Veterinary medicine has reached a crisis point. Staff members are leaving the profession in droves, and veterinary care demand is through the roof. Some estimates say our profession must hire thousands more veterinarians and technicians to meet growing needs, while other reports believe these numbers are inflated. In any case, veterinary clinics are feeling the [...]

Primary care veterinarians have a solid understanding of the body’s workings and how to treat pets when they become ill. However, comprehending how the brain works and shapes behavior is a significantly more challenging feat. Veterinary behaviorists appreciate the complex interactions among a pet’s environment, family dynamics, upbringing, training history, and genetics. These veterinary specialists’ [...]

The average veterinarian sees about five neurology cases per month, but refers only one case to a specialist, according to the Collaborative Care Coalition (CCC). A referral decision depends on many client- and veterinarian-related factors, among them financial concerns or failure to properly educate the client on the referral process and benefits. Clients who are [...]

Most veterinarians perform surgery in some capacity, but veterinary surgery specialists perform complex procedures day in and day out. At first glance, a surgeon’s skillset may seem exclusively limited to the operating room, but surgeons are also skilled in other areas, such as orthopedic and sports injury diagnosis and advanced imaging interpretation.  An in-person surgical [...]

All veterinarians must master fundamental anesthesia skills, because evaluating pet health and anesthetic risk, crafting an appropriate and safe anesthetic protocol, and contending with complications during surgery are crucial elements of daily practice. However, many general practitioners are uncomfortable going beyond the typical elective surgery and anesthetizing high-risk or critical pets. This is where VESEPCON [...]

Theriogenology is the study of animal reproduction, a discipline that mostly focuses on livestock and equine breeding management, because of its importance for large animal-based businesses. However, a subset of theriogenologists choose to focus on small animals—typically dogs—to improve access to reproductive health care for breeders and genetic health for dog breeds. Healthier pets benefit [...]

Emergency and critical care (ECC) veterinary specialists are a special group who thrive in chaos and challenge. They are masters of their craft who always keep a cool head in a crisis. Our VESPECON consulting criticalist, Dr. Melissa Holahan, has years of experience under her belt and enjoys sharing her expertise to help general practitioners [...]

Emergency care in small animal medicine has become commonplace, and pet owners expect relatively easy access to 24/7 emergency services. In the equine field, however, dedicated emergency and specialty centers are rare, and horse owners generally must handle the situations themselves or contact their trusted local equine practitioner after hours. That often spreads the trusted [...]

The average primary veterinarian uses X-rays for multiple patients each day, and relies on those imaging results for quick, accurate diagnoses, so treatment can begin promptly. Most general practitioners can interpret routine images in-house, but what if you aren’t sure what you’re looking for, or you see something suspicious and wonder about the significance? Consulting [...]

General practice veterinarians often rely on clinical pathology specialists to help guide their clinical decisions. Pathologists help us understand complex chemistry results, glean minute details from a blood smear, identify the rarest of cancer cells under the microscope, and pull together various test results to help us form an accurate diagnosis for our patients. Dr. [...]