IVMA
Communiqué
"Serving veterinarians for the benefit of animal and human health."
March 19, 2019
2019 Spring Practice Management Session April 17
Where Do We Grow From Here?
Financial Success for the Veterinary Clinic

Friday, April 17, 2019
9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Ankeny, IA


The IVMA’s annual Spring Practice Management Seminar will focus on your clinic's financial health. The speaker, Fritz Wood, has over 30 years experience helping veterinary clinics learn how to become profitable. Fritz will share how to set up controls to limit loss and protect your investments, best practices from successful clinics, the top opportunities for your clinic to increase income and the basics of personal finance.

This session is open to veterinarians (especially owner veterinarians), clinic managers and office staff who are interested in improving their clinic’s bottom line.

Early registration deadline quickly approaching - Save $25 by registering before April 8!

Visit www.iowavma.org for more information about the topics and to register or call the IVMA Office at 800-369-9564.

6 hours of Continuing Education will be awarded (pending approval).
Become the Link Between the IVMA and Recent Graduates
Applications are now being accepted to become an Emerging Leader Liaison (ELL) to the Administrative Committee for the IVMA. The purpose of this position is to provide a link and build relationships between recent veterinary school graduates and the IVMA. This position is open to any IVMA member who has graduated from veterinary school within the last 7 years.
 
The Emerging Leader Liaison will attend select meetings and events. As compensation, the ELL will receive a one-year IVMA membership, all travel expenses to attend meetings, and paid registration to some veterinary conferences.
 
For a full list of job responsibilities, compensation offered and how to apply, visit the  IVMA website under “Membership/Recent Graduates”.  Application deadline is April 10 . Selection will take place by April 30.
Join the Fun - Help with SAVMA Scamper
Iowa State SAVMA will be hosting the 36 th Annual SAVMA Scamper on April 27. The dog-friendly 5K and 10K runs promote physical and mental health and raise money for Taysia Blue Rescue’s Huskies and Heroes, which raises funds to help Veterans adopt a dog.
 
The IVMA has agreed to staff one of the aid stations along the route.  Come volunteer and join the fun! Volunteers will hand out water to runners and fill dog water bowls, help with traffic control, keep the race area clean and cheer enthusiastically. Volunteers will be provided with a brief training and bagels before the race at 8:45 am. The race begins at 9:45 am.
 
For more information and to register for the race, visit http://savmascamper.webs.com/ .
 
To join the fun and help out at the IVMA aid station, contact the IVMA office at 800-369-9564 or ivma@iowvma.org .
Help With or Attend Animal Learning Day at ISU
The IVMA will participate in the annual Animal Learning Day sponsored by the Iowa State University Block and Bridle Club. The event will take place on April 6 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m . at the Jeff and Deb Hansen Learning Center in Ames.
 
This free event will provide an opportunity for the public to learn about animals in agriculture.
 
The IVMA will have a booth to provide attendees with information about the veterinary profession.

We need your help! A few volunteers are needed to staff the IVMA table, assist with a photo both, hand out sticker books and answer questions from the public. Shifts are 9am-11am and 11am-1pm. If you can help, please contact the IVMA office at ivma@iowavma.org  or 800-369-9564. If you can’t help, bring your kids or grandkids to this fun event!
Do You Know a Deserving Iowa State CVM Alumni?





The College of Veterinary Medicine is accepting nominations for its prestigious alumni awards, which will be presented during Homecoming in October 2019.
Nominations are due April 1 and can be submitted to  Tracy Raef at  traef@iastate.edu . Nominators should submit a nomination letter and additional supporting materials as appropriate. 
This year, two additional alumni awards will be presented, the Lorraine J. Hoffman Graduate Alumni Award and the Outstanding Young Alumni Award. This is in addition to the Stange Award and the William P. Switzer Award.  Criteria for the awards is available online.
Sign up Today to Strut Your Pup
The IVMA is partnering with Live Healthy Iowa to help Iowans and their dogs get more exercise this spring through their Strut Your Pup Challenge .

The program challenges you to get out an get active with your pet during Iowa's cool, spring weather. Studies have shown that people who regularly walk dogs may benefit from lower blood pressure, have a trimmer waistline and suffer from fewer chronic diseases. Dogs are a great accountability partner; keeping you active and on schedule.

Challenge your staff to get involved and promote the program to your clients.

Cost: $8 per participant
How does it work?
Team-up with a canine companion, get moving and track your activity minutes through the Live Healthy Iowa website. Compete with others in your community or across the state as you improve your health and that of a furry friend.
Challenge participants receive:
  • A fun, dog-friendly gift
  • Weekly email tips with ideas to stay active and healthy
  • Access to a personal tracking page on the LHI website
  • Unlimited access to online tools and resources
  • Opportunity to win incentives and prizes

IVMA veterinarians will help answer participants' questions each week in the "Ask the Vet" section of the participants' weekly emails.

Find Your Market Share with the Market Share Estimator
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How many potential clients and pets live in your local area? How many of those pets do you treat at your practice? If you're not sure, then we have good news: AVMA members now have access to a tool that makes it easy to estimate the potential size of your local veterinary market and what share of that market you serve. Regardless what kind of companion animals you treat, the new AVMA Market Share Estimator tool gives you important insight you can use to support your business planning. Visit the AVMA@Work blog to learn more about the AVMA Market Share Estimator .
Seeking Veterinarians to Participate in online Melbourne Veterinary School research survey
Pet Obesity Rate is Rising
The University of Melbourne Doctor of Veterinary Medicine program is completing a research study on:
The opinion of the veterinary profession on the use of chiropractic and other complementary/alternative therapy in the treatment of musculoskeletal injury and disease in animals.”

They are looking for veterinarians to take a 10 minute survey to help them complete their research.

Thank you in advance for your participation!

Tommie van Veghel. Hons. BSc, DC, DVM (IV) Student. The University of Melbourne.

Thierry Beths. DVM, CertVA, CVA, CVPP, PhD. Head of Anaesthesia and Pain Management. The University of Melbourne.
The proportion of cats and dogs in the US that are overweight or obese has held steady at about 60% and 56%, respectively, but the percentage that are obese has risen to nearly 34% of cats and 19% of dogs in 2018, according to the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention. Though overfeeding is a primary culprit, sedentary lifestyles, hormonal imbalances, genetics and gut bacteria play a role, and pet owners should talk with a veterinarian about diet, nutrition and lifestyle, says veterinarian Ernie Ward, founder of APOP.
The IVMA Communiqué is published bi-monthly by the
Iowa Veterinary Medical Association
1605 N. Ankeny Blvd Suite 110, Ankeny, IA 50023
515-965-9237 or 800-369-9564
ivma@iowavma.org |www.iowavma.org
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