The People of Veterinary Medicine

Answering all your veterinary technology related questions. 1. Grace - "Is it worth it to get a cloud system with all the bells and whistles, or should we keep it simple?" 2. John - " We went through a complete system shut down last week. No internet as well. Now it seems that Avimark is running really slow" 3. Emma - "We are in an older building and the cabling seems to be a bit of a nightmare. We have cables everywhere. We looked at working with a local company to re-wire everything and it was really expensive. Any advice?” 4. Lucas - "We are on Cornerstone currently and we seem to like it. But it seems every week we get a sales call from another cloud system. Do we run any risks by not moving to the cloud?" 5. Mia - "We have a local IT company but the problem seems that no one understands our needs. Every time we call I feel we have to re-explain everything. But we are stuck in a contract. Is there something we can do to make it better?” 6. Noah - "Any reliable and budget-friendly printers out there?" 7. Isabella - "How can we train our team to use a new cloud system without losing our minds?" 8. Oliver - "When is the right time to ditch our old PCs? What are the signs they’re past their prime?" 9. Ava - "Printer setup woes—any quick tips for making it less of a hassle?"

We address all of your veterinary technology related questions. Have questions? You can submit them here to be featured on our next Live Q&A April 15th Webinar Questions - Lucca Veterinary Data Security

In this episode we answer questions about AI in vet med, emailing client issues, slow wifi and much much more. Want your questions answered on our next webinar? Go to https://lucca.vet/webinar-questions/

Dr Rothstein is the President and Co Founder of Mission Veterinary Partners. In this episode Jeff and I both talk about our love of "Type 2" fun and the learning experiences you get from pushing your body to the limits. Jeff's background and how he landed in Vet Med. And how its time we start thinking about our most important assets in the veterinary hospital, our staff. 

I mean that seriously. The heart that Kathy has for end of life care is absolutely amazing and without her the end of life of my little buddy would have been so much harder. Kathy truly is a shinning lite in such a dark time for us all. I can't wait for you to hear her story.  Kathleen Cooney, DVM, CHPV, CCFP has been practicing advanced end-of-life care since 2006.  She is Director of Education for the Companion Animal Euthanasia Training Academy (CAETA) and Chief Medical Officer of Caring Pathways, Inc.  Dr. Cooney is a past President of the International Association for Animal Hospice and Palliative Care (IAAHPC) and assisted in the development of AAHA’s End-of-Life Accreditation Program.  Well-known for her work in companion animal euthanasia, she has collaborated in end-of-life training for the AVMA, AAHA, NAVC, IAAHPC, Fear Free Program, SVME, and many more. Dr. Cooney is also currently working towards board certification in animal welfare, expected by 2023, and is Affiliate Faculty at CSU where she teaches end-of-life topics and welfare. 

Shawn Wilkie, President of Talkatoo, is a serial entrepreneur and technology enthusiast who can lead, sell and get things done. He has twenty years of experience in technology companies and was a finalist for Ernest & Young's prestigious Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2018. When he's not working, he wants to be where the action is as a volunteer firefighter and avid traveler.

About Tom Seeko  Financial independence. Who doesn't want that? I believe everyone is after one thing: having the ability to CHOOSE to work and knowing they are on track to accomplish their goals. My team is built on communication, openness, transparency, and integrity. Our main objective is to educate those around us on the different habits and behaviors that are necessary to achieve the highest level of success in life. We do our best to treat every person who walks into our door like family. We believe that your interests come first and we strive to provide the highest level and quality of service. Products and investments do not accomplish financial success. Your habits and behaviors are what will define your success in the future. My calling is to help anyone who has an open mind and they are willing to take action to become the best they possibly can. My team is designed to provide that direction with an educational process and accountability. I specialize working with associate Veterinarians and owners, manufacturing and white collar business owners. If you are interested to learn what value I can add to your life please call my direct number or send me an email. I would be happy to schedule a phone conversation with you. direct (813) 434-0885 office (813) 289-3632 ext 130 tseeko@westshorefinancial.com My personal interests are soccer, fitness, billiards, quality time with family and friends, self education, fishing, clay shooting, bowling, leadership, and connecting with thought leaders. /COMPLIANCE:2021-3472/

Thom is PetsApp's very own Vet! Prior to founding PetsApp, Thom led innovative veterinary groups in the UK and abroad for years. He is also Chair of VetForum and advises companies looking to make a positive impact on society. Thom has a mini zoo at home with 3 kids, a dog and cat called Addy. Mountain gorillas are his second favourite animal at age 8 he set up a not-for-profit called The Gorilla Club.

Andrew Luna is the CEO of hound and the founder of pet care collective. He has 10 years of veterinary industry experience and has held many roles in GP, emergency, multi-site management, de novo, consulting, and veterinary software. He’s hired and managed over 100 people in his career and has worked with awesome startups and teams across North America, Asia Pacific, and Europe. Andrew is incredibly passionate about culture and people, and is working hard to unify people and build a better, brighter future in vet med.

Dr. Marie Holowaychuk is a board-certified small animal emergency and critical care specialist and passionate advocate for veterinary team wellbeing. She lives in Calgary and travels worldwide as a speaker, consultant, and locum. Marie has spent more than 15 years practicing emergency and critical care medicine in academic and private referral hospital settings. She has been primary or co-author of more than 30 manuscripts published in peer-reviewed journals and is an Assistant Editor for the Journal of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care. She is also co-editor of the Manual of Veterinary Transfusion Medicine and Blood Banking. Outside of veterinary practice, Marie is a certified yoga and meditation teacher and has completed a mindfulness-based stress reduction course for professionals. She facilitates wellness workshops and retreats for veterinary clinics or organizations and offers individual or group wellbeing sessions for veterinary team members. Marie has Compassion Fatigue Training from the University of Tennessee School of Social Work, as well as Mental Health First Aid Training from the Mental Health Commission of Canada and Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training from the Centre for Suicide Prevention. Marie is also a certified life coach and writes a monthly blog and e-newsletter on pertinent issues related to veterinary wellness. She has authored dozens of articles and recorded a multitude of podcast interviews related to personal and professional wellbeing. When she is not working, Marie enjoys practicing yoga, reading, hiking, and strength training, as well as spending time with family and friends. For more information, please visit www.marieholowaychuk.com or follow Marie on Facebook (@DrMarieHolowaychuk), Twitter (@DrMHolowaychuk), LinkedIn (@DrMarieHolowaychuk), or Instagram (@MarieHolowaychuk).

Following her work in research at Oregon Health & Science University and a career as a practicing veterinarian, Dr. Freyer joined Wisdom Panel™ as a Veterinary Clinical and Technical Support Manager to help advance animal medicine through genetics. On an average day, you're likely to find Dr. Freyer talking pet parents through DNA health results or providing clinical counsel that informs Wisdom Panel™ products. But she also enjoys writing and digging through genetic data to discover insights that help people provide better care for their pets. A dog mom herself, Dr. Freyer has two Shelties, Ailean and Reggie. The former excels at dog sports (e.g., fast CAT, agility, herding, conformation) and even earned a spot on AKC's top 20 list for fastest Shelties! Outside of her pet-related passions, Dr. Freyer loves to sing, having spent several years as a part of the Portland Symphonic Choir. You may also find her dragon boating with her team out on the Willamette river.

Suzanne Cannon co-founded VetBilling in 2014, after a $4000 emergency vet bill for her schnauzer’s pancreatitis catapulted her into the uncomfortable realization that many pet owners find themselves without accessible options for financing the cost of veterinary care. After a yearlong quest to uncover the roots of the problem, VetBilling was born as a collaborative effort with her life and business partner, Tony Ferraro, whose 3 decades of experience in electronic payments and receivables management became the foundation upon which VetBilling was built. The company’s mission is to keep pets and their families together, by reducing economic euthanasia and surrenders driven by pet owners’ frequent inability to absorb the upfront cost of acute, surgical, or emergency veterinary care. To that end, VetBilling equips veterinary practices with a cloud-based payment management platform that enables them to provide in-house payment and budgeting plans to the approximately 60% of clients who fall into what Suzanne calls the “black hole” – they are ineligible for conventional credit-based financing, but their income is too high to qualify for charitable assistance. Behind the scenes, VetBilling’s team of payment support specialists ensures that pet owners successfully fulfill their payment obligations by tracking and monitoring payments, and providing immediate, supportive interventions if a payment fails. Representing VetBilling, Suzanne is an active participant in organizations and initiatives seeking to develop sustainable solutions to the problem of financial access to care. The company has sponsored events for the Access to Veterinary Care Coalition/Program for Pet Health Equity at UT Knoxville and the Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association. Suzanne has presented or contributed to panel discussions on the topic of financial access to care for Maddie’s Fund, Cornell University’s Center for Veterinary Business and Entrepreneurship, VetPartners, and the Veterinary Science Technology Program at SUNY-Delhi. Suzanne holds an M.S. in Pastoral Counseling from Loyola University of Maryland and an M.A. in Jewish Studies from Baltimore Hebrew University. Owing to her prior professional background as a pastoral counselor and hospital chaplain, Suzanne is passionate about helping veterinarians and pet owners find ways to navigate financial discussions and identify workable payment solutions in an atmosphere of emotional safety. Outside of VetBilling, Suzanne is a devoted dog and horse mom who loves being outdoors when she isn’t reading 5 books at the same time! She spends her free time at the barn caring for her horse Chase, or in the saddle hacking out across the woods and fields of central Maryland near her home in Westminster. She also enjoys exploring the rural landscape near the home that she and Tony share with their two dogs - Scout, an Otterhound, and Finch, a miniature schnauzer.

My name is Shannon Gregoire and I’m a fourth year veterinary student at  Western University of Health Sciences in Southern California. I  completed my bachelor’s in Pre-Veterinary Science  with a minor in biochemistry in my home state of Massachusetts at UMass  Amherst. I’m a social media consultant, as well as a contributing  author and editor for Vet Candy and Pet Candy Magazines. I’m a co-host  for Vet Candy IRL podcast and host of Simply Pets  with Shannon Gregoire. My veterinary interests include emergency  medicine, preventative medicine, nutrition and entrepreneurship. I  volunteer with nonprofits in the LA area bringing care to animals in  need and partner with a shelter’s foster program. Outside  of school I ride my horse Bella back in MA, I love  exploring new places from beaches up into the mountains. I am an avid  espresso connoisseur and love cooking healthy plant-based food for a  busy lifestyle. You can follow my  journey @drshannondvm on all social media platforms!

Dr. Rob Trimble is a future-focused veterinarian and entrepreneur with a passion for innovating at the intersection of medicine, technology, and organizational design. After graduating in 2013 from the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine, he worked as a general practitioner on the central coast of California. After a move to the Bay Area, he worked in the animal health technology space, delivering veterinary housecalls for VetPronto, a pet tech startup based in San Francisco. In 2016, he co-founded Fuzzy Pet Health, a subscription-based, veterinary house call company that was built upon a virtual care and telemedicine platform. Currently, he’s serving as the Executive Director for the Veterinary Entrepreneurship Academy, a nonprofit organization that’s on a mission to accelerate innovation and entrepreneurship from within the veterinary profession, starting with veterinary students. He likes small towns, big waves, authentic conversation, and working with business leaders to prepare their organizations for a future of rapid change.

My name is Dr. Leann Benedetti and I have been in veterinary practice for almost 25 years, starting out in mixed animal, through small animal practice and started a house call only practice in 2004.  In 2010 my husband and I, with the help of my team built Georgian Bay Veterinary Hospital to support that mobile clientele. I sold GBVH in 2019, and I am still loving working in that practice 2 days a week.  The rest of my professional time I spend as a Certified Professional Development Coach.  My goal is to provide the humans of veterinary medicine with the emotional and mental support and skills to be resilient and to build a sustainable, fulfilling career. I am also a daughter, wife, and mom to two young men now 19 and 21 years old.  We share our house with our cat Smokey and our shelter ‘foster fail’ who has been with us about a year now named ‘Foxy’.

Debbie Boone, BS, CVPM, Fear FreeSM Certified, has worked for the veterinary profession for more than 30 years. After earning her bachelor’s degree in animal science from North Carolina State University, she began as a client care representative and quickly moved into hospital administration. Debbie has experience in the management of small animal, mixed animal, specialty, and emergency practices.  Debbie is considered an expert in team communication, creating positive practice culture, and developing monthly paid wellness plans for veterinary practices. Her business, 2 Manage Vets Consulting, helps practices develop extraordinary team communication and business skills, enhancing patient care, improving profitability, and increasing practice value. She strives to improve the lives of animals by using her expertise to improve workplace culture and the well-being of veterinary professionals. Major national and international animal health organizations, including AVMA, OVMA, CanWest, WVC, NAVC, AAHA, Patterson Veterinary Supply, Zoetis and more, consistently seek Debbie out for her skills as a trainer and speaker. She has been published in numerous veterinary publications and currently serves as a member of the VetPartners Board of Directors as their Vice President, the Fear Free Advisory Board and Speakers Bureau. She was a past member of the AAHA LINC committee, which selects the AAHA Board of Directors.  She is currently hosting a new vodcast called The Bend which invites guests to share their stories of triumph over adversity.

Originally from South Africa, Dr. Fuhrman has extensive experience in financial consulting and corporate accounting. As a CPA and a graduate of Colorado State University’s combined MBA/DVM program, she offers a combination of veterinary practice ownership, financial, and management skills. Dr. Fuhrman is a veterinary consultant and nationwide industry speaker. She is also a practice owner and practitioner, as well as an adjunct faculty member at Midwestern University’s College of Veterinary Medicine.

Kelly Baltzell, M.A. is President and CEO of the Beyond Indigo  family of companies, which she founded in 1997. Under her leadership,  Beyond Indigo companies have developed all types of veterinary websites that  now reach millions of people each year in multiple countries. Since  2015, Beyond Indigo has been a certified Google AdWords Partner, and  works directly with Google. Additionally, Kelly has been a monthly  columnist for AAHA Marketlink since 2011. She has also spoken and been  published in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the UK. Kelly graduated  from George Washington University with a degree in international  affairs and economics and received her master’s degree in counseling and  psychology from St. Mary’s.

Mike White currently serves as the Veterinarian in support of 7th  Special Forces Group (Airborne). Raised by two civil servants, public  service was ingrained in Mike's upbringing. Though he joined a  middle-market M&A firm after graduating from the University of  Virginia, a call to duty and the need for fulfillment sent him back to  veterinary school and into the United States Army Veterinary Corps. Mike  has deployed to the middle east numerous times in support of the  Resolute Support Mission, and has engaged in subject matter expertise  exchanges with veterinary and working dog programs throughout South  America, Europe and Africa. Mike is currently transitioning out of  Active Duty service and will be working a mixture of private practice  and emergency medicine in the DC metro area. He is joined by his amazing  wife, their new son, and their forever puppy Hallie.

Céline Leheurteux, DVM, CEO and founder of Vetceterra Solutions Active in small animal practice since 1999, Dr. Leheurteux is interested in the psychological aspect of veterinary practice with the purpose of optimizing relationships both within the care team and with clients. Through the years, she has developed a personalized approach to euthanasia, a defining medical act, one that has a huge impact both for the client and the veterinarian, and for which practitioners are not prepared well for during their University curriculum. Having suffered from the lack of training in euthanasia, she is committed to share her knowledge and clinical experience with veterinary teams to improve the experience of euthanasia for everyone involved in the process. In the last 5 years, she has attended international veterinary conferences and is on a mission to share the best of what she has learned in lectures on end-of-life and communication and in the clinic on her Practical Classes in Small animal Euthanasia  RACE approved CE platform . As she could not find anything on the market, it appeared inevitable to design a pet body bag that would respect the bond between the vet team, the pet and the family. Ecology is a core value that guided her choices in the design of EUTHABAG; she spent years researching and developing a leakproof pouch made from recyclable material that could be incinerated without doing harm to the environment. PVC although easy to waterproof was not an option because of its toxicity and the inability to integrate recycled material. In addition, the ink used for silkscreen printing is water-based. Concerned by animal and people welfare she participated in spay and neuter clinics in Costa Rica since she graduated. Celine is a mother of 3 that loves to ride poneys when she can leave the office!