathology, Burnout, Economics, Digitization, and AI with Dr. Eric Fish Dr. Eric Fish, DVM, DACVP, joins Dr. Andy Roark to tackle a tough question: Why does being a veterinary clinical pathologist feel darker right now, and what happens if AI turns “nice to have” diagnostics into “don’t need to have”? They unpack burnout and pay compression (including pathologists earning less than new grad GPs), consolidation in the lab market, and how digitization has pushed cytology toward point-of-care and high-volume “turn and burn” workflows with per-case bonuses that can be as low as $8 to $12. Eric explains how consultative lab medicine has shifted toward internists, why cytology’s cost and turnaround time are eroding its value, and what a better future could look like with AI that augments, triages, and keeps a human in the loop. Gang, let’s get into this episode. Keywords: veterinary pathology, clinical pathologist burnout, digital cytology, AI in veterinary medicine. Links: Substack newsletter All Science Great and Small; LinkedIn. Dr. Eric Fish is a veterinary clinical pathologist and laboratory director at a large private referral center, with a career spanning academia, entrepreneurship, and industry. He co-founded Lacuna Diagnostics, the first point-of-care digital cytology company, spent years at IDEXX as a diagnostician and technology scouting manager, and even found time to work occasional relief ER shifts. Eric brings a unique perspective to the conversation around artificial intelligence: he has not only used voice recognition and large language model AI tools in his own practice, but also worked on teams building computer vision applications for medical imaging. He writes about AI and other hot topics in veterinary medicine in his Substack newsletter, All Science Great & Small.