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APRIL 2015 $6.95 GST INCL. P R A C T I C E An in-depth investigation covering the facts from vets and horse owners, page 18 SPECIAL REPORT Our guide to the best products at the 2015 Vet Nurses Council of Australia conference, page 29 Lean on me Developments in prosthetics for dogs, page 10 Out of towners Continuing Professional Development for rural vets, page 14 Digital design Learn how to brand your image online, page 22 The vaccination debate Hendra

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Page 1: Vet Practice April 2015

APRIL 2015 $6.95 GST INCL.

PRACTICE

An in-depth investigation covering the facts from vets and horse owners, page 18

SPECIAL REPORTOur guide to the best products at the 2015

Vet Nurses Council of Australia conference,

page 29

Lean on meDevelopments in prosthetics for dogs, page 10

Out of townersContinuing Professional Development for rural vets, page 14

Digital designLearn how to brand your image online, page 22

The vaccination debate

Hendra

Page 2: Vet Practice April 2015

PREVICOX® EXCEEDINGEXPECTATIONS

MOVING AHEAD IN OA

- C

red

its:

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Lab

at

1. Refer to PREVICOX product label for full claim details. 2. Merial Data on File, PR&D 84101. 3. McCann, M.E., Andersen, D.R., & Zhang, D. et al (2004) In vitro activity and in vivo effi cacy of a novel COX-2 inhibitor in dogs. Am J Vet Res 65 :502-512 * When used according to label directions. Merial Australia Pty Ltd, Building D, 12-24 Talavera Road, Macquarie Park, NSW 2113. ABN 53 071 187 285. ®PREVICOX is a registered trademark of Merial. ©2015 Merial Limited. All rights reserved. PREV.15.02.0051.

PREVICOX RELIEVES PAIN WITH• Once daily dosing - with or without food1

• Fast acting comfort - peak plasma levels achieved within90 minutes of dosing2

• Safety - high COX-2 selectivity while sparing COX-1 at therapeutic doses3*

Dogs suffering from osteoarthritis need proven relief from pain and infl ammation.

Prev Exceed Exp Trade ad_Provet.indd 1 31/03/2015 9:27 am

Page 3: Vet Practice April 2015

APRIL 2015

News + eventsJames Cook University collaboration 4JCU has a joint venture with Greencross Vets; scent-trained dog detects human thyroid cancer; saving Barry the turtle, and much more …

Cover storyInside the Hendra vaccination debate 18With growing concern over the safety of the Hendra vaccine, we talk to veterinarians and horse owners to get all the facts

Your worldShake a leg 10Prosthetic and orthotic appliance options for dogs

Your businessCPD options for rural vets 14Continuing professional development options for rural vets are greater than ever before

Image makeover 22All you need to know about Instagram and Pinterest

15 ways to go green 26Simple ways to make your practice eco-friendly

Your toolsNew products 8The latest and greatest gear for your practice

Product guide 29Vet Practice magazine’s guide to the best products at the 2015 Veterinary Nurses Council of Australia Conference

Tools of the trade 35Reviewed by your peers

Your lifeIce queen 38When Dr Silvia Sugiyama of Melton Veterinary Clinic in Victoria tried figure skating for the first time, she knew she had found her passion

Contents

C O N T E N T S

18

14

26 38

PRACTICE Editorial Director Rob Johnson

Sub-editor Kerryn Ramsey

Editor Nicole Hogan

Digital Director Ann Gordon

Art Director Lucy Glover

Contributors Chris Sheedy, Fiona MacDonald, Natasha Shaw, Deborah Rubin Fields

Commercial Director Mark Brown

For all editorial or advertising enquiries:Phone (02) 9660 6995 Fax (02) 9518 [email protected]

Vet Practice magazine is published 11 times a year by Engage Media, Suite 4.17, 55 Miller Street, Pyrmont NSW 2009. ABN 50 115 977 421. Views expressed in Vet Practice magazine are not necessarily those of the publisher, editor or Engage Media. Printed by Webstar.

22

10

Sales Director Adam Cosgrove

4,517 - CAB Audited as at September 2014

PREVICOX® EXCEEDINGEXPECTATIONS

MOVING AHEAD IN OA

- C

red

its:

JM

Lab

at

1. Refer to PREVICOX product label for full claim details. 2. Merial Data on File, PR&D 84101. 3. McCann, M.E., Andersen, D.R., & Zhang, D. et al (2004) In vitro activity and in vivo effi cacy of a novel COX-2 inhibitor in dogs. Am J Vet Res 65 :502-512 * When used according to label directions. Merial Australia Pty Ltd, Building D, 12-24 Talavera Road, Macquarie Park, NSW 2113. ABN 53 071 187 285. ®PREVICOX is a registered trademark of Merial. ©2015 Merial Limited. All rights reserved. PREV.15.02.0051.

PREVICOX RELIEVES PAIN WITH• Once daily dosing - with or without food1

• Fast acting comfort - peak plasma levels achieved within90 minutes of dosing2

• Safety - high COX-2 selectivity while sparing COX-1 at therapeutic doses3*

Dogs suffering from osteoarthritis need proven relief from pain and infl ammation.

Prev Exceed Exp Trade ad_Provet.indd 1 31/03/2015 9:27 am

Page 4: Vet Practice April 2015

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news + events

Greencross Vets has commenced the provision of management services for James Cook University’s veterinary emergency centre and hospital, JCU Vet, in Townsville, Queensland. The new structure will offer better opportunities for students, will attract leading vet specialists, teachers and clinicians, will provide access to new technologies, and will increase the scale and scope of veterinary services offered in north Queensland.

JCU Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Wronski said the

agreement will benefit veterinary students.

“Students will have access to placement opportunities within Greencross’s network, which extends from Cairns to Adelaide. It will also give access to new technologies, wider training options and exposure to the financial discipline necessary to manage a practice,” said Professor Wronski.

Greencross chief operations officer Dr Ian Kadish said the arrangement will help JCU to produce exceptional ‘work-ready’ graduates for the vet industry.

“It’s exciting for JCU students to be able to access clinical cases across the Greencross network, as well as JCU’s vet hospital,” said Dr Kadish.

Professor Wronski said the arrangement will also help restore the vet school’s financial stability.

“Greencross brings professional acumen and financial rigour to the business,” he said.

The north Queensland community will also benefit from improved services at JCU’s vet hospital. The opening hours for Townsville’s only animal hospital emergency centre will be expanded.

JCU Vet will have access to improved pathology services, enhanced imaging capabilities and will be able to draw on Greencross’s staff throughout Australia.

Dr Kadish said JCU Vet will remain independent and will continue to seek and take referrals from its referring partners in the north Queensland veterinary community.

Greencross also sees this initiative as a mechanism whereby the company can play its part and contribute to the broader veterinary industry and its academic institutions.

“We understand that JCU needs to operate as a high quality, independent facility taking specialty and emergency referrals in the north Queensland region, and Greencross will ensure that the business runs independently, and maintains its commitment to teaching, research and academic excellence.”

A trained scent dog accurately identified whether patients’ urine samples had thyroid cancer or were benign (noncancerous) 88.2 per cent of the time, according to a study presented at the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting in San Diego, USA.

“Current diagnostic procedures for thyroid cancer often yield uncertain results, leading to recurrent medical procedures and a large number of thyroid surgeries performed unnecessarily,” said the study’s senior investigator, Dr Donald Bodenner of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS).

“Scent-trained canines could be used by physicians to detect the presence of thyroid cancer at an early stage and to avoid surgery when unwarranted,” said Dr Bodenner.

Although he’s not yet basing patient treatment decisions on the canine technique,

he said the dog’s diagnostic accuracy is only slightly less than that of fine-needle aspiration biopsy, the method generally used first to test thyroid nodules for cancer. Canine scent detection has the advantages of being noninvasive and inexpensive.

Dr Bodenner’s colleague at UAMS and study-coauthor Dr Arny Ferrando previously “imprinted”, or scent-trained, a rescued male German shepherd-mix named Frankie to recognise the smell of cancer in thyroid tissue obtained from multiple patients. Dr Ferrando, who noted that dogs have at least 10 times more smell receptors than humans do, said, “Frankie is the first dog trained to differentiate benign thyroid disease from thyroid cancer by smelling a person’s urine.”

In this study, 34 patients gave a urine sample at their first visit before they went

on to have a biopsy of suspicious thyroid nodules and surgery. The surgical pathology result was diagnosed as cancer in 15 patients and benign thyroid disease in 19. These urine samples were presented, by a gloved dog handler, one at a time to Frankie to sniff. Neither the dog handler nor the study coordinator, who recorded the dog’s responses, knew the cancer status of the 34 urine samples.

The handler interspersed some urine samples that had a known cancer status so he could reward the dog for correct answers.

The dog’s alert matched the final surgical pathology diagnosis in 30 of the 34 study samples. The sensitivity, or true-positive rate, was 86.7 per cent, meaning Frankie correctly identified nearly 87 per cent of the pathology-proven thyroid cancers. The specificity—the true-negative rate—was 89.5 per cent, which meant Frankie knew that a benign sample was actually benign almost nine of every 10 times.

Scent-trained dog detects human thyroid cancer

James Cook University vet hospital collaboration

Tennille Steffensen, business manager

of JCU Vet

Frankie.

Page 5: Vet Practice April 2015

One simple ruleNVC puts people first and in return expects you to put clients first. Every NVC clinic has a responsibility to provide superior customer service. We appreciate that this is not always easy but is imperative for the reputation and success of everyone. This fundamental requirement is just good manners and good business.

Differentiation of NVC are:

Branding and Expertise• Practice and the staff retain

their identity and the client relationships

• NVC supports ‘back-end’ functions with superior systems, allowing focus to be applied to clinical delivery

• NVC supports the team to facilitate the best customer service, delivery of higher standards of care and aims to achieve high levels of employee satisfaction

Best Practice Training• Rather than the broader ‘pet

industry’, our focus is on

professional veterinary services• Our primary objective is to raise

Clinical Standards and be a ‘centre of excellence’

• Customised and tailored training programs will be implemented for veterinarians and nurses

Veterinary Advisory Board• A Veterinary Advisory Board,

made up of experienced vets with specialist skills, will help develop and support the training syllabus and quality of service delivery across the group

NVC_VetPractice_halfpage_185x127_v2.indd 1 28/01/15 2:10 PM

A message from our CEO – Tomas SteenackersWe are committed to actively listening to veterinary experts so that we can ensure our community is better supported. Motivation should come from being part of something better – not by fear or pressure to focus on numbers instead of patient care. We are building something special that is and always will be focused on caring for our people.

At National Veterinary Care (NVC) we focus on our well-respected veterinary professionals that love caring for pets and assisting pet parents. NVC are partnering with high-quality established veterinary clinics that want to benefit from the support and advantages that come from our group.

To find out more please visit our website www.nvcvets.con.au or contact us 1300 NVC Vets directly for a confidential discussion.

Page 6: Vet Practice April 2015

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news + events

The University of Queensland’s Moreton Bay Research Station, the Quandamooka Rangers, Sea World, and the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service all worked together to save a 49-centimetre turtle, who had a severe case of floating syndrome.

Moreton Bay Research Station education officer Dr Kathy Townsend said Barry the turtle was so listless that when she first saw him, she initially thought he had died in transport.

“He was suffering from extreme dehydration and about half his scutes—the large scales covering the shell—had severe UV damage and had lifted off,” Dr Townsend said.

“Luckily the Quandamooka Rangers who found him brought him straight to the station to undergo triage care.”

Dr Townsend immediately placed Barry on several rehydrating drips in an attempt to revive him. “The change was spectacular. He went from near-

dead to lifting his head to check us out,” she said.

Floating syndrome occurs when a turtle’s gut becomes paralysed, preventing it from being able to digest food.

Instead, the food decomposes, releasing gases that get caught in the body cavity, causing them to float.

“The condition occurs either from a parasite infection or from swallowing marine debris like plastic bags or balloons,” Dr Townsend said.

“Turtles with floating syndrome can’t absorb water, so they quickly dehydrate and because they can’t dive underwater, they’re often attacked by other animals, hit by boats or severely sunburnt.”

Once Barry was stabilised, the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service took him to Sea World for a full assessment and antibiotic treatment. “He will spend several weeks at Sea

World fattening up and undergoing rehabilitation under veterinary supervision,” Dr Townsend said.

“It’s wonderful how Queensland’s marine conservation community works together on these cases.

“Once Barry is back to full health we will release him back to the ocean, so he can hopefully live a long and happy life.”

A week after Barry was treated at Moreton Bay Research Station, a second turtle, Billy, arrived with similar symptoms, highlighting the need to keep plastic and other rubbish out of the ocean.

Billy recently joined Barry at Sea World and is expected to make a full recovery.

Daisy, a one-year-old female spayed pit bull/basset hound mix, was recently surrendered to the Yolo County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) in California, USA, after her owners suspected she had become paralysed. Ashley Carr, a staff member at the UC Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital (VMTH) and SPCA volunteer, noticed that Daisy was still able to wag her tail, which would indicate that she wasn’t completely paralysed. Carr contacted the VMTH’s Neurology and Neurosurgery Service to see if there was anything UC Davis could do to help Daisy.

Once at UC Davis, Daisy was given a physical examination by Drs Peter Dickinson and Jessica Rivera for further evaluation of her inability to walk. Daisy’s spinal X-rays showed evidence of an old vertebral fracture,

and an MRI and blood and urine cultures found changes suggestive of an infectious process in the region of the old fracture site. Without doing these tests, Drs Dickinson and Rivera would not have been able to diagnose Daisy’s medical problem, and Daisy most likely would have died from the infection.

To treat the infection, Daisy was given a lengthy regiment of antibiotics. Within just a few days of Daisy’s first dose of antibiotics, Carr—who is now fostering Daisy—reported that she was trying to walk.

After a week, she was walking. Now after a month of antibiotics, Daisy is running around like her old self. She will require follow-up X-rays and remain on antibiotics for at least three to four months to clear the infection. It is expected that Daisy will make a full recovery.

Veterinary neurologists help dog walk again

Saving Barry the turtle

Dr Kathy Townsend and Barry the turtle.

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Page 7: Vet Practice April 2015

Fel-O-Vax FIV kittens become cats that keep coming back

Based on a survey of 213 clinics around Australia1, 76% of vets believe that FIV vaccination of kittens is likely to increase the number of repeat annual vaccinations throughout a cat’s life.

Fel-O-Vax FIV kittensbecome cats that keep coming back

References: 1. Boehringer-Ingelheim data on fi le.

Australia: Boehringer Ingelheim Pty Limited ABN 52 000 452 308. Animal Health Division, 78 Waterloo Road, North Ryde NSW 2113. Toll free: 1800 038 037. Fel-O-Vax FIV® is a registered trademark of Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica Inc. Bi825TA-07/14

BI825 PressAds-FIV Passport.indd 1 06/08/2014 16:46:31

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l Breakthrough for itchy dogs Australian vets are being urged to find out more about an all new approach to providing relief for their canine patients with acute and chronic itch.

Zoetis, a global animal health company, is launching a nationwide campaign to inform vets about a novel treatment strategy for canine pruritus.

As part of the campaign, from 7 April to 30 June 2015, Zoetis plans to run several ‘Lunch and Learn’ in-clinic sessions to educate interested veterinary staff about the latest research behind allergic skin disease in canines, and provide information about the launch of Apoquel (oclacitinib) in Australia.

The new treatment strategy, which targets the Janus kinase (or JAK) pathway,1,2 rapidly stops the continuous itch cycle without the side effects seen with current therapies.

Apoquel has already received an enthusiastic response from dog owners and vets in overseas markets including the USA and New Zealand.

Vets interested in finding out more and requesting a ‘Lunch and Learn’ in-clinic session can either visit the website: www.apoquel.gettimely.com, or contact Zoetis sales representative Sharon Hill on 1800 880 941.

1. Tizard IR. “Veterinary immunology, an introduction.” 8th ed. St. Louis, MO. Saunders Elsevier, 2009. 2. Abbas AK, Lichtman AH, Pillai S. “Cellular and molecular immunology.” 6th ed. Philadelphia, PA. Saunders Elsevier, 2010.

N E W P R O D U C T S

PRODUCTS GUIDENEWThe latest and greatest products for vet practices

l Make more room for care with Vita FlexThe new Carestream Vita Flex CR System effortlessly transforms your traditional radiography into a powerful digital imaging solution with minimal cost or downtime. It delivers image quality at 30 or 45 plates per hour (for 14 x 17 cassette), incredible flexibility, field-tested durability, simple servicing and more room for care.• Impressive image quality. Utilises Image Suite Acquisition

software.• Small footprint. The Vita Flex CR is only 25kg and takes up

less room than a water cooler.• Simplified X-ray workflow. You no longer need to go through

the time-intensive process of developing film or retaking under/over exposed images.

• Supports multiple cassette sizes. Ideal for major exam types. • Easy-to-use veterinary dental cassette. Allows you to perform

intra-oral veterinary dental X-rays right in your practice.• Change throughput. The Vita Flex can transition from 30 to

45 PPH with no additional expensive equipment or hardware modifications required.

• Flexible and portable. Take advantage of limited space with either horizontal or vertical scanning orientations.

• Easy servicing. The Vita Flex CR Field Replaceable Units can be disconnected and replaced without tools or technical skills.

• Highly reliable. Carestream products are rigorously tested in extreme conditions

• Easy-to-use veterinary software. Image Suite V4 Veterinary edition is the advanced workflow solution for image acquisition and management. It’s easy to use, and features all the veterinary tools your practice needs. MiniPACS and Tablet Viewer options are available.

• Extended warranty. Available for up to five years!

Available now from authorised Carestream Business Partners.

DISCOVER MORE ROOM FOR CARE AT carestream.com/flexv

Page 9: Vet Practice April 2015

At the lowest effective dose, Metacam can be taken daily, without compromising effi cacy.1-3

A little dose of

1. ISFM & AAFP Consensus Guidelines: Long-term use of NSAIDs in cats. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery 2010;12:519 2. Gunew M N et al. Long-term safety, effi cacy and palatability of oral meloxicam at 0.01–0.03 mg/kg for treatment of osteoarthritic pain in cats. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery 2008;10(3): 235-241. 3. Gowan A R et al. A retrospective analysis of the effects of meloxicam on the longevity of aged cats with and without overt chronic kidney disease. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery 2012;14(12): 876-881. AUSTRALIA: Boehringer Ingelheim Pty Limited. ABN 52 000 452 308. Animal Health Division, 78 Waterloo Road, North Ryde NSW 2113. Toll Free 1800 038 037. Fax Number 02 8875 8715. NEW ZEALAND: Boehringer Ingelheim (NZ) Ltd. Animal Health Division, Level 1, Unit 9, 42 Ormiston Road, East Tamaki, Auckland. Toll Free 0800 802 461. Fax Number 09 271 0629. Restricted Veterinary Medicine. Access is only through a Veterinary Authorisation. Metacam® is a registered trademark of Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica GmbH, 55216 Ingelheim/Rhein. BIMET0025.

BIMET0025/01_VET_PRACTICE_297x210_AW02.indd 1 15/12/14 12:29 PM

Page 10: Vet Practice April 2015

Y O U R W O R L D

Shake a legNOT ALL LOVE TRIANGLES ARE BAD. One successful North American love triangle—with parallels in Europe, Australia, South Africa and South America—involves the following union: dog owners, vets and a handful of companies producing individually designed orthotic and prosthetic appliances. All the parties in this union believe this: neither euthanasia nor surgery is the only answer to easing or correcting problems with canine limbs.

While braces and artificial limbs are reliable alternatives for animals, in the case P

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Deborah Rubin Fields investigates the prosthetic and orthotic appliance options for dogs

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of prosthesis, there must be a leg stump with which to attach an artificial paw or partial leg. Amy Kaufmann, co-owners and founders of OrthoPets, says: “For a fore limb patient, we need to have the entire elbow joint, and at least 30 per cent of the radius and ulna remaining. In the hind limb, we need to have the entire knee joint, and at least 15 per cent of the fibula and tibia.” Kaufmann reports her company’s appliances can be used for knee injuries, carpus (wrist injuries), tarsus (ankle injuries), and elbow injuries. “We also work with pets that have lost a limb to an

injury, or born with a congenital deformity of a limb [and] neurological injuries.”

Although, not suited for all limb problems, these custom-made orthopaedic devices are less expensive and less risky than veterinary surgical intervention.

Moreover, in trying to get a maximal fit, at least one company seems to have incorporated a workable solution. All its devices come with diabetic foam (used with human diabetics who have lost their sensitivity to pain). Since dogs are unable to complain of pain, this foam ‘speaks’ for them by changing

A patient that torn his CCL (ACL) and couldn’t go through knee surgery is

now laying down with the OrthoPets Stifle device. He uses the device to

get around and live an active life without the downtime of surgery.

Page 11: Vet Practice April 2015

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colour when there is excessive pressure. Dr Jeffery Meinen, a veterinarian based

in the US state of Wisconsin, feels that orthoses and prostheses have “changed the way veterinarians practise because it gives more options to deal with orthopaedic and neurological conditions, improving patients’ comfort and function.”

Dr Meinen maintains that a dog’s age is not a factor per se, but owners should be aware younger dogs “may very well out grow the device which would require a newer device be made to compensate for their growth”. Kaufmann agrees. OrthoPets has

fitted “two-month-old puppies up to a 19-year-old dog”.

To assess a dog’s candidacy for such devices, Dr Meinen

might “sling up the limb to prevent use and observe how the patient

will acclimate on three limbs. We can apply a temporary device (ie. splint, cast, etc) to observe how they manage before proceeding with ordering an orthotic.”

Derrick Campana, US president of Animal Ortho Care, stated that a dog must “still want to use his limb, but other than that, there are no other behavioural issues that are of concern, unless they bite at everything.”

He explained that not many dogs will bite or chew at a prosthesis, but some will. He would defer recommending an orthotic or prosthetic device if the dog had any heart issues or stump infections.

While it may take dogs a few weeks to get used to their new devices, Marty Mandelbaum of the US-based company,

“Prostheses have changed the way veterinarians practice because it gives more options to deal with orthopaedic and neurological conditions.”Dr Jeffrey Meinen, US veterinarian

The authorised Australian distributor for OrthoPets products is Dogs In Motion Canine Rehabilitation.

(Left) A patient in an OrthoPets Stifle device during a rehab session with an OrthoPets CCRT. (Below) After a patient had surgery for an Achilles tendon, he uses this OrthoPets Tarsus device for support post-op.

(Below) An OrthoPets patient was born with a forelimb deformity. As her leg is contracted at an angle, the device was made with a prosthetic bottom. She wears a carpus device to assist the breakdown of over-compensation from the deformed leg. She uses both a prosthetic and an orthotic to walk around.

Page 12: Vet Practice April 2015

MH Mandelbaum Orthotic & Prosthetic Services, recently treated a large bloodhound who adjusted in record time: After a few minutes of training with the rear leg brace Mandelbaum had built, “Elvis was able to walk up the ramp to his owner’s truck.” Before being braced, Elvis had difficulty walking due to his injury and weight.

While these companies are outside of Australia, geographical distances are apparently not a barrier to receiving treatment. For instance, Campana reported he works out the logistics of measuring, fitting and follow-up by first sending a casting kit (casting videos/procedures are on the company’s website) to the veterinarian or dog owner to have a mould taken and forwarded.

“Measurements on limb lengths would also be included. We would fabricate the device in about two weeks and ship to owner/vet for fitting. Pictures and videos can be used to confirm fit, etc.”

Their pets’ new lease of life pleases dog owners. Wisconsin-based Jill Sloviak is the owner of six-year-old Oscar, a miniature dachshund, suffering from front paw double-jointedness and arthritis. A few years ago, Oscar “began running less, being unable to jump up or down from the

Y O U R W O R L D

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couch or go on long walks like he used to”. The situation deteriorated until Oscar “started whimpering and crawling; he couldn’t get up on his feet at all.”

Sloviak claims: “I don’t know where Oscar would be today without … his shoes. He has had them now for about 20 months. Oscar can walk, run, get off the couch and play with [our] two other dachshunds.”

Derrick Campana, president of Animal Ortho Care, may be seen on a recent YouTube interview: Derby the dog: Running on 3D Printed Prosthetics. For more details on the 3D printing of the device, visit www.thedodo.com/dog-runs-first-time-3d-print-881600572.html.

Elvis the bloodhound tries out his new knee brace.

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Nakio, who goes up the rehab ramp, has four prosthetic legs from OrthoPets. When Nakio was

a puppy, he lost all four paws due to frost bite.

The ProJet 5500X 3D printer created the prosthetics for Derby.

Derby running.

Page 13: Vet Practice April 2015
Page 14: Vet Practice April 2015

Y O U R B U S I N E S S

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options for rural vets

Thanks to a mix of superb technology and responsive educational institutions, the choices for rural vets of continuing professional

development options are greater than ever before. Chris Sheedy reports

DR DAVID GOLLAND HAS RECENTLY returned from an Australian Veterinary Association conference in Hobart, and another of his colleagues is also just back from a conference in Sydney, organised by the Centre for Veterinary Education at the University of Sydney. The vet, who owns the Wagga Wagga Veterinary Hospital in rural NSW, is no stranger to travel thanks to the fact that most major continuing professional development (CPD) options take place in major cities rather than rural centres. But surprisingly, Dr Golland’s problem is not a lack of choice of CPD

his leaning away from such technology, he recognises that the web plays an increasingly important role in the ongoing education of vets.

Webinars, for instance, have not traditionally been used to their best advantage, Dr Golland says. “If you have to go to Hobart for a conference then that is your focus,” he explains. “But if you have to sit down to a webinar at 7pm after a long day at work, you may not be in the mood for it. And webinars in the middle of the day can be problematic, particularly in a mixed practice situation where you can’t

options. In fact, it is quite the opposite.“To be brutally honest, at times I wonder

whether there is actually too much choice, particularly on the webinar front,” Dr Golland says. “There are a lot of private providers involved, as well as a few major educational institutions and, of course, the AVA. Many of the smaller groups run webinars as do some of the specialty vets.”

Having been in the industry for 40 years, Dr Golland says he differs from recent graduates in that he is still more likely to seek answers from a book or a journal, rather than from the internet. But despite

CPD

Page 15: Vet Practice April 2015

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answered and to further explore the topic.

“We were always copping flack about webinars never being on at the

right time,” Dr White says. “The PodcastPLUS solves

that issue while not losing the interactivity with the presenter.

After viewing, users can also sit a multiple-choice quiz that entitles them,

once they get it correct, to one CPD point. In the past we could see that somebody had registered and had been online, and we tried to monitor how long they were online. But there was no rigour about it. We have had some very positive feedback about the new system.”

It is a great example of the way education providers are keeping up with the times and, along the way, helping to serve vets not located in major metropolitan centres.

Flo Herold, managing director of Improve International Australia, is one of these providers. He says there are few alternatives, when it comes to surgical learning, to taking your lessons in a laboratory. This doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll have to travel for your surgery course, though. Private operators are making their own processes more mobile.

“Right now I am talking with a group of people near Chinchilla in Queensland,”

Herold says. “They want to do an equine workshop and for us to come to them. I’m

trying to work it out, but it needs to be financially

viable. As long as it is a big enough practice, or they can

organise for a few other vets from the surrounding areas to take part, then we can set it up.

“In general, I’d recommend that rural vets spend money on going places to do

something practical, to do the workshops that require face-to-face interaction, then do all of the theory courses online.”

So, what is available exactly? The Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) organises face-to-face CPD via division conferences and meetings, branch

always control the timeslots. I still think webinars are valuable, but I don’t see them replacing face-to-face situations.”

The educational arena has recognised these problems and acted quickly to iron out the kinks. For several years, for instance, vet-webinar.com has allowed flexible viewing times for its archived webinars. And Dr Hugh White, director of the Centre for Veterinary Education (CVE), says earlier this year his organisation launched a new and improved version of webinars called ‘PodcastPLUS’.

Marketed as ‘… more than just another webinar’, a PodcastPLUS allows you to watch the pre-recorded video at a time of your choice then, any time within two days of the original screening of the PodcastPLUS, you can enter a discussion forum with the presenter and send emails and messages, to have questions

Education providers are keeping up with the times, helping to serve rural vets.

“To be brutally honest, at times I wonder whether there is actually too much choice.”Dr David Golland, Wagga Wagga Veterinary Hospital  

Page 16: Vet Practice April 2015

meetings, special interest group webinars, meetings and conferences and division roadshows that travel from state to state (see a calendar of events online at www.ava.com.au/calendar).

The CVE runs distance education courses that run for periods of up to 10 months, events ranging from week-long conferences to intensive hands-on workshops, short courses delivered wholly online and the aforementioned PodcastPLUS webinars (see a summary here: cve.edu.au/education).

Private educators such as Improve International (improveinternational.com/au) run a wide range of courses, from one-day surgical workshops to modular programs that run for two years, and VetPrac’s workshops focus strongly on practical skills for vets as well as nurses (see upcoming courses here: vetprac.com.au/our-workshops). Of course specialist vets, also drug and medical equipment companies, run workshops and events.

So, how does Dr Golland navigate his way through the generous supply of CPD options? “We sit down at the beginning of each year and look at various courses

Y O U R B U S I N E S S

being run by the AVA, CVE and various other bodies and we figure out who in our practice should attend which courses that year,” he says. “Our vets get a week of study leave every year and there are five or six of us in the practice so we are looking for continued education to take up five to six weeks each year.”

And as Dr White says, such courses are about more than education, particularly in rural areas. “I have rural vets who say to me that in the first year of somebody working for them, they send them to a conference because it is uplifting for the young vets. If they stay a second year they enrol them

in a distance education program. That is roughly a $5000 investment and it creates a fair chance that the staff member will stay on for longer.

“One of the biggest issues in rural practices is turnover of young vets. Many work for one or two years then go to England then come back and go to the city. But if you invest in your young people, they are going to be more likely to stay. Practice owners should be budgeting for CPD for all of their people. Don’t just give them the week off—that is simply an entitlement. If you really want to show that you value them then invest in them.”

Workshops are run by specialist vets, drug and medical companies.

Page 17: Vet Practice April 2015

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Page 18: Vet Practice April 2015

C O V E R S T O RY

18

With growing concern over the safety of the Hendra vaccine, Fiona MacDonald talks to

vets and horse owners to get the facts

Inside the Hendra vaccine debate

IN JULY 2009, DR ALISTER RODGERS was called out to a stud farm near Rockhampton, Queensland to examine a couple of horses that had fallen ill. The 55-year-old did a full physical and took blood samples, but couldn’t determine what was wrong. A few days later, one of the fillies died, and the post-mortem confirmed that she was infected with the Hendra virus. Unfortunately, Rodgers had been exposed.

He was rushed to hospital for anti-viral medication but his health quickly deteriorated, and at the start of September, he passed away, becoming the fourth person in Queensland to die from the Hendra virus since it was discovered in 1994, in addition to almost 100 horses.

Rodger’s death, which came just months after the death of another young Queensland vet, was met with renewed demand for protection against the virus.

Hendra is transferred from bats to horses via bodily fluids, and then from horses to humans in the same way, and so vaccinating horses was determined the best way for us to stay safe.

In 2012, after more than a decade of research by the CSIRO, an Equivac HeV was released, and the equine industry breathed a sigh of relief.

Three years on, however, and the vaccine is still waiting to be registered by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority. Despite this fact, it’s already been widely pushed out by vets and event organisers across Australia. And there are now growing concerns over the safety of the vaccine, how necessary it is in areas that aren’t

Page 19: Vet Practice April 2015

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have been growing unverified reports of horses having adverse reactions to the injections, ranging from localised swelling, hair loss, rashes and fever, to colic, and horses dropping dead in the days following the vaccine.

Seven horse deaths are currently being invested by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) for a possible link to the vaccine.

While Zoetis claims that reactions are possible with any vaccine, they’ve seen a reaction rate of less than 0.3 per cent—that’s 960 reactions out of the 320,000 vaccines administered so far. And the majority of these reactions are localised swelling at the injection site.

Vicki Roycroft, a six-time Olympic equestrian rider, has seen many of these side effects first-hand, however, and believes that can be more severe than Zoetis describes.

“I knew a horse who, after the first injection, was so swollen that it couldn’t feed in the paddock for a week. I understand a bit of a sore neck and swelling, but if a horse can’t put their head down to feed, that’s not right,” she says.

She’s also seen more severe reactions develop after subsequent boosters. “A neighbour’s horse had a reaction the first time she gave him the vaccine, so she decided to inject it into his chest the next time. The next day he developed laminitis problems. I’ve also seen horses getting really sick and horses are dying after the vaccine. Of course, the two could be unrelated, but there are too many coincidences.”

Equestrian rider Sue Vickery has had both of her horses react to the vaccine. “The first two reactions were quite mild. The horses were off colour, not eating for 24 hours and very lethargic. The

second reaction was far worse, with a temperature of 39 degrees for 24 hours, muscle soreness and swelling after a short walk. They didn’t eat normal feed for four days,” she says.

“My older horse is now 16 and has ongoing wind problems, green mucus continually comes out of one or other nostril at random, and he doesn’t have the energy to be trained for more than 10 to 15 minutes.”

All these reactions experienced by horses are reported by veterinarians to Zoetis, who then passes them onto the APVMA for investigation, which is standard practice for all animal pharmaceutical products in Australia.

The vaccine itself has been thoroughly researched—it’s made up of a protein

called sG, which helps the Hendra virus infect cells.

Because it doesn’t actually contain any of the live virus, there’s no risk of infection from the vaccine. And veterinarian Dr Stephanie Armstrong,

a spokesperson for Zoetis, explains that its

safety isn’t in question when used on a healthy horse over the age of four months.

“Equivac HeV went through the same safety and efficacy testing any vaccine goes through prior to being released,” says Dr Armstrong. “Efficacy was proved through challenge studies and serology studies, while safety studies were also completed. The vaccine performed very well in all studies.”

Dr Armstrong explains that all of the safety and trial information has been submitted to the APVMA, and that the vaccine has now been ‘gazetted’ by the APVMA, which is one of the final steps before registration is finalised. A spokesperson from the APVMA added that this is a normal processing time for

Inside the Hendra vaccine debateexposed to bats and also how often it’s being recommended.

Early in 2014, vets reported that the uptake of the vaccine had been “disappointingly slow”. Most likely because the immunisation costs around $110 per dose, and requires at least three doses to ensure protection, plus ongoing boosters every six months are currently recommended.

Then, on July 1, the industry’s national governing body, Equestrian Australia (EA), put in place a by-law strongly recommending the Hendra vaccine to all members, and stating that all horses from Queensland and New South Wales would need to be vaccinated in order to enter competitions. The by-law was met with strong resistance from members, and in February this year was revoked.

“It’s a fear campaign,” says Dr Matthew Walker, a vet with Thirlmere Veterinary Clinic in NSW.

“The vaccine’s been released on a minor use permit, which means it’s supposed to be used to control outbreaks of the disease, but they’re now recommending vaccination of horses in Wagga Wagga, Perth and Canberra—places where there have never been outbreaks.”

To be clear, Dr Walker isn’t against the vaccine and believes it would play an important role in stopping an outbreak, “but the way it’s being used now is unnecessary”.

“They’re scaring pony club mums with the vaccine campaign and making them think their children’s lives are at risk. It’s irresponsible,” he adds, referring to the campaign by vaccine-manufacturer Zoetis. Some of the ads rolled out contain images of children, vets and equestrian competitors, and contain emotive slogans such as: ‘Don’t gamble with your horse’s life—or your own’.

There have now been around 120,000 horses vaccinated, and while many owners are happy with the results, there

A coloured transmission electron micrograph of

the Hendra virus.

Page 20: Vet Practice April 2015

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C O V E R S T O R Y

the registration of a vaccine. However, there are also concerns from horse owners about how often they’re being told to vaccinate. In the current APVMA permit, PER14876, there is no clear evidence to show that, after the first six-month booster, it’s necessary to keep immunising every six months.

Zoetis explains that this is because the data on how long the antibodies last following subsequent boosters is still being analysed, but this frequency was shown to be safe in their trials.

But without the conclusive research showing how often booster shots are really needed, many are worried that they are over-vaccinating their horses unnecessarily.

“We love our horses and we want to protect them with vaccines, but not over-vaccinate at the expense of their immune systems,” says Madeline Horne, a horse owner and equestrian competitor for Queensland. “We have performance horses—they are athletes. We need them healthy not chronically unwell and unable to fight off infection,” she adds.

While Dr Armstrong can’t respond to individual reports of adverse reactions without further investigation, she says the way it’s currently being used has been supported by their studies, which have been submitted to the APVMA, and it will now be up to the APVMA to make the final decision on the frequency of boosters.

“The Hendra vaccine has been in the marketplace for over two years now with some horses having received five or six doses. We have not seen any trend

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that indicates the risk of adverse events increases over time,” she explains.

“Unfortunately, the internet can be a great source of misinformation. Some horse owners can be worried by what they read online, but the stories online do not reflect the real world data from hundreds of thousands of doses and they’re very different to what I hear from equine vets I talk to.”

Dr Armstrong also reminds horse owners that the Hendra vaccine’s mortality rate is more than 50 per cent in humans and 100 per cent in horses, as any sign of infection will result in an animal being put down. “As with other vaccines, the benefits of vaccination far outweigh the minimal risks,” she adds.

Dr David Searle, a vet from the Illawarra Equine Centre in NSW, agrees that we should be wary of listening too much to unverified claims. “The horse owners all wanted this vaccine when the outbreak was there. We are listening way too much to a minority.”

His practice has vaccinated around 1800 to 2000 horses, ranging from elderly to young foals, and haven’t seen reactions more severe than fever and swollen necks. “Just what’s to be expected,” he adds.

What’s more worrying, Dr Searle explains, are claims that vets are now refusing to treat horses that aren’t vaccinated.

Jo Moore, a member of the Say No To The Hendra Vaccine Facebook group, from Queensland, has heard reports some vets are refusing to touch a horse until it’s been cleared of Hendra infection.

“One horse had a broken neck propped up with a hay bale for three days waiting for a negative Hendra result before the vet would attend and put him to sleep,” she explains.

While Dr Searle understands vets’ concerns, he explains, he would never put a client in a position where they felt pressured to vaccinate. “It’s important to keep it scientific. All you can do is tell clients the risk of Hendra in your area, the risk factors, the side effects of the vaccine, what it costs, and let them decide what they want to do.”

Dr Walker agrees. “If I had a horse within a 10-kilometre radius of where there’s been an outbreak, then I’d definitely vaccinate. But if you’re not in a risk area, is it worth risking the horse’s health by vaccinating?” he asks.

He believes it’s important to also remind people of preventive measures, such as wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) when in contact with sick horses, and reminding owners to clear or fence off any trees that house bats.

“Until the vaccine is a registered product, it should be used as it states on its minor usage permit, which is purely around the disease itself to stop outbreaks,” he adds.

Registration is something that Zoetis expects to happen in 2015, and with that will come APVMA recommendations on the frequency of immunisations, as well as reassurances over its safety.

Until then, vets can expect to have question from concerned horse owners, and will need to have all the facts to answer them.

“We need to listen to our clients and talk to them about their risks, instead of just pressuring them to vaccinate,” says Dr Walker.

Owners should clear or fence off any trees that house bats.

Page 21: Vet Practice April 2015

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Y O U R B U S I N E S S

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media expert Patima Tantiprasut, director of Bam Creative. “Most veterinary practices are very passionate about what they do. They truly take care of their patients and form real connections with the animals and their human families. By using a platform like Instagram, they are able to communicate all the positive moments, show why veterinary staff do what they do and reach an audience who share a like-minded love and passion for animals.”

These days, many people don’t believe or trust traditional advertising—instead, they associate with people they believe and trust. This means increased exposure for your brand, which leads to further growth of your veterinary practice.

Queensland veterinarian Dr Dallas

Image makeoverYou’ve finally got the hang of Facebook, Twitter and your blog but wait—there’s more. Kerryn Ramsey reveals how photo-sharing apps can lead to further growth of your veterinary practice

LOOKING FOR A WAY TO DRIVE MORE traffic to your website? Image-driven sharing social networks, such as Instagram and Pinterest, are the hot ticket, particularly in the veterinary profession. That’s because these apps, which can now be used on computers and devices, focus mainly on images. Cute images of pets, be it a big-eyed pug or a playful Siamese, have major traction. Instagram management platform, Webstagram, proved this in 2013 when nearly 18,000,000 photos of the #dog hashtag appeared, making it Instagram’s 51st most popular tag, followed by more than 14 million photos of the #cat tag.

“Photos can effectively portray the personality behind the brand,” says social

Page 23: Vet Practice April 2015

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McMillan, a former partner at Cairns Vet Clinic, recently made a career move—now as a brand strategist, he launched Influential: The Digital Agency for Professionals. And in this field, he’s well aware of the positive aspects of a practice tagging and posting online.

“I compare social media platforms to different types of parties,” Dr McMillan says. “LinkedIn is like a business networking party. Facebook is the family-and-friends barbecue while Pinterest and Instagram are like being at a fancy bar. It’s definitely the place to be seen.”

Pinterest launched in 2010 and although its numbers aren’t public, most third-party studies peg it at about 40 million active users worldwide—and statistics claim that

1. ADD DESCRIPTIVE KEYWORDS: “It’s important to add tags and keywords to posts so they are easier to find through searches, whether it be searches from within the platforms or search engines such as Google,” says Patima Tantiprasut of Bam Creative. “The more generic the term, the more people that can potentially be reached. However, more specialised terms will help your post get found for the audience that is looking for specific information.”

2. SHARE BEHIND THE SCENES: Add your own ‘backstage pass’ to reveal your perspective. “Post ‘Staff Member of the Month’, or show opportunity photo moments, such as delivering puppies,” says Dr Dallas McMillan of Influential: The Digital Agency for Professionals. “Celebrate the love of working with pets.”

3. INVOLVE YOUR PATIENTS: After getting permission, post photos of patients with honest compliments. But be aware of the Australian Veterinary Association›s advertising guidelines regarding testimonials.

4. RUN A PHOTO SHARING CONTEST: Hashtags make running a photo contest easy. Pick a

hashtag that is unique and ask your patients to share photos with that hashtag. Then pick a random photo and reward them for participation.

5. KEEP IT CUTE: Cute pictures work best on both platforms but Sydney veterinarian Dr Belinda Parsons uses a sweet picture then hijacks it with information to educate her followers. “Quiz type questions are popular on Instagram whereas infographics that are easy to read are popular on Pinterest.”

6. GET THE TIMING RIGHT: Instagram is a time-centric platform so if your post goes up at midnight, the opportunity to reach them can be lost as the new posts appear in their feeds. “Using popular hashtags will increase exposure and reach across the world, but not necessarily your direct target market,” says Tantiprasut.

7. HUMOUR SELLS: “Any positive post will gain better traction,” says Dr McMillan. “Let your followers know that your vet is friendly and has a sense of humour—qualities that are appealing to families looking for vets they can trust to look after their beloved pets.”

8. PROMOTE YOUR SPECIALISATION: “Promoting your niche or boutique market can drive great value and be a really indispensable part of your marketing strategy,” says Dr McMillan.

9. CROSS-SHARE: For both Pinterest and Instagram, Tantiprasut recommends utilising other mediums to cross-share the content. For example, share your photo or pin on your Facebook, Google+ page or blog.

around 80 per cent of these are female. Instagram also kicked off in 2010, and was acquired by Facebook in April 2012, with over 100 million active users. By December last year, it had jumped to over 300 million users.

So, how do they work? Instagram viewers upload photos, videos and micro-blogs—usually taken with a mobile phone or tablet—and add hashtags to make those images searchable. They can also be linked to their Twitter and Facebook accounts so images are instantly shared there too.

Pinterest, meanwhile, works as an online pinboard. You can create virtual pinboards of images on specific subjects, such as ‘dog’, ‘pets and vets’, ‘20 food dogs should

never eat’ or ‘external pet parasites’. And each image is linked back to the website from where it comes. Another handy trick is ‘pinning’ videos from YouTube.

“The visual nature of these platforms can help businesses communicate more quickly and effectively to their audience,” says Patima Tantiprasut. “In this era where people have less time available, the old saying that a picture speaks a thousand words is more applicable than ever. We find that when business owners don’t have the time to plan and write content for the various social media platforms, a photo-sharing option is a much more feasible one.

“To the target audience following vet practices on these platforms, whether they

9 easy ways to promote your practice on Instagram & Pinterest

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Page 24: Vet Practice April 2015

are existing customers or not, they see evidence of the passion and care behind the practice which solidifies the integrity of the brand in their eyes. It forms a special familiarity connection that social media platforms uniquely offer,” says Tantiprasut.

So, which one is more effective—Instagram or Pinterest? Dr Belinda Parsons, a small animal veterinarian and general manager of Great Western Animal Hospital in Sydney’s Pendle Hill, suggests that a beginner should start with Instagram. “It’s easy and a great way to show off your patients, your hospital and your staff,” says the vet who also moonlights as Dr Belinda the Vet on her blog, Instagram and Pinterest sites. “You can use Instagram for simple things like a picture of a heartworm test, pictures of puppies and kittens, pictures of pets having their teeth cleaned, adoption animals looking for homes, and staff profiles.”

While Pinterest takes more time, it also has a longer lifespan. Think about Facebook, for example, where posts fade away quickly. Pinterest pins always live on the board where they were originally posted.

Dr Parsons also sees the value of Pinterest for veterinary practices. “It relies on you being able to provide your clientele with good quality information that’s pinnable from your website. You need to be thinking about making infographics and attaching them as jpegs—PDFs don’t work on Pinterest.

“Think of it as a way to categorise information in pictures. It adds reach to your blog and allows people to easily save information. Most importantly, it allows people to come back and easily find your website and quality correct information.” Dr Parsons spends about 15 to 20 minutes on Pinterest once a week, and just a few minutes a day posting pictures to Instagram.

Dr McMillan agrees that posting images and text for Pinterest and Instagram are a “negligible cost”. While some practices prefer having their website professionally designed or hire a website content writer, these won’t break the budget. “Compared to traditional media and sales methods,

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“It’s easy and a great way to show off your patients, your hospital and your staff.”Dr Belinda Parsons, general manager of Great Western Animal Hospital in Pendle Hill, NSW

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Y O U R B U S I N E S S

RESPONSIBLE PRACTICE OWNERS of today are taking time to think about sustainability … and are also proactive in working out ways to weave it into their business. With a need to care for animals already evident, it makes sense that vets also want to protect the world that our animals live in.

And, with an estimated 25 million pets nationally (according to Pet Ownership in Australia Report 2013 by Animal Health Alliance Australia), there are a lot of pet owners, too, who would like to see their environment taken care of.

In the latest Measures of Australia’s Progress (MAP) report by the Australian Bureau of Statistics in 2013, respondents stipulated they want their environment, and their physical and spiritual connection to it, valued. They see that acting to sustain the natural environment and its resources

26

founder of Mulberry Lane Veterinary Clinic in Orange, NSW. “Also, stickers next to power points and lights are a fun way of encouraging the team to switch off appliances and lights when not in use.”

If you decide to embrace larger green solutions, your practice could even win over new clientele, promote happier staff members, as well as save money initially and in the long run! Here are 15 more eco-friendly solutions to consider.

1Begin with the build If you’re lucky enough to be able to start from the ground up, you

can establish eco-friendly solutions early on as did Drs Nathan Mannix and Nicole Laurence when they built their state-of-the-art Foothills Animal Hospital in Armadale, WA. “The clinic

ways to go

Natasha Shaw uncovers simple ways to make your vet practice eco-friendly

for the long-term is important to business, government, communities and society, and achieving a healthy environment is a collective effort locally and globally.

Carrying the weight of the world’s future may seem like too big a responsibility for a single vet practice. However, if each one took baby steps in the eco-friendly direction, the environment would benefit significantly. There are loads of things you can do to go greener in your practice that don’t cost anything at all, and barely any effort. From encouraging staff to turn off lights when they exit a room, shutting off computers before they leave work and turning off taps properly—every small act makes a difference.

“Bringing in water bottles that can be refilled, rather than buying water seems like a minor thing but if everyone does it, it has a big impact,” says Dr Judith Carney,

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is constructed of MasterWall, a reinforced polystyrene chosen specifically for its insulation properties. And we combined that with SmartGlass windows that have a high energy-efficiency rating,” explains Dr Mannix. “The building also has a very large reception and clinical area to provide ample natural light. We have added a shade sail in our unique outdoor consulting garden, which also covers our main consulting area and minimises the need for air-conditioning. Our fence, reception desk and merchandising shelves are constructed of recycled local jarrah. These things show our clients what our values are without speaking a word.”

2Count the stars Install eco-friendly washing machines

(ensure it’s also water efficient) and dryers, and even the kitchen microwave. Remember, the more stars on an appliance, the more energy efficient it is. Installing an energy-efficient commercial gas dryer could also be a wise money-saving green option.

3Flick the film Consider digital radiography over conventional film-based X-rays

which use hazardous chemicals and film that only end up in industrial waste.

4Gauge the air “Air-conditioning and heating are required for the team’s, clients’

and animals’ comfort, but is a massive consumer of energy. We have a sticker by the temperature controls saying: ‘Summer temp set 23°C; winter temp set 19°C’,” explains Dr Carney.

5Use kinder cleaning products As with any veterinary clinic, it is extremely important to create a

pristine environment, and this means using cleaning products that are safe around people and animals but can kill unwanted pathogens, including canine parvovirus, canine distemper, feline leukaemia and salmonella. Switch to products that don’t contain dangerous and damaging disinfectants, such as sodium hypochlorite, and are biodegradable.

6Go for green lights Consider LED lights, which can reduce wasted energy by up to 90

per cent and energy consumption by up to 70 per cent, according to Renewable Energy Australia. They also don’t contain hazardous chemicals or gases, or produce ultra-violet (UV) radiation. McIvor Road Vet Clinic in Bendigo, Victoria, switched from halogen to LED lighting and energy use reduced by 50 per cent, from 85kWh per day (May 2011) to 42kWh per day (May 2012) —that’s an electricity saving of about $5000 in a year.

7Talk to the big gunsGet in touch with government organisations, such as the

NSW Energy Saving Scheme (legislated to run until 2020), or the Victorian Energy Efficiency Target (VEET) scheme, to undertake or pay for energy efficiency programs within your business. You’ll not only save a stack of money, but you could reduce greenhouse gas emissions enormously.

8Walk the talk Stock green pet products, including toys, leads and collars made

from recycled and eco-friendly materials, biodegradable pet waste bags, and so on.

The Cotton Rope Tugg & Toss dog toy is 100 per cent cotton and made with earth-friendly dyes.

Pet owners want to know the environment is being looked after just as much as their pets.

9Ditch the car If you have the room, build bike

racks and showers to encourage staff to ride/walk to and from work. You’ll reduce the emissions from cars and have healthier, happier staff.

10Consider the furniture Aim for recycled

wood and natural fibres—avoid PVC and plastics that aren’t biodegradable and are made using fossil fuels. “Our waiting room chairs are made from sustainable timber, including a bench chair made from old fishing boats. We are also investing in easy-clean waterproof comfortable bedding for the animals that can easily be disinfected to reduce our laundry throughput,” says Dr Mannix.

11Engage the team “By running

Mulberry Lane Vet Clinic as a sustainable clinic in our core values and belief system, the team has been

with me from the beginning,” says Dr Carney. “I have also

found having the right attitude and mindset important in ensuring the whole team is on board.”

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12Park the printer Lean towards electronic

monitoring and scanning, which allows for better tracking of patient visits, payments and medical records. “We traded our paper anaesthetic monitoring forms for a custom-designed tablet program we export directly to the patient’s file. We have further reduced paper by using electronic signature pads, which are again linked to the patient’s file—much to the relief of the nurse previously tasked with scanning the paper forms. Our cage cards are also laminated and, hence, wipe clean for re-use,” explains Dr Mannix. “The pads and tablets were relatively inexpensive, easy to install, and have already paid for themselves in saved staff time, reduced paper consumption, and printing costs.”

Y O U R B U S I N E S S

Products Services C. E. Calendar

Equipment Repairs Computers

HospitalDesignLabConsumables Marketing

vetsuppliersdirectoryHelping you plan your continuing education

and source products & services from the best veterinary suppliers

The Veterinary Industry Directory

www.vetsuppliersdirectory.com.au

13Recycle Encourage staff to bring in disused mugs, glasses and

utensils (nothing needs to match) for the staff kitchen instead of buying paper or plastic cups and utensils. For the waiting room, select biodegradable or recycled paper cups for drinking water.

14 Get social Use the internet and social

media (such as Facebook) for marketing your clinic and advertising any offers, instead

of printing flyers and brochures.

15Keep up to date New green solutions and

products are popping up all the time. “Remain receptive to new ideas,” says Dr Carney. “A really good source is GreenBiz

(www.greenbiz.com), and there are other similar sites on the internet.”

These are only some of the many eco-friendly solutions that could benefit your practice while protecting the environment. “I think the take-home message is that being eco-friendly is not as hard as we think,” says Dr Mannix. “Far from being an inconvenience, we have found that, as a young growing practice, our environmental policy certainly creates a point of difference in the area, and many of our clients have mentioned that they choose to bring their pets to us for that reason.”

So, which ‘green’ solutions will you implement in your practice today?

Being eco-friendly is not as hard as you may think.

• Vet Practice magazine • Weekly News EDM

• Website • iPad App

• Social Media

PRACTICE

Advertise in

ContactAdam Cosgrove on

02 9660 6995 Ext 505or email

adam@vetpractice mag.com.au

Want to reach the veterinary profession?

Page 29: Vet Practice April 2015

PRACTICE

P R O D U C T G U I D E

The 2015 Veterinary

Nurses Council of Australia Conference

Product guide

Vet Practice magazine’s guide to the

best products at the 2015 Veterinary

Nurses Council of Australia Conference

29

Page 30: Vet Practice April 2015

A D V E R T O R I A L

Veterinary Nurses Council of Australia Conference 2015 Product guide

30

Nutrition is gaining in prominence as a discipline as its importance to animal health is increasingly recognised. Many world congresses now feature stand-alone nutrition streams, and frequent mention of diet as therapy in many of the medicine, surgery, and behaviour lectures

The WSAVA has been actively campaigning to raise the profile of nutrition since it established the Global Nutrition Committee in 2010. The 14-member committee, chaired by Dr Gregg Takashima, is composed of academics and practitioners from around the world, including North America, New Zealand, South Africa, The Netherlands, the UK and Taiwan.

The committee was initially tasked with developing global nutrition guidelines for pets, and these were published in 2011. The goals of the Guidelines are to help veterinarians and their staff discuss nutrition knowledgably with pet owners, and to ensure that the pets in their care are being fed the optimal diet for their individual needs. The WSAVA

Nutritional Guidelines1 are now available in six languages, have been endorsed by at least 30 member associations, and have been published in over 15 journals. The WSAVA is aiming for a nutritional assessment to be a standard part of every physical examination, along with the other vital signs of temperature, pulse, respiration and pain. It is also stressing the need for the veterinarians and nurses to provide a nutritional recommendation for every animal as a standard of patient care.

To help further with achieving these objectives, the Global Nutrition Committee recently launched a suite of nutrition tools. The Global Nutrition Toolkit includes practical aids for vets and their teams, such as diet history forms and a hospitalised patient feeding guide. Educational materials for pet owners have also been developed, providing guidance in areas such as selecting a pet food and deciphering the reliability of information on pet nutrition available on the internet. The tools can be downloaded at www.

wsava.org/nutrition-toolkit. Co-Chair of the committee, Lisa M Freeman,

DVM, PhD, DACVN, said: “These tools are designed

to help the veterinary healthcare team address nutrition at every patient visit and to advance the

central role of the veterinary healthcare team as the expert source of

nutrition information.”Research over the past

decade by the American Animal Hospital Association2

is of relevance here: 90

per cent of pet owners in the USA want a nutritional recommendation from their veterinarian, but only 15 per cent of pet owners perceive that they received such a recommendation; and, a majority of pet owners purchase the food that their veterinarians recommend.

A survey conducted in France by Hill’s Pet Nutrition3 of 1100 pet owners and 600 veterinarians identified factors that were important to owners and their vets in a wellness pet food. Vets told us they wanted to recommend high quality diets with multiple benefits that are only available from veterinary clinics, a simple, easy to manage product range, and client satisfaction with the recommended diets. Pet owners told us they want the best quality food for their pet, one that their pet also enjoys and that comes with a veterinary endorsement.

Hill’s™ Pet Nutrition took all of these factors into account when designing their vet exclusive wellness range, Science Diet™ VetEssentials™. Each VetEssentials product contains five essential health benefits merged into one diet, and the health benefits are tailored to meet the needs of the pet’s species and life stage. The VetEssentials range is straightforward and easy for clients to follow, making that all important nutritional recommendation a natural consequence of your interest in the health of the pets in your care.

Hill’s makes it easy for you to put the WSAVA Nutritional Assessment Guidelines into effect with their Therapeutic (Hill’s Prescription Diet™) and Wellness Ranges (Science Diet™, Science Diet™ VetEssentials™ and Ideal Balance™)

For more information contact the Hill’s Helpline on 1800 679 932, or your local Hill’s Territory Manager.

Nutrition: the fifth vital assessment

References1. http://www.wsava.org/guidelines/global-nutrition-guidelines. Accessed April 2013, 2. Data on file, 2002 (aaha.org) 3. Hill’s Prophet Research 2008 – Retail Environment Study 2008.

Page 31: Vet Practice April 2015

A new standard in veterinary care

h i l l’s™ science diet™ vetessentials™

E xcLusIVELy tO VEtErINAry cL IN Ics AcrOss Austr ALIA

Hill’s™, Science Diet™ and VetEssentials™ are trademarks owned by Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Inc. © 2013 Hill’s Pet Nutrition Pty Limited. HPA2203. 05/13. GHG. DN.

Recommended by Veterinarians Worldwide™

Page 32: Vet Practice April 2015

A D V E R T O R I A L

Veterinary Nurses Council of Australia Conference 2015 Product guide

32

Suturing is part of daily life in all veterinary practices—and the quality of sutures and needles is of utmost importance to the veterinarian. It is important that the selection and quality of sutures and needles marketed by a veterinary company fully live up to all the demands of the veterinarians using the products. The best way to achieve this goal is effective teamwork between the veterinary company and their customers.

In 2012, KRUUSE introduced their new suture range:A complete range specifically tailored to the veterinary market and based on the wishes and requirements of KRUUSE’s own customers, including key opinion leaders. The complete suture range has been extensively tested by a panel of KRUUSE’s own customers: Over a two month period, a total of 1200 peel packs were tested by 56 vets in 13 countries—with excellent test results.

Based on feedback from their customers, KRUUSE was able to identify the specific wishes of veterinarians regarding sutures—and comply with these in the new KRUUSE range of sutures.

All KRUUSE’s customers agreed that an ideal suture should be:• High and consistent quality• Available at an affordable price• Easy to work with

Interestingly, many customers also had specific wishes regarding user-friendliness:• Package labelling should be clear and

concise, making it easy to choose the correct suture and needle

• Packages should contain fewer individual peel packs than traditionally offered

• Website information, product catalogue and product charts should be clear and concise—more streamlined than

traditional suture range information• Practical suture displays should be

available• Very important that KRUUSE

continually listens to customer wishes for new products

So how has KRUUSE managed to live up to these wishes and requirements from their customers?Very well, if you ask the customers—KRUUSE suture sales have exceeded all expectations.

“Our doctors are VERY happy with the Monofast we bought from you, and the pricing is excellent. Thanks!!”Joan Robinson, Grand River Veterinary Hospital, Caledonia, Ontario

“Following up on the suture samples you left us: Dr. Norman was happy and

even commented that she felt the needle seemed sharper/stronger than the needle on our current suture.”Sue Hodgson, RVT, Practice Manager, Yorkwood Veterinary Clinic, Keswick, Ontario

“This is to express my satisfaction with the use of sutures such as KRUUSE PD-X and KRUUSE Monofast.

At a considerably cheaper price, I find the same quality and ease of use as with our current sutures. I intend to continue to use these excellent products on a long-term basis.”Cindy Trudel DVM, Clinique Vétérinaire Cimon, Québec

Contact DLC Australia for more information, phone: 1300 785 405 fax: 03 9360 9994 email: [email protected]

How would you like your sutures?

Page 33: Vet Practice April 2015
Page 34: Vet Practice April 2015

If you were reading it on the Vet Practice magazine iPad app, you would get EVEN MORE, including:

WEB LINKS Direct links to relevant webpages to find out more

SCROLLING TEXT Swipe the screen to view the full feature article

SEARCH FOR VET PRACTICE MAGAZINE IN THE APP STORE AND DOWNLOAD THE APP.

Enjoy the magazine?Want more of the story?

And in the same issue, there’s all of the articles from Vet Practice magazine, plus cloud-based storage of previous issues (so you’ll always have your library to hand); related

TOOLS OF THE TRADE reviews (drawing on the entire Vet Practice magazine library); easy social media sharing, and much much more!

PLAY VIDEOFull screen video content about the school of dentistry producing these students

If you were reading it on the Vet Practice magazine iPad app, you would get EVEN MORE, including:

WEB LINKS Direct links to relevant webpages to find out more

SCROLLING TEXT Swipe the screen to view the full feature article

SEARCH FOR VET PRACTICE MAGAZINE IN THE APP STORE AND DOWNLOAD THE APP.

Enjoy the magazine?Want more of the story?

And in the same issue, there’s all of the articles from Vet Practice magazine, plus cloud-based storage of previous issues (so you’ll always have your library to hand); related

TOOLS OF THE TRADE reviews (drawing on the entire Vet Practice magazine library); easy social media sharing, and much much more!

PLAY VIDEOFull screen video content about the school of dentistry producing these students

If you were reading it on the Vet Practice magazine iPad app, you would get EVEN MORE, including:

WEB LINKS Direct links to relevant webpages to find out more

SCROLLING TEXT Swipe the screen to view the full feature article

SEARCH FOR VET PRACTICE MAGAZINE IN THE APP STORE AND DOWNLOAD THE APP.

Enjoy the magazine?Want more of the story?

And in the same issue, there’s all of the articles from Vet Practice magazine, plus cloud-based storage of previous issues (so you’ll always have your library to hand); related

TOOLS OF THE TRADE reviews (drawing on the entire Vet Practice magazine library); easy social media sharing, and much much more!

PLAY VIDEOFull screen video content about the school of dentistry producing these students

If you were reading it on the Vet Practice magazine iPad app, you would get EVEN MORE, including:

WEB LINKS Direct links to relevant webpages to find out more

SCROLLING TEXT Swipe the screen to view the full feature article

SEARCH FOR VET PRACTICE MAGAZINE IN THE APP STORE AND DOWNLOAD THE APP.

Enjoy the magazine?Want more of the story?

And in the same issue, there’s all of the articles from Vet Practice magazine, plus cloud-based storage of previous issues (so you’ll always have your library to hand); related

TOOLS OF THE TRADE reviews (drawing on the entire Vet Practice magazine library); easy social media sharing, and much much more!

PLAY VIDEOFull screen video content about the school of dentistry producing these students

If you were reading it on the Vet Practice magazine iPad app, you would get EVEN MORE, including:

WEB LINKS Direct links to relevant webpages to find out more

SCROLLING TEXT Swipe the screen to view the full feature article

SEARCH FOR VET PRACTICE MAGAZINE IN THE APP STORE AND DOWNLOAD THE APP.

Enjoy the magazine?Want more of the story?

And in the same issue, there’s all of the articles from Vet Practice magazine, plus cloud-based storage of previous issues (so you’ll always have your library to hand); related

TOOLS OF THE TRADE reviews (drawing on the entire Vet Practice magazine library); easy social media sharing, and much much more!

PLAY VIDEOFull screen video content about the school of dentistry producing these students

If you were reading it on the Vet Practice magazine iPad app, you would get EVEN MORE, including:

WEB LINKS Direct links to relevant webpages to find out more

SCROLLING TEXT Swipe the screen to view the full feature article

SEARCH FOR VET PRACTICE MAGAZINE IN THE APP STORE AND DOWNLOAD THE APP.

Enjoy the magazine?Want more of the story?

And in the same issue, there’s all of the articles from Vet Practice magazine, plus cloud-based storage of previous issues (so you’ll always have your library to hand); related

TOOLS OF THE TRADE reviews (drawing on the entire Vet Practice magazine library); easy social media sharing, and much much more!

PLAY VIDEOFull screen video content about the school of dentistry producing these students

Page 35: Vet Practice April 2015

Wahl Bravura Lithium Ion cordless clippersby Natalie Burne, North Road Veterinary Centre, Gardenvale, VIC

This is a good, sturdy clipper that we use for pre-surgical shaving and aesthetic grooming.

What’s good about itWe use these clippers before surgery when the animal is under anaesthetic. The surgical site needs to be cleaned and sterilised and these clippers cut very close to the skin. We can then just scrub the area in preparation for the first incision. They are very useful for shaving a patch on an animal’s leg in order to insert a catheter for IV fluids.

We also use them for grooming and tidying up animals. They are great when giving a cat a lion clip and for general trimming. If an animal has dreadlocks, daggy bits or fur so matted that it can’t be brushed out then I reach for these clippers.

They are battery powered with plenty of charge to get through an entire clip. When not in use they sit in a charger so they’re always ready to go. The blades have five-in-one technology that adjusts them to sizes 9, 10, 15, 30 and 40. When the clipper is in operation, the blades are always cool. It’s a very sturdy and reliable tool that I use pretty much on a daily basis.

What’s not so goodLike all clippers, they need to be cleaned regularly and well, otherwise they start to rust. It’s a good idea to brush them clean and spray them after every use. Sometimes the blades also need to be soaked and sterilised in order to eliminate any chance of passing germs from one animal to the next.

Where did you get itClipper World (clipperworld.com.au).

35

Y O U R T O O L S

Improving anaesthetic safety and performance; sturdy clippers you can use every day, and much more are under review this month …

TOOLS TRADE

of the

Surgivet Advisor Vital Signs Multi-Parameter Monitor V9203by Dr Richard Blair, Belmont Vet Centre, VIC

This machine measures five different parameters while the animal is under anaesthetic. We’ve been using it for about five years and during that time, it has certainly helped improve our anaesthetic safety and performance.

What’s good about itIt serves the function of a pulse oximeter, does a single lead ECG, measures core body temperature and we also use it to measure blood pressure. On top of this, it gives us accurate capnography, measuring the carbon dioxide the patient breathes out. It can also take direct blood pressure measurement with a line in an artery.

It gives us information that we didn’t have before and it gives that information quickly. Monitoring so many different aspects enables us to keep the patient stable.

The results are displayed on an easy-to-read LCD screen. It creates a graph of all those parameters and gives us the actual data. It also stores all the information so it can be printed out or downloaded onto the patient’s medical record.

The only time when we don’t use this machine is when we have two anaesthetics going simultaneously. In that situation, the sickest, oldest, most complex case is attached to this machine. A lesser machine is used for the second animal but that’s purely due to cost.

What’s not so goodWe have noticed that low-blood pressure readings can occasionally be a misread. If the blood pressure reading is normal or high then that reading is correct. If it records a low reading, we always double-check with another method.

Where did you get itSound Veterinary Equipment (www.soundveterinary.com.au). W

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Page 36: Vet Practice April 2015

SK600I infusion pumpby Dr Kim Bowen, Denistone Veterinary Surgery, NSW

We recently purchased this unit to replace an older model pump that’s pretty common in a lot of veterinary practices. Like most pumps, the SK-600I accurately measures the amount of fluid being administered to an animal but it has a few other improvements.

What’s good about itIt’s very user-friendly and easy to set up. It’s also quite intuitive in terms of knowing which buttons to press in order to change settings. However, the biggest improvement is that it’s a lot less temperamental than other infusion pumps I’ve used in the past.

It’s probably impossible for a pump not to have any problems. When fluid is being pumped into very small veins, the physics and friction of the process coupled with the movement of the animal means there are often problems. It’s common to have blockages or bubbles in the line, or for tubing to get kinked. Even though this does happen with the SK-600I, it happens much less frequently. It’s very nice not to have alarms constantly ringing that require you to go and fix the pump again.

A lot of other infusion pumps need particular giving sets and that specific tubing is often quite expensive. This unit uses a standard giving set. You just put the tube through the machine’s sensor and it’s good to go. This makes it much cheaper in the long term.

It’s a great pump. It’s small, light, simple to use and easy to access the information it records.

What’s not so goodTo be honest, it’s such an improvement on older generation pumps, it’s hard to think of any negatives.

Where did you get itLyppard (www.lyppard.com.au).

Y O U R T O O L S

continued from page 35

36

LynX veterinary hydraulic consulting tableby Dr Sue Lapham, Indooroopilly Veterinary Clinic, QLD

I’ve had this table for about five years and it can really save your back when lifting large-sized dogs. It’s absolutely fantastic in regards to workplace health and safety regulations.

What’s good about itA foot pedal is used to raise and lower the table to the appropriate height. It’s very quiet so the anxiety levels of dogs and cats are kept to a minimum. It also moves extremely slowly so the animal never feels unbalanced.

The table can be lowered to a height of 40 centimetres. When I first see puppies, I often teach them to jump onto the table. For adult dogs, I put a little treat on the table and they jump straight on. It takes about 30 seconds for it to be raised to a convenient height.

The height of the vet or nurse is irrelevant as the table can be adjusted to suit whoever is using it. When examining a cat, I often lower the table so the client and myself can sit comfortably. It’s also handy when collecting blood. With so many different sized animals, you can position the table so everyone is comfortable.

Healthtec customises these tables to your specific design, type of surface and dimensions. A lot of practices use a stainless-steel top but I find these are very scary for most pets. It’s impossible for the animal to get traction when it’s standing. I have a laminate top with a thick rubber mat covered by a fluffy piece of material. I change the piece of material between each animal.

I use this table every day and in five years I have never had a problem using it.

What’s not so goodIt does require a little more cleaning than a static table. It can get quite dusty around the hydraulic section.

Where did you get itHealthtec (www.healthtec.com.au).

All tabletops can be customised to your specifications.

Page 37: Vet Practice April 2015

iM3 Small Animal Dental Radiology

“You’d be hard placed to find another piece of equipment that ticks those elusive three boxes of good investment more effectively.”

Dramatically improves patient care and decision making

Delivers solid profit

Does not need a specialist level of training to deploy

Dr Dave Nicol,MRCVS.(Owner of two CR7’s)

Cat. No X7000

iM3 CR7 Vet Dental X-RayCompared to other veterinary dental scanners, the CR7 Vet provides unsurpassed high-resolution images, fast processing time, user friendly software and the largest range of reusable flexible plate sizes for dental and small animal extremity applications.

Confused about dental radiology, CR vs DR

Size 5 CR Plate (Actual Size) – only for the iM3 CR7 Vet

I have used a number of DR systems in the past, both in veterinary and human practice (Schick, Sirona, Kodak and Genoray), but I would have to say that the results and image quality that I am getting with the iM3 CR7 Vet is the best so far.The advantages of the CR7 Vet over other DR systems when used in the veterinary environment include a unique range of plate sizes from 0 up to a size 5, which covers all pets from small to large. There is even an intraoral plate for rabbits.”“Dr Anthony CaiafaBVSc BDSc MACVSc (SA Surgery and Veterinary Dentistry)

iM3 Pty Ltd. Tel. 02 9420 5766 [email protected] www.im3vet.com

DR Sensor-Size 2

Size 3.2 CR Plate (‘True’ 4C)

Please visit our stand at

the up coming VNCA

Conference in Melbourne

Page 38: Vet Practice April 2015

Ice queen

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Y O U R L I F E

“Even though being a figure skater had been a childhood dream of mine, I only started about two years ago at the age of 37. My eight-year-old daughter and I went along to a come-and-try class and we both really liked it. I’m now a member of the Icehouse Figure Skating Club at Medibank Icehouse in Melbourne.

“I was really attracted to the idea of dancing on ice. I had skated in the past but was surprised at how naturally figure skating came to me. Initially, I was worried about jumps and spins but with the proper coaching, it’s just a matter of practice.

“Figure skating requires a lot of training with about 50 per cent taking place off the ice. You need to be very fit with strong legs so there’s a lot of running up and down stairs. You also need very strong core body strength.

“At the moment, I’m working on my first routine and thinking about entering a competition this year. I regularly attend skate school and do extra training with my coach. I also have lessons just to work on my spins and jumps. I’m training about six hours a week.

“Recently I was very fortunate to be

coached by an Olympic skater. She was a very patient and engaging lady who had won a bronze medal at Nagano in 1998. That was a fantastic experience.

“Figure skating can be dangerous even though I have never had any serious injuries. About the worst I have experienced is falling backwards and knocking myself out on the ice. However, I’ve seen plenty of other skaters fracture their wrists or ankles. Skating becomes more difficult the older you get.

“In competition figure skating, it’s important to get the look just right. You need a beautiful outfit to match the routine, preferably with plenty of glitter and sparkles. Of course, having hair and make-up done is an absolute necessity so there’s quite a bit of preparation before going into a competition.

“I can’t really explain what appeals to me about figure skating but I absolutely love it. I love being on the ice, I love the atmosphere and I love the people involved with skating. I love the fact that I can attempt something difficult and improve over time. I even love the smell of the ice. If it was possible, I would skate every day.”

When Dr Silvia Sugiyama of Melton Veterinary Clinic in Victoria tried figure skating for the first time, she knew she had found her passion

Page 39: Vet Practice April 2015

Ice queen

Financial products and services described in this document are provided by BOQ Specialist Bank Limited ABN 55 071 292 594 AFSL and Australian Credit Licence 234975 (BOQ Specialist). BOQ Specialist is a wholly owned subsidiary of Bank of Queensland Limited ABN 32 009 656 740 (BOQ). BOQ and BOQ Specialist are both authorised deposit-taking institutions in their own right. Neither BOQ nor BOQ Specialist guarantees or otherwise supports the obligations or performance of each other or of each other’s products. BOQ Specialist is the credit provider. Terms and conditions, fees and charges and lending and eligibility criteria apply. We reserve the right to cease offering these products at any time without notice. BOQ Specialist is not offering financial, tax or legal advice. You should obtain independent financial, tax and legal advice as appropriate.

Equipment and fit-out finance / Credit cards / Home loans / Commercial property finance / Car finance / Practice purchase loans SMSF lending and deposits / Transactional banking and overdrafts / Savings and deposits / Foreign exchange

Is your equipment finance getting you all tangled up? It’s time for a second opinion.

As you well know, running a practice involves balancing a myriad of priorities. Purchasing equipment is high on the list, but it’s often devilishly complicated – it takes specialist expertise to put together a simple, cost-effective solution.

This is where BOQ Specialist comes in. We’re experts in providing financial solutions for veterinary professionals, so our team thoroughly understands the pros and cons of different methods of funding your equipment.

Whether it’s buying outright or leasing, you can rest assured we’re on the ball when it comes to your needs.

Visit us at boqspecialist.com.au/medical or speak to our financial specialists on 1300 131 141.

BOQS001163 01/15

GOLD Supporter

Page 40: Vet Practice April 2015

Zoetis Australia Pty Ltd. Level 6, 5 Rider Boulevard, Rhodes NSW 2138. © 2015 Zoetis Inc. All rights reserved. Mar 15. ZOEAPO1086

Historically, allergic skin disease was thought to be a type 1 hypersensitivity reaction mediated by cutaneous mast cells and IgE. However, thanks to novel discoveries led by Zoetis researchers, we now know that inhibiting the Janus kinase (JAK) intracellular pathway is the key to rapidly stopping the continuous itch cycle, without the side effects seen with current therapies.

WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT JAK AND THE NEW SCIENCE BEHIND CANINE ITCH?Zoetis technical vets will be available from 7 April to 30 June to visit your clinic for a personalised ‘lunch and learn’ session where you’ll learn about Apoquel (oclacitinib), a new therapeutic approach that may benefit your canine patients.

There is a new way of getting fast and safe symptom relief for your canine patients struggling with acute, seasonal and chronic pruritus.

GET THE FACTS ON JAKRegister for your

own ‘Lunch and Learn’ in-clinic session at

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ITCHING

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