On this episode of ‘What’s Up Doc?’ We’re excited to welcome Suzanne Thomas, BA, BS, LVT, CVT, NASM-CPT! From retail management to vetmed. Suzanne has had quite the journey beginning her career in veterinary medicine as an LVT in oncology, and working her way up to becoming a leader and mentor in the industry. Listen as Katie and Suzanne chat about clinic culture and the hottest topics in vetmed right now. Find the link to Suzanne’s book and podcast in the resources below!

Resources

• Suzanne Thomas LinkedIn
• Podcast, Leading Veterinary Teams On Air
• Book, From Competent to Capable by Suzanne Thomas, LVT

In this episode of "What's Up Doc?", we welcome Dr. Cassandra Fleming! 

Listen as Cassie discusses how she navigates working as a relief vet, hosting a podcast and owning a house-call practice. Katie and Cassie delve into recent changes in the industry like access to new treatments and the evolvement of sustainability in VetMed . Find the resources mentioned in this episode below!

Resources

• Vetfolio podcast
• Vetfolio, Financial Triage for Veterinary Practices

• Unchartered Vet Resources
• Housecall Vet Academy
• The E-Myth Veterinarian, Michael E. Gerber & Peter Weinstein, DVM, MBA

About Dr. Cassandra Fleming

Graduate of the University of Florida College of Veterinarians, Dr. Cassie has been a practicing veterinarian since 2019. In additional to working as an occasional relief veterinarian, Dr. Cassie is also host of NAVC's Vetfolio podcast, and is owner and operator of her own house call practice in Gainesville, Florida.

In this episode of "What's Up Doc?", we welcome Dr. Derek Laporte! Listen as Derek discusses the ups and downs of practice management and working with exotics in Northern Ontario, Canada. Katie and Derek dive into work life balance as a business owner, mentorship, and advice for new grads interested in exotics or GP. Find the resources mentioned in this episode below!

Chapters:

0:35 Introducing Dr. Derek Laporte

4:42 Preparing for practice ownership

7:11 Work life balance as a business owner

12:08 Exotics and mentorship

18:21 Informed Consent with clients

26:38 Students and mentorship

33:30 Advice for growth as a new grad

Resources:

Lasalle Animal Clinic, Sudbury ON, Canada

Dr. Derek Laporte LinkedIn

Email - [email protected]

About Dr. Derek Laporte, DVM

After graduating from the OVC in 2018, Derek worked as an associate Veterinarian at Lasalle Animal Clinic in Sudbury, ON Canada, until 2021 when he transitioned to practice owner. In addition to general practice Derek is one of the only doctors to work with exotics in Northern Ontario.

Episode 8 - In this episode of "What's Up Doc?", we welcome Dr. Shane Bateman! Listen as Shane discusses his role as an Emergency and Critical Care Specialist at the OVC and President of Nine Lives Veterinary Consulting. Katie and Shane go in depth on topics including veterinary forensics, access to care, and investigating & enforcing animal welfare in Ontario. Find the resources mentioned in this episode below!

Chapters

0:30 About Shane

1:18 Community Veterinary Outreach & Access to Care

6:28 Getting involved in Veterinary Forensic Sciences

12:20 Investigating & Enforcing Animal Welfare in Ontario

15:20 Nine Lives Veterinary Consulting

21:00 AI & technology’s role in animal welfare solutions

26:35 Emergency Critical Care bootcamp at the OVC

Resources

• Nine Lives Veterinary Consultation
• University of Florida Veterinary Forensic Sciences Online Graduate Program
• Associate Professor, Dr. Shane Bateman, OVC
• Shane Bateman's LinkedIn⁠

About Dr. Shane Bateman, DVM, MSc, DVSc, DACVECC

In additional to working as an Emergency and Critical Care Specialist and associate professor at the OVC, Shane is president of Nine Lives Veterinary Consulting, offering consultation services in the area of veterinary forensics and animal welfare. Visit the link above to schedule a free 30-minute consultation with Shane.

Episode 7 - In this episode of "What's Up Doc?", we welcome Kyle from Scribenote! Join us as Katie chats with Kyle, Scribenote's Technical Lead Manager, about his dog Summer, cost of care, and the client experience when treating a pet living with lifelong health complications.

Kyle Brooks:

Kyle started with Scribenote as an engineer in summer 2024. He is currently the Technical Lead Manager for Scribenote's engineering team.

Episode 6 - In this episode of "What's Up Doc?", we welcome Dr. Jenni Rizzo! Join us as Jenni chats about what it’s been like navigating the vet world as an introvert, the conception of IntroVet, and how she became the youngest—and first female—president of the American Heartworm Society! We also dig into women in leadership roles, the power of coaching, and the awesome community she’s building through IntroVet’s platform.

Dr. Jenni Rizzo

• Email: [email protected]
• LinkedIn

IntroVet

• Website
• LinkedIn
• Email: [email protected]

Julie Squires Coaching

• Website
• Podcast

Episode 5 - In this episode of "What's Up Doc?", we welcome Dr. Marie Holowaychuk! As an experienced ER and locum veterinarian, Dr. Marie has made an impact with her mental health awareness across the industry. Listen as Dr. Marie talks about her personal journey with burnout and discusses the actions we can take to actively reduce burnout in your workplace.

Chapters

0:30 About Reviving VetMed

2:38 Effects of COVID-19 on the Industry

7:04 Actions we can take to reduce burnout

11:33 The difficultly in saying “No”

12:45 Dr. Marie’s career journey

20:46 Tips and resources for people experiencing burnout

Dr. Marie Holowaychuk

• Website
• LinkedIn
• Youtube
• Reviving Veterinary Medicine

Episode 4 - In this episode of "What's Up Doc?", we welcome Dr. Mansum Yau! Mansum is a doctor of many talents! Listen as Mansum talks about her journey from being a Veterinarian to public speaker, comedian, author and illustrator! Check out Dr. Mansum's comedic client education videos on her socials or purchase her book via the links listed below!

Chapters

0:45 Mansum's journey

6:25 Creating the Veterinarian's Guide to Cat Carriers

8:40 Cat carrier recommendations

10:55 Client education (the importance of brushing your cat's teeth)

15:10 Upcoming books

16:10 Comedy resources

Dr. Mansum Yau:

• LinkedIn
• Instagram
• Youtube

Resources:

• Blind Tiger Comedy School
• The Ins and Outs of Cat Carriers by Dr. Mansum Yau

Episode 3 - In this episode of "What's Up Doc?", we welcome Dr. Adam Little! Listen as Adam discusses his entrepreneurial approach to animal health and his journey bridging technology with veterinary medicine. Find the resources mentioned in this episode below!

Chapters

0:35 Adam's journey

7:30 How technology is changing the veterinary industry

10:20 The rise of AI agents within veterinary workflows

11:42 Bridging the gap between technology and medicine

14:10 Career milestones

17:50 Resources

Resources

• Dr. Adam Little's LinkedIn
• Veterinary Entrepreneurship Academy
• Veterinary Innovation Summit

Episode 2 - In this episode of "What's Up Doc?", we welcome Dr. Amari Patel! Listen as Dr. Amari talks life as a mobile vet with a passion for birds! This episode highlights common cases for backyard birds, avian resources for owners and vets, and how to use Scribenote with a mobile vet's workflow.

Resources

• OMAFRA SmallFlock Ontario
• Textbook - Backyard Poultry Medicine and Surgery by Cheryl B. Greenacre, Teresa Y. Morishita