Many professionals in the medical community have an interest in following veterinary medicine news and trends even if they don't practice veterinary medicine. Progressive vet treatments can often translate into similar human treatments, which is of interest to researchers, scientists, veterinarians and medical doctors. When searching for updates on veterinary news and trends, it's important to evaluate the quality of the source.

It's often beneficial to search for information on progressive pet medicines online. Internet resources also include news articles and scientific studies on livestock, wild animals and animals bred in captivity. When looking for the latest on veterinary medicine news and trends, consider the following.

1. Find the newest technology and scientific research in veterinary medicine journals.

2. Utilize veterinarian medicine website to read national news stories.

3. Read veterinary medicine newsletters for articles and updates on vet medicine trends.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Read scientific journals on veterinary medicine

Veterinary medicine journals provide professionals with the most updated research. These journals contain articles written by peers in the veterinary field, as well as published studies on the effects of various treatments, such as no prescription pet medicine and preventative medicines. Reading these journals is an excellent way for vets to gain knowledge about new treatments before implementing them into their practices.

I recommend: The American Veterinary Medicine Association offers the "Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association" and the "American Journal of Veterinary Research" online. Read current and previous issues of the "Journal of Applied Research in Veterinary Medicine." The North American Veterinary Conference publishes "Clinician's Brief," a veterinary medicine journal that offers vets quality diagnostic and treatment information. Find current and past volumes of "Preventative Veterinary Medicine" at ScienceDirect.

Follow vet medicine news and trends online

Many websites publish news articles relating to veterinary medicine. Often, these websites are updated daily or even hourly. By subscribing to a website's RSS feed, you can receive alerts in your RSS reader every time the site is updated.

I recommend: Keep an eye on the DVM360.com news center. The website specifically caters to veterinary medicine practitioners and contains helpful articles ranging from discount pet medicines and veterinary medicine sales to handling a crying employee. ScienceDaily's website offers a section dedicated to veterinary medicine news and trends. Readers can subscribe to the site's RSS feed to receive hourly updates. Find the latest veterinary medicine news at Medical News Today. They update the website daily.

Subscribe to newsletters about veterinary medicines

A veterinarian medicine newsletter is similar to a veterinary medicine magazine but typically more condensed. These newsletters contain articles, photographs and charts about veterinarian medicine targeted toward a regional, national or school-wide audience. Many newsletters come directly to their readers' email accounts but mailed hard copies are also popular.

I recommend: Subscribe to the Federal Drug Administration's newsletter FDA Veterinarian. The newsletter is available for free online and hard copies are available for a subscription fee. The college of veterinary medicine at Western University of Health Sciences publishes a quarterly newsletter. While the newsletter reports university news, it also contains relevant vet medicine news of interest to those working in the field.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Follow veterinarian medicine news and trends about holistic treatments and no prescription pet meds so you can give suggestions to clients who either can't afford expensive prescriptions or are looking for alternative treatments.

Many pet owners want to buy their pet medicines online or through other discount drug brokers who hawk their wares through large-scale ad campaigns. As a veterinarian, you know that cheap pet medicines aren't always reliable products. As a business owner, however, you know that more and more of your clients are buying pet medicines online, and will find a veterinarian who will provide, or approve, discount pet medicines if you won't.

When clients come to you or call with questions about online discount pet medicines, take the following steps to ensure legal compliance and client retention:

1. Verify which prescriptions the client is buying from an outside source, and ask the client what they'll be paying, including shipping and discounts.

2. Warn clients against buying prescription pet medicine at pet stores.

3. Develop a transition plan for client-outsourced veterinary medicine prescriptions that includes a no-cost office visit and pet health check.

Action Steps
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Offer competitive vet medicine prices without sacrificing your bottom line

When you buy veterinary medicine supplies, listen to the pharmaceutical sales representative's pitch and ask about specials. Most companies offer discounts and run monthly specials, such as on dental products in February, National Pet Dental Health Month. The more you buy from a particular supplier, the more you can ask that company for loyalty and bulk discounts. Keep costs down for your clients, and implement a prescription refill plan with a focus on outstanding customer service, timely refill reminders and personal attention.

I recommend: Find veterinary medicine supply company discounts from MWI Veterinary Supply, which also provides custom home-delivery prescriptions for both large and small animals. Prevent losing your pet meds prescription business by offering the convenience of home delivery to compete with the discount pet meds companies doing business on the Internet. Register with Miller Veterinary Supply Co., Inc., to create an online account and request a sales rep visit.

Educate your clients and keep veterinary medicine sales at your clinic

Most of your clients who enlist aggressive online veterinary medicine sales companies just need some education. When you get the prescription verification request on your fax machine, call the client first. Explain to them that you will gladly approve the prescription, but that you'd also be willing to provide a price comparison and match the Internet pharmacy's price. Ask that they bring in their pet for a complimentary weight check and brief exam, and bring a copy of their online invoice -- complete with shipping charges -- for a price match. Remind the client to update their sample invoice regularly to keep up with changing prices, and use the visit as a chance to renew your clinic's reputation for unbeatable customer service.

I recommend: Have a staff member monitor the websites for 1800PetMeds and PetCareRx to comparison shop and check shipping charges and policies once a month, but don't offer price matching unless you're faced with a potential prescription loss.

Enlist the help of vet medicines companies to keep your staff knowledgeable

Fantastic customer service is of the utmost importance to running a successful veterinary clinic or hospital, but all that service must be backed up by well-versed employees who can promptly answer client questions. Offer your staff members regular opportunities for continuing education and training, and do it at no cost to your clinic. Ask your pharmaceutical company sales representatives to provide regular product training sessions and staff participation incentives.

I recommend: Merial maintains a continuing education program for veterinary staff, and also offers free reminder client education materials and coupons. Bayer Animal Health offers similar services on a smaller scale.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Like it or not, companion animal vet medicine sales are the heart of your business. Utilize the tools within your practice management software to access reports detailing how much of your profits are due to prescription sales. Use similar reports to reassign a prescription fee to a regular service, such as small animal examinations or emergency fees, to compensate for a prescription price matching plan.
• •  If your client has begun purchasing no-prescription pet medicine at a local pet or feed store, don't be afraid to let them know that most controlled meds in those stores are black-market versions or counterfeit products. Show them how to spot the fakes.

If you operate a farm store, pet store or a veterinary medicine clinic, you need a reliable source of veterinary medicine supplies and equipment. Find a supplier who is reliable and can offer discount pet medicines on volume sales. Your supplier also needs to be able to offer veterinary medicine sales if you handle veterinary prescriptions. If you offer veterinary services on the premises, you need to find a supplier who can also provide equipment and supplies you need to perform veterinary surgeries.

Because pets are such a big industry, pet medicines can undoubtedly account for a large portion of your sales. You can find veterinary medicines in a variety of sources, including a veterinary medicine magazine, a veterinary medicine supply catalog or from an online vet medicine source. The company you purchase your veterinary medicine supplies and equipment from should provide you with:

1. Ample veterinary medicine for you to stock, shipped in a timely manner.

2. Reasonably priced merchandise available with volume discounts.

3. Products that are well within their shelf life and not expired.

Action Steps
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Stock pet medicines

Regardless of the type of store you operate, the most obvious pet medicines to stock are flea and tick products for cats and dogs. But other pet products like grooming aids, special food and training aids should also be a part of your inventory.

I recommend: PetCareRx is a good place to get pet medicines online. The website also offers a discount pet drugs coupon that you can apply to your purchase of pet medicines. TotalPetSupply offers a 125% price match guarantee on no-prescription pet medicine. It carries all the major brands of no-prescription pet meds for cats and dogs.

Locate tools to perform vet medicine

If you are a vet, you need veterinary medicine supplies and equipment to perform veterinary surgeries. Essentially you need all the equipment for an operating room. That includes tables, lighting and sterilization equipment among other things. These specialized tools and surgical instruments are available for household pets as well as large animals.

I recommend: Germed USA carries a full line of veterinary medicine supplies and equipment for veterinary surgery. You can also find veterinary medicine equipment at Apexx Equipment.

Find general supplies and equipment for veterinary medicine

If you have a veterinary clinic, you need cages for animals as they recuperate from procedures or for boarding purposes. Larger animals need pens. In addition, you'll have to keep the office stocked with general veterinary equipment, like needles and gloves.

I recommend: Henry Schein offers a large selection of animal cages in a variety of sizes and configurations, as well as a host of other veterinary medicine supplies, including gloves, nutritional supplements and even office supplies. This company is equipped to be your one-stop veterinary supply emporium. You can also find vet medicine equipment and supplies from Lakeland Vet Online.

Many people see their pets as members of the family, and seek medical for them in the same manner as they would for their human family members. As with human medical professionals, it is important for veterinary medical professionals to be properly educated and certified in order to safely treat animals. Luckily there are regulating bodies such as the AAHA and the FDA to make sure that veterinary professionals have the proper credentials. That way, if someone's furry family member needs treatment for diseases such as atopy or hip dysplasia, they can feel confident the pet is in good hands. Here are some veterinary medicine key terms to keep in mind when you do any business having involving vet medicines.

Action Steps
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AAHA

The AAHA or the American Animal Hospital Association is an organization dedicated to providing support services to small animal hospitals around the country. They have accreditations that ensure that participating animal hospitals are up to their stringent quality of care standards.

I recommend: The AAHA website is an information-rich resource if you are looking for accreditation practices or other information related to small animal hospitals.

AAVSB

Every state has their veterinary state boards that control licensing and credentialing requirements for veterinarians and veterinary technicians. The AAVSB, the American Association of Veterinary State Boards, is the central location where Boards can go to get the national licensing exam scores of individuals applying for jobs, for example, or for laypersons to go if they are interested in the requirements for licensing.

I recommend: Get more info at the AAVSB website.

CVM

The Center for Veterinary Medicine, or CVM, is part of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA.) This brand is responsible to the regulations associated with animal care, much like the other branches of the FDA that are responsible for human care. They regulate items such as pharmaceuticals, food processing and ethical issues.

I recommend: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) website has a special page dedicated to the CVM branch of their organization. Check out their site for the latest news in veterinary medicine.

Feline leukemia virus

The Feline leukemia virus is one of the more well-known illnesses in cats, mainly because the is a vaccination that veterinarians recommend. This illness attacks the cat's cells, weakening their immune system and over time, making them more susceptible to other illnesses and infections. It is highly contagious to other cats.

I recommend: Cornell University, College of Veterinary Medicine gives a great explanation of Feline leukemia, including the different stages of the illness, what to look for and how to protect a cat.

Atopy

Atopy is skin allergies in animals, often dogs. It is a condition that most often develops in the first two years of the animal's life and characterized by excessive licking and/or chewing, red spots, open sores, and hair loss. The immune system of the animal overexerts itself, therefore making the animal more susceptible to secondary infections if the atopy is not treated.

I recommend: The Priory Lodge Education website has a comprehensive explanation of atopy, its causes and treatments often administered.

Hip dysplasia

Hip dysplasia is a genetic condition where the ligaments, connective tissue and muscle around the hip's ball and socket joint loosen or become lax, and the ball joint and socket rub against each other, causing discomfort, and in severe cases, the inability to walk. Over time, osteoarthritis sets in, causing inflammation and even more discomfort controllable with treatment.

I recommend: Find more explanation on PetEducation.com about hip dysplasia.