Veterinary Coronavirus Roundup
May 1, 2020
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By several measures, the veterinary industry had been thriving until we were blindsided by SARS-CoV-2. In this week’s Roundup, experts from VetWatch help us understand the impact on veterinary businesses.
Plus, one part of our community that wasn’t really blindsided by the novel coronavirus? Wildlife Veterinarians. One of them—Dr. Sonia Hernanzez—shares her perspective.
Watch and send us your feedback on the topics in this week’s Spark Coronavirus Roundup.
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Story of the Week: A Look at Antech’s SARS-CoV-2 Surveillance Program
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The CDC and USDA announced last week that they confirmed the first two cases of companion animals in the US that have tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. Antech Diagnostics announced that it found the initial positive result as part of its SARS-CoV-2 surveillance program before working with the national health organizations for confirmatory testing.
We spoke with Dr. Jennifer Ogeer, Antech’s vice president of medical affairs and commercial marketing, to discuss what the surveillance program entails, what they’ve learned, and why pet owners should remain calm during this pandemic. …
Read the full article on TodaysVeterinaryPractice.com
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Take a Closer Look
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Can Dogs Sniff Out COVID-19? Penn Vet Aims to Find Out.
A new training program aims to determine if dogs can identify COVID-19 infected humans via scent detection.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column] [vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_column_text]Veterinary Business Insight From VetWatch
The new data platform allows users to target specific regions and analyze purchasing, revenue, and operational trends from thousands of practices.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column] [vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_column_text]A Wildlife Veterinarian’s Take on the Pandemic
Dr. Sonia Hernandez joins Dr. Dana Varble to discuss one health, bats, and the wildlife veterinarian’s take on the pandemic.
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Resources of the Week
Check out these resources listed below for need-to-know information.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row] [vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] • Vetfolio: Your Questions Answered by a Virologist Podcast & Quiz
• Destress with these live feeds from Explore.org
• New York Times: How the Coronavirus Pandemic Unfolded
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Past Roundups
April 24, 2020
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Of all the shortages the medical community—veterinary professionals included—are facing, scarce medication may be the most troubling. After all, it’s directly tied to the health outcomes of patients. In this episode, we ask a drug manufacturer how he thinks the shortage will be resolved.
Plus, Dr. Andy Roark describes how he plans to celebrate the international veterinary school class of 2020.
Watch and share your feedback on the topics in this week’s Spark Coronavirus Roundup.
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Story of the Week: Dear Class of 2020 Veterinarians
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Dear Class of 2020 Veterinarians,
I can’t imagine what it feels like to be entering the profession during a pandemic, “The Great Pause,” and an uncertain economy. Most of you won’t have a graduation ceremony and won’t be able to reconnect with your classmates, teachers, and colleagues to celebrate your accomplishment and mark this important milestone. You enter our profession into a world forever changed.
Here’s the deal, though: this isn’t our first time. Veterinarians and veterinary medicine will endure. One hundred and ten years ago my great-grandfather graduated with his degree as a Doctor of Veterinary Science from The Kansas City Veterinary College.
Yes, you read that right—that degree and that school don’t exist anymore. But…
Read the full article on TodaysVeterinaryPractice.com
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Take a Closer Look
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Today’s Veterinary Practice—All About Anesthesiology
Speaking of how critical anesthesia medications are to caring for patients, explore the wealth of information on the topic on this Today’s Veterinary Practice resource page.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column] [vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_column_text]How Epicur Pharma Fills the Space Between Commercial and Compounding
What is a 503b outsourcing facility and what does it do for the veterinary community? Learn more in this Spark Marketplace video.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column] [vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_column_text]Checking In with Ross Animal Hospital and Rehabilitation Center
Transparency and compassion are how this Covington, GA team is making it through the pandemic.
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Resources of the Week
Check out these resources listed below for need-to-know information.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row] [vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] • Vetfolio Wellbeing Resource Center
• CDC: Coping With Stress and Anxiety During a Pandemic
• Bankrate: What should you do if you’ve lost your job?
• Department of Labor: Common Issues Employers and Employees Face During the COVID-19 Outbreak
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April 17, 2020
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One of the lessons emerging in the age of the coronavirus is technology is key to enhancing the client experience, even as we’re all forced to distance ourselves. And could human healthcare call on veterinarians to pitch in their time and experience in caring for COVID-19 patients?
We explore these questions and more in this week’s Coronavirus Roundup.
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Story of the Week: How to Set Fees For Veterinary Virtual Care
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Telemedicine can streamline the workflow in the practice or hospital, provide flexibility for clients, improve work/life balance for veterinary professionals, and boost a practice’s bottom line.
One major reason for embracing telemedicine, even after the COVID-19 crisis is past, is due to the spending power of millennials and how they prefer to communicate. There are currently 80 million millennials in the United States, and each year they spend approximately $600 billion. They are five times more likely to adopt technology than any other age group, and 60% support the use of telehealth options. Generation Z — who were born in 1995 or later — make up 26% of the U.S. population. By 2020, they’ll make up a third and contribute $44 billion to the American economy. This generation is tech-savvy and digitally connected 24/7. …
Read the full article on TodaysVeterinaryPractice.com
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Take a Closer Look
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Checking In:
Saint Francis Veterinary Center
See how this clinic is using technology to reinforce client-practice relationships in the era of 6 feet of social distance.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column] [vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_column_text]Mark Cushing on the Future of Telemedicine
Hear why the coronavirus pandemic might be the push the veterinary industry needs to truly embrace telemedicine.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column] [vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_column_text]Podcast: The One Health Act
Featuring Congressman Ted Yoho
Hear how Congressman Ted Yoho’s veterinary background prepared him to see the threat a zoonotic disease outbreak posed to the United States before COVID-19 arrived.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row] [vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_column_text]Chapter 5:
Tales from the COVID-19 Front Lines
As veterinary practices adjust to the new normal, client frustration grows over visitation guidelines and hospital owners encounter hurdles when applying for government aid.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column] [vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_column_text]Quarantine and Pets:
How to Help Pet Owners Adjust
Pet owners may be looking to start grooming and running their pets while in COVID-19 quarantine. Here’s how to communicate best practices.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column] [vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_column_text]Determining What’s Essential
Amid the Coronavirus Crisis
Veterinary practice owners face ambiguity and financial ramifications as procedures are evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]April 10, 2020
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Essential services—that term can have different implications from state to state and even clinic to clinic. In this week’s roundup, we try to find some clear guidelines. We also check in on how veterinary nurses are faring, and we cover what a tiger’s positive SARS-CoV-2 test means for veterinary clients.
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Story of the Week:
Lions, Tigers, Domestic Cats, and COVID-19: How Do We Educate Pet Owners?
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On April 5, the Bronx Zoo announced that one Malayan tiger tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, after showing symptoms of a cough and decreased appetite.
Veterinary teams have been educating pet owners that there currently is no evidence indicating the spread of the COVID-19 virus from pets to other animals or humans. Here are a few questions pet owners may ask, along with information to date to help answer in a factual manner.
Read the full article on TodaysVeterinaryNurse.com
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Take a Closer Look
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Chapter 4:
Tales from the COVID-19 Front Lines
Veterinary professionals from across the country report on the implications of this crisis on their business, day-to-day operation, and emotional wellbeing.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column] [vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_column_text]How the Government is Helping
Practice Owners
A paycheck protection loan and an economic injury grant are two of several business-friendly programs available to veterinarians.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column] [vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_column_text]Be a Leader for Your Team During the Coronavirus Crisis
Leadership is crucial, now more than ever, and can come in the form of anyone in a veterinary clinic. Rise to the occasion for your team and your patients with these tips.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row] [vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_column_text]The Veterinary Nurse’s Role
in Telemedicine
The COVID-19 pandemic is bringing telemedicine to the forefront now more than ever. What does it mean, how has it been used, and what is the role of the veterinary nurse?
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column] [vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_column_text]New York Veterinarians Give Ventilators to ‘War Effort’ Against Coronavirus
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio urges anybody in the city with a ventilator to come forward, while many veterinarians have already given all they have.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column] [vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_column_text]VetCT Offers Free Telemedicine Access to Veterinary Specialists
VetCT, a global telemedicine provider, is offering free access to its network of veterinary specialists temporarily to assist veterinarians during the coronavirus pandemic.
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Resources of the Week
Check out these resources listed below for need-to-know information.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row] [vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] • AVMA: List of Veterinary State Board Websites
• CDC: Coping With Stress and Anxiety During a Pandemic
• CDC: Keeping Children Safe and Healthy While School’s Out
• Department of Labor: Common Issues Employers and Employees Face During the COVID-19 Outbreak
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April 3, 2020
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A Chicago veterinarian succumbs to COVID-19 and industry metrics look bleak, but amid the fear and despair veterinarians offer hope by sharing their ventilators. All this and more in the inaugural edition of the Spark COVID-19 update!
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Story of the Week:
Veterinarians Donate Life-Support Ventilators in Coronavirus Response
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“We are not only in the process of responding, but also significantly planning for what is to come. Inventories of ventilators will be critical.”
Those words helped convince Dr. Beth Davidow that it was time to act. She had reached out to Geoff Austin, chief operating officer of the University of Washington Medical Center, after the new coronavirus reached Washington and its residents started testing positive for COVID-19. The response, specifically regarding the local hospitals’ need for life-support ventilators, urged Davidow to activate the power of the professional veterinary community.
“As you read the news of people dying because there’s not a ventilator available,” she said, “it makes you want to help as much as you can.” …
Read the full article on TodaysVeterinaryPractice.com
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Take a Closer Look
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Is Your Team Suffering From Coronavirus Pandemic Anxiety?
Added stressors related to the coronavirus pandemic can take a serious toll on the mental health of veterinary professionals. Here are a few ways to help alleviate anxiety.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column] [vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_column_text]Forecast Is Grim for
Veterinary Services in 2020
Packaged Facts, a market research firm, expects a pandemic-related thrashing of the U.S. pet market in 2020, but potential good news for next year.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column] [vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_column_text]Telemedicine Emerges as a Care Option
for Veterinary Patients
Telemedicine has become a critical resource for practices, and it could be here to stay. Here are the basics and best practices for veterinarians looking to implement telemedicine.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row] [vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_column_text]COVID-19 Business Advice from a Veterinary CPA
Denise Tumblin, CPA shares what practice owners should be paying attention to in federal coronavirus aid programs, and best practices to weather the storm.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column] [vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_column_text]Chapter 3:
Tales from the COVID-19 Front Lines
Veterinary professionals from across the country report on how they are facing this crisis and how it is affecting business.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column] [vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_column_text]LA Times: Pet Adoptions Spike
During Quarantine
With social distancing and quarantine procedures in place for most Americans, demand for pet adoption and fostering has skyrocketed in several communities.
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Resources of the Week
Check out these resources listed below for need-to-know information.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row] [vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] • AVMA: What Veterinarians Need to Know
• Veterinary Clinics Take Measures to Protect Staff and Clients
• AVMA Recommendations for Intake of Companion Animals from Households with COVID-19
• VetFolio Offers Free CE Resources
• FAQ on Federal Coronavirus Relief Bill (CARES Act)
• Treasury, IRS and Labor Announce Plan to Implement Coronavirus-related Paid Leave
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Leave Us a Voicemail
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How are you doing?
What are your biggest questions, stressors, or concerns during this COVID-19 crisis?
Have you come across a silver lining or did something that made you smile?
Share with us!
We promise not to publish anything you say without your explicit consent. You can be anonymous if you’d like to, but we’d love to ask follow up questions and include you in our next episode. If you’re ok with that, let us know your name and the best way to contact you. We hope to hear from you soon!
– Your friends at Spark!
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