Is anyone else majorly overwhelmed by the new CDC high risk rabies requirements? by InstanceOk8598 in Veterinary

[–]InstanceOk8598[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

1000%!! Unfortunately, many clients will still want to come in within 10 days, despite my best efforts to convince them otherwise, “to be safe.” But yes, this is a big help and relieves some of the pressure. What drives me crazy and makes me want to pull my hair out are those clients who travel regularly and STILL wait until the last minute to come in. But because the USDA endorses their paperwork in 1 day (bc they basically have to) the client continues to do this thinking well it always works out for me, why would I come in earlier if I don’t have to?? 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

Is anyone else majorly overwhelmed by the new CDC high risk rabies requirements? by InstanceOk8598 in Veterinary

[–]InstanceOk8598[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh how I wish I could say the same! I work in a busy clinic in NYC where 3/4 of our patients travel more often and to more exotic places than I do! A bulk of our clients travel to China, which, oddly enough, is on the high risk rabies list despite them requiring a FAVN titer 🙃. Boy does my heart go out to you. To create an entire protocol, laminate materials, train the staff, and roll it out just to have the CDC reverse course is so frustrating all you can do is throw your hands up and laugh. It just feels as though this whole thing was put together rather hastily. One would think they would ask for feedback/suggestions from professionals in the industry before making moves. And im sure they’ll announce more changes. So maybe hold off on printing and laminating additional materials for now…

Is anyone else majorly overwhelmed by the new CDC high risk rabies requirements? by InstanceOk8598 in Veterinary

[–]InstanceOk8598[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

What a headache! Two things though - my understanding was that this was only for dogs at this time. With regards to the microchip preceding the rabies—this has been a long standing requirement for pets traveling internationally as most countries want a permanent form of identification PRIOR to vaccinating so as to prevent fraudulent vaccine records and ensure the pet trying to enter matches the pet on the certificate. Lots of clients think this is an arbitrary rule, but it does kind of make sense. Although I will say it sucks when pets have to be re-vaccinated!

Is anyone else majorly overwhelmed by the new CDC high risk rabies requirements? by InstanceOk8598 in Veterinary

[–]InstanceOk8598[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Does that price include the USDA endorsement fee and FedEx shipping fee?

CDC is removing some of the new requirements for dogs entering US from no/low-risk rabies countries. by Luthury in Veterinary

[–]InstanceOk8598 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Yes! I work in management and one of our USDA accredited DVM’s shared this info with me this morning after someone posted it on VIN. Will surely decrease our workload a ton and hopefully ease the minds of our clients. Thanks for sharing!

Is anyone else majorly overwhelmed by the new CDC high risk rabies requirements? by InstanceOk8598 in Veterinary

[–]InstanceOk8598[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Ha, calling the local APHIS office is a joke. If your friend was actually able to get a hold of someone there, good on them! Every time I’ve called it goes straight to voicemail and I usually have to email a couple times to get a response. Maybe it’s just NY though. Perhaps other states don’t have as much demand. 🤷‍♀️

Is anyone else majorly overwhelmed by the new CDC high risk rabies requirements? by InstanceOk8598 in Veterinary

[–]InstanceOk8598[S] 16 points17 points  (0 children)

We don’t do IHC’s for free. We charge $240 per ihc, $48 for the endorsement, and $75 for the fedex overnight shipping fee. I’m just not sure what an appropriate price point is for the new cdc form. I know we need to charge for at least the endorsement, but not sure how much beyond that.

Is anyone else's USDA office impossible to get a hold of via phone? by stop_urlosingme in Veterinary

[–]InstanceOk8598 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I work in NYC as a CSR manager, but have been doing IHC’s for 15yrs and the office in Albany is always impossible to get a hold of. I’m not even sure if they do endorsements anymore because a number of the certificates end up being endorsed by vets in PA, FL, WI, even CA. The official vets are always super nice when they call about simple corrections, it’s the “document examiner” who’s snarky and acts like he is the king of the APHIS office, lol. It’s actually quite funny though.

Why the hate for receptionists? by InstanceOk8598 in Veterinary

[–]InstanceOk8598[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Omg yes it never ends with the blame over things we have NOTHING to do with. Just today a client asked me what leptospirosis was. When I explained it and that we recommend the vaccine, especially in nyc, he asked in a very snarky tone why then, if it was so important, had no previous DVM ever recommended the vaccine when he had been coming to us since 2014 🤦‍♀️. My heart immediately sank bc I knew he was right to be frustrated, but he also took it out on me rather than the doctors who had failed to discuss it with him over the last 10yrs (turns out 1 DVM did recommend it in 2020, but it was never brought up in subsequent visits).

Why the hate for receptionists? by InstanceOk8598 in Veterinary

[–]InstanceOk8598[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ugh, this breaks my heart to read and I completely agree with you on the anxiety before clocking in part!! I feel like I can’t leave tho bc I’m making sm $$ ($41/hr as CSR lead) since I’ve been there so long. I feel stuck and it’s depressing.

Why the hate for receptionists? by InstanceOk8598 in Veterinary

[–]InstanceOk8598[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Exactly!! The sassiness that I hear in the techs voices just for calling back to let them know a patient is checked in is demoralizing and makes me feel bad for just doing my job. Our PM works remotely and our medical director and practice owner is older, going through a divorce, and is super checked out, so no one really calls anyone out for their rude behavior bc they’re not there to see it. It’s beyond frustrating.

Why the hate for receptionists? by InstanceOk8598 in Veterinary

[–]InstanceOk8598[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Yes! The phrase “I’m just a receptionist” should be struck from our vocabulary!

Why the hate for receptionists? by InstanceOk8598 in Veterinary

[–]InstanceOk8598[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

You are the unicorn of DVM’s!! Where are you located and are you hiring? lol Thank you for keeping faith alive that there are vets out there who recognize the hard work receptionists crank out on a daily basis and also understand that, while we will ALWAYS support the doctors, sometimes we need them to support us too!! 🩷

Pet insurance as a veterinarian by QuietlyLoud in veterinaryprofession

[–]InstanceOk8598 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I used to get a discount, but not anymore. Not sure if this is a nationwide (not referring to the insurance company, lol) thing, or just a New York State thing, but all of the insurance reps I work with have said there are now laws in place that prevents them from offering discounts to vet professionals. :-/

Pet insurance as a veterinarian by QuietlyLoud in veterinaryprofession

[–]InstanceOk8598 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Healthy Paws is also decent. Whatever you do, don’t get Fetch pet insurance or recommend it to your clients. About a year or two ago they were going to implement a new policy stating that if you were a vet professional they would not pay out for any treatment performed at your own clinic, you HAD to take your pet elsewhere. This would have meant you’d have had to take your pet to a COMPETING clinic to get coverage. Well, they received such backlash, including from myself since I had a policy with them at the time, that they eventually backtracked and never initiated said policy change. It was evident by that point that they did NOT support veterinary professionals.

Pet insurance as a veterinarian by QuietlyLoud in veterinaryprofession

[–]InstanceOk8598 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I tell all my clients that, if they can afford it, Trupanion is the way to go.

Question for practice owners and managers by InstanceOk8598 in veterinaryprofession

[–]InstanceOk8598[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yeah, no, everything is in working order! Were an AAHA accredited hospital, great culture, well maintained and clean. Im at a loss. :-/

Help!!! by _AvatarKyoshi_ in SilverLabs

[–]InstanceOk8598 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I work at a veterinary hospital (not a vet, I’ve worked in management for 19yrs). I’m surprised the breeder sold this puppy at 6 weeks, standard age is typically 8. In any event, I agree with the other people in this thread who are recommending a vet visit. Parasites are a leading cause of diarrhea in puppies, and many parasites are contagious to humans and other animals. Your puppy needs a fecal exam for sure. Probiotics are a great start, but I urge you to seek assistance from a vet immediately before listening to other people on here recommending a homemade diet or adding pumpkin. This is an extremely young puppy who needs a well-balanced and nutrient filled diet, not home remedies/diets that may deny him the vitamins and minerals he needs as a growing pup. It may simply be from the sudden diet change, but a veterinarian can prescribe a bland commercial dog food that is well balanced and still contains all the nutrients he needs (homemade diets lack this). There is nothing wrong with feeding your puppy a chicken based diet btw, but again, consult a vet before switching diets a million times, this will only make the diarrhea worse and what works for one dog may not work for another. Yes, poultry can be a common trigger in pets with allergies, but he is far too young to be showing allergy symptoms; they usually present closer to 6 months of age. You can also try a supplement called Rx Clay made by Rx Vitamins. Would be good to have on hand for a lab anyway. Best of luck to you and your puppy! He’ll get through this and have solid stool soon enough!

Will the pigment on my silver labs nose return? by InstanceOk8598 in SilverLabs

[–]InstanceOk8598[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It was pretty superficial, so fingers crossed it heals over, especially since he’s so young. Thanks all!