Episodes

How do you talk to pet owners about what they are feeding their pets when they are buying brands you’ve never heard of?? The pet food market has exploded and dedicated pet owners are buying diets off the internet with no real idea of what they are getting. How do we, as veterinary professionals, make sense of it all? What do we say? How do we support our patients and validate their owners? Dr. Andy Roark sits down with veterinary nutritionist and generally amazing person Dr. Jackie Parr to find ...

Dr. Andy Roark and multi-practice owner, veterinarian and attorney Dr. Lance Roasa discuss how compensation for veterinarians is rapidly changing and why the change is happening. Topic include the evolution of compensation for product sales, the rise of pure-production compensation, and the dirty (and increasingly common) secret of negative accrual and how it’s being hidden in contracts. Links: WORKSHOP: Motivating People Who Don’t Want To Be Motivated w/ Dr. Andy Roark: https://unchartedvet.co...

Dr. Andy Roark sits down with Dr. Tierra Price (Founder and CEO of BlackDVM Network) and James Evans (Founder and CEO of CARE) to discuss diversity, equity and inclusion in the field of animal welfare. CARE (Companions and Animals for Reform and Equity) believes in the inherent goodness and dignity of all people. Ex-offenders, People without Homes, Seniors, Renters, Families with Small Children, and Yes, People of Color. To that end, CARE’s mission is to bring diverse voices to the Animal Welfar...

This week on the cone...Dr. Tracy Sandstalks with Dr. Andy Roark about her decision to temporarily close her clinic during the pandemic. Dr. Sands talks about how and why she made the decision to shut down for 2 weeks, how the staff reacted, what she told her clients and how her community responded. It’s truly a brave and amazing story! LINKS: WORKSHOP: Motivating People Who Don’t Want To Be Motivated w/Dr. Andy Roark: https://unchartedvet.com/product/motivating-people ABOUT OUR GUEST: Tracy S...

This week on the Cone….. Dr. Andy Roark sits down with Dr. Ryane to discuss her research on communication challenges between veterinarians and dog/cat breeders. They get into the oddities of these relationships, the points of friction, and steps that can be taken to improve communication and build more effective relationships. ORIGINAL ARTICLE: Survey of communication challenges that impact relationships between veterinarians and dog or cat breeders and proposed solutions for retaining breeders...

This week on the Cone…. Dr. Andy Roark talks with Dr. Steve Noonan about positive psychology, rescue strategies for severe stress and/or anxiety, and how to enjoy practice after burning out. LINKS: VIA Character Strengths Survey & Character Results: https://www.viacharacter.org/ Effective Onboarding: https://unchartedvet.com/upcoming-events/ New Grad Mentorship 2.0: https://unchartedvet.com/upcoming-events ABOUT OUR GUEST: Dr.Steve Noonan graduated from the Ontario Veterinary College in 1983. ...

This week on the Cone…. Dr. Andy Roark sits down with veterinarian and attorney Dr. Lance Roasa to discuss an unprecedented wave of changes to the employment contracts that veterinarians are asked to sign. Gone are the days of the “handshake contract” and in are the days of the corporate legal team. Let’s get into this episode! Links: Effective Onboarding with Stephanie Goss: https://unchartedvet.com/effective-onboarding ABOUT OUR GUEST: Dr. Lance Roasa is a 2008 graduate of Texas A&M who has ...

This episode of the Cone of Shame veterinary podcast is brought to you by the fine folks at CEVA animal health. Learn more about them and their catalogue of products at https://www.ceva.us/ This week, on the Cone….. Dr. Andy Roark sits down with not one but TWO superstar parasitologists to talk lyme disease, diagnostics and treatments. They get into the most common mistakes veterinarians make, when and how to treat, and the most important tips and tricks vet practitioners can have. LINKS: Compa...

This week on the Cone…. Dr. Andy Roark challenges Tasha McNerney CVT, CVPP The Original Anesthesia Nerd to give him ways to raise his anesthesia and pain control game that involve NO MONEY and use items and medications he already has in his clinic. Needless to say, Tasha rises to the occasion. Check it out! LINKS: April Uncharted Veterinary Conference: https://unchartedvet.com/uvvc2021/ ABOUT OUR GUEST: Tasha McNerney obtained her CVT in 2005 and has worked clinically in the areas of anesthesi...

This week on the Cone…. Dr. Andy Roark and Dr. Bob Lester sit down to discuss our swollen caseload and the undersized pool of veterinarians trying to see it. How did we get here? And more importantly, how do we get out? Links: More Pets, Less Vets Original Article: https://vet-advantage.com/vet_advantage/more-pets-less-vets-veterinary-professional-shortage/?fbclid=IwAR1imz5oFDLqpqnhwuc2AeOK4CCHQ4WgXaR27FtQbQ3ZEb7BTkzPhGKEWW8 Uncharted April Conference: https://unchartedvet.com/uvvc2021/ ABOUT ...

This week on the Cone of Shame Podcast, Dr. Andy Roark talks with Dr. Michael Blackwell about incremental care, pet health equity, and the moral and public health responsibility of veterinarians to ensure affordable care for pets. ABOUT OUR GUEST: Dr. Michael Blackwell, like his father, earned a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Tuskegee University. He also earned a Master of Public Health degree from Loma Linda University. He currently serves as the Director of the Program for Pet Heal...

This week, Dr. Andy Roark talks with veterinarian and financial coach Dr. Meredith Jones about the Debt-Free Vets Facebook group and Veterinary Financial Summit she has co-founded. They discuss financial literacy in vet medicine and the most common and pressing questions veterinarians have on student debt. About Our Guest: Dr. Meredith Jones is an emergency veterinarian who lives in the Richmond, VA area. She is a self-professed “money nerd” who has a passion for financial education. In 2016, s...

This week on the Cone….. One veterinarian says to spay before the first heat cycle. Another says after the first heat cycle. A third says to spay after the second heat cycle. How did we get to a place where there is so much disagreement? Why are recommendations changing? And most importantly, WHO IS RIGHT?!? Let’s get into this episode! Links: Personal Branding w/Dr. Andy Roark: https://unchartedvet.com/personal-branding ABOUT OUR GUEST: Dr. McKenzie has always pursued a wide range of interest...

This week there's a crossover from Andy's other podcast 'Uncharted Veterinary Podcast', Dr. Andy Roark and Practice Management Goddess Stephanie Goss go to the mailbag: “We are short staffed and getting shorter by the minute. Where do you find good people? We need to hire at least 1 person in every role. Our morale is at an all time low and people are burnt out. We need to save the ship before it goes down.” AND “Alrighty!! I’m in a pickle! I canNOT seem to get Veterinary Technician applicants. ...

This week on the Cone, Dr. Andy Roark and Harry Potter Vet, Dr. Michael Miller, review Miller’s wildly popular article “Stop Saying Party Hat! Muzzle is Not a Dirty Word” Links: Stop Saying “Party Hat! Muzzle is Not a Dirty Word: https://drandyroark.com/stop-saying-party-hat-muzzle-is-not-a-dirty-word About the Guest: Dr. Michael W. Miller is the co-owner of a four-hospital small animal practice, seeing patients at Lakewood Animal Hospital in Morris, Illinois. In addition to dogs and cats, he ...

This week on the Cone….. Dr. Andy Roark talks with veterinary oncosurgeon, stand-up comedian and creative force behind the satirical veterinary news site The Cageliner DR. SARAH BOSTON! 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 practises with VCA Canada in the Toronto area. Up until recently, she has spent most of her career i...

This week on the Cone… Dr. Andy Roark talks to the Skept Vet himself, Dr. Brennan McKenzie about a topic that seems to get blood boiling among veterinarians, vet nutritionists, pet owners, breeders, and dog food manufacturers. Why are we do divided about grain-free pet foods, and what does the research really say? 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 a...

This week on the Cone….. Dr. Andy Roark talks again with the living legend “Uncle Mikey” Schaer about best practices for handling parvo puppies when money is tight. You don’t want to miss this one! It might even save a life. Let’s get into it! About Our Guest: Dr. Michael Schaer Dr. Michael Schaer received his D.V.M. degree from the University of Illinois in 1970. He then went to the Animal Medical Center (AMC) in New York City where he served as anintern and then as a medicine resident between...

This week, Dr. Andy Roark talks to lawyer, author and veterinary policy advocate Mark Cushing about what he sees coming to veterinary medicine in 2021 and his new book Pet Nation. About our Guest: Mark is the Founder and Managing Partner of the Animal Policy Group, LLC, based in Scottsdale, AZ, Portland, OR, and Los Angeles. APG’s clients represent a wide-range of pet health, animal welfare and veterinary educational interests. Mark focuses his practice on providing high-level strategic advice,...

This week on the Cone, (Just in time for Dental Health Month) Dr. Andy Roark finds a resorptive lesion on the upper 3rd premolar of a senior cat who has renal disease. Does he need to put this cat under anesthesia to address her dental disease? Is there an acceptable alternative? If we have to go to oral surgery, how do we set ourselves up for success? Veterinary dentist Dr. Donnell Hansen is on the case and she’s laying down how SHE treats these cases. Links: The Four Legged Tooth Fairy: https...

What do you do with the young dog who limps for a few days and then puts his leg back down and walks on it? What if there’s some joint laxity, but not a full tear? Do you just watch it? Supplements? Rehab? Find out this week! About our guest: Dr. Dycus currently practices orthopedic surgery at VOSM; he obtained is veterinary degree from Mississippi State University, completed an internship at Auburn, and returned to Mississippi State for a combined surgical residency and Masters degree. In addi...

When a middle aged cat presents for simply “becoming grumpier,” how aggressive should we be on diagnostics, and what mistakes do we want to avoid? Dr. Margie Scherk weighs in! About our guest: Two weeks before graduating from OVC in 1982, Margie Scherk packed all of her worldly belongings into her rusty, yellow Honda Civic named Jaundice and drove west to take her last two weeks of school at WCVM. Moving to a place she could see the mountains and ocean every day, she opened Cats Only Veterinary...

In this episode of the Cone of Shame Veterinary Podcast, Dr. Andy Roark talks to veterinary dentist and all-around-awesome-person Dr. Donell Hansen about feline stomatitis. What are our options? What do I tell the owners so they don’t freak out? Do I REALLY have to pull those teeth?!? FIND OUT HERE! About Our Guest: A Minnesota native, Donnell traveled through Iowa (Go Norse!), Oklahoma, and back to Minnesota again on her path toward veterinary dentistry. In 2009, Dr. Hansen joined forces with ...

This week, Uncle Mikey Schaer is back! Together Dr. Schaer and Dr. Andy Roark run through the diagnosis and treatment of "the great pretender," Addison's disease. Get a quick refresher on all the electrolyte oddities you should be looking for, prognostic indicators and treatment options you have at your disposal. About Our Guest: Dr. Michael Schaer received his D.V.M. degree from the University of Illinois in 1970. He then went to the Animal Medical Center (AMC) in New York City where he served...