The Savvy VetTech

If you haven't noticed, almost every major veterinary magazine and blog in the past year has published a piece on stress reduction for our pet patients. It seems an obvious concept, but is one that I hadn't thought much about before now! Study on Pets' Fear of Visiting the Vet

As our profession embraces this new #FearFree movement, headed by America's veterinarian Dr. Marty Becker and his daughter and professional trainer Mikkel Becker, we have a lot to change in the veterinary world for the benefit of our pet patients and clients!

This month we will be hosting a Twitter Chat on Reducing Anxiety In Pets During Vet Visits! 

We are excited to have special guest Mikkel Becker join us! Mikkel is a certified animal trainer for vetstreet.com.

Mikkel’s on a mission along with her father, Dr. Marty Becker, to create Fear Free Veterinary Visits and speaks on various platforms on how to help animals feel less anxious and more calm at the vet.

In honor of veterinary technicians, and in celebration of veterinary technician week coming up this month, I am very happy to present our first "My Vet Tech Story" for the month of October which is our new monthly feature! 

Cindi Israel is passionate about helping others! In addition to being a computer programmer, she is now a newly registered Certified Veterinary Technician!

I was very honored to interview Cindi and learn her unique story about why she decided to become a vet tech at the age of 53.

If you weren't able to make it to our Twitter Chat on Client Communication, take a moment to read through it and see what we discussed. We hope you can make it next time! 

We are excited to be hosting a Twitter Chat on Client Communication this week! 
When? This Thursday, September 10th at 5pm PST (8pm EST)
Where? Twitter
Host: @savvyvettech
Who? Vet techs, students, receptionists, vet assistants, veterinarians, and managers

If you have not participated in a Twitter Chat before, it is a very fun and easy thing to do!

I have been using coconut oil for quite some time after reading the long list of benefits it offers humans. I cook with it, I use it on my kids' skin after baths, and I use it on my face. I had read a post about a 50-year old woman who looked to be in her 30's. Her secret? Sunscreen and coconut oil she claims. Well, probably great genetics too. But I figured if it is natural, isn't harmful, and is potentially beneficial, why not use it? And if it is so good for me, what about my dog or our pet patients?

Coconut oil is mostly saturated fats (about 90%), with a few unsaturated fatty acids. Most saturated fats in coconut oil are Medium Chain Triglycerides, of which the main component is lauric acid. The health benefits of coconut oil mostly come from the MCTs because lauric acid has antibacterial, antiviral, and anti-fungal properties.

Xylitol is a sugar alcohol found in many sugarless candies and gums, baked goodies, cereals, and drinks. It can be VERY toxic to our pet patients. One of the most significant side effects seen with xylitol ingestion is hypoglycemia. It has also been suggested as possible cause of acute liver failure, which can lead to coagulopathy, disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), and death.

Xylitol is appearing in more foods and most recently has been noted in certain peanut or nut butters. This is concerning, as many pet owners administer medications in peanut butter, or use it in Kongs or other toys.

Allergies are on the rise in humans, as well as in pets. It seems that here in Arizona we see year-round allergies. Chronic skin changes, pruritis, and recurrent skin infections make atopy a very challenging and frustrating condition to treat, for the veterinarian and for the owner.

Today is National Dog Day! I am just sitting here thinking about all of the reasons I love dogs in general. I suppose these reasons are part of why I became a veterinarian in the first place. This is why in the hospital I treat every dog as if it were my own. I love that dogs have their own unique personalities just like people. I love that they are such loyal companions and love without judgment or expectations. I love that we communicate with dogs on a different level and we don't have to have a "conversation" to understand their language. Why do you love dogs? Here are my mutts that I am celebrating today! 

Are you a veterinary technician? Do you have a unique story or would you like to share your vet tech experiences? We will begin featuring a monthly "My Vet Tech Story" piece to help inspire students or others who are considering this as a career or are interested in learning more about what vet techs do. It will be a peek into the life of a real vet tech! 

Thank you to all of you who took pictures of your pet with a mohawk for #MohawkMonday! Whether natural or synthetic, all of the Mohawks were adorable! Check out these cuties! If you have a pet that can sport a mohawk, we would love to see it! Upload your photo to Instagram or Twitter on a Monday and tag me at @savvyvettech, #MohawkMonday! Which is your favorite?

We all know them well. If you have worked in a veterinary clinic for even a short amount of time you may have had to deal with some grumpy clients. Here are a few tips to make it easier to deal with clients to keep things running smoothly!

Remember that the most common cause of clients being upset is a miscommunication. Mix that with emotions, a sick pet, and money and there is bound to be a grouchy client somewhere.

Veterinary technicians are often the first person of contact for pets during emergencies or post-operative in the hospital. Therefore it is critical that a veterinary technician can recognize the signs and symptoms of pain. Pain management is an important part of patient care, and by implementing pain scoring in the monitoring of hospitalized patients, patients may receive the analgesia and attention they need. Animals may be very stoic and pain can sometimes be difficult to assess. The following suggestions are meant to help with pain scoring in our pet patients. Some physical characteristics below such as panting or trembling may not be pain related but may be due to nervousness or other medical disease so these symptoms are to be interpreted based on the whole status of the patient.

It can be very intimidating or scary for owners to think about giving injections to their pets. With some encouragement and a good demonstration, the majority of pet owners will quickly become comfortable administering injections.

It is important that the owner receives handouts on diabetes, insulin, and administration. The information can be overwhelming, especially if they are apprehensive; they may forget some of what you tell them.

The doctor should go over diabetes with the owner, but technicians often give the insulin injection demonstration. Therefore, technicians should be familiar with insulin handling, and knowledgeable enough to answer basic questions about insulin and administration.