Developing a large and vibrant professional network is critical not only for professional growth, but also for career advancement.  With veterinary supply at an all-time high, this is more important now than it has ever been.  The days when a veterinarian only changed jobs once or twice in 40 years are fading into the rear view mirror:  interests change, economies sour, and life goes on.  The time to start looking for your next job is before you actually need it.

One of the best and least expensive ways of finding a new job is to leverage your current professional network in order to find your next opportunity.  Don’t have much of a network outside your own practice?  Not to worry….here are three simple things you can do to start building one.

1.  Join LinkedIn.  If you haven’t already done so, go to www.linkedin.com and create a profile.  This is a great site not only for keeping track of friends’ career advancements but also for meeting other veterinarians.
2. Go to local CE events.  When you’re there, make it a point to talk to at least one veterinarian that you’ve never met.  You never know…your next boss might be at that steak dinner given by a drug rep.
3. Get involved in a local/state/national veterinary organization.  These are great opportunities for meeting other veterinarians who share your passions and interests.

When it comes to networking, it’s not about meeting a lot of people…it’s about forming relationships.  I confess that before business school I didn’t really understand this.  I mistakenly thought it was about trying to meet as many people as possible hoping that one of them might be able to help you someday.  Unfortunately, I had it all backwards.  Coming home from an event with a pocket full of business cards means you’re doing it wrong.  Coming home with even one business card from someone you will definitely contact is much better.

In my next post, I’ll stay with this theme as I talk about some modern networking tools that can help you attract the kinds of clients you want in your practice.

About Mark D. Olcott, DVM: Originally from upstate New York, Dr. Olcott received his Bachelor’s degree in Biology from State University of New York at Geneseo.  He graduated from the New York State College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University in 1995 and moved south to get away from the 6-month long winters!  After an 18 month stint as an equine veterinarian, he has been a small animal practitioner since 1997.  Over the last several years he has been the co-owner of 5 DVM small practice, a mobile ultrasonographer, and an emergency clinician at The Life Centre in Leesburg, VA.  Dr. Olcott has particular interests in cardiology, pain management, and the use of ultrasound as a diagnostic modality in small animal practice.  He is a published author, and holds two patents for an intelligent, automated pet feeder he invented.

He lives in metro Washington, DC area with his wife and 3 children.  They have numerous pets including a dog, 3 cats, a rabbit and a saltwater tropical fish tank.  Dr. Olcott in enrolled in the executive MBA program at the University of Maryland, and in his limited free time is an avid outdoors-man.

The post Marketing yourself: Networking for veterinarians appeared first on Beyond Indigo Pets.

And that’s why the social medium platform called Pinterest has reached 50 million users in just two years. Pinterest is the ultimate visual medium, where users “pin” images of things they find online to virtual boards. Users then share those boards with other users, tipping one another off to recipes, clothing, specials, and basically anything they like.

Personal Hobby or Business Tool?

The amazing thing about social media is that nearly every social media platform can be both a way to spend some downtime, as well as a way to drive more clients/customers through your doors.

Within Pinterest, the way to send folks to your door is to add a back link (a link to your website) to the images you pin on your board. This method of sending people to your website is now outperforming Twitter and is closing the gap on Facebook.

Dr. Mom

United Health Group is a multibillion-dollar health insurance company, and they have a requirement for all their content writers: Talk to Dr. Mom. Dr. Mom is the concept that within the majority of families, the adult female makes the final decision on health-related issues. What doctor to visit, what dentist to go to, and what veterinarian to send their pet to is decided by mom.

Why does this matter? Of all Pinterest users, 80% are female. Pinterest has become a way that fellow moms share recommendations on what recipe to make for the holidays, what shoes they’re going to buy for the summer, and so much more. Now, your business can make Pinterest the resource for determining which vet to use. Already, surveys show that 67% of Pinterest users engage this social media platform to keep up with the latest trends and 43% use it to associate with a brand. In the Facebook world, those percentages are just a modest 22% and 24%, respectively.

User-friendly or Geek Heaven?

Pinterest is as intuitive a tool as you can find on the Internet. Setting up a profile takes a couple clicks of the mouse. The next step is to set up different “boards” so you have something to pin images to. These boards can be categories like “Pet Foods,” “Pet Grooming,” and so on. You don’t have to go crazy creating dozens of categories, but a handful of categories will make it easier on users who are searching for particular information.

Beyond Indigo strongly encourages you to visit www.pinterest.com and see for yourself how straightforward it is. You can contact us for further tutorial when you want help using your Pinterest boards to their fullest potential. We can also consult on communication strategies aligned to your business goals, which only become easier to reach thanks to Pinterest.

You won’t believe your eyes!

The post Driving Interest Through Pinterest: How the Social Media Platform Can Help Your Brand appeared first on Beyond Indigo Pets.

Concentration

You decide you want to change something, add something, or take something on.  You mull it over, discuss it, analyze it, and finally agree to take on the project. After a period of analysis paralysis, you finally pass it on to somebody else.

Delegation

Having delegated the project to a staff member or maybe a manager who delegates it to a staff member, it takes on a life of its own.  Further mulling and research; the necessary detail work; proposals and counter proposals; and time passes.  And so does the staff member who up to that time had been in charge of the project but who, for lack of attention, respect or recognition, has concurrently been looking for a new job.  The project is in limbo and nobody picks it up.  Until it resurfaces, usually in the middle of the night, in the shower, or some other time of epiphanies.

Elimination

By now, the owner or manager had completely forgotten about the former employee and the project as well.  Until they get a phone call…or an e-mail…or a bill!!!  The eliminated employee and the almost eliminated project are no longer the target of the owner’s wrath…the company is.  Who else to get upset with?  The project manager is gone, so it is time for …

Recrimination

With no staff member to blame, the company is at fault.  They should have contacted the owner sooner when they didn’t hear from anybody.  The company should have read the mind of the owner.  It is time to void any agreements, contracts, projects, etc. because the recently eliminated staff member isn’t there and the doctor doesn’t want to take on any responsibility.  It is time for complete…

Abdication

The owner never really wanted to do the project anyhow.  He was talked into it.  There is no way any money is going to be invested in this project at this time.  IF it’s going to happen, somebody else will need to be in charge and I don’t want to hear another word about it.

Is this a reality check or what?  Bottom line—the buck stops at the top.  You need to know what’s going on; get reports and updates; ensure success and not leave a project up to one person.  Projects are a team effort and the entire team rises or falls based upon its success.  Stay focused.  Stay on task.  Stay alert.  And quit the blame game.

About Dr. Peter Weinstein: Dr. Weinstein attended Cornell University undergraduate and the University of Illinois to receive his DVM. After graduation, he worked as an associate for three years before opening his practice.

While running his practice he identified the need for business acumen to make his practice successful. While managing and practicing full time, he attended University of Redlands to receive his MBA.

Politically, he served as President of the Southern California Veterinary Medical Association and the California Veterinary Medical Association and is a Past-President for VetPartners, the national consultants association. Additionally, he acted as Medical Director overseeing the Claims Department for Veterinary Pet Insurance.

Dr. Weinstein provides small business and corporate consulting via his company, PAW Consulting.

In 2007, with Dr. Steven Kornfeld, Dr. Weinstein created Veterinary Success Services to provide coaching and consulting services that are accessible from the comfort of your home or officee.  www.veterinarysuccessservices.com

Presently, Dr. Weinstein is the Executive Director for the Southern California Veterinary Medical Association.

Dr. Weinstein has spoken and written extensively on practice management, team building, leadership, collegiality, marketing, and other topics focused on making the veterinary profession better for all those affiliated with it.

The post Concentration, Delegation, Elimination, Recrimination and Abdication appeared first on Beyond Indigo Pets.

Just like you empty your pantry of food that has expired, it’s important to remove old and expired content from your site.

• News items—Delete announcements like food recalls, but keep informational news that might be useful in the future. TIP: If you find yourself referencing a news item often, consider adding that item to your website.
• Services—Delete obsolete services. TIP: Consider keeping educational information if you refer to a specialist or feel that the recommendations are important.
• Staff—Delete any staff no longer with your hospital. TIP: Think about how this person’s departure affected the hospital and adjust the content accordingly.
• Promos—Nothing makes your website look dated faster than a New Year’s promotion in June, so be sure to deactivate old promos and coupons. TIP: Deactivating, rather than deleting, will allow you to use these promos again next time without starting from scratch.

Getting rid of the old stuff gives me an excuse to get new stuff, right? That’s certainly true with web content!

• News items—Have you been in the news since your last update? TIP: News doesn’t have to be “breaking news.” Think about what your customers would like to know. Maybe they’d like to hear about your new clinic cat?
• Services/procedures—Did any of your staff get new training or certifications? TIP: When you get new staff, consider their specialties and add their expertise to the appropriate content section.
• Staff—Add new staff and think about what makes them unique. TIP: For continuity, try to write new staff bios in the same style and length as the existing bios.
• Promos—Does a supplier have a promo you can piggyback? TIP: Think about how you can use promos to get likes on Facebook or promote other social media.
• Equipment—Add any new equipment to your content. TIP: Be sure to tell your customers the WHY and not just the WHAT.
• Hours—Make sure that your hours are up to date. TIP: If you have on-call or emergency hours, include those too.
• Events—Include all events that you sponsor, participate in, or want to call attention to. TIP: Promote the events on your website and your website at the events.
• Recognition—Be sure to “toot your own horn.” Your clients may not know that you became AAHA accredited or were nominated as a “Best of…” TIP: If a recognition is voted on by the public, calling attention to it will remind your customers to vote for you next time.
• Social media—Are you participating in any new social media? TIP: Pinterest is the fasting growing social media site. Have you checked it out?

The good news is…your content just needs a good dusting!

• Philosophy—Who are you now? TIP: Pretend a new client asks you to tell them about your hospital in a few sentences. Write it down. That’s the important stuff! Make sure it’s in your content.
• Time/dates—Change references to time and instead refer to dates. TIP: Instead of saying, “Sally has worked here for 12 years,” say, “Sally has worked here since 2001.” This will save you cleaning time next spring!
• Protocols/recommendations—Be sure to update any changes to protocols or recommendations. TIP: Think about internal documents or forms you have updated. Those updates probably need to happen on your website too.
• Google Analytics—Google Analytics is a great tool to help you learn how people find you and what they do once they get to your site. TIP: Are you surprised that very few people visit one of your services pages? Think about the content on that page and how a customer might search for that information.
• Headlines/page titles—Check over your headlines and page titles. Make sure that they reflect who and what. TIP: Sometimes the best headlines for getting found are not the best headlines to read. SEO affects how headlines are written.
• Blog—Consider adding a blog. TIP: Blogs add new content to your site. Google looooves new content!

Not only do I love tips for cleaning shortcuts, I have a penchant for lists. I hope this one helped you to dust the cobwebs off your content!

The post Spring Clean Your Website Content appeared first on Beyond Indigo Pets.

Much like humans, pets that appear to be grieving should be allowed to grieve in their own unique way.  While experts can’t confirm if pets grieve, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) noted, “It is well-documented that pets can recognize death in a companion animal. Cats, dogs and horses who see the deceased body of an animal they knew can adjust well and spend less time searching and grieving than pets who have not seen their companion’s remains.”

If pets appear depressed or show changes in their eating, playing, or sleeping habits, it may help to give them extra love and attention. Grooming is a great way to show animals how appreciated they are.  Some herbal remedies that have been shown to lift pets’ moods, but check with your veterinarian first.  You may also want to check with your vet to rule out any underlying medical conditions.

Do you have an experience with a grieving pet that you’d like to share? Please visit our Grieving.com forums and Facebook.com/mygriefsupport to join the conversation

The post Do Pets Grieve? appeared first on Beyond Indigo Pets.

While there are several techniques you can employ with your blog to help make your web presence shine, there are four major pitfalls that every veterinary blogger should avoid.

1. Bad writing—Okay, this one is pretty obvious, right? As much as we’d like to think that this should be a no-brainer, you’d be surprised at the number of veterinary blogs that are riddled with spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors. The best way to avoid these types of mistakes is to manually proofread your posts before launching them. Sure, spell check can help, but nothing beats a good set of eyes when it comes to ferreting out grammatical errors. If you’re the type of person who isn’t very good at the mechanics of writing, don’t be afraid to have a staff member edit your work—or to even write the post themselves.

2. Forgetting about your readers—A common mistake found in a lot of blogs is ignoring the wants and needs of the readers. Often, blogs are written in a presentational format, which can work for certain types of blog posts. However, a conversational blog post that presents material in a way that drives interaction is even more effective. It is also important to remember the perception of your practice and how you are being portrayed in your blog. For example, writing posts about pit bulls can often be a controversial topic. Some readers view pit bulls differently from other breeds of dogs. If the purpose of your blog post is to dispel misconceptions, then by all means, write about pit bulls. But if your blog post is about another topic, it might be best to use another breed in your examples so that your message doesn’t become muddied. Are there any other topics that your clients might find controversial? If so, we’d love to hear about them in our comments!

3. Lacking direction—Your blog is an extension of your marketing arm and should be treated as such. When determining topics to write, always ask yourself: What does this do for my business? What would I like for it to do for my business? If you have areas of your business that you want to market, whether they be new services or existing services that are being underutilized, an effective blog post can help drive more awareness exactly where you want it. Avoid having your blog posts say too many things about too many topics; instead, focus each blog post with laser precision on a specific topic. Get in and out of your blog topic in 250–700 words, avoid filler, and you should be in good shape.

4. Letting your blog go stagnant—Perhaps the most damaging thing you can do with your blog is to go extended periods of time without posts. You should commit to a minimum of one blog post per week, and you need to keep to this schedule to make your blog effective. It might feel convenient to “skip a week” here or there, but this easily turns into skipping two weeks, then three weeks, and eventually, you’ll just wind up abandoning your blog entirely. A blog that has not been updated regularly looks unprofessional to potential clients—and could even drive away traffic. So, how do you stay on track? Schedule it, and prioritize it! Set aside time each week on your calendar that is specifically for blog writing, and don’t allow other appointments or commitments to interfere with this time. Just as with anything in life, a small dose of discipline goes a long way.

Do you already run a veterinary blog? Do you have any tips or pitfalls to share? We’d love to hear about them in the comments section!

About the Author: Will Lindus is the Director of Project Management for Beyond Indigo Pets.  Based out of Austin, Texas, Will has a love for his two dogs, Reyna and Penny, and a passion for blogging and social media.

The post Four Common Veterinary Blogging Mistakes appeared first on Beyond Indigo Pets.

For as long as I can remember, the pricing of veterinary pharmaceuticals never had ANY science associated with it.  For that matter, I’m not sure the pricing of veterinary office calls had any science behind it.  I remember opening my practice in 1989 and the suggested cost for an office call was 100 times the price for a postage stamp ($0.25).  So my initial office call was ….ta da $27.00.  I didn’t want to be ‘average’.

What was the science behind pharmacy charges?  Anywhere from 2.0 t0 3.0 times cost with the per pill charge never being below $0.10 and the minimum cost for a prescription to leave the pharmacy was $x.xx including an arbitrary packaging and handling and pill counting and shrinkage fee of $y.yy  There was no science just recommendations that came down from the mountain top on tablets (excuse the pun) that was passed on from generation to generation in the men’s restroom at continuing education meetings.  We depend upon science for all of medical decisions, we depend upon numbers for all of our business decisions, we depend upon hearsay for our pricing decisions.  Hmmm….

So, now it’s time to change.  Competition causes change.  Adapt or die.  Compete on service…that’s easy.  Ever been to Costco recently?  Be convenient… just mail the prescription to the client at a competitive price or FREE.  Compete on price… now there’s a toughie.  But, but, but…I can’t charge any less or there is no net.  Hey, guess what, there is no net if you don’t sell anything either!!  Adapt or die.

There will be a model that works…let’s hope we figure it out before a big box, online, Fortune 100 money grubber beats us to it.

About Dr. Peter Weinstein: Dr. Weinstein attended Cornell University undergraduate and the University of Illinois to receive his DVM. After graduation, he worked as an associate for three years before opening his practice.

While running his practice he identified the need for business acumen to make his practice successful. While managing and practicing full time, he attended University of Redlands to receive his MBA.

Politically, he served as President of the Southern California Veterinary Medical Association and the California Veterinary Medical Association and is a Past-President for VetPartners, the national consultants association. Additionally, he acted as Medical Director overseeing the Claims Department for Veterinary Pet Insurance.

Dr. Weinstein provides small business and corporate consulting via his company, PAW Consulting.

In 2007, with Dr. Steven Kornfeld, Dr. Weinstein created Veterinary Success Services to provide coaching and consulting services that are accessible from the comfort of your home or officee.  www.veterinarysuccessservices.com

Presently, Dr. Weinstein is the Executive Director for the Southern California Veterinary Medical Association.

Dr. Weinstein has spoken and written extensively on practice management, team building, leadership, collegiality, marketing, and other topics focused on making the veterinary profession better for all those affiliated with it.

The post Adapt or Die… appeared first on Beyond Indigo Pets.

At the time, it was easy to see both sides of the argument.  Those in favor of tracking believe that, for example, the city girl from Denver who has no interest in becoming an equine veterinarian would be better served by spending as much time in small animal medicine as possible.  While she would need to learn some very basic information about non-focus species (like the fact that cows are ruminants but not necessarily what an LDA was), her future lay elsewhere.

The opposite argument is also a good one, namely, that when you are 22 years old, you have no idea what you will end up doing for the rest of your life.  I vividly remember Dean Donald Smith talking to our class on our first day of vet school, asking us all to think about which area of veterinary medicine we would be working in 5 years after graduation.  He then asked us to look to the right and then to the left, and essentially said that at least one of the three of us would be wrong.

Now with the benefit of hindsight, I believe even more strongly that tracking is a bad idea.  My own career is a perfect example of the advantages of receiving a general education.  I was SURE that I was going to be a lifelong equine veterinarian when I entered vet school.  After graduation I entered equine practice but soon realized that small animal medicine offered not only a better lifestyle, but also a far more interesting caseload.  I’ve been a very happy small animal veterinarian ever since, and this career transition would have been MUCH more difficult, if not impossible, had I not received a broad based veterinary education.

Now consider the “non-news” of veterinary oversupply in small animal practice, especially in metropolitan areas.   In such a crowded job market, flexibility is a very marketable trait for a veterinarian to have.  Imagine a recent grad from a non-tracking school gets married after graduation to someone with a great job/benefits in the metro DC area.  The new grad can’t find a full-time job at a local practice, but moving is out of the question and the student loan bills will soon be arriving.  She hears that the FDA is looking for a veterinarian to work on cattle antibiotics, but she knows that other recent grads will be applying for the same job.  Who do you think is going to have an advantage:  her or someone who tracked small animal?

Ten years ago a scenario like this would have been unheard of, but not any more.  In my next post, I’ll discuss how this recent grad can improve her chances of finding a great job through improved networking within the veterinary AND pet owner communities.  Marketing isn’t just for businesses anymore.

About Mark D. Olcott, DVM: Originally from upstate New York, Dr. Olcott received his Bachelor’s degree in Biology from State University of New York at Geneseo.  He graduated from the New York State College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University in 1995 and moved south to get away from the 6-month long winters!  After an 18 month stint as an equine veterinarian, he has been a small animal practitioner since 1997.  Over the last several years he has been the co-owner of 5 DVM small practice, a mobile ultrasonographer, and an emergency clinician at The Life Centre in Leesburg, VA.  Dr. Olcott has particular interests in cardiology, pain management, and the use of ultrasound as a diagnostic modality in small animal practice.  He is a published author, and holds two patents for an intelligent, automated pet feeder he invented.

He lives in metro Washington, DC area with his wife and 3 children.  They have numerous pets including a dog, 3 cats, a rabbit and a saltwater tropical fish tank.  Dr. Olcott in enrolled in the executive MBA program at the University of Maryland, and in his limited free time is an avid outdoors-man.

The post Veterinary School “Tracking”: Good idea or bad? appeared first on Beyond Indigo Pets.

People would come in with their pets to see the doctor; get their pets their exam and vaccinations, get their rabies certificates, get their pet’s fixed, etc., etc. And people were happy.  Pets were happy.  And the doctors seemed to be doing pretty well financially.

Fast forward to 2013–to almost any small animal hospital in the country.  People come in with their pets to see the doctor; get their pets their exam and vaccinations; get their rabies certificates; get their pet’s fixed, etc., etc. And people seem happy.  Pets seem happy. And the doctors seem to be in suspended animation. Doing it the same way in 2013 as they did in 1973.

The world has changed.  Why not veterinary medicine?  Because, to quote George Bernard Shaw, “Those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.”

To create change in veterinary medicine, it is not responsibility of the national, state, or local associations.  It is not the veterinary schools.  It is not industry.  For change to occur, it is the veterinarians themselves that have to change and change from within.

Successful change is a process whereby a caterpillar enters into a cocoon, goes through a metamorphosis, and emerges as a butterfly.  I see a world of veterinary caterpillars all going about their lives chewing leaves, avoiding little kids with magnifying glasses, and trying to survive.  Every once in awhile, a truly introspective colleague enters a cocoon and emerges with new ideas, new philosophies, and a totally new appearance.  A true change from within leads to a veterinary butterfly.

What do we call veterinary butterflies?  Successful!!

What do we call veterinary caterpillars?  Bird food!

Caterpillar, Pupa, or Butterfly—the choice is YOURS no one else’s.  No one tells the butterfly what to do, they figure it out by themselves.  Starting spinning your cocoon.  Change comes from within.  It is not somebody else’s responsibility.

Thank you, Leo Tolstoy–“Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.”

About Dr. Peter Weinstein: Dr. Weinstein attended Cornell University undergraduate and the University of Illinois to receive his DVM. After graduation, he worked as an associate for three years before opening his practice.

While running his practice he identified the need for business acumen to make his practice successful. While managing and practicing full time, he attended University of Redlands to receive his MBA.

Politically, he served as President of the Southern California Veterinary Medical Association and the California Veterinary Medical Association and is a Past-President for VetPartners, the national consultants association. Additionally, he acted as Medical Director overseeing the Claims Department for Veterinary Pet Insurance.

Dr. Weinstein provides small business and corporate consulting via his company, PAW Consulting.

In 2007, with Dr. Steven Kornfeld, Dr. Weinstein created Veterinary Success Services to provide coaching and consulting services that are accessible from the comfort of your home or officee.  www.veterinarysuccessservices.com

Presently, Dr. Weinstein is the Executive Director for the Southern California Veterinary Medical Association.

Dr. Weinstein has spoken and written extensively on practice management, team building, leadership, collegiality, marketing, and other topics focused on making the veterinary profession better for all those affiliated with it.

The post Caterpillar or Butterfly – Your Choice appeared first on Beyond Indigo Pets.

First, I believe the saddest part of this high debt/flat income story is that it reinforces that the financial awareness of the average American is very low.  While many veterinary schools are trying to better educate their students to the economic realities of veterinary medicine, much remains to be done.  Every high school and college student, no matter what their career aspirations, must decide for themselves if spending 8 or more years of college and incurring mid-six figures in student debt will enable them to find the kind of job necessary to pay off those loans and have enough left over for a decent life.  Sadly, far too many aspiring veterinarians don’t even consider these questions until they are neck-deep in debt.  Most of us would agree that veterinary medicine is a calling more than a job, but how many of us would have chosen a different career if being a veterinarian meant the kind of high debt/low income that current new graduates are facing?  This “perfect storm” can be financially crippling for 20+ years, affecting one’s ability to buy a home (or practice), save for retirement, or even have a family.  If I were a current or soon-to-be veterinary student, I would find a niche where demand was high and supply was low.  That is, I would choose a field other than suburban small animal general practice.

Second, if there is any good news to be found in the survey, it’s that it may have finally put to rest the myth that there is a shortage of small animal practitioners in the US.  This chestnut got its origins in a study from a few years ago that predicted an impending shortage of veterinarians.  More recent studies, as well as voluminous anecdotal evidence, paint a much different picture.  Unfortunately, a lot of big decisions were made based on the earlier information.  Vet schools increased their class sizes.  State boards and other governing entities made it easier for foreign graduates to obtain licensure in the US.  The AVMA awarded accreditation to several overseas veterinary schools, many of whose students came to the US in search of jobs, adding to the oversupply of veterinarians.  Now there’s talk of additional veterinary schools in Arizona and New York?   Crazier still is the fact that these schools will likely be able to fill their seats for the reasons I outlined above.  Dreams are a very powerful thing indeed.

About Mark D. Olcott, DVM: Originally from upstate New York, Dr. Olcott received his Bachelor’s degree in Biology from State University of New York at Geneseo.  He graduated from the New York State College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University in 1995 and moved south to get away from the 6-month long winters!  After an 18 month stint as an equine veterinarian, he has been a small animal practitioner since 1997.  Over the last several years he has been the co-owner of 5 DVM small practice, a mobile ultrasonographer, and an emergency clinician at The Life Centre in Leesburg, VA.  Dr. Olcott has particular interests in cardiology, pain management, and the use of ultrasound as a diagnostic modality in small animal practice.  He is a published author, and holds two patents for an intelligent, automated pet feeder he invented.

He lives in metro Washington, DC area with his wife and 3 children.  They have numerous pets including a dog, 3 cats, a rabbit and a saltwater tropical fish tank.  Dr. Olcott in enrolled in the executive MBA program at the University of Maryland, and in his limited free time is an avid outdoors-man.

The post Thoughts on the recent New York Times article appeared first on Beyond Indigo Pets.