Friday, June 8

12:30-1:30 PM  /  What You Need to Know About the Ever-Changing Financial and Real-Estate Markets

Jeremy Burroughs is a licensed, commercial real estate with Carr Healthcare Realty. He is the manager for the OK, AR, and LA region. Carr is a national, commercial real estate firm that only represents buyers and tenants and specializes in representing Veterinarians and other healthcare professionals. By never representing landlords or sellers, they avoid any potential conflict of interests and can offer their services at no cost to their clients. Carr has helped thousands of doctors in all 50 states to appropriately plan their practice’s real estate needs.

12:30-1:30 PM  /  What You Need to Know About the Ever-Changing Financial and Real-Estate Markets

Johnette Green has been with Wells Fargo for more than a decade. Wells Fargo Practice Finance helps veterinarian’s start, build, grow, and transition their practices throughout their career. Johnette considers herself a champion for the small business owner. Her customized approach for each veterinarian is the beginning of an ongoing relationship. Wells Fargo Offers veterinarians a designated Business Relationship Manager that navigate through the correct bank channels to provide the services needed to be successful.

8:00-9:00 AM  /  Pimobendan Use in Dogs and Cats

Dr. Baumwart is originally from Clinton, Oklahoma.  He attended Northeastern Oklahoma State University for his undergraduate degree in biology.  He received his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Oklahoma State University. Following his graduation, he completed a one-year internship at the Ohio State University in small animal medicine and surgery. He continued his training at the Ohio State University, completing a four-year residency in cardiovascular medicine.  Following his residency, he worked for a specialty hospital in Boise Idaho for almost 4 years.  Following Idaho he took a position for 2 years in Charleston, SC at another specialty hospital.  He returned to Oklahoma State as an assistant professor in cardiology in 2013.  Dr. Baumwart enjoys spending his leisure time with his wife Shaundra, daughter Brighton, and all their animals.  He enjoys the outdoors hiking, camping, horseback riding, snowboarding, and fly fishing.

9:00-10:00 AM  /  Pointers for Diagnosing Reproductive Related Pathologies

Dr. Candace Lyman is a native of Abilene, Kansas. After graduating from Kansas State University CVM she completed a surgical and ambulatory equine internship in Ocala, FL, before moving to College Station, Texas. At Texas A&M University Dr. Lyman performed research utilizing transvaginal and flank oocyte aspiration techniques while working in the Texas A&M Equine Embryo Laboratory. Dr. Lyman went on to complete a residency program in large animal reproduction at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, New Bolton Center. Before joining the faculty at Oklahoma State University Dr. Lyman worked at an equine private practice in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Dr. Lyman’s current research interests include investigation of the microbiome of the uterus in the mare and bitch.

10:30-11:30 AM  /  Otitis
11:30-12:30 PM  /  Influenza

Dr. Paul DeMars was born and raised in Stafford Springs, Connecticut. After graduating from the University of Connecticut with a bachelor degree in Pathobiology, he moved to Stillwater, Oklahoma to pursue his training in veterinary medicine. In school, he met and married his classmate, Anna Coffin. After graduation in 1994, they moved to Concord, New Hampshire where they both worked in primary care veterinary practices. Three years later they moved back to Oklahoma and bought Guthrie Pet Hospital in Guthrie, Oklahoma. After working together for two years, Dr. DeMars returned back to Oklahoma State University where he has worked in the Community Practice service since 1999. In 2001, Dr. DeMars was board certified in the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners, Canine and Feline Practice. His areas of interest include wellness medicine, ear disease, geriatric medicine, behavioral medicine, practice management and communication.

1:30-2:30 PM  /  Preparing Staff for Injured Working K-9
When a working dog in need of veterinary care enters your building, understanding their unique differences allows the veterinary team to provide care in a safe and effective manner.  The purpose of this lecture is two-fold.  The first is to discuss safe handling of a working dog in the veterinary hospital.  The second is to discuss the common medical emergencies experienced by working dogs to allow for effective treatment and aid veterinarians in educating handlers on injury prevention.

2:30-3:30 PM  /  Training Local Police Departments on Tactical First Aid
Local Police Departments often reach out to veterinarians in their area to provide first aid education for their working dog handlers.  Although the medical principles involved with treating canines is similar to that of humans, emergency providers need basic information on canine anatomy, physiology and common emergency conditions to provide basic, life-saving care until the working canine can be treated by a veterinarian.  The purpose of this lecture is to provide a basic understanding of prehospital veterinary care and how your clinic can help prepare your local first responders in a time of need.

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Dr. Sypniewski is the Henthorne Clinical Professor of Small Animal Medicine at Oklahoma State University.  A 1998 graduate of Purdue University School of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Sypniewski has focused her career on providing an integrative approach to wellness.  As a trained acupuncturist and canine rehabilitation practitioner, Dr. Sypniewski provides a balanced approach to encourage whole animal wellness throughout each stage of life.  Her hope is to improve the quality of life of her patients by effectively managing pain and improving posture, balance and symmetry for lifelong good health.  In addition to her clinical responsibilities, Dr. Sypniewski’s collaborative research is focused on pain relief and wound treatment options for exotic species, with a long-term goal of determining the effectiveness of opioids in avian and exotic mammals.

Dr. Sypniewski is married to a wonderful man, Gary, and has the cutest “tween” son, Evan.  She adores poodles (she has three—one of each size: Cooper, Leo, and Galt) and loves her elderly male cat, Jack. In her free time, she enjoys watching her son’s baseball or basketball games, walking her herd of dogs, and doing yoga.

4:00-5:00 PM  /  Imaging in Small Mammals
The session will focus on small mammal radiology with additional imaging modalities included for several different cases of more common problems seen in daily practice.

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Dr. Candace Lyman is a native of Abilene, Kansas. After graduating from Kansas State University CVM she completed a surgical and ambulatory equine internship in Ocala, FL, before moving to College Station, Texas. At Texas A&M University Dr. Lyman performed research utilizing transvaginal and flank oocyte aspiration techniques while working in the Texas A&M Equine Embryo Laboratory. Dr. Lyman went on to complete a residency program in large animal reproduction at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, New Bolton Center. Before joining the faculty at Oklahoma State University Dr. Lyman worked at an equine private practice in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Dr. Lyman’s current research interests include investigation of the microbiome of the uterus in the mare and bitch.

5:00-6:00 PM  /  Fun with Exotics: Veterinary Care of Hero (Giant Face-Eating Rats)
The Animal Resources Unit of Oklahoma State University was charged with developing a husbandry program for wild-caught, Gambian pouched rats, Cricetomys gambianus.  These animals have recently become popular in the news as “Hero Rats” for their work detecting land mines and for their ability to detect tuberculosis in sputum samples.  After arrival, an extensive quarantine and testing program was required by the CDC because this species has previously been implicated in a multi-state outbreak of monkeypox.  Because very little information had been published on the care of this species, animal care staff had to figure out what type of caging, diets, and enrichment would sustain the animals.  Being feral, the animals arrived infected with multiple types of parasites, some thought to be zoonotic, and multiple doses of several anthelmintics were needed to clear the infections.  Despite the lack of veterinary information published on the species, veterinary faculty were able to develop methods for anesthesia and blood collection and were able to diagnose and treat individuals from the colony with diabetes, leukemia, broken bones, and deep-seated bacterial infections.  In one unfortunate incident, animal care staff learned the hard way that this species can jump up 6 feet into the air to bite, leading to their nickname, “Giant Face-Eating Rats”.  The processes used to overcome these difficulties and the lessons learned while working with these animals will be presented.

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Dr. Todd Jackson is a graduate of Purdue University’s School of Veterinary Medicine.  After working several years in a private, mixed animal practice in rural Vermillion County Indiana, he completed a residency in laboratory animal medicine at the University of Michigan’s Medical School.  He is board certified by the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine and previously directed research animal care programs for the University of Cincinnati and for Bristol-Myers Squibb Company.  He serves as an Assistant Section Leader for AAALAC International, the worldwide accrediting organization for programs of laboratory animal care.  Dr. Jackson joined the CVHS faculty in 2011 as Director of Animal Resources and University Attending Veterinarian.  He teaches both the comparative medicine and the disaster management courses and is the proud father of a veterinarian from OSU CVHS’ Class of 2018.

8: 00-9:00 AM  /  Performance-Related Fractures in Bucking Bulls
All athletes are prone to performance-related injuries and bucking bulls are no exception.  The evolution of the bovine bucking athlete has produced animals that demonstrate extremely powerful movements, placing unique strains on the musculoskeletal system atypical of the forces displayed by non-athletic bovines.  Fractures of the proximal ulnar (olecranon) physis are common and well described in horses, but are relatively uncommon in cattle.  The olecranon serves as the insertion site of the triceps musculature and acts as a lever arm during elbow extension.  Large tensile forces are exerted on the olecranon during landing following sudden leaps or movements of bucking bulls and avulsion fractures can occur. Because of their rarity, no comprehensive description of bovine olecranon fractures exists in the veterinary literature. Additional performance-related physeal fractures in bucking bulls will be presented and discussed.

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Amanda Plunkett, DVM, is an equine surgery resident. Originally from Vacaville, California, she earned her DVM degree from the University of California Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. Her research interests focus on orthopedic and soft tissue surgery, lameness, sports and regenerative medicine, wound management and critical care pertaining to colic. In her free time, Amanda enjoys spending time with her nieces, trail running, hiking with her dog, Yogi, riding western performance horses and cooking.

9:00-10:00 AM  /  Cecal Trocharization and Other Practical Tips for the GP
Colic is a very common emergency presentation for equine practitioners. There are many causes for colic, some more serious than others. While many cases respond to a single dose of flunixin, others do not. Failure to respond to more traditional on-farm treatments may occur with many different types of lesions, from simple displacements to strangulating surgical lesions. It is not uncommon for practitioners to be faced with situations where the client is unable to pursue referral hospital evaluation and treatment despite strong recommendations. For cases such as these, particularly when gas distended large bowel is readily palpable in the right caudal abdomen on rectal examination, cecal trocharization may be a useful alternative. When performed properly and with appropriate case selection, this technique can provide decompression of gas and tremendous relief to the patient with uncommon development of serious complications. Another treatment option for colic cases that can be employed in the field is the use of intravenous phenylephrine for treatment of nephrosplenic entrapment of the large colon. The goal of this therapy is to temporarily reduce the size of the spleen in order to allow the entrapped large colon to move out of the nephrosplenic space. The horse is jogged after phenylephrine administration to encourage movement of the large colon back into normal position. Finally, while many practitioners are not comfortable with thorough abdominal ultrasound in the field, use of the previously described FLASH technique (Busoni, et al. 2011) for rapid abdominal ultrasound in colic patients can be easily learned and rapidly performed. Adding this skill to a field colic work-up may be useful for decision making in terms of referral recommendations and prognostic information. Adding these skills to one’s field colic diagnostic and treatment arsenal provides valuable tools for difficult cases, particularly those that may not have a referral option.

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Dr. Williams grew up in Kansas City and received her undergraduate and veterinary degrees from Kansas State University. After veterinary school she completed an equine internship at Ocala Equine Hospital in Ocala, Florida, and then went on to a large animal surgical residency at Michigan State University. After completing her residency, Dr. Williams worked as an associate veterinarian and surgeon at Saginaw Valley Equine Clinic, a private practice in Saginaw, Michigan, for three years before coming to work in the Equine Surgery department at Oklahoma State University.

10:30-11:30 AM  /  Oklahoma Forage-Based Meat Goat Buck Test
Eastern Oklahoma State College (EOSC) and Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service (OCES) conducts the Oklahoma Forage-Based Meat Goat Buck Test each year.  The purpose of this test is to identify bucks that carry genetics expressing traits important to the meat goat industry.  The test examines rate of gain and response to parasites in a common environment.  Over 500 bucks from 16 states have entered the test since its beginning in 2007.  Eligible bucks must be born between December 15 and March 15.  They are weaned on May 15 and must weigh at least 35 pounds to enter the test.  Other parameters of the test have varied through the years.  Currently, bucks must be vaccinated with a CDT vaccine and dewormed once before entering the test.  Upon arrival to the test, all bucks are given an examination by the test veterinarian and are given a CDT and Sore Mouth vaccine.  They are dewormed with moxidectin, fenbendazole, and levamisole.  A FAMACHA test and a fecal egg count (FEC) are performed, also.  Any buck with a fecal egg count above 2000 eggs per gram of feces (EPG) is isolated until the next FEC which will be in 14 to 17 days.  Any buck with a FEC above 2000 EPG must have a fecal egg count reduction of 90% or the buck is eliminated from the test.  The bucks go through a two-week warm-up period.  Sufficient forage is provided for the bucks to perform up to their genetic potential.  A feed supplement containing protein, vitamins, minerals and other additive ingredients are provided as needed to maximize the utilization of forage.  Following the warm-up period, the test begins and will end in mid-September.  Weight and FEC are taken every 14 days until the completion of the test.  Any buck with a FEC above 2000 is eliminated from the “Grand Herdsmen Award”.  At the completion of the test, the “Grand Herdsmen Award” is given to the buck that has not been dewormed and has the highest rate of gain and the lowest fecal egg count.

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Barry Whitworth, DVM, is an area food animal quality and health specialist for Eastern Oklahoma. He earned a BS degree in biology/chemistry from Oklahoma Christian College in 1985 and a DVM degree from Oklahoma State University in 1990.

Whitworth spent more than 24 years in a mixed private practice; the last 14 of that, he owned and operated Animal Health Services in Byng, Okla. His practice was 30 percent small animal (dogs and cats) and 70 percent large animal (majority was cow/calf and sale barn work).
In July 2014, he began working for the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service. Here he assists the local county educator (agent) with parts of the job related to veterinary medicine. He also helps with some research farms and builds relationships with the veterinary community.

He, his wife, Felicia, and their four children live on a small acreage in Byng, where they have cows sheep, chickens, dogs, cats, and one donkey.

11:30-12:30 PM  /  Matching Beef Cows to Forage Resources in a World of Mixed Messages
Maintenance energy requirements have been reported to account for about 71% of the total dietary energy expenditure in beef production. Furthermore, about 70% of dietary maintenance energy used in beef production is required for the cow herd. Therefore, a staggering 50% of the total energy expended in producing beef is used for maintenance of the cow. However, little work has been conducted since the 1980’s to determine if this important driver of beef production sustainability has changed over time. Adoption of improved management and genetic selection for growth and increased carcass weight has led to improved post-weaning performance. For example, finished cattle carcass weights continue to increase in a linear fashion at the rate of about 2.7 kg per yr. This has led to increased beef production per cow; in fact, the industry produced 14% more beef in 2017 with 1.8 million fewer cows compared to 1992. However, data from several sources indicate that commercial cow/calf environment and management systems restrict the capability of modern cattle to express their genetic potential during the pre-weaning phase. Notable restrictions are reproductive efficiency and weaning weights. Recent Kansas Farm Management enterprise analyses indicate that both production (weight) and price impact profit, although they are much less important in explaining differences in ranch profitability than costs. In fact, the most profitable operations had $114 per cow/calf unit lower feed and pasture cost compared to low profit operations. Aggressive genetic selection for growth, gradual increases in mature size and relatively high capacity for milk production in modern beef cattle could result in a cow herd with increased maintenance energy requirements, increased appetite, and overall, increased annual carrying costs over time.

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Dr. David Lalman is a professor and Extension Beef Cattle Specialist at Oklahoma State University.  Dr. Lalman holds the Harrington Endowed Chair with split extension and research appointment.  He works primarily in the beef cattle industry focused on cow/calf and stocker cattle production.  His extension and applied research program includes beef cattle nutrition and management with emphasis on beef cattle grazing and genetic by environment interactions in beef production systems. His program goals are to provide producers with information and decision tools to facilitate production system profitability, improve cow herd efficiency and to improve product quality.  At Oklahoma State, Dr. Lalman serves as the Animal Science Extension Program Coordinator and the supervisor for the Range Cow Research Center.

1:30-2:30 PM  /  Small Ruminant Parasite Control

Steve Hart was raised on a swine and small grain farm in Northeast Texas close to Paris. He was active in 4-H and the FFA and showed barrows, chickens and a dairy heifer. He went to Texas A & M and graduated with High Honors in dairy Science. While there he worked on the college dairy milking cows and was active in the Dairy Science Club and Soil Conservation Society. He had the distinction of being one of the last draftees, serving his country fighting the Vietnam war from behind a Royal manual typewriter south of Washington, DC. He returned to Texas A & M and graduated with a MS in dairy nutrition. He received his PH.D in Dairy Science Nutrition from Virginia Tech. He worked with the USDA at Fort Reno for 10 years working with ut8ilization of low-quality forages for beef cattle and sheep. He was later involved on collaborative project with Langston University on utilization of high and low quality pastures by sheep and goats. He has worked at the Goat Institute at Langston University for 27 years with goats. The early part of his career was working with forages and pastures for goats. Of necessity, the latter part of his career has been working with parasite control in small ruminants to keep his grazing animals alive. Research areas have included FAMACHA, dewormer combinations, alternative dewormers such as garlic, cayenne pepper and walnut hulls, sericea lespedeza, pasture management, genetic resistance and Oregano oil. He has taught parasite workshops in a number of states and at many national sheep and goat meetings. He teaches the parasite control section at the Oklahoma Meat Goat Boot Camp.

2:30-3:30 PM  /  The Science of Animal Well-Being should Be at the Forefront of Animal Welfare Issues
Attention to animal welfare varies considerably around the world with the European Union having the strongest laws and attention to farm animal welfare among nations, yet it is debatable whether their animals experience better welfare. The US and Canada have some farm animal welfare laws and regulations, but most laws are related to human slaughter and transportation. There is growing concern from consumers about the welfare of animals used for food production in the US. Unfortunately, one of the most challenging mismatches is the difference between perception and reality of what constitutes good welfare among livestock animals that we raise for food. An element of uncertainty always exist when estimating the magnitude of the various threats to animal well-being. The science of animal welfare must be at the forefront of any decision because in the absence of good science animal well-being can be negatively impacted. Animal welfare addresses the concern for well-being of individual animals by providing proper care and treatment in an attempt to provide for their physical and mental needs. According to AVMA animal welfare principles decisions regarding animal care, use, and welfare shall be made by balancing scientific knowledge and professional judgements with consideration of ethical and societal values. However, there are times were balancing societal values may not be in the best interest of animal well-being, especially as it pertains to production practices associated with pain and housing environments, and biotechnologies.  Animal well-being is not based solely on the absence of physiological or behavioral responses but the stability to change and the capacity to cope—the absence of a response does not equate to good welfare. In fact, complete freedom on some levels (e.g., freedom from fear) is unacceptable because complete freedom is utopia and not always in best interest of the animal. It is unrealistic to think that an animal will inevitably suffer simply because it does not perform all behavioral patterns shown by its wild ancestors. The science of animal well-being is multifaceted problem that requires a multifaceted approach to a complex issue and science must be at the forefront of any decision because in the absence of good science animal well-being can be negatively impacted. One must understand that animal well-being may be unwittingly compromised and well-being is not better in many cases.

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Dr. Janeen Salak-Johnson obtained her BS, MS, and PhD degrees in Animal Science from Texas Tech University. After earning her PhD in 1994, she was awarded a 3-year NIH Postdoctoral Training Fellowship in Psychoneuroimmunology at the University of Minnesota with an emphasis in areas immunology, virology, and drug addiction, and then was awarded a 1-year NIH-NSRA Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Pain at the University of Minnesota Neurosystems Center within the Departments of Preventive Sciences, Psychiatry and Neuroscience. She joined the Animal Sciences faculty at University of Illinois from 2000-2017 and then joined OSU Animal Science faculty in 2018 as the Temple Grandin Professorship in Animal Behavior and Well-being. She has authored or co-authored over 150 refereed publications, proceedings, technical reports, and abstracts. She has given over 80 presentations in areas of Stress and Animal Health and Disease Susceptibility, Animal Care and Welfare, and Sow Housing and serves on numerous advisory boards as an expert in Animal Care and Well-being and appointed by ASAS to serve as a board of director for AAALAC International.

4:00-5:00 PM  /  Equine Odontoclastic Tooth Resorption and Hypercementosis 

Originally from Melbourne, Australia, Amy earned her DVM degree from the University of Melbourne. Her research interests include equine metabolic syndrome. Amy played violin in the local orchestra while she was in North Carolina working in an equine ambulatory practice. In addition to loving horses and music, she enjoys reading (mostly classics and fantasy) and the outdoors hiking and riding horses.

5:00-6:00 PM  /  Research Update in Large Animal Theriogenology at OSU

G. Reed Holyoak is a professor, holds the Bullock Equine Reproduction Endowed Professorship and is Head of the Veterinary Clinical Sciences Department of the Center for Veterinary Health Sciences (CVHS) at Oklahoma State University. He received his B.S. in animal science in 1983 and M.S. in animal reproduction in 1984 from Brigham Young University before earning his DVM from Washington State University in 1988 and PhD from University of Kentucky in 1992.

Active in research as well as teaching, Holyoak specializes in the area of theriogenology, the study of animal reproduction. Holyoak’s current research projects include reproductive infectious diseases with equine arteritis virus and others; histopathologic and ultrasonographic assessment of infertility in the male and female of large animal species; and the integration of traditional Chinese acupuncture within western veterinary medicine. He was board certified as a diplomate by the American College of Theriogenology in 2000 and is a certified veterinary acupuncturist.

Holyoak has served on and chaired multiple committees in national and international organizations and recently completed the AAVMC Leadership Academy (2013). He is currently serving as the Secretary of the Board of the American College of Theriogenologists. He also Associate Editor, Basic Science & Research, American Journal of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine.

To-date Holyoak has authored or co-authored over 50 refereed scientific publications, 42 published abstracts, 13 book chapters and 96 proceedings and continuing education publications. He has presented 115 invited oral presentations. Holyoak has also been invited to provide training in China, Thailand and Ireland, returning multiple times over the years in developing international collaborations.

He is a native of St. Ignatius, Montana.

In this session, the current global statistics – revenue growth, number of invoices, normalized EBITDA, revenue segments and more – will be interpreted to develop insights into veterinary business performance. The session will also include a discussion on business analytics, including interpreting results, making analytics-based decisions and measuring results.

Owners and DVMs will also hear about the latest issues and trends in veterinary practices – such as generational issues, corporate consolidation, online competition and low-cost competition.

Learning Objectives:

1. Evaluate how a veterinary hospital compares to the national average.
2. Use practice data to interpret results and make analytics-based decisions.
3. Understand the latest trends in veterinary practices.

9:15-10:00 AM  /  Key Performance Indicators: Simplifying the Tools that Gauge Hospital Performance
Key Performance Indicators – also referred to as KPIs – are some of the most overused and misunderstood terms in business management. Yet KPIs are one of the most important tools a business must use to gauge and improve performance.

Financial analysis sessions can have an overload of metrics and calculations. But this session is different — this session will demystify KPIs and will teach owners and DVMs simple systems for using them in their practice while avoiding information overload.

Examples throughout the session will show how KPIs can be applied in a veterinary practice to reduce expense and to implement best practices. KPI examples will cover topic areas such as:

• Profits: revenues, direct costs and benchmarking against most-profitable practices
• Transaction costs: medical, grooming and non-medical
• Labor costs: flow management, employee benefits and compensation
• Inventory costs: receiving, storage and turnover

Session attendees will understand how KPIs can be used as a benchmarking tool to evaluate current business performance against national averages and how KPIs can create an actionable scorecard for tracking strategies and goals.

Learning Objectives:

1. Understand how KPIs can be used as a benchmarking tool.
2. Identify areas for hospital improvement utilizing KPIs.
3. Track hospital strategies and goals via KPIs.

10:30-11:30 AM  /  Financial Statements 101
Balance sheets. Income statements. Statements of cash flows. Disclosures.

Financial statements can seem overwhelming. And, after all, isn’t that why you hired an accountant?

Going beyond the basics of financial statements, this session will get to the heart of the matter – why a fundamental understanding of financial statements will help you ensure your hospital’s well-being.

Topics covered will include:

• Which method of accounting to use
• Valuable ways to read financials
• Frequency with which financials should be reviewed
• Using financial statement ratios to assess liquidity, leverage, EBITDA and more
• How to use financials as a measure of progress toward goals

The session will also give helpful tips on what to look for when hiring an accountant and/or a CPA.

Learning Objectives:

1. Understand differences between accounting methods.
2. Learn how to read financials.
3. Utilize financials as a measure of progress toward practice goals.

11:30-12:30 PM  /  Why Budgeting Can Prevent Problems and Relieve Stress
Budgeting is an important part of running a veterinary practice, but often it gets lost in the busyness of day-to-day work. Budgets can benefit a practice in many different ways – allowing owners and DVMs to anticipate problems and make continuous improvements, enabling sound financial decisions, establishing accountability and even establishing incentives for key management personnel, to name a few.

Creating and maintaining budgets may seem overwhelming, but it is important to view it as an investment in the practice itself. In this session, attendees will learn what basic information is required to establish a budget and what other items need to be considered in order to make a budget comprehensive. Various types of budgets will be discussed as well as various methods for analyzing budget metrics.

A sample DVM budget, accounting for all the categories and types of expenses an animal hospital would encounter, will be shared with attendees, giving them a template for implementing a budget in their own practice.

Learning Objectives:

1. Understand what basic information is required to establish a budget
2. Implement budget basics in the creation of a budget for a veterinary hospital

1:30-2:30 PM  /  Profit Enhancement Workshop: Funding the Root Case
How can you enhance your veterinary practice’s profits? The answer starts with identifying the key issues or problems that need solving.

This session isn’t a problem-solving theory course. This interactive workshop will cover common pitfalls, developing a problem-solving plan of attack and developing an action plan; but more importantly, this session will teach owners and DVMs a new process for thinking about the problems they face in their practice and will give them practical tools for implementation.

Issue trees will be used to identify issues, map out solutions and drill down to specific action items, but the process used will ensure that owners and DVMs are approaching their problems with grounded, well-placed knowledge that benefits both management and customers. Profit trees, a derivative of issue trees, will be used to identify ways to grow profits; this is done by deconstructing problems to analyze the drivers of profits – revenues and costs.

This session will include examples, case studies and activities throughout, giving owners and DVMs the opportunity to practice problem-solving thinking. The Katz, Sapper & Miller Veterinary Hospital Playbook walks through each area of practice management and will be used throughout the session. Attendees will walk away with their own copy of the KSM Playbook to create an action plan for implementation at their practice.

Learning Objectives:

1. Identify practice management issues and potential solutions.
2. Create an action plan for addressing practice management issues.

2:30-3:30 PM  /  All About Fees: What to Charge and How to Keep It
There are many factors to consider when determining what you charge at your practice. This session will cover the various steps for establishing fees, including:

• Setting the fee (price and structure)
• Getting the fee (client education)
• Keeping the fee (time management)

This session will also discuss various aspects to consider when establishing fees, including such topics as price sensitivity, uniformity in standards of care, market-based pricing, the cost-plus concept, DVM productivity and more.

Formulas and examples throughout the session will help attendees better understand the calculation behind fee establishment and will give owners and DVMs a solid basis for establishing fees at their own practice.

Learning Objectives:

1. Evaluate various practice considerations (i.e. price sensitivity, uniformity in standards of care, etc.) prior to establishing fees.
2. Understand the role of client education in getting the fee.
3. Consider time management as part of keeping the fee.

4:00-4:30 PM  /  How to Boost Your ROI by Exposing Hidden Costs
Your practice needs a new ultrasound machine, but have you considered the costs beyond the price tag – the hidden costs?

When owners and DVMs purchase equipment, the list price of the equipment is just one cost that should be considered; there are often a number of hidden costs lurking behind the price tag, such as additional insurance expenses, service agreement costs, labor costs, training time, space requirements and additional infrastructure costs. Additionally, a 2015 change in the tax law also removed bonus depreciation, which affects all veterinary hospitals with equipment.

This session will not only show how to address hidden costs and the change in tax law when considering equipment purchases but will review the basics of calculating the return on investment for equipment purchases and capital expenditures. Attendees will leave with an understanding of ROI basics and types of leasing options as well as understanding what to consider when purchasing equipment or leasing building space.

Learning Objectives:

1. Calculate return on investment for equipment purchases and capital expenditures.
2. Understand ROI basics and types of leasing options.
3. Assess hidden costs prior to purchasing equipment.

4:30-5:30 PM  / Focus on You: Personal Financial Planning
In the busyness of running a veterinary hospital, personal finances are often overlooked. This session will review the fundamentals of financial investments, including basic concepts and terminology. Topics covered will include return on investment (ROI), various compounding periods, leverage, risk versus return, asset allocation, the time value of money, interest rates, types of investments and types of investors.

Taking into account the unique dynamics facing practice managers, owners and DVMs, this session will teach participants how to prepare a personal budget and personal financial statement. Participants will also see sample templates and will learn about various tools – such as the AVMA Personal Financial Planning Tool – that can help them establish their own personalized plan.

Learning Objectives:

1. Understand the basics of financial investments, including terminology.
2. Prepare a personal budget and personal financial statement.

11:30-12:30 PM / Module TBD

1:30-2:30 PM / Module TBD

2:30-3:30 PM / Module TBD