Hoof Beats

by ANONYMOUS Within veterinary medicine, there is a battle being waged in the trenches. Veterinary Technicians are in a fight for their careers – for respect and for fair wages. Credentialed technicians are battling for recognition and higher median salaries, all while managing patient loads, clients, DVMs and their outside lives. Lack of title protection over existing credentialed terminology has led to unscrupulous people using titles they didn’t earn or that have been revoked due to unethical behavior. National and state organizations that are supposed to be supporting and promoting credentialed technicians are...

Dear AAEVT Member, Researchers at the University of Saskatchewan would like to invite you to complete an anonymous survey on radiation safety practices during equine radiography, focused on the reasons for worker behaviours when taking radiographs. All participants who complete this survey will have the option to enter a random draw for a $150 Visa gift card (one entry per participant)! The survey link is: https://www.surveymonkey.ca/r/Equine...

The American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) is seeking a Communication Manager for the Equine Disease Communication Center (EDCC). The EDCC works to protect horses and the horse industry from the threat of infectious diseases in North America. The communication system is designed to seek and report real-time information about disease outbreaks similar to how the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) alerts the human population about diseases in people. The EDCC Communication Manager will seek, receive, coordinate and communicate infectious disease information for industry consumers including horse owners, veterinarians, ...

Sue Emerson, DVM MS DACVR, will be speaking to us on May 11th at Animal Imaging, in our first Imaging focused educational event in Irving, TX, about Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). Dr. Emerson received her DVM from Ontario Veterinary College at University of Guelph in 2005. She completed her Equine Sports Medicine Internship in 2007 at Northwest Equine Performance in Oregon. Dr. Emerson stayed on as an associate veterinarian following her internship and gained invaluable experience in diagnosing and treating equine athletes in both English and Western disciplines, emphasizing the use of...

EquiManagement has launched Disease Du Jour, where they delve into the research and current best practices for a variety of equine health problems with industry experts. The first episode featured Dr. Steve Reed on equine herpesvirus. "Our guest this week is Steve Reed, DVM, DACVIM, of Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky. In our conversation, we talk about equine herpesvirus and what veterinarians should know to recognize, prevent and treat this problem." The new episode features Dr. Tom Riddle on breeding season procedures in mares. "In this episode of Disease DuJour, we...

Our Basic to Intermediate Anesthesia Event, held last weekend in Menlo Park, CA at Peninsula Equine, was attended by 26 techs and assistants from 8 different states and Canada! Most were able to meet up by the pool at Dinah's for a Welcome Reception Friday evening, which everyone really enjoyed - even though it was not exactly "pool" weather! Saturday the sun came out and we got down to business. Upon learning where everyone was from and their background, we found that many of these attendees were brand new to equine...

Veterinary System Services, Opinion Article Katie, CVT March 27, 2019   You may have heard that the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) Board of Directors voted to support the Veterinary Nurse Initiative (VNI) during their 2018 fall meeting. And, in 2018, the VNI attempted to establish the title of “veterinary nurse” as a recognized name for technicians in two states. The first bill failed in Tennessee, and a second is mired in political scandal in Ohio. Overall, it seems the VNI is not off to a great start. I wanted to write an article on...

Veterinary Business Advisors, Inc. Mar 14, 2019 | Business & Contractual Issues, Human Resources, Practice Management, Risk Assessment Employment laws have been created to protect workers from wrongdoing in the workplace. These laws have been constructed to protect both the employee and the employer. In the United States, the relationship between employer and employee is known as a "master-servant" situation because the employee is expected to perform specified duties under the auspices of the employer. Labor laws have been created to prevent employers from abusing their power. These laws continue to be created and modified with the...

Researchers found that firocoxib and flunixin meglumine provided similar levels of pain control after colic surgery, but firocoxib resulted in reduced evidence of endotoxemia at 48 hours post-surgery. Endotoxemia—the presence of endotoxins in the bloodstream—continues to be a significant and potentially deadly complication of colic and other gastrointestinal diseases in horses. But could something as simple as a change in anti-inflammatory drug selection help stave off endotoxemia and promote gut healing? Researchers have recently proven it’s possible, at least with small intestine strangulating obstructions. Amanda Ziegler, DVM, PhD, a postdoctoral research fellow...

The survey revealed that compared to the economic recession of a decade ago, “the equine industry has firmly stabilized.” Nancy S. Loving, DVM March 18, 2019 EquiManagement The American Horse Publications (AHP) conducted an online nationwide survey in 2018 sponsored by Zoetis. Over 9,000 responses were evaluated. The bulk of the respondents (70.5%) were over 45 years of age. Over half of all respondents reported that only one member of the household was involved with the horses; a third reported two household members had involvement with horses. Nearly 69% of respondents use their horses for...

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