Joining Anthony for this episode of VETchat by The Webinar Vet is Nick Thompson, Founder and Senior Nutritionist at Holisticvet Ltd.

In this episode, Anthony and Nick discuss holistic veterinary medicine and Nick's opinions on the benefits of raw food diets for pets. Nick shares his career to date and they cover the importance of communication and history taking in veterinary consultations, as well as the value of extended consultations. Nick emphasizes the role of diet in dermatology and the treatment of obesity and arthritis in dogs. He also highlights the use of chiropractors and osteopaths in veterinary medicine. They discuss the controversy surrounding raw feeding and the concept of balance in pet diets. In this, Nick covers the topics of benefits, bugs, balance and bones and why he thinks people should take raw feeding more seriously. Finally, they talk about the benefits of a holistic approach to veterinary medicine, where the focus is on treating the whole patient and working collaboratively with other healthcare professionals.

Nick's Email: [email protected]

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Joining Anthony for this episode of VETchat by The Webinar Vet is Lindsay Thomas, Lecturer at the Harper & Keele Veterinary School.

In this episode, they discuss zoos and the Harper & Keele Veterinary School. Lindsay shares her career to date, her experience working in a zoo during the pandemic, and how she has settled into lecturing at Harper & Keele Veterinary School. They cover how easy it is to spread infections between humans and animals and how Lindsay sees zoos fitting into conservation. For instance, Lindsay highlights zoos being used for endangered species, education, and research.

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Joining Anthony for this episode of VETchat by The Webinar Vet are Cat Henstridge, Small Animal Veterinary Surgeon and Social Media Influencer as 'Cat the Vet' and Kelly Kessen, Advisory Veterinarian at Dier&Recht.

In this episode, they discuss brachycephalic dogs and cats. They cover their common health issues and the laws and regulations that are starting to be put in place against these animals. Kelly explains the new law in The Netherlands that bans the breeding of dogs with a flat-face under the new 'traffic light' criteria. This criteria requires that the muzzle is at least as long as half of the skull. Cat shares her experience with trying to create this change in the UK, and how important it is that we change public opinion of flat-faced animals. They also discuss banning the use of flat-faced animals in advertisements, the potential upcoming trade ban in The Netherlands, and how you can get involved with the campaign.

View the 'Traffic Light' criteria image here

Learn more about the campaign here

Joining Anthony for this episode of our sustainability series on VETchat by The Webinar Vet are Mike Curran, Chief Executive at XLVets Ireland, and Kieran Devany, Director at Ormonde Veterinary Hospital.

In this episode, they discuss XL Vets Ireland and their sustainability journey. Mike shares some information on their recent sustainability report and how Kieran's practice was the first to be awarded the EcoMerit certificate in Ireland. Kieran discusses what they have done in his practice to help reduce emissions, noting how a sustainability audit really helped to guide them in the right direction. They cover how small changes can make a difference, the money-saving benefits of being sustainable, switching to electric cars, and the impact of solar panels. Finally, they also offer some of their tops for practices that are looking to start their own sustainability journey.

Learn more about XL Vets Ireland's sustainability report here

Joining Anthony for this episode of VETchat by The Webinar Vet is Suzanne Cannon, Co-Founder of VetBilling. VetBilling’s client payment solutions allow veterinary clinics to deliver affordable relationship-centred care.

In this episode, Anthony and Suzanne discuss the financial difficulties associated with veterinary practice. Suzanne shares her career to date, including her background as a pastoral counsellor. She shares her experience with burnout at work and how she can relate to the busy nature of the profession. They also discuss Suzanne's personal story of her pet Lieber, a Schnauzer who got pancreatitis, which resulted in a vet bill that she was not able to cover and how this inevitably led her to set up VetBilling to help those who may be declined for credit. They talk about how VetBilling helps practices have reassurance for payment plans and how it stops the need to constantly chase payments.

Find out more about VetBilling here

Joining Anthony for this episode of VETchat by The Webinar Vet is Steven Garnett, Veterinary Surgeon and Veterinary Advisor at Vet Measure.

In this episode, Anthony and Steven discuss Vet Measure's MeasureOn! Wearable. MeasureOn! is a wireless monitor for use in dogs that continuously measures and records temperature, heart rate, and respiratory rate along with activity level while in use. They talk about how it is an easy way to get accurate vitals and monitoring whilst not stressing out the patients and how it takes some variables out of the equation. Anthony asks if this is something that can used long-term for at-home monitoring and suggests how referral hospitals use it for improving patient wellbeing with overnight care. Finally, Steven talks us through how easy the device is to use, the different harness sizes, the battery life, and where to purchase one.

Find out more about MeasureOn! here

Thank you to Vet Meaure for sponsoring this episode.

Joining Anthony for this episode of VETchat by The Webinar Vet is Carolina Avilés Fernández, Forensic Psychologist, Veterinarian´s Mental Health Advocate, and Executive Director of Adfinitas Corporation. Adfinitas Corporation is a nonprofit organization born with the interest of building environments in which we are aware and responsible for our connections, whether they are among different species or the environment that surrounds us. They work to generate a psychosocial support ecosystem for veterinarians and veterinary clinics to promote a culture of mental health care, prevent risks in critical situations, build networks, and strengthen the veterinary community.

In this episode, Anthony and Carolina discuss mental health in the veterinary profession. Carolina shares her experience and career to date, along with what led her to work so closely with the veterinary profession. She shares the reasons behind the setting up of Adfinitas Corporación and what they do. They discuss the mental health situation in Chile, especially within the veterinary profession, and how the accelerated growth of pet ownership is causing stress and overworking of veterinary professionals. Hard topics such as animal abuse and non-accidental injury are also covered. Finally, Carolina shares why self-care strategies are good, but emphasises the importance of learning how to take care of your team and be there to support each other.

Connect with Carolina on LinkedIn here

This VETChat episode is part of our series on supporting and empowering women in veterinary, hosted by Kathryn Bell. Joining Kathryn today is Sam Williamson, Founder of Samaxia Ltd. Samaxia Ltd. provides pet healthcare products throughout the UK

In this episode, Kathryn and Sam discuss navigating business start-up life. Sam shares her personal journey with starting her business and explains what Samaxia is. They talk about what Sam's main motivations were, the challenges that she has faced so far, and key skills/traits that Sam believes are essential for success. They also cover time management tips and the benefits of mentors and share resources that Sam recommends.

Learn more about Samaxia here

Thank you to Samaxia for sponsoring this episode.

Joining Anthony for this episode of VETchat by The Webinar Vet is Fiona MacGillivray, director of MacVet Cattle Communications Limited and Host of The MacVet Podcast. MacVet supports vets to work as well with PEOPLE as they do with ANIMALS.

In this episode, Anthony and Fiona discuss farm communication tips. Fiona shares her career to date and shares what they discuss on 'The MacVet Podcast'. They talk about how some vets can find communicating with farmers difficult, but explain the importance of being open-minded to ensure someone feels listened to in order to achieve better communication. Fiona shares some tips, such as motivational interviewing and open questions. They also cover bits on team psychometric testing and the government ELM scheme.

Learn more about MacVet here

Joining Anthony for this PodCAT episode of VETchat by The Webinar Vet is Emelie Fogelberg,

Veterinary Advisor at Ceva Animal Health Ltd.

In this PodCAT episode, we focus on dermatology topicals on cats, specifically the Douxo S3 range. Emelie shares her career to date, before going into an overview of what the Douxo S3 range offers. They talk through the different lines, including Douxo S3 CALM, Douxo S3 PYO, Douxo S3 SEB and Douxo S3 CARE. Emelie explains when each product should be used, how they should be used and what ingredients they include. They also cover topics such as the multimodal approach to treating atrophy, fungus treatment and the importance of cytology.

Learn more on the DUOXO S3 website here

Thank you to CEVA for sponsoring this episode.