Author: wsvma

21 June

Get calls about bats? Use this handy guide

wsvma   |   Animal Health

The Washington State Department of Health is pleased to introduce their Guide for Veterinary Offices for Handling Calls about Bat Encounters. The new guide strengthens the connections between veterinary hospitals and their local health department and guides veterinary staff when responding to public calls concerning bat encounters. It stresses the importance of public contacting their local health department immediately to triage possible human and pet rabies exposure. In addition, the Department refreshed the look of their fact sheet, Safely Capturing Bats...

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21 June

Thanks for taking our Member Engagement Survey. And the results are…

wsvma   |   WSVMA News

In March, we hired new staff member Samantha Breider to help us attract new members through creative new services and programs that benefit the membership. Samantha quickly organized a survey of which 268 of you answered. Thank you! Survey questions ranged from finding out how well you liked our programs to what new services you would like to see, and how you want to engage with each other. We gained valuable insight from the survey. The areas that you want us...

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21 June

Avoid Common Pitfalls with Your Employee Benefits: Pitfall No. 3 – Other Benefits

wsvma   |   Practice Management

This is the third in a weekly series of four articles by financial expert Mackenzie Martin. The first article focused on pitfalls in employee insurance benefits and article number two outlines retirement plan pitfalls. Articles 4 will focus on pitfalls in paystubs. OTHER BENEFITS Pitfall #1: Health Savings Account (HSA) Or Flexible Spending Account (FSA)? Both types of accounts allow you to set aside pre-tax money. A health savings account (HSA) is money specifically set aside for health care, while a Flex...

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21 June

This Week’s Helpful Links

wsvma   |   Uncategorized

Veterinary labor's wild swings – VIN News Competition fierce for seats in veterinary school – Post Register Police in Olympia investigate suspicious cat death – Q13 FOX Shelton 90-year-old among 2 arrested after dozens of animals rescued in animal cruelty case – KOMO News Compassion-First owner to acquire National Veterinary Associates – Today's Veterinary Business   Posted June 21, 2019...

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14 June

What do we do about suicide? It’s time to limit access to means

wsvma   |   Wellness

Want to do something about suicide in veterinary medicine? Make it so no one in your clinic can access lethal drugs alone. Do it now. WARNING This article contains detailed discussion of suicide and suicide methods. If you are having thoughts of suicide, text 741-741 to connect with a trained crisis counselor right away or call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-TALK (8255) The topic of suicide is a potential trigger for those struggling with feelings of guilt after the loss of a...

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14 June

Q fever: What sheep and goat owners should know

wsvma   |   Animal Health

Lambing and kidding season, the time of year when goats and sheep give birth, is winding down. But goat and sheep owners should remain diligent to protect themselves and their animals when assisting with a difficult birthing. In these circumstances,  Q fever, a serious but seldom fatal zoonotic disease, can be transmitted to humans and other animals by sheep, goats and cattle. Caution should be taken in the case of animals that have aborted. Goat and sheep owners should be aware of...

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14 June

Pièce de Résistance – The real sCOOP on antibiotic use in poultry …why less is not always better

wsvma   |   One Health

Since the implementation of the Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD) in January 2017, medical health professionals, veterinarians, producers, pharmaceutical companies, regulatory agencies, and other stakeholders have been working together to promote judicious antibiotic use in food animals to prevent resistance. The poultry industry has been very proactive in this regard, and had already eliminated some medically important human antibiotics from their arsenal. However, “no antibiotics ever” or similar label claims can sometimes be misleading and detrimental to animal health and welfare. So what...

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14 June

Avoid Common Pitfalls with Your Employee Benefits: Pitfall No. Two -Retirement Plans

wsvma   |   Practice Management

This is the second in a weekly series of four articles by financial expert Mackenzie Martin. The first article focused on pitfalls in employee insurance benefits. Articles 3 and 4 will focus on pitfalls in other types of employee benefits, and pitfalls in paystubs.  RETIREMENT PLANS Pitfall #1: Not Understanding How Employer Contributions Works Example from a small, privately owned, animal hospital:  The practice has a SIMPLE IRA which means there are two options (per the IRS) for matching contributions. The first option...

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14 June

Emerging and Exotic Diseases of Animals Online Course

wsvma   |   Continuing Education

The Emerging and Exotic Diseases of Animals (EEDA) online course will be offered for continuing education (CE) beginning July 31, 2019. The course covers the causes and consequences of foreign animal diseases (FAD), how FAD’s are transmitted and introduced, the entities involved in a response to a FAD outbreak, what to do if a FAD is suspected, how veterinarians can be involved in a FAD response, and effective communication strategies. In addition to veterinarians, the course is suitable for veterinary...

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14 June

This Week’s Helpful Links

wsvma   |   Uncategorized

Hundreds of animals displaced by Arkansas floods to find homes in Washington - KOMO News Equine Herpesvirus Myeloencephalopathy in Island County, Washington - Equine Disease Communication Center More Washington workers could see overtime pay under new proposal  - King 5 News Veterinary practice consolidation demystified – VIN News 1/4 of Pet Parents Lie to Their Bosses About Vet Visits – King 5 News You May Be Stressing Out Your Dog - NPR   Posted June 14, 2019...

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