Veterinary Vitals

“It’s more than just providing this little stuffed animal for a survivor. It’s about keeping their family intact and letting them know that they got out and everybody is safe.” 

Dr. Katie Luke is the Chief Operations Officer at the Austin Humane Society (AHS), the “largest no-kill, non-profit pet and adoption center in Austin, Texas.” Their mission is to “offer comprehensive, humane, life-saving animal services, transforming the lives of animals and those who love them.” In this episode, Dr. Luke delves into all of these inspirational programs offered by AHS, her role in facilitating the programs, and the impact they have on survivors of domestic violence and others in crisis. AHS truly helps keep people and their pets together during and following unimaginable circumstances. 

To learn more about the Austin Humane Society, please visit http://www.austinhumanesociety.org/ If you have any questions about their pet food pantry, please email [email protected] or call their events line at 512-685-0118.

We love receiving story ideas, comments, and Apple Podcast reviews, so feel free to email Dena Goldstein at [email protected] or write a review below! 

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Veterinary medicine has evolved significantly over the past 50 to 60 years. Dr. Doyle “Bud” Cooper, who graduated from Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine in 1964, speaks to this evolution, from the emergence of specialists in the profession to pet owners considering their dogs and cats a part of the family. As he outlines these changes, he also shares his story of becoming a veterinarian; building, buying and selling multiple clinics during his 56 years in the profession; and how the people in his life shaped him.

Dr. Cooper works at Northside Animal Hospital in Waco, Texas. He has owned and operated veterinary practices in Garland, Brownwood, San Antonio, and Waco, Texas.

If you’re enjoying this podcast, we would love to hear from you. Write a review on Apple Podcasts. We love reading them, and if you have a minute to spare, we would love to read yours too. And if you have a story idea, email Dena Goldstein at [email protected].

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"All of those curveballs that life throws us are trying to derail us, and you’ve got to have a real good sense of yourself and what’s important to you to continue to navigate that path."

For Dr. Jennifer Lavender, those curveballs are compassion fatigue—something many veterinarians cope with—the devastating loss of her sister, a battle with substance abuse, and her attempt to balance her personal and professional commitments. She is the owner and practitioner of MetroPaws Animal Hospital in Dallas and the Medical Director of the Oak Cliff Location. Beyond her full-time roles, she’s a volunteer surgeon of the Spay Neuter Network, President of its Board of Directors and the mother of two. She also practices yoga.

In this episode, she talks about how she juggles these activities, copes with the loss of her sister, and remains sober. She’s been through a lot and has come out on the other side with resilience, strength and positivity.

If you’re enjoying this podcast, we would love to hear from you. Write a review on Apple Podcasts. We love reading them, and if you have a minute to spare, we would love to read yours too.

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“With the emergence of corporate, the whole game has changed. I mean, with corporates coming in and buying practices, veterinarians are becoming multimillionaires.”

Dr. Randy Carsch, the President of Veterinary Sales and Consulting, helps those veterinarians  determine the true value of their clinics, get them ready to sell and make a meaningful, well-earned profit. He is a veterinarian, practice consultant and licensed real estate agent. To learn more about him and work with him, please visit https://vetsalesconsulting.com/about-us/. 

If you’re enjoying this podcast, we would love to hear from you. Write a review on Apple Podcasts. We love reading them, and if you have a minute to spare, we would love to read yours too. 

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We're taking a little break during the holiday season, and our next episode will drop January 7.  But before 2020 comes to a close, we wanted to thank you—our listeners. We couldn’t have done it without you.  We're always open to ideas, so if you’d like to hear about a certain topic or from one of your favorite veterinarians or LVTs, email Dena at [email protected]. 

We wish you, your family, friends, and pets a safe and happy holiday season. We'll see you in 2021! 

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“To be a student in that first class is, quite honestly, bragging rights for that student. They were apart of the first class at Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine.” -Dean Guy Loneragan, DVM

Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine (TTU-SVM) in Amarillo, Texas, welcomes its first class of students in the fall of 2021. This will make TTU-SVM the second veterinary school in Texas with Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine being the first and only for more than 100 years. The idea to open a second a veterinary school emerged in the 1970s, but it took  50 years for it to come to fruition. After receiving funding in 2019 from the Texas Legislature, the school broke ground and began constructing its state-of-the-art facilities. 

Our guest Dean Guy Loneragan, DVM, shares what it took to get to this moment, why there was a need for a second veterinary school and how it will benefit the veterinary medicine profession in Texas. 

To learn more about Texas Tech University College of Veterinary Medicine, please visit https://www.depts.ttu.edu/vetschool/. You can learn more about Dean Guy Loneragan by visiting https://www.depts.ttu.edu/provost/facultybios/2020/Loneragan.php. 

If you’re enjoying this podcast, we would love to hear from you. Write a review on Apple Podcasts. And if you have a story or guest idea, please contact host Dena Goldstein at [email protected]. 

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The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted so many aspects of our daily lives. In the veterinary medicine profession, many veterinarians and their staff are doing curbside service. But this isn’t the first time the veterinary community has faced a pandemic. In the late 1970s to 1980s, parvovirus— a highly contagious virus that affects the gastrointestinal tract in dogs—emerged. It eventually was considered a pandemic because it reached dogs across the world. Our two guests from Dallas—Dr. Tony Myers and Kelly Richardson—take us back to that time: a time when veterinarians waited for a safe, effective vaccine to become available and scrambled to figure out what the virus was and how to treat it.

A big thank you goes to TVMA member Dr. Geoff Bratton from Dallas for this episode idea! 

Sources:
Texas A&M Veterinary Lab Testing People For COVID-19
https://today.tamu.edu/2020/04/29/texas-am-veterinary-lab-testing-people-for-covid-19/

TVMDL, Physicians Preferred Laboratory, Ltd. establish partnership to increase human COVID-19 testing
https://tvmdl.tamu.edu/2020/05/27/tvmdl-physicians-preferred-laboratory-ltd-establish-partnership-to-increase-human-covid-19-testing/

Cases of SARS-CoV-2 in Animals in the United States
https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/one_health/downloads/sars-cov2-in-animals.pdf

Different COVID-19 Vaccines
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/different-vaccines.html

“The Covid-19 Vaccine: When Will It Be Available for You? First U.S. rollouts of doses could start in December, but health-care workers, older Americans likely to take priority over general population”
https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-covid-19-vaccine-when-will-it-be-available-for-you-11606339361

Canine parvovirus
https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/pet-owners/petcare/canine-parvovirus

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"When I was in vet school, my dad had a heart attack and we did a lot of learning about heart disease and what happens when people have heart attacks and that just spurred my interest. I said, ‘This is it. This is what I'm going to do.’”

Dr. Sara Bordelon—who works for CVCA Cardiac Care for Pets in Austin, Texas—never looked back. After earning her DVM degree from Louisiana State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2005, she completed her Cardiology residency at Washington State University and became a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (Cardiology) in July 2009. To this day, she chats with her dad about cardiac conditions and the similarities humans and animals share. 

She is in such a niche field that veterinary cardiologists are often described as unicorns because there are so few in the world—less than 400. She reveals that she couldn’t imagine doing anything else. She also answers frequently asked questions and discusses the importance of early referrals and veterinary cardiologists co-managing patients with cardiac conditions. https://avmajournals.avma.org/doi/abs/10.2460/javma.249.1.72 

Dr. Sara Bordelon joined CVCA Cardiac Care for Pets in 2015. Dr. Bordelon has a special interest in feline cardiac disease, management of arrhythmias, diagnosis and management of congenital cardiac disease, and management of pulmonary arterial hypertension. To learn more about her and CVCA Cardiac Care for Pets, visit https://www.cvcavets.com/doctor_directory/sara-beth-bordelon/

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“Really diving deep into educational research that has to do with diversity, equity and inclusion and how do we help our colleges do better.” 

Approximately 21 percent of veterinary students enrolled in the 2019-2020 academic year comprise individuals who are underrepresented in veterinary medicine. This statistic comes from the public data set provided by the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC). The person who collects this data is Dr. Lisa Greenhill, the Senior Director of Institutional Research and Diversity at AAVMC. She is charged with the development and implementation of the DiVersity Matters Initiative. In this episode, she outlines the programs that fall under this initiative, including the collection and publication of this data, the implementation of holistic reviews of veterinary college applicants as well as the podcast "Diversity & Inclusion on Air: Conversations about Diversity, Inclusion & Veterinary Medicine." You can find her podcast on YouTube and SoundCloud.

Dr. Greenhill earned a master’s degree in Public Administration (with a specialization in health policy) from George Mason in Fairfax, Virginia, and an EdD in Higher Education Administration and Organizational Change from Benedictine University. To learn more about Dr. Greenhill, please read her bio. 

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"Self awareness is the cornerstone to constructs such as emotional intelligence."

Emotional intelligence is the ability of individuals to recognize their emotions and those of others. Developing this construct can help veterinarians and veterinary staff immensely, from enhancing clinic culture to improving patient outcomes. In this episode, Deb Stone, MBA, PhD, CVPM, unpacks emotional intelligence, shares how to measure it and what veterinarians and veterinary staff can learn from their scores moving forward.

Dr. Stone has a PhD in Organizational Leadership and is a Certified Veterinary Practice Manager. Currently, she is the Assistant Director of Continuing Education and Digital Education Lead for the American Veterinary Medical Association. She also owns and operates Stone Veterinary Practice Management. Dr. Stone is a national speaker and the founder of Austin City Unlimited Veterinary Management Symposium. Visit https://drdebstone.com/ to read her full bio.

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