Episodes

Tasha McNerney CTV VTS CVPP joins us to discuss the case of Hercules Mulligan. a 4 yo MN Domestic Shorthair who cannot urinate. That's right... This poor guy has a urethral obstruction and will need anesthesia and pain control STAT! What are the top tips and tricks for handling these cases? What mistakes do doctors and technicians want to make sure to avoid? Let's find out! LINKS: Sacrococcygeal Block Demo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhAN4SavVzg Think Anesthesia: https://www.thinkanesthesi...

Dr. Jason Gagné, a Board-Certified Veterinary Nutritionist and Purina’s Director of Veterinary Technical Communications, is on to help Dr. Andy Roark sort out a tough case. Budrow is a 3 year-old mix breed dog with waxing-and-waning bouts of diarrhea and vomiting, and year-round allergies. His owners have tried all sorts of drugs and diets on this poor dog, and now we’re right back where we started. Let’s unpack what’s going on and get to the bottom of this! LINKS Purina ProPlan Veterinary Diet...

Guest: Dr. Addie Reinhard - It’s no surprise that both veterinarians and their support staff have high rates of burnout, but are these groups experiencing stress for the same reasons? What can individuals do to reduce these stresses? What can practices do to protect their people, and what role does personal autonomy play in all of this? New research, the Merck Animal Health Veterinary Wellbeing Study III, sheds light on not just the factors causing psychological stress in the veterinary professi...

Professor Biscuit has been having some blood in his urine, and Dr. Roark is seeing something that doesn’t look right in the poor guy’s bladder. Today we talk with Veterinary Oncologist Dr. Sandra Bechtel about Transitional Cell Carcinoma and how we can best approach it. Let’s get into it! LINKS: KRUUSE - Preferred partner to the Veterinary Industry since 1896 https://kruuse.com ABOUT OUR GUEST: Sandra (Axiak) Bechtel is a Veterinary Medical Oncologist and Associate Professor at the University ...

Gertrude is a 16lb obese cat who simply refuses to lose weight. She will not run, play, or exercise in any way. She refuses to eat anything but the food she wants. Her health is on the line and Dr. Andy Roark is out of ideas. Fortunately, Ingrid Johnson is here to talk about how she handles these cases. Let’s get into it! LINKS: Fundamentally Feline: https://www.fundamentallyfeline.com/ Put on Your PANTS! Hold Meeting that Matter: https://unchartedvet.com/product/put-on-your-pants-meetings/ Unc...

Imagine a CSR working from home, checking a client out and booking appointments from his home, or a technician live-chatting with three different pet owners through the clinic webpage from her apartment, or a doctor doing telemedicine appointments from another state? This isn’t fantasy. There are practices actually making these things happen today. Christina Freeman and Summer Burke-Irmiter join Dr. Andy Roark to talk about how their clinic is breaking the mold to give employees (and clients) fl...

Dr. Indu Mani is on the podcast today discussing moral distress in veterinary medicine. The pain we experience when we know the “right” thing to do but are unable to do it can take an ethical toll. For those of us practicing veterinary medicine, this toll may contribute to burnout, depression and other job stressors. So what do we do about it? How do we battle back against a condition that seems ubiquitous to our profession? Let’s get into this episode! LINKS Original Moral Distress Article: ht...

This episode is made possible ad-free with the support of Purina Institute! We have a wonderful (but anxious) German Shepherd with chronic diarrhea that just isn’t going away. Her owners would like to handle this without medications if possible. Veterinary nutritionist Dr. Raj Naik is here to talk about the case, our options, and the importance of considering the microbiome as we treat GI disease. LINKS Purina Institute Microbiome Forum: https://www.purinainstitute.com/microbiome-forum Purina I...

Veterinary Cardiologist Dr. Anna McManamey (AKA Dr. Mac) is on the podcast today talking with Dr. Andy Roark about a 12 year-old Maltese named Higgins who has had a heart murmur for a long time, but just recently developed a cough. How concerned should we be? What do we want to make sure we investigate, and what pitfalls do we need to avoid? Dr. Mac takes us through it! LINKS Uncharted Veterinary Podcast: https://unchartedvet.com/blog/ Ninja Nerd: https://www.youtube.com/c/NinjaNerdScience Clie...

Dr. Andy Roark and Dr. Adam Boyko discuss the rapid advances being made in canine genetic testing. They talk about what health conditions might be detected, what impact that could have on both medical management programs and breeding programs and how genetic screening could potentially add years to the lives of dogs in the future. LINKS Embark Veterinary: https://embarkvet.com/vets ABOUT OUR GUEST: Dr. Adam Boyko is Chief Science Officer at Embark Veterinary and associate professor in Biomedic...

Is there really an effective treatment for FIP that’s illegal for veterinarians in the US to recommend, prescribe or even discuss? Is there a Facebook group saving the lives of FIP cats in a way that veterinary professionals aren’t able to? In this episode, Dr. Andy Roark sits down with Dr. Julie Levy to discuss the facts and fiction around GS-441. LINKS A Much-Hyped COVID-19 Drug Is Almost Identical to a Black-Market Cat Cure - https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2020/05/remdesivir-cat...

Walter is a 2-year-old male-neutered labrador retriever who has presented on Saturday morning at the emergency clinic. He is having a little bit of vomiting and a LOT of diarrhea. Dr. Andy Roark wrestles with wanting to be aggressive enough to solve Walter’s problem quickly while also wanting to be a good steward for antimicrobials and to not throw more medications at the problem than it warrants. He’s looking for advice and turns to emergency veterinarian Dr. Callie Harris. Dr. Harris works wit...

Description: Clinton Neill, PhD, assistant professor at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine’s Center for Veterinary Business and Entrepreneurship, joins Dr. Andy Roark to discuss the economic impact of burnout on the veterinary profession. LINKS: Burnout’s Economic Toll on Veterinarians Calculated (JAVMA): https://www.avma.org/javma-news/2021-12-15/burnouts-economic-toll-veterinarians-calculated?utm_source=delivra&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=JAVMA%20News%20December%2015%202021&u...

As veterinary medicine continues to wrestle with its burnout problem, an emphasis on engaged and positive workplace cultures is on the rise. In today’s episode, Jeff Thoren visits to discuss the power and importance of minding our thoughts. LINKS: Uncharted Podcast on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-uncharted-veterinary-podcast/id1449897688 WORKSHOP - What Vet Med Can Learn From Improv: https://unchartedvet.com/product/what-vet-med-can-learn-from-improv/ WORKSHOP - Loading the...

Dr. Donnell Hansen, veterinary dentist, sits down with Dr. Andy Roark to advise on the case of a 12 year old yorkie with mild kidney disease who may or may not need multiple extractions. Chanel has approximately 30% horizontal bone loss across the maxillary premolars, and the teeth feel stable on palpation. What do we do? Do we pull them? Or do we leave them? How do we decide? LINKS: Four Legged Tooth Fairy: https://fourleggedtoothfairy.com/ Uncharted Podcast on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.c...

This episode is made possible ad-free by the sponsorship of Hill’s Pet Nutrition! Dr. Andy Roark has a 4yo FS Labrador that is 6-7/9 body condition score. He’s wondering why he struggles to motivate clients to make changes that will get this dog back to an ideal condition. Dr. Mike Robbins is in to discuss what vets get wrong in these conversations, how vets and technicians can make better recommendations to motivate these clients, and the missed opportunities we all have in doing nutritional as...

Dr. Sam Morello is on the podcast to discuss her recent publication in JAVMA, Comparison of resident and intern salaries with the current living wage as a quantitative estimate of financial strain among postgraduate veterinary trainees. Dr. Morello makes the case that early career pay plays a role in our ability to increase diversity in the profession, support women and families, reduce the frequency of burnout and increase doctor retention in the clinical space. LINKS: Original Article: https:...

Description: This episode of the Cone of Shame Veterinary Podcast is made possible by Cubex - Protect your people, practice and profits. Dr. Carrie Jurney, President of Not One More Vet (NOMV) is visiting today to talk about the changes we have seen in the veterinary mental health space during the COVID pandemic. In the last 2 years NOMV has grown radically, and has become one of the most recognizable groups working to improve wellness and mental health in our industry. Carrie and Dr. Andy Roark...

“Eliminating problems is not the answer to mental health and wellness challenges.” If you spend 100% of your time weeding a garden, and 0% of your time planting it, ultimately you will have a frustrating and barren garden. This is the basic premise that Josh Vaisman brings to the podcast as he and Dr. Andy Roark discuss how we cannot remove challenges until we are happy, and what other approaches we should consider. LINKS: Zack Mercurio Homepage: https://www.zachmercurio.com/ Strategic Planning...

From Angell Memorial Animal Hospital in Boston to the Los Angeles Zoo, Dr. Mark Goldstein has had a fascinating career. Today he joins Dr. Andy Roark to reflect on his life as a veterinary professional, his fight against pancreatic cancer, and the lessons he has learned from people and pets. ***TW: There is a brief but graphic mention of suicide in this podcast.*** LINKS: Lions and Tigers and Hamsters: What Animals Large and Small Taught Me About Life, Love, and Humanity (Amazon.com): https://w...

Ann Wortinger BIS, LVT, VTS (ECC) (SAIM) (Nutrition) joins Dr. Andy Roark to discuss the four relationship types pet owners have with their pets (Anthropomorphic, Integrated, Chattel, and Mixed), how these relationships present in the exam room, and how veterinary professionals can adjust their messaging to interface successfully. LINKS: Uncharted Veterinary Conference April 21-23, 2022: https://unchartedvet.com/uncharted-april-2022/ Uncharted Podcast on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/po...

Dr. Jen Brandt sits down with Dr. Andy Roark to discuss the challenges of talking productively about mental health and suicide. They talk about what is productive when discussing mental health and what is not, the truth about the narrative that veterinary medicine is “the worst” industry for mental health and suciide, and how we might correct this narrative. Dr. Brandt discusses internal vs. external loci of control, negativity bias, and toxic positivity. They end the discussion talking about ho...

Dr. Margie Sherk is on this Hall of Fame podcast to talk about those easily forgotten holiday dangers that we (and cat owners) need to keep in mind. LINKS: It’s All Fun and Games – How to Play, Engage with and Reward Your Team: https://unchartedvet.com/product/its-all-fun-and-games/ Uncharted Podcast on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-uncharted-veterinary-podcast/id1449897688 ABOUT OUR GUEST: Two weeks before graduating from OVC in 1982, Margie Scherk packed all of her worldl...

Description: Josh Vaisman, cofounder of Flourish Veterinary Consulting, and Dr. Andy Roark discuss what it means to have a positive workplace, where most veterinary practices go wrong and what we can actually do to make our practices more enjoyable places to work. LINKS: Uncharted Podcast on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-uncharted-veterinary-podcast/id1449897688 ABOUT OUR GUEST: Josh Vaisman believes all veterinary professionals deserve to feel fulfilled by their work, each...