August 2024

When I was a kid, our cats rarely—if ever—saw the vet. It wasn’t really on our radar that cats needed veterinary care. Fast-forward to now, and we know more about cats than ever before, but people still persist in the thinking that cats don’t need as much care as dogs. Or, at least it takes more work to get cats to the vet so many owners don’t think it is worth it. As the profession continues to try and educate cat owners, we will do our small part by presenting this month’s Cat Issue!

AAHA vice president Parva Bezrutczyk, DVM, talks about her recent trip to South Africa to work on the One Health initiative, and how that relates to the differences practices can make in creating impactful changes in the ecosystem. The AAHA Community asks for advice on leveling up assistant managers. This month’s Scoop headlines include: Drug Implant Shows Promise for Managing Feline Obesity and Diabetes; “Assistant Manager” Cat Gets Cancer Treatment; AI-driven, Personalized Drug Response Predictions for Canine Cancer Patients; and Trends in Feline Health: Trupanion Data; and more!

Melissa Mustillo, DVM, DABVP (Feline Practice), managing veterinarian at A Cat Clinic in Boyds, Maryland, answers the 5 questions.

This month’s grand prize winner is Mabel Ng, RVT, of Albert North Veterinary Clinic, in Regina, Saskatchewan!

The new 2024 AAHA Fluid Therapy Guidelines for Dogs and Cats from AAHA are an update to the 2013 version of the guidelines, and feature a new task force and updated information on everything related to fluid therapy.

We send reminders and run basic screens, but are we doing all we can for our feline patients? There are some new (and not so new) diagnostic tests available, and we’re going to run down a few of them here.

Over the last few years, credentialed veterinary technicians have continued to play a vital role in the progression of veterinary medicine. They are utilized more in practice to improve efficiency, workflow, and overall profitability in our clinics. Technicians can also be utilized to improve feline interactions overall and reduce the impact of fear and other negative emotions that may be associated with visits. By Jamie Rauscher, LVT.

This summary of the new Veterinary Visionaries Psychological Health and Safety Guidelines Exploring will lead you through the origin story of Veterinary Visionaries (VV) and into a body of work that provides insight into the language, framework, and world of Psychological Health and Safety.

Selected highlights from the 2024 AAHA Fluid Therapy Guidelines for Dogs and Cats

Can you recycle carpet-covered cat furniture? Not likely. And it turns out, breaking down the components of the carpeting, adhesives, and backing might not be so healthy either, as it can release the potentially harmful stuff underneath. So what is an environmentally conscious person to do?

Peter Weinstein, DVM, MBA, shares insights into the importance of personalized experiences in veterinary practice.

Scenarios and workflow for managing pain in a senior cat, from the 2022 AAHA Pain Management Guidelines for Dogs and Cats.