Vet Practice December 2014

DECEMBER 2014 $6.95 GST INCL.

Heart landWhat it takes to run a practice covering one quarter the area of Australia, page 10

Howdy partnerGoing into business together? Discover the best structure for you, page 26

A blog’s best friendLearn how to engage an online audience, page 14

goodTwenty years after opening

the first cat vet hospital in New South Wales, Dr Kim Kendall reflects on her achievements

Feline

PRACTICE

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

An online presence is essential for all veterinary practices, but is it worth the effort? (Hint: Absolutely!) Kerryn Ramsey explains further

14

engage their own target audience on Facebook, but they have to walk a very thin line in regard to tone. Posts that are too cute or too funny can give the impression that your business is not serious enough about its work.

A veterinary practice, however, deals with animals—and animals are the benchmark for cute and funny on the internet. Tabatha Whitehead is the practice manager at Wilston Vet in Windsor, an inner-northern suburb of Brisbane, where she’s responsible for the practice’s successful Facebook page. “Our industry really has the double whammy—we can post cute or funny things about animals until our heart’s content,” she says. “The good thing is that these images are very popular and yet don’t take away from our professionalism. We are very lucky in that regard.”

Facebook ‘likes’ means that your page is directed at a targeted audience. If you are posting animal-related topics, they will reach, and be shared, by people interested in animals. As your Facebook numbers grow, the people viewing your page are exactly the people you wish to engage.

It’s a good idea to post at least once a day and to respond quickly to any questions or comments.

IN THIS DIGITAL AGE, IT’S A SIMPLE business necessity for a veterinary practice to have an easy-to-read website and a contact point via an email address. The continuing growth of social media also means it makes great business sense to delve a little deeper into blogging and Facebook. Once dismissed as the domain of people with too much time on their hands, these sites now play a vital role in marketing and reputation management. In addition, they encourage word of mouth, share news with customers, and are a cost-effective way to improve revenue.

As of April this year, Facebook had over 13 million Australian users with over nine million Aussies visiting the site every day. Facebook is where people interact and share information. Blogs, on the other hand, are an opportunity for veterinarians to post information about their practice and other animal-centric topics.

So what’s the difference between

Timeline About Photos Likes Videos

Unleashblogsthe

Facebook and blogging? “It’s hard to compare the two as they provide different but important benefits to a business’s online marketing strategy,” says Tracy Raiteri of Townsville Social Media Marketing. “With Facebook, the business is going to the target market; with a blog, the business is attracting prospects.”

Setting up and maintaining a Facebook page is quick and easy. The page lets people know who you are and gives them a sense of your personality. Posts are usually short and can be things such as a birthday announcement, a cute pet photo or a timely warning about tick season. While a light-hearted tone is the way to go, you still want your practice to be seen as professional and to be providing valuable educational material.

Veterinary practices have a big advantage over other businesses in that most other professions—be it doctors, dentists, accountants or salespeople—want to

December 2014

News + events4. Associate degree in veterinary nursing...Australia’s hottest ginger; Vet Nurse of the Year winner and more

Your world10. Spirit of the northDespite owning a practice that covers one quarter of the area of Australia, Dr Stephen Cutter of Palmerston, Northern Territory, still found time to start many groundbreaking programs

Your business14. Unleash the blogsAn online presence is essential for all veterinary practices, but is it worth the effort to blog and Facebook? (Hint: Absolutely!)

22. To your healthIt’s often the case in medicine that the practitioner takes care of everyone’s health but their own, which can have dire repercussions

26. Power coupleThinking of going into partnership with a colleague? We share some legal and financial issues to consider

Cover story17. CatvocateShe knew from the age of seven she wanted to dedicate her life to saving animals

Your tools8. New productsThe latest and greatest gear for your practice

29. Product guideVet Practice magazine’s guide to the innovators of 2014

39. Tools of the tradeImproving the ability to monitor anaesthetics; a revolutionary way to treat diabetes and more are under review this month

Your life42. Hockey jockeysDrs Damian McShane and Stewart Ryan played hockey together as students at University of Melbourne. Thirty years later they’re teammates once again

Contents

C O N T E N T S

10

26

42 22

PRACTICE

Editorial Director Rob Johnson

Sub-editor Kerryn Ramsey

Editor Nicole Hogan

Digital Director Ann Gordon

Art Director Lucy Glover

Contributors John Burfitt, Frank Leggett, Charmaine Teoh, Samantha Trenoweth

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.

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14

Sales Director Adam Cosgrove

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Melbourne Polytechnic has announced the first Australian associate degree of veterinary nursing will be welcoming students in 2015 in purpose-built facilities at its Epping campus in Victoria.

Anyone who has dreamed of a career caring for animals will be interested in this course, which will equip graduates for careers ranging from veterinary nursing all the way through to running their own veterinary practice.

It’s the first course of its kind in Australia, and is the result of three years of planning by Melbourne Polytechnic and the course coordinator, veterinarian Dr Meg Dietze, previously a lecturer in Melbourne Polytechnic’s bachelor of equine studies, who carried out extensive industry consultation for the development of this course.

“The UK introduced veterinary nursing degrees 14 years ago, and they are now

offered by 14 institutions,” said Dr Dietze.The two-year associate degree of

veterinary nursing is a response to demand for a qualification that provides advanced opportunities in the animal industry. The prestigious Myerscough College in the UK advised and reviewed materials, and Dr Dietze also set up a local advisory reference group comprising key advisers from the field.

“Vets are looking for nurses with advanced qualifications, especially in larger or more complex practices, and nurses are looking for pathways for advancement and opportunities to manage their own businesses,” said Dr Dietze, who consulted with the industry both in Australia and overseas to design the course.

One of the most challenging aspects for current veterinary nursing students is finding clinical placements to gain hands-on experience. The Melbourne Polytechnic associate degree of veterinary nursing course includes extensive industry experience, including clinical placements at Lort Smith Animal Hospital in North Melbourne, combined with a final six-month ‘internship’ to enable students to gain experience.

This landmark agreement with Lort Smith ensures graduates will gain in-depth experience in a range of situations and across a wide range of species. They will be supervised and taught by visiting Melbourne Polytechnic academic experts, as well as being coached

by experienced nurses and vets who have been trained to act as clinical coaching associates.

General manager of nursing services at Lort Smith, Dana Keirs, said the associate degree will have a positive impact, not just on employers but on the veterinary profession as a whole.

“We rely heavily on experienced, well-trained nurses who play a critical role. Through our association with Melbourne Polytechnic, we will have confidence and certainty in the level of training and knowledge that the graduates will bring to their roles,” said Keirs.

“It’s a huge win for the vet nursing profession and will enhance its status and improve career options for nurses.”

Graduates will also be trained in the advanced interpersonal skills required to lead teams and manage practices.

“Working effectively with humans is just as important as being able to work with animals,” said Dr Dietze. “Whether it’s their colleagues or the family members who are distressed about their pets, or people in the community who need to be educated about issues relevant to animal welfare, veterinary nurses need to be able to interact well with everyone they deal with.”

Associate degree in veterinary nursing first in Australia

Hot gingersA new nation-wide campaign has been launched to find Australia’s Hottest Ginger Pet.

Hosted on Buderim Ginger’s new online portal, The Ginger Net, where users can find everything from ginger cat videos to ginger beverages and recipes, the competition invites entrants to submit a photograph of their favourite ginger pet. With competition entries open until December 21, 2014, all submissions will be published in a photo gallery on the Ginger Net.

Open to public voting, the ginger pet with the most public votes or ‘Likes’ will take out the title and also win a GoPro HERO3+ and the new GoPro Fetch harness for their furry mate, to a total value of $620. A selection of exciting weekly entry prizes will also be up for grabs, including over $1600 worth of Shop4Pets gift vouchers.

For more information, go to: thegingernet.com.

Congratulations to the

winners of the 2014 Vet

Practice reader surveyDr Donna Weber of Cloncurry

Veterinary Surgery (iPad Air)

and Dr Jennifer Larsen of

Farm & Pet Veterinary

Service (iPad Mini).

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Merial Australia Pty Ltd, Building D 12-24 Talavera Rd, Macquarie Park, NSW 2113. ABN 53 071 187 285 ®FRONTLINE PLUS is a registered trademark of Merial. ©2014 Merial Limited. All rights reserved. FRLP.14.08.125. Source: IPSOS Pet Owner Study Feb 2014

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6

news + events

Queensland researchers said they have made a breakthrough in the fight to protect the shrinking koala population against chlamydia.

Scientists at the University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, said they had successfully vaccinated koalas against the disease, which was responsible for about 50 per cent of the marsupial’s deaths.

Researchers said a vaccination could be the key to protecting the native species from the painful and deadly disease.

Koala numbers had dropped dramatically in Queensland, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory over the past 20 years.

Microbiologist Professor Peter Timms of the University of the Sunshine Coast in the state’s south-east said chlamydia was one of the main reasons for that.

“In females, not only do they get reproductive tract disease which might lead to infertility, but also they get large cysts and they’re quite painful,” he said.

“You can see the animals that have these cysts and they can die from that. As well as that, of course, the ones that are infected in the eyes become blind, and it makes it

difficult for them to feed. In somewhere like south-east Queensland, unfortunately there are wild dogs present.”

Professor Timms spent five years working on a vaccine to protect the animals from the disease The research team initially tested the treatment on captive koalas with good results. The next step was to vaccinate 30 wild koalas in the Moreton Bay region, north of Brisbane.

Professor Timms said the results were very promising. “The first thing is, animals that are already infected—did it stop the infections

going higher or getting more infection load? And the answer to that is yes,” he said.

“The second thing is some animals don’t yet have the infection, so we tested whether or not the vaccine would prevent them from getting new infections.”

He said the vaccine could be a crucial step towards improving fertility in female animals to help the population survive.

“None of our vaccinated animals went from having an infection to getting actual disease —no blindness or reproductive tract cysts. Whereas in the control group, three of them went from having an infection, but then going on to get a disease.”

Professor Timms said it would be unrealistic to vaccinate every koala, but would be sensible to treat the hundreds of animals processed through care centres and animal hospitals.

“That’s an ideal opportunity to vaccinate those koalas while they’re already there, before they’re released back into the wild,” he said.

“But as well as that, there’s more and more populations, and the ones we’ve been doing this trial on in the Moreton Bay region is a good example, where it’s humans causing them to be impacted by what we do.

“Those animals can then be captured and potentially the whole population is vaccinated. There’s plenty of opportunities to vaccinate thousands and thousands of the ones that are most vulnerable at this point in time.”

The Veterinary Nurses Council of Australia (VNCA) and Hill’s Pet Nutrition recently joined together to recognise the dedication, commitment and the important role in which veterinary nurses perform every day through their chosen career path.

The National Vet Nurse of the Year award is granted to a qualified veterinary nurse employed within a veterinary clinic, who provides exceptional service and delivers the highest possible standard of patient care.

The winner of the 2014 Vet Nurse of the Year award is Tiffany Swift, a veterinary nurse at the Murwillumbah Veterinary Clinic, a mixed practice in northern New

South Wales. She has been working at the practice for the past six years and in that time has completed a two-year school-based traineeship, a two-year apprenticeship and a Certificate 4 in Vet Nursing. She is now in the process of completing her diploma of veterinary nursing.

Practice owner Dr Stephanie Wright said: ”Although Tiffany is the youngest member of our team, she is the go-to person if you need something tricky sorted.”n To nominate a nurse for the 2015 Vet Nurse of the Year award, contact the VNCA national office on 03 5439 3202 or the Hill’s Helpline on 1800 679 932.

Vet Nurse of the Year award

Breakthrough in fight against shrinking koala population

Hill’s general manager John Douglas, VNCA president Jacque Pollitt (centre) and Vet Nurse of the Year winner, Tiffany Swift of Murwillumbah Veterinary Clinic.

A 2014 UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY GRADUATE IS THE WINNER of this year’s VetPrac IM3 award for the best clinical essay discussing the transition between classroom and real world veterinary dentistry cases. Her essay, which is “beautifully written” according to the judging panel, discusses a dentistry case in a guinea pig.

Born in Darwin and raised in Singapore, Dr Ting has found final year an extremely busy year, requiring travel, but meeting and forging friendships with different people every month has made it worthwhile. Having undertaken many weeks of placements in rural practices in NSW and SA, she also discovered that she is attracted to the lifestyle and practice in rural country communities. “I especially find joy and meaning in the work that I do, even when something small I have done makes a big difference. It’s all worth it in the end!”

The VetPrac IM3 award is one of seven VetPrac awards given this year across Australia to support new graduates and bridge the gap between learning and doing. The $22,000 program is an initiative of Dr Ilana Mendels who is also a mentor to university students.

Lehman Bloom of IM3 is proud to be a supporting partner. “Marjorie has presented an essay which shows how well dentistry is being taught and practised today. It is a valuable area in the veterinary profession. It’s not something we do as an adjunct service anymore, but an important discipline to promote animal health and welfare. Her case describing guinea pig care is an excellent example of this.”

As a new graduate Dr Ting feels up to date with the latest knowledge and techniques and is excited to work on cases and do various procedures and diagnostic tests. She also imagines it will be difficult and humbling to discuss topics like finances and euthanasia. Having done volunteer work with various non-profit organisations, this has enabled her to learn key skills such as patience, perseverance and the challenges of providing optimum animal care while working within financial constraints. Dr Ting knows her pursuit of the perfect career will be lifelong.

Dr Marjorie Ting (second from the left) with colleagues.

2014 VetPrac IM3 winnerDr Marjorie Ting wins essay award

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N E W P R O D U C T S

PRODUCTS GUIDENEWThe latest and greatest stuff for vet practices

WITH AUSTRALIA’S PEAK PARALYSIS tick and flea seasons now underway, Australian vets are being urged to help dog and cat owners avoid ‘protection paralysis’, due to confusion or disillusionment about which preventative treatments they should use.

MSD Animal Health, the manufacturer of Scalibor® three month paralysis tick collar for dogs and new Activyl® spot-on flea treatment for dogs and cats, has launched a national media campaign to encourage dog and cat owners to speak to their local vet about the most appropriate preventative treatments for their pet, based on their home environment and lifestyle factors.

The campaign is being spearheaded by well-known media veterinarian Dr Katrina Warren and Senior Registrar in Small Animal Medicine at SASH (Small Animal Specialist Hospital, Sydney), Dr Justin Wimpole.

Like many local vets, Justin sees the grim reality of pet owners not protecting

their dogs and cats from fleas and paralysis ticks too frequently.

“At SASH I commonly see the devastating effects of tick paralysis. Many pet owners don’t realise this serious but preventable condition can cause severe illness and even death. Although most pets recover with good treatment, this can be very involved and vets know that prevention is absolutely better than cure.”

Scalibor® is a paralysis tick collar for dogs, that provides powerful, convenient protection for 3 months—the longest-lasting protection from a single treatment available in Australia for paralysis ticks and a major advance in its control.1 This means Australian dog owners only have to replace their dog’s Scalibor® paralysis tick collar three times during the paralysis tick season.1

Activyl® is a new spot-on flea treatment suitable for dogs and cats, providing an optimum level of protection when used all year round by combining

efficacy against fleas and gentleness* on dogs and cats. Activyl® works in a different way to conventional flea products, through ‘bioactivation’. This means it only ‘switches on’ and becomes fully active once inside the flea, to deliver full flea-killing power for a month, breaking the flea life cycle.2,3

MSD Animal Health offers a range of flea and tick educational training tools to veterinary clinic staff including online modules, printed material and in clinic training presented by MSD sales representatives. Also available is a package of promotional support material to assist clinics when communicating with pet owners; this includes Activyl® and Scalibor® websites, information brochures, posters, awareness building material and product display units. For further information or to request material please contact MSD Animal Health Customer Service on 1800 033 461.

Preventative treatmentsVets urged to help dog and cat owners avoid ‘prevention paralysis’ as peak flea and paralysis tick seasons commence

References: 1. MSD Animal Health Scalibor® Product Information 2012 (Data on File). 2.Wing KD, Sacher M, Kagaya Y, Tsurubuchi Y, Mulderig L, Connair M, Schnee M. Crop Protection. 2000;19:537-545. 3.Data on file, MSD Animal Health. * When used according to label recommendations.

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Y O U R W O R L D

Despite owning a practice that covers one-quarter of the area of Australia, Dr Stephen Cutter of Palmerston, Northern Territory, still found time to start many groundbreaking programs. By Frank Leggett

of the north

SpiritIT WAS DOGS THAT BROUGHT THE veterinarian, Dr Stephen Cutter, back to the Northern Territory. In remote communities dotted all over that vast state, thousands upon thousands of suffering dogs live without any kind of medical care. “I saw a need and it was my aim to do something about it,” says Dr Cutter.

After graduating from the University of Melbourne in 1995, the born-and-bred Territorian worked at various vet practices and for the RSPCA in Victoria. However, the Top End—and the dogs—were never far from his mind.

“When a friend scored a job as an environmental health officer for Indigenous communities in Arnhem Land, one of his areas of responsibility was dog health,” Dr Cutter recalls. “Not much had been done in the past and he contacted me about setting up a program. I jumped at the opportunity and headed north.”

Dr Stephen Cutter with his dog Louis.

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The animal hospital also runs Ark Aid, a rescue program that provides free treatment for injured wildlife. More than 1000 animals a year, ranging from microbats to wedge-tailed eagles, are helped in this way. They have even treated a baby dugong that became separated from its mother. Surprisingly, sea turtles are common patients. “We actually set up a turtle ward at the back of the clinic in order to treat them properly,” says Dr Cutter. “They are one of my favourite and most interesting patients.”

All this work is paid by donations from supporters, though those donations rarely meet the costs. “If I was an economic rationalist, I wouldn’t do any of it,” says Dr Cutter. “But I’m

“I realised I was going to have to

desex hundreds of dogs and yet I wasn’t

sure if this would have any effect.”

Dr Stephen Cutter, The Ark Animal

Hospital, Palmerston, NT

Despite having visited Aboriginal communities before, he had never been to one in a professional capacity. In fact, it was the first time many of these communities had ever seen a veterinarian and the situation was pretty grim.

“Invariably, the dog population was out of control and only limited by death,” Dr Cutter says. “About 70 per cent of the dogs were suffering from mange and they were all generally malnourished. I realised I was going to have to desex hundreds of dogs and yet I wasn’t sure if this would have any effect.”

Dr Cutter originally agreed to help on a volunteer basis but the Aboriginal community decided to pay for the job. His expectation of two weeks’ work became but a dim memory. Dr Cutter spent the next five months criss-crossing the Top End, travelling from community to community.

The Aboriginal people who lived in these remote places were welcoming but always a little guarded. “It was natural that they were suspicious of me,” says Dr Cutter. “In the past, any time a white person paid any attention to their dogs, the next thing that happened was that all the dogs were killed. There were good intentions behind it—the dogs were suffering from terrible conditions—but no explanation or consultation was undertaken with the community. A big part of what I do is educating white people that you don’t have to actually kill all the dogs—you can fix them.”

Dr Cutter is still deeply involved with the dog health program. He explains, “I spend about six months of the year travelling to remote communities. I go to the Pilbara, the Kimberleys, down into the desert and up to the Tiwi Islands. I have even done surgery in front of Uluru. My practice covers an area about one-quarter the size of Australia and I desex over 1000 dogs per year. My grand total must be over 20,000 dogs.”

In addition to his work in remote communities, Dr Cutter founded The Ark Animal Hospital in 2006. While it deals with the usual dogs and cats, it is also the leading wildlife and exotic pets practice in the Northern Territory. The practice has grown rapidly, starting with himself as the only vet to now have over 20 people on staff.

Dr Cutter spends about six months of the year travelling to remote communities, covering an area one-quarter the size of Australia.

not. It’s amazing to be able to treat these creatures, and the staff love being involved. My clients also like the fact that we treat injured wildlife. It might cost me financially but it builds goodwill in many other ways.”

In order to bring animal welfare issues to a government level, Dr Cutter is also chair of the Animal Welfare Advisory Committee. The committee has representatives from many different organisations, including the Australian Veterinary Association, Animal Management in Rural and Remote Indigenous Communities, the Cattleman’s Association, the Parks and Wildlife Commission and the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries.

“We’re able to make recommendations to the government and are in the process

12

of reviewing the animal welfare act,” says Dr Cutter. “When I first moved to Darwin, there had never been a prosecution for cruelty to animals. Now there are about 80 prosecutions a year. We intend to increase the penalties for animal cruelty.”

On top of all this, Dr Cutter also instituted the highly successful Prison Program at Berrimah prison in Darwin. He trained prisoners to be wildlife carers, looking after injured birds, small marsupials and wallabies, as part of Ark Aid. Over time, this was expanded to include rehabilitation of birds of prey.

A community culture of excellence began to evolve in the prison and the animal care was superb. The effect on the prisoners was universally positive.

“The prison chaplain mentioned that one of the prisoners was transformed by the experience,” Dr Cutter recalls. “This man had been incarcerated for a very long time and was completely institutionalised. He had stopped talking to people and the chaplain described him as being dead inside. Once he became an animal carer, he came alive again. He would talk for hours about his wallaby.”

The prisoners also started breeding cockroaches, crickets, worms, rats and mice as food for wildlife care. They actually created a small business where the excess was sold to zoos, parks and pet stores. This small enterprise not only gave them a job but a sense of purpose.

Unfortunately, this groundbreaking program was shut down six months ago when the old jail was closed and the prisoners transferred to a new facility.

“I’m hoping it’s only a hiatus,” says Dr Cutter. “This happens regularly in prisons. The motivation of incarceration swings from rehabilitation to retribution. At present, most of the effective programs have been cut. However, once the new prison has been in operation for a while, I’m hopeful we can get them up and running again. We can use all the carers we can get.”

Y O U R W O R L D

Dr Cutter instituted the highly successful Prison Program at Berrimah prison in Darwin. He trained prisoners to be wildlife carers. Currently the program is in hiatus but Dr Cutter hopes the program will be up and running again soon.

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An online presence is essential for all veterinary practices, but is it worth the effort? (Hint: Absolutely!) Kerryn Ramsey explains further

14

engage their own target audience on Facebook, but they have to walk a very thin line in regard to tone. Posts that are too cute or too funny can give the impression that your business is not serious enough about its work.

A veterinary practice, however, deals with animals—and animals are the benchmark for cute and funny on the internet. Tabatha Whitehead is the practice manager at Wilston Vet in Windsor, an inner-northern suburb of Brisbane, where she’s responsible for the practice’s successful Facebook page. “Our industry really has the double whammy—we can post cute or funny things about animals until our heart’s content,” she says. “The good thing is that these images are very popular and yet don’t take away from our professionalism. We are very lucky in that regard.”

Facebook ‘likes’ means that your page is directed at a targeted audience. If you are posting animal-related topics, they will reach, and be shared, by people interested in animals. As your Facebook numbers grow, the people viewing your page are exactly the people you wish to engage.

It’s a good idea to post at least once a day and to respond quickly to any questions or comments.

IN THIS DIGITAL AGE, IT’S A SIMPLE business necessity for a veterinary practice to have an easy-to-read website and a contact point via an email address. The continuing growth of social media also means it makes great business sense to delve a little deeper into blogging and Facebook. Once dismissed as the domain of people with too much time on their hands, these sites now play a vital role in marketing and reputation management. In addition, they encourage word of mouth, share news with customers, and are a cost-effective way to improve revenue.

As of April this year, Facebook had over 13 million Australian users with over nine million Aussies visiting the site every day. Facebook is where people interact and share information. Blogs, on the other hand, are an opportunity for veterinarians to post information about their practice and other animal-centric topics.

So what’s the difference between


Unleashblogsthe

Facebook and blogging? “It’s hard to compare the two as they provide different but important benefits to a business’s online marketing strategy,” says Tracy Raiteri of Townsville Social Media Marketing. “With Facebook, the business is going to the target market; with a blog, the business is attracting prospects.”

Setting up and maintaining a Facebook page is quick and easy. The page lets people know who you are and gives them a sense of your personality. Posts are usually short and can be things such as a birthday announcement, a cute pet photo or a timely warning about tick season. While a light-hearted tone is the way to go, you still want your practice to be seen as professional and to be providing valuable educational material.

Veterinary practices have a big advantage over other businesses in that most other professions—be it doctors, dentists, accountants or salespeople—want to

15

A balanced mix of topics that are informative, humorous and that induce conversation will garner ‘likes’ on your page. When someone shares one of your posts, traffic to your page can increase dramatically. A common occurrence is for people to follow your page for a while and, if they like what you post, bring in their pet. That first visit can then lead to years of return business.

One thing to avoid is being too self-promotional. “On both Facebook and blogs, too many businesses spend too much time selling themselves instead of building rapport,” says Tracy Raiteri. “Businesses get better results if they concentrate on adding value and showcasing the results that their products and services provide. Remember, no-one likes to be sold but everyone loves to buy.”

While Facebook is quick, easy and doesn’t take much time to maintain, blogging is more labour intensive. It requires regular updates of longer, interesting topics. These could be handy

“Too many businesses spend too much time selling themselves instead of building rapport.”Tracy Raiteri of Townsville Social Media Marketing, Queensland

training tips, breed comparisons, pet care or medical breakthroughs. While blogs don’t need to be updated as regularly, a new post should be uploaded at least once every two to four weeks. And it must be maintained—a blog that hasn’t been updated in months makes your business look disorganised and uninterested.

“The biggest advantage of hosting your own blog,” says Lachlan Wells, digital marketing strategist of Optimising, “is that if your posts address common questions

from clients, they can appear in search results when people google those

questions. Your post will then be seen again and again by

people who are actively searching for that subject.”

A relevant and useful blog will improve your search rankings because you can appear for a greater variety of keywords. Blog posts can be active for years

while Facebook updates only last for a few days. A great way to come up

with content ideas is to find a topic that attracts a lot of search

queries but is poorly addressed by other websites. “You can do this by simply typing the first few words of some basic queries into Google and seeing what it auto-suggests,” says Wells. “For example, when I type in ‘why do vets…’ it gave me ‘charge so much’ and ‘cost so much’. If I created a piece of content that addressed this topic more transparently than others, it could be really popular.”

Like Facebook, blogging is a chance for clients—and prospective clients—to get to know you. Dr Liz Chmurycz, owner/vet of Russell Vale Animal Hospital in New South Wales, runs a Facebook page and has been blogging regularly since 2005.

“One of the best bits of advice I received was to be yourself,” she says. “You need to set your own rules on what your online presence looks like and what it projects. So long as I remain true to my core values of compassion, kindness and tolerance, finding and writing posts is easy. I am someone who is passionate about the care of animals and I hope this comes across.”

Posting on Facebook and blogging is an effective way for your practice to be present

where clients gather—and these days, that’s in the virtual town square of social media. People want to know why you are different, what you have to offer and how you do things better than the competition. Clients don’t want to be customers—they want to build relationships.

An effective social media presence also allows people to find your practice at a moment’s notice. “People need to be able to see what you offer quickly on their mobile phone,” says Tabatha Whitehead. “If I need a business and can’t find their phone number after a quick search on my iPhone, it makes it impossible for me to contact them. If you don’t have a presence online and you can’t be easily found, you’ll soon disappear.”

5 hot-ticket topicsDr Liz Chmurycz, owner/vet of Russell Vale Animal Hospital in New South Wales, lists the most popular topics that encourage followers to respond to (or ‘Like’) her posts.

“We measure engagement on our Facebook pages, and we are ranging around 30 per cent (a stat I am happy with),” says the veterinarian. “I had heard at a seminar once that anything above 10 per cent is good. It’s the only statistic I measure.” Here's the top five …

1. Wins with awards2. Lost and found pets3. Medic alerts (such as snake alerts

and what to do, tick alerts, etc)4. Tips that help pet owners so they

don’t need to visit a vet5. Anything that relates to kindness

and compassion, especially between animals and humans.

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She knew from the age of seven she wanted to dedicate her life to saving animals. But Dr Kim Kendall’s two fields

of interest—cats and elephants—couldn’t be further apart, discovers Samantha Trenoweth

Catvocate17

C O V E R S T O RY

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C O V E R S T O R Y

DR KIM KENDALL, ONE OF THIS country’s most highly respected feline veterinarians and a world leader in feline medicine and behaviour, calls herself a ‘catvocate’. Her research, vet practice and grooming and boarding centre, the Cat Palace on Sydney’s north shore, are all about cat-friendly, cat-centred care.

“It’s something I’ve been engaged in for a long time,” she explains. “Early in my career, I worked at a general vet practice in Cape Cod in the USA, and we used to hold regular Cats’ Nights Out, where we would only see cats. I’ve had my own cat-friendly practice for 20 years and I was an inaugural author of the Cat Friendly Program in England. These have all been founded on a similar principle, which is doing things that cats appreciate, instead of making life more efficient for the vets or their staff.”

At Dr Kendall’s Chatswood Cat Palace, consultations are booked 30 minutes apart, so cats rarely see each other, even in the waiting room. And the staff are very conscious of eliminating odours.

“There are a lot of vets who say, if you have one grumpy cat, the cats will be grumpy all day,” Dr Kendall explains. “That is because any cat who is upset in the clinic leaves little smell messages that will upset all the subsequent cats. You have to clean the room properly and clean the air properly, so no smells remain.

“It’s about asking, what is this experience like for the animal? If the animal is happy, then the owner’s not stressed and it is easier for the vets and their staff to do their work. So everyone is less stressed. If you go back to the idea that the animal is significant in the equation, as opposed to a recipient of your process, it’s a completely different attitude but it’s probably not any more time consuming once you get the rhythm of it.”

Dr Kendall knows that the cats she handles aren’t stressed because, aside

Dr Kendall has had her own cat-friendly practice for the past 20 years.

her started! “These cats are being set up for lives of misery,” she insists.

“I gave a seminar at the Australian College of Veterinary Science on social isolation in kittens. That research was done in the 1960s and you would not be allowed to do it today. They took kittens away from their mothers at two weeks old and hand-fed them and they took them away at six weeks old and at 12 weeks. When you read about how those animals turned out, it’s horrific.

“Yet we are doing that same experiment, by default, with rescue kittens. When those kittens are adopted solo, without a mother or brother or sister or friend, they’re being set up for a lifetime of mental distress. It was proven years ago that they need a cat friend until they’re a few months old. I noticed this because I was seeing rescue kittens coming back to my practice, a year or so after adoption, and they’d become buzzsaw attack cats. I don’t care about the owner’s happiness but I do care about the animals, and

“What is this experience like for the animal? If the animal is happy, then the owner’s not stressed and it’s easier for the vets to do their work.”Dr Kim Kendall, feline veterinarian

from their demeanour, she has blood tests to prove it.

“There has been a lot written,” she explains, “about how, if a cat has high blood glucose, it could be a result of stress. And because the conditions in the universities where studies on cats originate are not feline-friendly, almost the normal profile for cats has become a stressed profile. That never happens here. When I handle cats, their blood glucose doesn’t go up. So I get actual, physiological results, which can be quite different from results when blood tests are taken in less cat-friendly clinics.”

Another practice that raises Dr Kendall’s hackles is solo kitten adoption. Don’t get

they shouldn’t be in mental distress.“This is an area where a vet can make

a real difference. If you see someone adopting one kitten, say ‘Get two’. It’s so much better for the cat, it’s easier for the owner and it’s more business for you. Nobody loses. So that’s the stuff that interests me now. It’s this welfare paradigm; it’s about the animal.”

Cats weren’t lonely for long in Kim Kendall’s house when she was growing up. Her parents report that she was the kind of kid who “found ringwormy stray kittens under trees and brought them home”. Family pets included a black cat, a kitten (who vanished unexpectedly), a couple of dogs, a horse and assorted rabbits and budgerigars.

Dr Kendall’s family lived in Hawaii until she was seven. Her parents were New Zealanders who met and married in Canada, stopped off in Hawaii on the way home, and stayed. Soon after they packed up and moved to Sydney, Dr Kendall gave her future some serious thought.

“I was seven when it occurred to me that I could be one of three things: a teacher, an air hostess or a vet. Even back then, I realised I wasn’t particularly good with people and that, if I was a teacher, I’d probably have to ignore the children. Air hostesses, back in those days, were subject to strict height and weight requirements and I realised I would be too tall and too fat to be an air hostess. That left being a vet.

“So, at seven I made that decision and, from then on, whenever people asked what I wanted to be, I said I wanted to be a vet. People told me that I would need to study science and maths and Latin at school, so I did that, and I passed. They said I would have to study hard. So, at 15, I gave up my horse in order to study hard enough to be a vet. Then, at university, one of the lecturers, Rex Butterfield, said, ‘If you can get into this course, you can pass it.’ So I thought, okay, and I did. I just unquestioningly

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C O V E R S T O R Y

i PA D

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PRACTICE

Heart landWhat it takes to run a practice covering one quarter the area of Australia

Howdy partnerGoing into business together? Discover the best structure for you

A blog’s best friendLearn how to engage an online audience

goodTwenty years after opening

the first cat vet hospital in New South Wales, Dr Kim Kendall reflects on her achievements

Feline

DECEMBER 2014

followed this path that I’d set out for myself at the age of seven.”

Dr Kendall first became interested in elephants while she was studying at the University of Sydney and living nearby in Glebe.

“My husband, John, and I used to go down to Wentworth Park and visit the elephants that stayed there when the circus came to town. In those days, I dreamed of having an elephant practice in Balmain. Then, after university, while I was waiting to begin work in America, I spent some time in Florida and there I met a vet called Elliot Jacobson, who had a real elephant practice—or at least he had elephants on his books. There were 90 baby elephants living on a farm in Florida and he took care of them.

“Later, while I was working in Cape Cod, I made contact with a vet called Richard Houck. He worked for Barnum & Bailey’s Circus and was a friend of Elliot Jacobson. So when the circus came to nearby Boston, my husband and I went to see Dr Houck and he gave us permission to ride his elephants through the city streets. That was certainly a highlight of my life.”

Every year, the elephants arrived in Boston by train and walked across town to the park where the circus was held.

To ride the elephants, Dr Kendall and John had to be approved by both the vet and the trainer but, says Dr Kendall, the elephants knew exactly what to do. The riders simply sat up on top and watched as their charges ambled along busy streets. “They knew exactly where to go and what to do. They’d done it many, many times before. They liked to walk past trees to check if there was any fruit growing on them and sometimes they’d pull fruit out of the hands of passers by.”

Elephant riding in Boston has now become largely a thing of the past. The parade has been cancelled in recent years due, at least in part, to protests by animal rights groups.

For 20 years, Dr Kendall’s practice

“I get passionate about whatever I believe in, and I believe in looking after my clients’ animals.”Dr Kim Kendall, feline veterinarian

has focused on cats but her interest in elephants has never left her. She worked for a time in Zimbabwe and she was an active supporter of Byron Bay vet Claire Oelrichs’ work to save Sumatran elephants, and other species, from falling into unmarked wells in the Way Kambas National Park. She is also an avid supporter of Australian Museum Eureka Prize winner and Victorian equine behaviouralist, Andrew McLean, whose more humane method for training elephants is increasingly used

throughout Asia and has been adopted as the only legal method in Nepal.

Dr Kendall was tempted by retirement a year or two ago. She and John spend weekends on their property near Goulburn, New South Wales, and the idea of living there full time was, she admits, enticing. But her fascination and affection for cats lured her back into practice.“I get passionate about

whatever I believe in,” she insists, “and I believe in looking

after my clients’ animals. I haven’t found another vet who’s as interested

in cats and cat behaviour as I am. There are vets who are interested in cat medicine but, for me, every consultation is a behavioural consultation. So, I think I still have a lot to give because my qualification set is quite unique.”

Riding through the streets of Boston, Massachusetts, Dr Kim Kendall (second from left) on the annual city circus ride.

®


To your

22

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23

life with less stress, better sleep and better weight management.”

Former Australian Veterinary Association president Helen Jones shed new light on the cost of depression in our industry in 2011 with her study that revealed veterinarians were four times more likely to take their lives compared to non-veterinarians.

While exercise has anecdotally been referred to as one of the best treatments for depression, it was 2007’s breakthrough study by US neuroscientist James Blumenthal of Duke University that proved physical activity can be as effective as antidepressant medications in treating stress.

It was a point echoed by Harvard University’s Dr Nancy Rappaport in her online Patient article titled ‘Doctors need to take care of themselves’.

“Giving of ourselves is essential to a doctor’s work,” she wrote, “but in many ways realising our limitations and recognising our exhaustion is most important if we are to effectively take care of our patients and sustain our passion. It is when we neglect ourselves that potentially fatal errors can occur.”

Working in a practice in the remote Red Centre has its own challenges, but Dr Deborah Osborne of the Alice Springs Veterinary Hospital says striking the right work-life balance has been a work in progress in her career since

It’s often the case in medicine that the practitioner takes care of everyone’s health but their own, which can have dire repercussions. Introducing exercise into the weekly routine could be just what the doctor ordered—as well as needed, discovers John Burfitt

HE MAY HAVE BEEN A VETERINARIAN for over 30 years and worked at the Baulkham Hill Veterinary Hospital in Sydney for 29 of those years, but there is another achievement that Dr Lindsay Hay is also proud of.

When it comes to competitive racing on indoor rowing machines, Dr Hay is ranked among the top competitors in the world for his over-sixties age range. He took up the activity only a matter of years ago.

Exercise is nothing new to Dr Hay’s schedule. It has been an essential in his routine for the best part of three decades, and one of the best methods, he claims, for coping with the rigours of life as a vet.

“My own habits and strategies are built around exercise, in particular regular trips to the gym,” he says. “I have been at it for 30 years and on average, do up to four sessions every week.”

Promoting the inclusion of an exercise and fitness regime into the work schedule of vets has been a mission Dr Hay has been on for a long time, having lectured extensively on the topic.

He believes exercise is non-negotiable for general wellbeing for those in the veterinary industry, which is well known to take an emotional and physical toll on those who work in it.

“Veterinarians are very vulnerable to stress-related conditions, compassion fatigue and the like,” explains Dr Hay. “There is much evidence now linking moderate exercise to a longer, healthier

“There is much evidence now linking

moderate exercise to a longer, healthier life with less stress,

better sleep and better weight management.”

Dr Lindsay Hay, Baulkham Hills Veterinary Hospital

Moderate exercise has been linked to less stress, better sleep and better

weight management.

Fitness Executive trainer Pearce Scammell outlines the guidelines of what an exercise routine should be.

AEROBIC “This will increase the heart rate, deepen breathing and use large muscle groups. Examples of aerobic exercise include walking, running or swimming.”

REGULAR “Exercise needs to be performed at least three times a week, starting slowly and building up to sessions of 30 minutes of moderately intense activity.”

EASY TO MAINTAIN “Don’t put together a routine if it is not convenient to your lifestyle. If you hate getting up early, then decide on an exercise you can do at lunchtime or after work.” SAFE “If you have serious health issues, like diabetes or heart disease, then consult your GP before starting your program. A check-up should give you an idea of what you can do—and what to avoid.”

she started at the clinic in 1984. These days, however, it is her body that gives her the best indication of all that she needs to get out and start exercising.

“As I have got older, I have realised I do need to take more time out, and that includes getting regular exercise,” she says. “The secret is that you have to find something that works for you, rather than something that is imposed on you.

“For me, it is often the decision to walk into work rather than driving. A good 30-minute walk into work in the morning might end up being the best thing you do all day, or taking a break later after you have had one patient after the other might be all you need to face the rest of the afternoon in an efficient manner. It is a matter of being aware of what it is you need to balance your day out.”

Pearce Scammell, a Sydney-based executive trainer with Fitness Connected, says finding a way to include fitness into a work schedule is an ongoing dilemma for many in small business.

“Most people in small business tend to put their business first, and their own wellbeing too often falls into place much further down the line,” he says.

“The thing to remember is that if you want to stay on top of your game, you have to be in your best possible shape and that takes work. So, exercise might be something you have to factor into the weekly running of the business along with every other commitment.”

As so many vets run their weeks from the bookings in their appointment schedule, Pearce suggests scheduling exercise into the routine as a priority at least three times every week.

“It has to be about being active in some way—doing something to get you moving,” he says. “It could be walking to and from work, or ensuring you take 30 minutes each lunchtime to pull on your walk shoes and get out and get moving.

“It might be a few sessions at the gym, doing laps of the pool or even working with a personal trainer who can help you find ways to accommodate your fitness


24

needs into a schedule. Maybe join a sporting team so you know for those few times a week, you have to turn up and are getting a workout as you do so.

“Just know that regular exercise will not only do your entire system good, but it will help clear your head and help form some resilience towards the stress you deal with every day.”

Constantly striving to strike that work-life balance is, adds Dr Lindsay Hay, a critical

part of not only how we live in the changing landscape of the vet business, but also into the future—both at and away from work.

“This has to be a critical part of how we live and at the core of our success,” Dr Hay says. “We must keep our balance under review and change our plans and activities in response to changes in our stages of life. They key is to have fun, be happy and the outcome is a longer, more productive and satisfying life.”

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SOME OF HISTORY’S MOST SUCCESSFUL businesses are built on partnerships: Wilbur and Orville Wright, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, Keith Richards and Mick Jagger.

“People go into partnership to combine their skills, knowledge and contacts to create a bigger and stronger business, and improve service to clients,” says Georgina Odell, a senior associate at Meridian Lawyers, a firm with a practice area dedicated to advising veterinarians. “A good business partner can provide valuable support and resources in terms of skill sets, time and marketing.”

But for every productive union, there are many more that have soured. Disputes can

Thinking of going into partnership with a colleague? Charmaine Teoh shares some legal and financial issues to consider before opening the doors to your business

Power couple

27

than if they trade through a company,” says Odell.

“From a tax perspective, partnerships offer little flexibility as the profit will be split between partners, and the partners themselves will be taxed at their marginal tax rate,” says Anne Lencioni, a principal accountant at specialist veterinary accounting firm APL Accountants.

Vets can also trade as a company. In New South Wales, the Veterinary Practice Act 2003 requires that a company representing itself as a veterinary practice has a veterinary practitioner as the owner of the controlling interest in the company.

A company is treated as a ‘legal person’, meaning it can take leases, contract with suppliers and employ staff in its own name. “This reduces the risk of partners’ personal assets being seized by creditors or through litigation against the business,” says Odell.

“Profit retained in a company is taxed at 30 per cent, which is particularly good when the business is profitable as owners would normally be taxed at a higher rate if they withdraw more money,” says Lencioni. “However, a company has fewer capital gains concessions if partners decide to sell the business.”

Another option is a unit trust, where ownership is split into well-defined ‘units’. The business can be split into further units if more partners are introduced.

“One of the main differences between a unit trust and a company is that

minority holders are better protected,” says Lencioni. “All profits are distributed based on the percentage of units held by individuals. Another advantage of a unit trust over a company is that there may be better capital gains tax concessions.”

With money a major cause of partnership breakdowns, it’s important to instil sound financial practices from the start. “A new business generates expenses from day one, but you may not have many customers and thus very little in terms of revenue,” says Lencioni. “You have to plan for this and determine how much you can spend and what you can afford in terms of interest on any loans.”

Lencioni says there are three key financial issues that vets are likely to encounter. The first is cash flow. “Set realistic expectations. Don’t overspend in the beginning and discuss who is going to pay for the ‘household’ bills in the first few months when the business may be making very little money,” she says. “If you are going to buy into a business, have

“A good business partner can provide valuable support and resources in terms of skill sets, time and marketing.”Georgina Odell, senior associate at Meridian Lawyers

arise for many reasons, such as questions over people joining or exiting the business, underperformance from one party, and whether to withdraw or reinvest profits.

“Disputes can be avoided if partners methodically discuss and agree on roles and responsibilities, ethos and values, and key business, financial, operational and legal issues before they enter into business,” advises Odell.

Some of these issues include business control and profit sharing; exit arrangements; and restrictions on involvement in a competing business. Vets should also discuss whether one partner is to be primarily responsible for certain aspects of the business such as employee management or stock control.

“These details should be recorded in a legally binding partnership agreement,” says Odell. “Partners should regularly review the partnership agreement and ensure it is updated as circumstances and the business changes. It may also be useful to have a management agreement covering the practice’s day-to-day operations.”

There are a number of structures that a business can take. The simplest is a partnership, which can be based on a 50:50 split or on an agreed proportion of control and entitlement to profit.

While partnerships are relatively easy and inexpensive to set up, partners are jointly responsible for the business’s debts and liabilities, and will generally be bound by their partner’s acts. “If the business does not go well, there is more at risk for partners and their personal assets

Profit retained in a company is taxed at

30 per cent, which is particularly good

when the business is profitable, as owners

would normally be taxed at a higher rate if they

withdraw more money.

it professionally valued by an accountant. We’ve seen many people overpay and become stuck with a business that can’t generate revenue to service the debt.”

Tax is another issue that vets must prepare for. “New business owners often find they don’t put enough aside for their tax obligations,” says Lencioni. “You have to pay 10 per cent of what you take to the tax office as GST, as well as money you withhold from employees as PAYG [pay as you go]. Any profit will be also taxed. Have a tax planning meeting with your accountant in April, so you know how much tax you need to pay in 12 months and can save for it.”

Vets should also agree on remuneration and profit sharing. “When you’re a business owner or in business with someone else, what you earn depends on the business’s profits,” says Lencioni.

“Partners should agree on remuneration for hours worked, especially if they work very different numbers of hours. Any resulting profit is split according to the structure of the business. For example, in a partnership, the profit is based on each partner’s share; in a company it is


Have a tax planning meeting with your accountant in advance, so you know how much tax you need to pay and can save for it.

based on shareholding; and in a unit trust it is based on the number of units held.”

Insurance is critical in a business. Vets should look for a package that offers professional liability cover (in the event of allegations of professional wrong-doing) and public and product liability cover, in case of accidental injury or damage to customers, for instance, if they slip and fall during a visit to the practice. The package should also include cover for veterinary practice contents such as stock and office and surgical equipment.

As in other occupations, vets should also take out life insurance, as well as income protection insurance.

Aside from legal and financial considerations, potential partners must have honest talks about what they expect to get out of the arrangement.

“Good partnerships are based on trust, respect and common agreement,” says Odell. “A business partnership is like any other human relationship, so put aside time to take care of and manage that relationship. Partnerships thrive when everyone knows what is expected of them, and everyone meets those expectations.”

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Innovators 2014

Product guideVet Practice magazine’s guide to the best

innovative products on the market

29

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REM Systems: delivering cutting-edge technology to meet your point-of-care patient testing needs Discover the optimal in-house pathology system for veterinary practices

VetScan VS2 VetScan HM5 VetScan VSproVetScan i-STAT

It just keeps getting better... Fast. Accurate. Easy. Affordable. “The next generation of on-site


To schedule a demonstration today please contact

REM SYSTEMS on1800 737 222

It just keeps getting better... Fast. Accurate. Easy. Affordable. “The next generation of on-site


To schedule a demonstration today please contact

REM SYSTEMS on1800 737 222



VETQUIP IS A VETERINARY distributor who specialises in supplying customers with an extensive range of veterinary products, including anaesthesia, monitoring, lighting, orthopaedic equipment and more.

With a comprehensive line of products, from a range of leading manufacturers, it is no wonder that veterinarians trust VetQuip for the very best products and equipment for their veterinary practice.

If you are looking for a speciality item, or a difficult to find product, let one of Vetquip’s skilled staff members help you find what you are looking for. VetQuip’s friendly staff can help if you are interested in learning more about the products they

have on offer.The high calibre of technical expertise

and prompt service provided by Vetquip, ensures Vetquip’s equipment is used in leading medical institutions and veterinary centres worldwide.

Vetquip is the largest veterinary equipment repair organisation in Australia, specialising in equipment repairs for both veterinarians and wholesalers.

Utilising the G.A.S. network enables Vetquip to offer complete sales and servicing for an extensive range of vaporiser manufacturers. Leak testing and recalibration services are available for all vaporiser models.

Vetquip’s vaporiser service includes a

Leaders in veterinary equipment repairsOffering experienced biomedical technicians

For more information on the VetQuip autoclave range visit www.vetquip.com.au or call 1300 888 427

Fast and easy use for efficient instrument processing

Reliability and effectiveness for infection control assurance

AUTOCLAVE RANGE

Midmark VetAssure B23


NEW Midmark VetAssure B23 & B60



The new B60 from Midmark is the ideal large capacity autoclave for busy clinics with heavy work loads.

Massive 60 litre chamber

The new B23 from Midmark will maximise throughput and efficiency for your clinic.

Large 23 litre chamber

Midmark M11 UltraClave® Automatic SteriliserLet the Midmark M11 UltraClave® do the work for you. Simply load it, set it and forget it.

Large 24.6 litre chamber

Midmark M11 UltraClave® Automatic Steriliser

For more information on the VetQuip monitor range visit www.vetquip.com.au or call 1300 888 427

Features:

4.3” Touch screen display

Veterinary specific operating system software

Nellcor OXIMax SP02

NIBP

Features:



Nellcor OXIMax SP02

5 lead ECG

Dual temperature

NIBP

Features:



Nellcor OXIMax SP02

2 channels of Invasive blood pressure

5 lead ECG

Dual temperature

NIBP

Optional:

5 lead ECG

Dual temperature

Resperonics ETC02 add anytime (software and plug)

Arrhythmia and S-T segment analysis

Lithium Ion 4hr back up battery


Thermal printer

Interfaces: SD card, USB, VGA

Standard display and big font display options

Arrhythmia and S-T segment analysis

Lithium Ion 4hr back up battery


Thermal printer

9 waveform display, trends

Standard display and big font display options

Interfaces: SD card, USB, VGA

Optional: Anaesthesia gas module

VetQuip C30V

VetQuip C50V

VetQuip C80V

MONITOR RANGE Designed & built for veterinarians

For more information on the VetQuip autoclave range visit www.vetquip.com.au or call 1300 888 427

Fast and easy use for efficient instrument processing

Reliability and effectiveness for infection control assurance

AUTOCLAVE RANGE



NEW Midmark VetAssure B23 & B60



The new B60 from Midmark is the ideal large capacity autoclave for busy clinics with heavy work loads.

Massive 60 litre chamber

The new B23 from Midmark will maximise throughput and efficiency for your clinic.

Large 23 litre chamber

Midmark M11 UltraClave® Automatic SteriliserLet the Midmark M11 UltraClave® do the work for you. Simply load it, set it and forget it.

Large 24.6 litre chamber

Midmark M11 UltraClave® Automatic Steriliser


computer driven laser refractometer and Druck electronic leak testing equipment to ensure accuracy.

Vetquip’s biomedical technicians also deal with an extensive range of medical respiration monitors, fluid pumps, pulse oximeters, ECG machines and more.

Vetquip can cater to almost every need a veterinarian has for their practice including: Anaesthesia Dental Fluid therapy Diagnostic Lighting Monitoring

Surgical Consumables Stainless steel Cages Orthopaedic Gas supplies

Professional, friendly and helpful staff, are always available to discuss your requirements and provide answers to your technical questions.

Call now or email onPh: 1300 888 427Email: [email protected]



SLADE HAS OVER 40 YEARS OF pharmacy experience providing tailored solutions for a range of animals-domestic, exotic, large and small.

Compounding can help vets work around a number of challenges, such as: Lack of approved veterinary drugs for

many species Discontinuation of drugs traditionally

used for humans, but which are still needed for animals

Problems with the strengths of commercial medications

or some of their ingredients

(Eg: certain excipients)

Difficulties for some owners administering medications to their animals.

From a dedicated veterinary laboratory, we can prepare a range of high-quality medications, from sterile injectable cytotoxics to non-sterile dosage forms including pastes, gels, capsules, treats and lotions.

Medications can be formulated in a range of strengths, quantities, flavours, combinations, sizes and dosage forms. We can combine a number of medications in the one form—the ultimate in ease of administration.

The veterinary pharmacy expertsSlade—tailored solutions

Slade offers other tailored solutions for veterinarians including:

Compounding of:- Discontinued or unavailable

medications- Products requiring different strengths

or ingredients- Difficult formulations including gels,

pastes and capsules.- Sterile injectable cytotoxics

For further information Call us on: (03) 8602 3500 www.slade.net.au

Examples of recent innovations include:Doggy DoughTM

The way to take the drama out of tablet time, in three easy steps: Break off a piece of Doggy DoughTM and

warm in your hand Mould around capsule or tablet to

completely enclose Offer as a yummy treat

Sticky Fur PasteTM for cats Mix a small amount with a capsule’s

contents or with a crushed tablet Smear Sticky Fur PasteTM immediately onto

fur on the upper limb Let natural grooming instincts takeover

As veterinary pharmacy experts, we provide tailored and caring advice on how to best treat your patients.

We will work with you to find solutions to your most complex problems.

Please contact us on 03 8602 3500. or go to www.slade.net.au to find out more.



THE NEW CR35 VET COMBINES exceptional full body and intra oral radiography (dental) in one compact machine. Unlike other CR systems that have a fixed laser beam diameter for capturing data from image plates, the CR35 Vet is the only scanner to use the new Dual Focal technology.

For the first time it is possible to set two different laser beam diameters within the same scanner.

What’s the advantage of this?Being limited to one permanently set laser beam diameter means you are forced to find a compromise between high resolution and low signal noise.

This is not the case with the CR35 Vet, high resolution blue image plates for

dental radiography are read automatically with a 12.5 μm focused laser beam (25 lp/mm) providing previously unachievable levels of detail and image quality.

When full body white image plates are used for non-dental radiography, the laser beam diameter is focused to 50 μm (10 lp/mm) which guarantees brilliant low noise images.

The CR35 Vet is the first all-in-one scanner that offers excellent quality, superior resolution images across the full spectrum of image plate sizes.

These include dental image plates (all sizes S0 - S5), equine intra oral plates in three sizes and full body plates (size 18 x 24 cm up to 35 x 43cm).

The CR35 Vet can be networked across 10PC’s and comes with VetExam Plus,

veterinary specific software with dental and full body charts and has full DICOM compliance.

Built in touch screen and SD card storage allows the CR35 to be used independent of a PC, and images can be uploaded to Vet Exam software later. Stand-alone operation via lithium ion battery solution and lightweight yet robust travel case means the CR35 is portable.

The CR35 Vet is the perfect choice, German-made, coupled with iM3 knowledge and technical support including a two year warranty.

The complete system can be purchased from $26,800 +GST with dental and full body plates and onsite training by iM3.

Contact iM3 today on (02) 9420 5766 or go to www.im3vet.com.

CR35 Vet - The only ONE-FOR-ALL ScannerOne compact machine for full body and intra oral radiography

T h e V e t e r i n a r y D e n t a l C o m p a n y

Intraoral radiography

Intra Oral Equine radiology

CR35 Vet. The only real ONE-FOR-ALL scanner• Combiningfullbodyandintraoraldentalradiographyinonecompactmachine

• Excellentquality,superiorresolutionimagesviaVet-Examsoftware

• Canbenetworkedacross10PCsinthepractice

• FullDICOMcomplianceensureseasyexportofdata*

• Largestrangeofplatesizes,fromintraoralsize0allthewayupto35x43cmfullbodyplates

• Compactdesign

• PrecisionGermanmanufacturewithfull2yearwarranty

• OngoingiM3technicalsupportthroughoutlifeoftheunit(*additional cost for full DICOM send)

CR35 Vet. The only real ONE-FOR-ALL Scanner

iM3’sCR35digital radiologysuitehasbeenoneofourbest investments ever. This world class CR system deliverssuperior image quality with seamless integration betweenwholebodyandintraoralradiography.Thesoftwareiscleverlydesigned, intuitiveandeasy tonavigate.Asalways, theafter-salesupportissecondtonone!”

DrGaryTurnbullBVSc(Hons)CMAVAEastPortVeterinaryHospital

p 02 9420 5766 e [email protected]

Whole body radiography


Xxxxx xxxxxx Product guide

THIS PACKAGE IS DESIGNED FOR YOUR CLINIC TO OFFER quality after-hours care to your patients. You team will have peace of mind knowing that your patients will receive ongoing supportive treatment throughout the night, in line with your treatment plan, and be returned to your practice the following day.

The peace of mind package includes a referral examination, overnight hospitalisation, fluid therapy and patient transfer via the Animal Ambulance service. Stable post-op patients requiring pain relief and medical cases with a diagnosis and treatment plan are best suited for this package.

The package is currently available at the following locations: n AEC Woolloongabba | 36 Balaclava St. | Woolloongabba QLD 4102n AEC Varsity Lakes | 4/492 Scottsdale Drive | Varsity Lakes QLD 4227n AEC Hallam | 151/159 Princes Hwy | Hallam VIC 3803n AEC Mt. Waverley | 37 Blackburn Rd | Mt. Waverley VIC 3149

For more information on the Peace of Mind package, please contact your local Practice Manager (1300 AECVET) or visit our website: aecvets.com.au/POM

Animal Emergency Centre provides peace of mind to referring vetsIn addition to our premier emergency and critical care services, the Animal Emergency Centre is excited to provide referring veterinarians in Queensland and Victoria with the Peace of Mind Package.

Innovators 2014 Product Guide

Nellcor Oximax N-65by Dr Amanda Wong, Spreyton

Veterinary Service, Spreyton, TAS

Anaesthetic monitoring should be performed continuously. Not only is it a basic legal requirement but also a huge

duty of care we have to our patients. For this reason, our clinic

chose to purchase this pulse oximeter as a means of improving our ability to

monitor anaesthetics at a high standard.

What’s good about itWithout question, the most useful monitor in our practice is the pulse oximeter as it provides immediate notification if something goes wrong. A fast response is critical in identifying and responding to emergency situations.

The pulse oximeter provides information on the pulse rate, peripheral perfusion and oxygen saturation of arterial blood. Since the monitor identifies each pulse with a beep, the information provides constant monitoring of heart function on a beat-by-beat basis. The audible beep of the pulse rate has numerous benefits but particularly that the anaesthetist can constantly monitor heart function without being physically attached to the patient via a stethoscope.

This pulse oximeter is small, portable, non-invasive and easy to use. There are endless options where it can be utilised; I’ve even attached it to a horse’s tongue during a quick field stitch-up or castration.

What’s not so goodThe pulse oximeter comes with some assumptions that if not interpreted, provide incorrect results. If the probe has been attached to the patient’s tongue for a long period, it can impede blood flow and result in a lower oxygen saturation reading. For this reason, any low reading should be further assessed by replacing the probe and taking another reading.

Movement also interferes with obtaining accurate readings and so can be difficult with a conscious animal. In cases of carboxyhaemoglobin or methaemoglobin saturation of blood, the readings can become unreliable.

Where did you get itVetquip (www.vetquip.com.au).

39

Y O U R T O O L S

Improving the ability to monitor anaesthetics; a revolutionary way to treat diabetes; and much more are under review this month

TOOLS TRADE

of the

Acuson Cypress ultrasoundby Dr Grant Belonje, Childers Veterinary Surgery, Childers, QLD

We inherited this ultrasound from another practice and it’s been a very useful machine. It gives more detailed information than an X-ray and has a wide range of uses.

What’s good about itIt’s a non-invasive way of diagnosing pregnancies in dogs. On top of that, it’s great for showing clients those pregnancies—seeing puppies and their heartbeats is definitely a big winner. It’s also very handy for checking dogs after de-sexing to make sure there is no bleeding. There are always those dogs you worry about and the ultrasound allows you to put your mind at rest.

It has three different sized probes to suit a number of different situations. I used the smaller probe recently to show a client a detached retina in their dog.

You don’t need to be an expert at ultrasonography to get a good understanding of what is happening. Even a new graduate could diagnose a splenic tumour or a pericardial effusion.

It’s possible to freeze the screen or print images to help explain to clients exactly what they are seeing. Images can also be transferred to a USB stick and given to clients.

The unit folds up into a nice little case with wheels that we can move between our clinics. We are a mixed practice and if a vet needs to visit a farm, they can easily take it with them if required.

What’s not so goodOne thing that will scare any practice owner is dropping one of the probes and cracking it. They are made out of a special crystal and cost a fortune to replace. The other negative is that it can’t see through gas. A pocket of gas in an abdomen causes the

beam to bounce back to the machine and you can’t see anything.

Where did you get itIt was given to us from another veterinary clinic that was upgrading its equipment.

Y O U R T O O L S

continued from page 39

Lantus SoloSTAR penby Dr Xia Niu, Whitehorse Veterinary Hospital, Blackburn, VIC

The SoloSTAR pen has revolutionised the way we treat diabetes. We no longer need to send vials of insulin home with clients and hope they give the correct dose to their pets.

What’s good about itThe struggle with diagnosing and treating diabetic patients is that their life expectancy is solely dependent on the compliance of their owners. In the past, owners needed to draw up insulin from a vial using a traditional syringe. The people who really struggled were little old ladies whose elderly cat or dog was diagnosed with diabetes. Their hands would be shaking and they were really at risk of drawing an incorrect insulin dose.

There was even a chance they could mistakenly inject themselves. The SoloStar solves all those problems.

These pens have cartridges of insulin fitted inside. There is a dial at the end of the pen where you set how much insulin you want to inject. The dose is always accurate and they are not as painful when injected. These pens are incredibly easy to use and have eliminated the need to draw up any insulin.

The needles are purchased separately and are available in different lengths and gauges to suit each animal. The pen is used over and over until the insulin is gone. Generally, they last for a couple of months.

Clients love them. Owners of pets from a non-medical background—which is most of them—are very wary about drawing up the insulin and injecting their pet. This makes the whole process much simpler.

What’s not so goodThe SoloSTAR is a relatively new instrument and we’ve only been using it at our clinic this year. So far I have found no negatives. It’s just a fantastic piece of equipment.

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

40

Carestream Vita CR digital imagingby Dr Lucilla Pratt, Monier Veterinary Clinic, Darra, QLD

Prior to this unit, we owned an automatic chemical processor and the results were very unpredictable. There were many variables associated with the developing process, including the life of the film, the skill of the operator, the temperature on the day and the quality of the cassettes. The developing chemicals would go off every 10 days whether they were used or not. The whole process could be very frustrating and the images were often disappointing.

What’s good about itThis new digital unit is much easier to use and we can have a high-quality image on the monitor within minutes. We now undertake more radiographic studies than ever before.

The Image Suite V3 software is very powerful and a single image can be manipulated to enhance different structures in different ways. The image can be rotated, enlarged and cropped and the mouse can be used to measure distances. There are multiple tools that allow you to measure vertebral heart score and hip scores. The software is being constantly updated and improved.

Once the images are uploaded, further manipulation is possible. They can be made brighter, darker, enlarged, or the image can be polarised so blacks appear white. One-touch true-size display makes orthopaedic templating from the screen possible. The images can also be uploaded onto a CD or emailed to a specialist.

The digital process results in less total radiation and we are no longer exposed to the developing chemicals. When we purchased this unit, it seemed like a big investment but it has really been worth the money and exceeded our expectations. Excellent local-based partnering with technical support and training has made this piece of equipment really work for us.

What’s not so goodFor structures such as distal limb fine bony detail, single-sided film that’s chemically processed under ideal conditions may still create a superior image. However, for our purposes, the digital system has significantly improved the overall quality of the images and the speed with which we acquire them.

Where did you get itPeter Fielding from Radiology solutions (radiologysolutions.com.au).

– CR 7 VET –

T h e V e t e r i n a r y D e n t a l C o m p a n y

- Highest Resolution 25 lp/mm (12,5 µm) Laser spot

- Scans intraoral sizes 0-4 and the new size 5 perfect for extremities

- Special Rabbit - IPs available

- VET- dental Software with easy to use report generator

- Handmade in Germany

- Comes with 10 network licenses, 2 year warranty and iM3 support

$11,800

p 02 9420 5766 l e [email protected] www.im3vet.com

Flexible, re-usable image plates

Including size 2 and 4 image plates, software and iM3 installation and training

+ GST

No. 1 Selling Dental X-Ray System in Australia

The CR-7 is simple to use and delivers excellent quality, high resolution images”Dr Ashley Young Better Pet Vets, Mackay QLD

iM3_CR7 AVJ 210x135mm Advert.indd 1 9/01/14 9:50 AM

• Same day servicing and life long after sales support

• Oil free compressor, reducing maintenance• Autoclavable suction• High speed handpiece with LED light• Low speed handpiece with tangle free

prophy cups• Air water syringe with CLS at your fingertips• Made in Australia by iM3

Elite LED U3500 $7,560 + gst

iM3 Pty Ltd THE VETErinAry DEnTAL COMpAny Sydney, Australia p +61 2 9420 5766 f +61 2 9420 5677 e [email protected] www.im3vet.com

iM3 Dental Systems…the complete solution for your practice.

The LED Advantage high speed handpiece

is the most advanced in the world. it requires

no electricity, just air to produce the brightest daylight

light in the industry.

iM3 has developed a variable suction dental unit

that is totally autoclavable.

What percentage of pets receive the dental care they need?

80% of dogs and 70% of cats over 3 years of age suffer from

periodontal disease.* Left untreated, it may affect the heart, liver, kidneys

and cause severe pain.

*American Veterinary Medical Association, 2006

iM3 dental machines can pay for themselves in 2 months!

• Same day servicing and life long after sales support

• Oil free compressor, reducing maintenance• Autoclavable suction• High speed handpiece with LED light• Low speed handpiece with tangle free

prophy cups• Air water syringe with CLS at your fingertips• Made in Australia by iM3

Elite LED U3500 $7,560 + gst

iM3 Pty Ltd THE VETErinAry DEnTAL COMpAny Sydney, Australia p +61 2 9420 5766 f +61 2 9420 5677 e [email protected] www.im3vet.com

iM3 Dental Systems…the complete solution for your practice.

The LED Advantage high speed handpiece

is the most advanced in the world. it requires

no electricity, just air to produce the brightest daylight

light in the industry.

iM3 has developed a variable suction dental unit

that is totally autoclavable.

What percentage of pets receive the dental care they need?

80% of dogs and 70% of cats over 3 years of age suffer from

periodontal disease.* Left untreated, it may affect the heart, liver, kidneys

and cause severe pain.

*American Veterinary Medical Association, 2006

iM3 dental machines can pay for themselves in 2 months!

Hockey jockeys

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Fran

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42

Y O U R L I F E

Dr Damian McShane (left), East Bentleigh Veterinary Clinic, East Bentleigh, VIC“I first met Stewart in 1983 when were students at Melbourne University. We were both living at Ormond residential college and we were both starting first-year veterinary science. We were also keen hockey players and joined the university team. Stewart was the goalkeeper and I was a halfback.

“Once we left the residential college, we joined the vet school team that played against the large residential colleges. There were only 48 of us in the vet school but we managed to scrape together a team to make it all the way to the grand final.

“I’ve played hockey my whole life and now compete in an over-35s team. Mind you, most of the blokes are in their mid-forties or early fifties. For some reason, hockey seems to be a sport that people

keep playing into their dotage. At some point over the past 25 years, I’ve played with everyone in my team.

“And now Stewart is back in goal. It’s like the completion of a great circle. We have a rule that once we’re five-nil up, Stewart is allowed to take off his pads, come out of goal and run around on the field. It’s like watching a puppy let off the leash, though he has managed to get a few goals.”

Dr Stewart Ryan (right), University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC“After university, Damian and I took very different career paths. He went into private practice while I undertook specialty practice, working in Hong Kong and the USA. I was overseas for 18 years but kept in touch with Damian back in Melbourne. Our families would catch up when we visited Australia.

“When I returned to Australia for good in 2012, I started playing hockey in a summer league with Damian. In no time, he roped me into playing the winter league too and it’s been great fun. It’s very much the same sort of team in which I played at university—just a little older and greyer.

“We did pretty well in this year’s competition. We had a chance at getting to the grand final but lost the semi-final and finished fourth—as usual.

“I enjoy hockey because, as well as being a skilful and tactical game, it’s a really good social game. We play to win but we still like to go out and have fun. Having a beer after the game is often a highlight. Now that we’re playing in the older guys’ league, if 80 per cent of us don’t pull a hammy during the game, that’s considered a success.”

Drs Damian McShane and Stewart Ryan played hockey together as students at the University of Melbourne. Thirty years later, they’re teammates once again

A new car could help you see the world without even leaving the garage

Some credit cards cap the number of points you can earn. At BOQ Specialist, we don’t impose such restrictions.

The more you spend, the further you can fly.# It’s really that simple. And we do more than that.

You can buy a car or equipment on your card, earn points# and then roll the purchase into a fixed term finance contract.^ What’s more, you can make your monthly repayments on selected BOQ Specialist finance contracts using your credit card and earn even more points.

As they say, the sky’s the limit.

Visit us at boqspecialist.com.au/card or call 1300 131 141.

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.^A 1.5% processing fee applies. #Points are earned on eligible purchases only. Fixed term finance contract is to be approved prior to purchase.

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

BOQS0001128 11/14

www.jurox.com.auCustomer Service 1800 023 312® Registered Trademark of Jurox Pty Ltd

Now with NEW informative and useful owner

brochures for heart and kidney disease

to raise owner awareness and help you to

communicate with your clients.

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Australian made benazepril tablets for heart & kidney disease in dogs & cats

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Documents

Vet Practice December 2014