DrAndyRoark.com

Articles, Videos, & Training on Pets & Veterinary Medicine

Andy Roark DVM MS

The Happy Lymphoma Dog (Hall of Fame)

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Originally published June 2020

This week on the Cone……. Dr. Andy Roark and Dr. Sue Ettinger talk about treatment options for the relatively young, super happy dog… who also happens to have lymphoma. Let’s get into it!

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This episode has been sponsored by Sure Petcare

Dr. Sue Ettinger Youtube channel: www.youtube.com/channel/UC_dC6ku6Ye8YOqusLLmNM1A

Dr. Sue’s Collection of Youtube videos on canine and feline lymphoma: www.youtube.com/channel/UC_dC6ku6…ch?query=lymphoma

She Works Hard for the Money – Pay Scales with Stephanie Goss: unchartedvet.com/product/she-work…zz6b_XnW63rd6fBY

Uncharted Virtual Culture Conference:
unchartedvet.com/uvc-culture/

Charming the Angry Client On-Demand Staff Training: drandyroark.com/on-demand-staff-training/

What’s on my Scrubs?! Card Game: drandyroark.com/training-tools/

Dr. Andy Roark Swag: drandyroark.com/shop

All Links: linktr.ee/DrAndyRoark

ABOUT OUR GUEST

Dr. Sue Ettinger is a practicing veterinary cancer specialist, international speaker, book author, and vlogger (video blogger). She is one of approximately 450 board-certified specialists in medical oncology in North America and currently practices at Veterinary Referral and Emergency Center in Norwalk, Connecticut. She is co-founder and Chief Medical Officer of Fidu, a teleconsulting company to bring together general practice veterinarians and boarded veterinary specialists. She received her veterinary training at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. She completed her residency in medical oncology at the Animal Medical Center in NYC in 2003. 

She was voted the 2019 Western Veterinary Conference (WVC) Small Animal Continuing Educator of the Year and has recently received awards for Exceptional Doctor Performance and the Public Relations Achievement.
Also known as Dr Sue Cancer Vet®, Dr. Sue is the co-author of the Second Edition of The Dog Cancer Survival Guide, which is a best-selling book in small animal health for the last several years. She is a frequent contributor to many veterinary publications, including Today’s Veterinary Practice, Today’s Veterinary Business, Clinician’s Brief, Veterinary Team Brief, & DVM360. She also has co-hosted the podcast The Pet Cancer Vet and is a frequent guest on many veterinary podcasts.

There are many myths and misconceptions about cancer in dogs and cats. Most cancers are treatable, and there are a variety of treatment options. Dr Sue’s focus is to provide comprehensive and compassionate care. She strives to minimize side effects – from the cancer itself and treatment – to help her patients lead active, normal lives even while undergoing treatment. Her motto is live longer, live well.

Dr. Sue is most passionate about raising cancer awareness, and she has developed “See Something, Do Something, Why Wait? Aspirate.®” to promote early cancer detection and diagnosis. This cancer awareness initiative for skin and superficial tumors in dogs and cats provides a set of guidelines for pet owners and veterinarians to help identify the best management for skin and subcutaneous (under the skin) masses in dogs and cats. Masses must be sampled and evaluated under a microscope to determine what they are. The sooner we determine whether a mass is cancerous and should be removed, the better for our pets. Most skin and subcutaneous tumors can be cured with surgery alone if diagnosed early when masses are small. Early detection saves lives.

A native of Long Island, New York, Dr Sue knew she wanted to be a veterinarian since she was in kindergarten. She currently lives in Westchester, New York, with her husband, a veterinary internist, their two sons, and their goofy black Labrador, Matilda, and yellow Labrador, Penelope.

Editor: Dustin Bays
www.baysbrass.com
@Bays4Bays Twitter/Instagram

Life Lessons from Blunt Dissection

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Dr. Dave Nicol has hosted more than 50 episodes of his popular deep-dive interview podcast Blunt Dissection, and Dr. Andy Roark wants to know what he’s learned. In this episode, Drs. Roark and Nicol discuss what it means to be successful in veterinary medicine, where the profession is going, and what their veterinary hopes and fears are for the future.

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This episode has been sponsored by Sure Petcare

Blunt Dissection Podcast: www.drdavenicol.com/blunt-dissection-podcast

VetX International: vetxinternational.com/

She Works Hard for the Money – Pay Scales with Stephanie Goss: unchartedvet.com/product/she-work…zz6b_XnW63rd6fBY

Charming the Angry Client On-Demand Staff Training: drandyroark.com/on-demand-staff-training/

What’s on my Scrubs?! Card Game: drandyroark.com/training-tools/

Dr. Andy Roark Swag: drandyroark.com/shop

All Links: linktr.ee/DrAndyRoark

ABOUT OUR GUEST

Dr Dave Nicol has worked in senior leadership roles or owned some of the UK and Australia’s largest veterinary groups. He has published three books, hosts the Blunt Dissection Podcast and is a motivational speaker, winning the VMX Speaker of the Year 2019.

He is the founder of VetX International, a global training and mentoring community helping vets and practice leaders work together and enjoy their lives in practice.

Editor: Dustin Bays
www.baysbrass.com
@Bays4Bays Twitter/Instagram

Are We Bad People??

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Dr. Sarah Boston and I talk about the things that are frustrating and making us laugh in veterinary medicine today. From paying staff to public pleas on Facebook to patient rights and responsibilities, we cover a ton of ground and ultimately end up still wondering…. “Are we bad people?”

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This episode has been sponsored by Sure Petcare

Live Workshop: The Secret Sauce to Optimizing Workflow w/ Senani Ratnayake:
unchartedvet.com/product/the-secr…mizing-workflow/

Live Workshop: 12 Steps to Critical Conversations w/ Dr. Andy Roark: unchartedvet.com/upcoming-events/

Charming the Angry Client On-Demand Staff Training: drandyroark.com/on-demand-staff-training/

What’s on my Scrubs?! Card Game: drandyroark.com/training-tools/

Dr. Andy Roark Swag: drandyroark.com/shop

All Links: linktr.ee/DrAndyRoark

ABOUT OUR GUEST

Dr Sarah Boston is a veterinary surgical oncologist who is an ACVS board certified small animal surgeon and an ACVS Founding Fellow of both Surgical Oncology and Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery. She practices with VCA Canada in the Toronto area. Up until recently, she has spent most of her career in academia as a tenured faculty member at both the University of Guelph and the University of Florida. She has published over 80 scientific papers and textbook chapters, some of them good. Dr Boston is also a best-selling author of the book, Lucky Dog: How Being a Veterinarian Saved my Life and one of the creators of The Cageliner, a satirical online newspaper for veterinary professionals. She has recently started doing stand up comedy because she believes that we all need to laugh more. This Fall, she will be starting as a full-time student in Comedy Writing and Performance at Humber College and will still be working part-time as a surgical oncologist. (That should work, right?)

Editor: Dustin Bays
www.baysbrass.com
@Bays4Bays Twitter/Instagram

What Corporates Get Wrong

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Dr. Andy Roark sits down with Dr. Bob Lester, columnist for Today’s Veterinary Business, to discuss the corporations that are buying veterinary practices, the autonomy of the modern veterinarian, the difference in compliance culture and commitment culture, and what motivates people to go to work.

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This episode has been sponsored by Sure Petcare

Subject article: What Corporate Gets Wrong todaysveterinarybusiness.com/commitment…ompliance/

Live Workshop: The Secret Sauce to Optimizing Workflow w/ Senani Ratnayake:
unchartedvet.com/product/the-secr…mizing-workflow/

Live Workshop: 12 Steps to Critical Conversations w/ Dr. Andy Roark: unchartedvet.com/upcoming-events/

Charming the Angry Client On-Demand Staff Training: drandyroark.com/on-demand-staff-training/

What’s on my Scrubs?! Card Game: drandyroark.com/training-tools/

Dr. Andy Roark Swag: drandyroark.com/shop

All Links: linktr.ee/DrAndyRoark

ABOUT OUR GUEST

Dr. Bob Lester remains as passionate about the veterinary profession as the day he entered veterinary school (sometime last century). He is a firm believer in the veterinary profession’s double bottom line proposition of doing well by doing good. Dr. Lester is a graduate of Oregon State and Washington State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine and completed the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges Leadership Academy.

He spent his early career as a small-town mixed animal practice owner before joining the founding leadership team at Banfield Pet Hospitals. At Banfield, he held positions in medicine, operations, franchising, human resources, and professional relations. After a rewarding career at Banfield/Mars Inc., he left as Vice President of Professional Relations to help found the Lincoln Memorial University College of Veterinary Medicine where he served as Assistant Dean. Dr. Lester’s LMU-CVM team pioneered a novel community-based clinical education program and developed the professional skills curriculum including instruction in communication, leadership, teamwork, and practice management.

Bob is now a co-founder, Chief Medical Officer, and member of the Board of Directors for WellHaven Pet Health, a family of companion animal practices that believes in caring for the caregivers so that they can care for others. WellHaven Pet Hospitals are both new build full-service AAHA/Fear Free hospitals, acquired and joint venture affiliate practices.

Bob was a two-time gubernatorial appointee and Chair of the Oregon Veterinary Medical Examining Board. He was the state delegate to the American Association of Veterinary State Boards. He served as a site team member for the AVMA Council on Education, and on the Job Analysis Task Force for the International Council for Veterinary Assessment. Dr. Lester authors the column “Creative Disruption” for Today’s Veterinary Business.

In addition to his board position at Well Haven Pet Health, he serves as a board member and Treasurer of Pet Peace of Mind a non-profit which keeps hospice patients together with their pets through the end of life. He also serves as Vice President of the board of the North American Veterinary Community, and on the advisory boards of easy vetclinic, Pet Desk, AirVet, and the LMU College of Veterinary Medicine.

Dr. Lester’s interests include all things veterinary, writing, start-ups, speaking, business and leadership development, the human-animal bond, and giving back to the profession that has done so much for him and others. His family includes his wife Crystal, two amazing daughters McKenzie and Paige, and two rescue Yorkie’s Jessie and Woody.

Editor: Dustin Bays
www.baysbrass.com
@Bays4Bays Twitter/Instagram

30-Year-Old Dogs? The Science of Pet Aging

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Dr. Brennen McKenzie is back on the podcast to talk about the science of aging, the difference in lifespan and healthspan, why some breeds generally live longer than others, the possibility of pets living decades longer, and what we can do right now to increase the longevity of our patients.

Sure Petcare Logo

This episode has been sponsored by Sure Petcare

Live Workshop: 12 Steps to Critical Conversations w/ Dr. Andy Roark: unchartedvet.com/upcoming-events/

Charming the Angry Client On-Demand Staff Training: drandyroark.com/on-demand-staff-training/

What’s on my Scrubs?! Card Game: drandyroark.com/training-tools/

Dr. Andy Roark Swag: drandyroark.com/shop

All Links: linktr.ee/DrAndyRoark

ABOUT OUR GUEST

Dr. McKenzie has always pursued a wide range of interests both within and outside of science. After completing a bachelor’s degree with majors in English Literature and Biology at the University ofCalifornia at Santa Cruz, he obtained a Master’s in Physiology and AnimalBehavior and worked for several years in environmental and behavioral enrichment for captive primates.

Dr. McKenzie then attended the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and began working as a small animal general practice veterinarian. In addition to his clinical work, he has served as President of the Evidence-Based Veterinary Medicine Association, lectured on evidence-based medicine at numerous veterinary conferences, and published journal articles on such topics as overdiagnosis, cognitive bias in veterinary clinical decision-making, and the philosophical underpinnings of evidence-based and alternative medicine. Since 2009, Dr. McKenzie has managed the SkeptVetBlog and associated social media outlets, including a series of science-based pet health videos on YouTube. He has also been an occasional contributor to the popular Science-based Medicine blog.

While working as a practitioner, speaking, and writing, Dr. McKenzie has continued to pursue post-graduate training, and in2015 he completed his MSc in Epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and TropicalMedicine in 2015. He also teaches veterinary students in his practice as well as undergraduate biology majors, he writes a monthly column on evidence-based medicine for Veterinary Practice News magazine, and he has published a book forpet owners and veterinary professionals—Placebos for Pets? The Truth aboutAlternative Medicine in Animals.

In his sparse free time, Dr. McKenzie enjoys reading,hiking, playing his mandolin and guitar, travelling with his family, and sitting on the couch with his dogs watching the hummingbirds and woodpeckers outside his living room window.

Editor: Dustin Bays
www.baysbrass.com
@Bays4Bays Twitter/Instagram

Some Things Cannot Be Fixed…

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“Some things cannot be fixed, they can only be carried.”

I’ve been thinking a lot about this quote recently. There are so many challenges beyond our control. I think it’s good to remember we shouldn’t expect to conquer all our burdens. Some of our struggles can only be addressed by breathing, accepting, being kind to ourselves, and putting one foot in front of the other.

If you are struggling right now, please take heart that you are not alone. I hear stress from across the industry as our workforce is spread thin and demand for our services just seems to keep going up. You aren’t doing anything wrong. You’re just in a hard position (and you are not alone).

Remember you can’t please everyone, and you can do more harm than good if you try too hard. You need to take care of yourself first, because no one is more responsible for you than you. Put your own oxygen mask on before assisting others. After that, take care of your team. After that, take care of your clients.

Know that this too shall pass. You will not be emerging from a pandemic forever. The summer rush will end as it always does. You will sort out the headaches you are facing, and then you’ll get a new set of headaches. The frenzy of corporate consolidation will come to an end, and most groups buying up practices will be gone. Prices and wages will sort themselves out and our businesses will persist. The only thing that won’t change is that people will love their pets and want to take care of them.

I don’t say these things to encourage anyone to “suck it up.” I say them because I don’t think, for most of us, there’s an immediate answer to our struggles. Some problems won’t be solved; they’ll just be endured. All we can do is take care of ourselves and discipline our minds for the required endurance. We can rest, hold on to the good parts of our job, and be proud of all that we accomplish. We can see our jobs as worthy challenges instead of unfair burdens. We can find meaning in laying our hands on patients, supporting our community, learning and growing daily, giving people a healthy workplace, serving those we lead, and setting an example for what it means to be a kind and loving person. We can encourage each other and celebrate our victories. We can try to make the world better than it would be without us.