Insights

Originally Published in Todays Veterinary Business – https://todaysveterinarybusiness.com/veterinary-politics-and-policy-0224/ Following an up-and-down 2023, economic tailwinds are propelling the pet economy in the first quarter of 2024. Issues persist within the veterinary industry, and vigorous and open debate will hopefully lead to solutions over time. Let’s dive into topics that will occupy our attention through the end…

Originally published in Animal Health News and Views – https://animalhealthnewsandviews.com/it-all-comes-down-to-access-to-care/ 2023 ends in a few weeks. Was this the greatest year ever for Veterinary medicine? Probably not, still not the worst for sure. Let’s call it a mixed bag. The dynamics of pet healthcare are stable, but the future isn’t blooming with clarity. Let’s list…

Originally Published in Todays Veterinary Business – https://todaysveterinarybusiness.com/dog-breeders-politics-policy-1023/ The human-animal bond is the center of everything “pet,” and there’s no better resource than HABRI (Human Animal Bond Research Institute) to learn about its breadth and depth. Over the past 25 years, the bond has changed everything about Americans and their pets, especially dogs and cats.…

Originally published in Animal Health News and Views – https://animalhealthnewsandviews.com/more-thoughts-regarding-the-need-for-more-veterinarians/ My first column for this exciting new publication dove into the challenge of trying to solve the shortages of veterinarians in the United States, highlighting what we can learn from human healthcare’s 50-year battle with shortages. Unlike human medicine, we face an additional challenge in…

Opening up to eight more DVM programs won’t be enough to solve the veterinarian shortfall. The animal health industry, veterinary profession and pet owners largely acknowledge the acute, yearslong shortage of veterinarians. So how do we begin to reduce the shortfall? By finding ways to produce more professionals, which is what human health care has…

Originally published in Today’s Veterinary Business. Veterinary professionals, regulators and government leaders can work together or independently to solve multiple issues. As we near the finish of the first quarter of 2023, it’s time to look at eight industry and professional issues receiving little or no attention. So, let’s at least get the conversation started…

Originally published in Today’s Veterinary Business. Research into where pet owners seek services will help steer an industry dealing with not enough veterinary professionals. Having a conversation about the state of veterinary medicine in 2022 is difficult, if not impossible, without two issues front and center: the veterinary workforce shortage and access to care. Given the data,…

Originally published in Today’s Veterinary Business. Humane standards and the formation of trusted relationships with suppliers will go a long way in satisfying America’s demand for affordable canine pets. The Pet Leadership Council funded two research initiatives in 2015-16. One was a Moore Information Group national survey to determine the number and demographics of U.S. dogs…

As more states contemplate permitting non-economic compensation to aggrieved pet owners, the veterinary profession needs to step up in opposition. Originally published in Today’s Veterinary Business. Many times on these pages, I’ve called on the veterinary profession and animal health industry to embrace change. I’ve explained that we face a perfect storm of rising pet ownership…

For starters, let’s free academia to admit and graduate more students. And while we’re at it, let’s expand license reciprocity and support time-saving technology. Originally published in Today’s Veterinary Business. America’s veterinary industry acknowledged in 2021 that we face an acute, chronic and growing shortage of veterinarians. We’re not alone. A 2020 study conducted by the…