A common misconception veterinarians have about sustainable clinic designs is that they lead to higher costs. Although these designs may require an initial investment, many technologies provide a quick return on that investment, ultimately saving money. Moreover, some eco-friendly strategies come at zero cost.

“Veterinary hospitals use more energy, gas, water, power, than other typical building types,” Heather E. Lewis, AIA, NCARB, AAA, an architect with Animal Arts—a veterinary hospital and animal shelter design architecture firm based in Boulder, Colorado—explained in an interview with 

. “If we can find some ways to reduce those costs for the veterinarian and in the veterinary practice, then that is a huge win.”

Beyond saving money, focusing on a sustainable design can help veterinarians provide a better standard of care for their patients. As Lewis explained, many eco-friendly design ideas are simply good design ideas. “They go hand-in-hand with creating a quality space that allows veterinarians to deliver the medicine they envision,” she said.

Building orientation and window placement

Image: Wassana Techadilok/MJH Life Sciences using AI

One sustainable design strategy that comes at no added expense and can benefit patients and staff and reduce costs is being strategic about the clinic’s orientation and window placement. In areas with colder climates, such as upstate New York, positioning windows facing away from the sun can lead to heat loss, making it difficult to keep the building warm. Meanwhile, if the clinic is in a region with a hotter climate, like Arizona, orienting the building so that the windows are in the shade most of the time will reduce heat gain and lower cooling costs. “We can make a much better space to work in, in a space that’s easier to heat and cool,” Lewis said.

According to Lewis, in temperate climate zones of the northern hemisphere, buildings should be oriented east-west, with the longer sides facing south and north. Additionally, rooms with fewer windows, such as utility rooms, should be placed on the north side.

Meanwhile, windows on the south side of the building should be equipped with large overhangs for shading. “If you think about how the sun travels, there’s usually sun on the south side of buildings in the northern hemisphere. We can get a lot of nice sunlight but then have overhangs to cut off the sun in the summer when it’s hot, and then let lower winter sun into the building,” Lewis explained.

Not everyone can afford to build a new clinic, and renovating an existing building is the greenest approach, according to Lewis. Reusing a building—whether an old human medical clinic, a bank, or something else—is cost-effective for the practice and eco-friendly, as it reduces the environmental impact of new construction.

Energy recovery systems and high-efficiency lighting systems

The amount of power, water, and sometimes gas that veterinary hospitals consume is partly due to their air conditioning and ventilation systems. Installing energy recovery systems within the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system can help offset the amount of power, water, and gas used. Although the technology may require an initial investment, Lewis explained that these energy recovery systems typically pay for themselves quickly. “I think it’s important for...veterinarian[s] to know that we ought to pick and choose the products and systems that are going to apply to veterinary hospitals and get the quickest payoff,” she said.

A cost-effective measure for making older buildings more eco-friendly and reducing energy costs is installing high-efficiency lighting systems, as lighting can be expensive. Clinics can upgrade to LED lighting, which will lower electricity costs and create a more visually appealing environment, as the light can be dimmed and is of higher quality—offering more lumens per watt of energy used.

Sustainability beyond the building design

A sustainable clinic goes beyond the building itself. Having an eco-friendly practice means the operations within it are sustainable as well.

“I think that one of the huge pieces of a sustainable operation is good inventory management,” Lewis said. “There [are] gigantic amounts of waste in human...and animal medicine with not finding the right product, buying things that go out of date and have to be thrown away.

“Really getting a better handle on inventory management can make a gigantic difference for your practice and also the day-to-day operations,” Lewis continued. She also recommends researching eco-friendly initiatives in human medicine, as veterinary professionals can gain valuable insight from those practices.

Organizing the storage room, upgrading inventory management software, purchasing fewer disposable products and using more reusable products, and setting up a recycling program for the employees that includes composting can also make a clinic more sustainable. Lewis shared that the Animal Arts team has a compost bin, which stays in the freezer to avoid attracting flies. “Easy things like that can really make a big difference over time,” Lewis said.

Articles

There are multiple low- and no-cost ways to build a more sustainable practice while saving money

Creating an affordable eco-friendly clinic

A study by the Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (VMBS) found that 99.12% of dogs in the United States have behavior problems. The study, published in the 

, used data collected from 43,517 dogs of various breeds, ages, sexes, sizes, and locations in the US enrolled in the Dog Aging Project.

For the Dog Aging Project survey, owners scored their dog’s behaviors in various categories, including aggression, separation and attachment behaviors, fear and anxiety, and house soiling using a scale from 0 to 4, with 4 indicating a serious issue.

 According to the survey findings, 99.12% of dogs showed at least one behavior rated moderately serious or serious, or at least 2 problems of moderate to serious intensity.

Separation and attachment behaviors was the most reported (85.9% ) issue in dogs, with owners rating these as moderate and serious issues. These behaviors included restlessness, pacing, following the owner around the house, sitting close to them, escape attempts, or barking and chewing items when left alone.

 Study links owner demographics and canine nutrition

Aggression was another common issue, with approximately 55.6% of dogs showing moderate to serious behaviors on at least 2 occasions in the aggression category. Fear and anxiety followed at 49.9%. House soiling, meanwhile, was exhibited in 4.1% of dogs enrolled in the Dog Aging Project. Additional behavior issues reported by owners in the survey were persistent barking, escaping, eating grass or feces frequently, and chewing unwanted objects.

 Out of data from the 43,517 dogs in the project, only 110 had no reported behavioral problems across any of the questions asked.

In the US, behavior problems are a common reason people relinquish dogs at animal shelters, according to the study.

 Yet, owners do not always reveal a behavior problem, its severity, or whether the dog’s behavior is the reason for relinquishment.

According to Bonnie V. Beaver, DVM, MS, DSc, DPNAP, DACVB, DACAW, professor of small animal clinical sciences at VMBS, and lead of the study, there may be dogs with behavior issues that are not being diagnosed. “Most dogs probably will show mild expressions of a problem behavior infrequently enough that an owner does not consider it important to seek help,” she wrote in the study.

 “It is also likely that there are dogs with moderate to serious problems that go unreported because owners do not think of the behavior as a problem, decide to tolerate the behavior, find a tolerable way to live with it, or do not know where to find help. This is another reason the prevalence of undesirable behavior has remained elusive.”

According to Beaver, some studies suggest only half of veterinarians ask questions about behavior during appointments.

 “Essentially all pet dogs in the United States have at least one moderate to serious behavioral issue, which typically goes unaddressed by veterinary practitioners,” she concluded.

Beaver BV. The prevalence of behavior problems in dogs in the United States. 

. 2024;76:34-39. doi:10.1016/j.jveb.2024.11.001

O’Connell L. More than 99% of US dogs have behavior problems. Newsweek Digital LLC. April 7, 2025. Accessed April 21, 2025.

Separation and attachment behaviors was the most reported issue in dogs

Almost every dog in the US has a behavior problem, study finds

A potential vaccine for highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza (HPAI H5N1) has demonstrated 100% protection in a preclinical trial. According to biopharmaceutical company POP Biotechnologies, the study’s promising results come at a critical time, with the virus affecting various species including poultry, dairy cattle, wild birds, and domestic pets.

The nanoparticle vaccine is under development for potential use in both veterinary and human medicine, since the virus is a zoonotic and pandemic threat. More than 1000 US dairy herds have reported H5N1 infections, according to POP Biotechnologies. Cases include farm workers and domestic cat fatalities that have been linked to contaminated milk and pet food.Additionally, more than 167 million poultry birds in the US have been affected since early 2022.

Image Credit: © Alexbedoya - stock.adobe.com

The study was a collaboration of investigators from the University at Buffalo, the National Microbiology Laboratory (Public Health Agency of Canada), St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency's National Centre for Foreign Animal Disease, and the University of Manitoba. Results of the trial were published April 17, 2025, in 

Researchers find avian influenza in New York bobcats

The vaccine targets the 2.3.4.4b clade of H5N1, the strain credited with causing widespread avian outbreaks and some infections in humans. The study demonstrated the vaccine, which displays 2 recombinant virus-derived proteins—hemagglutinin (H5) and neuraminidase (N1)—could completely protect mice from the 2.3.4.4b clade of H5N1.

"Our approach is kind of like a magnet that can attach vaccine components to a small particle surface. It just clicks into place easily. The body's immune system can better recognize the particles, resulting in stronger immune responses. It's also fast and efficient to manufacture, which is advantageous when you need to quickly ramp up vaccine production," Jonathan Lovell, PhD, a study author, cofounder of POP Biotechnologies and a professor of biomedical engineering at the University at Buffalo in New York, said in a news release.

The developmental product relies onPOP Biotechnologies' proprietary nanoparticle vaccine platform, POP BIO SNAP.This technology uses cobalt-binding interactions to attach viral proteins to nanoparticles efficiently, which enhances immune responses. The result is acceleration of vaccine development while circumventing limitations of traditional egg-based production.

"This is a pivotal moment for pandemic preparedness initiatives," John R. Fulton, founder of BioNiagara, a pharmaceutical company in Ontario, Canada, said in the release.

 "Cross-border collaboration and cutting-edge technologies like POP BIO SNAP™ are vital to preempting a potential pandemic."

Magnet-like nanoparticle vaccine achieves 100% protection against H5N1 (bird flu) in preclinical trials. News release. BioNiagara and POP Biotechnologies. April 17, 2025. Accessed April 18, 2025. 

https://prnmedia.prnewswire.com/news-releases/magnet-like-nanoparticle-vaccine-achieves-100-protection-against-h5n1-in-preclinical-trials-302431826.html

POP BIO announces vaccine concept targeting avian influenza H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b. POP BIOTECH. April 17, 2025. Accessed April 18, 2025. 

Li Q, Vendramelli R, Truong T, et al. Highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b hemagglutinin and/or neuraminidase elicit immunity in a recombinant nanoparticle vaccine. 

. April 17, 2025. Accessed April 18, 2025. 

https://www.cell.com/cell-biomaterials/fulltext/S3050-5623(25)00061-3

A nanoparticle-based vaccine candidate for H5N1 avian influenza achieved 100% protection in preclinical trials, offering hope amid rising infections across species and concerns over zoonotic spread

Avian flu vaccine shows promise in preclinical trials

This content was provided by IGNITE, a dvm360® Strategic Alliance Partner. Check out their website 

I have been a client service representative (CSR) for a long time and unfortunately watched my peers be neglected during National Veterinary Receptionist Week. This week is observed the last full week of April; however, CSRs should be celebrated year-round. National Veterinary Receptionist Week was founded about 20 years ago by 

, but I’ve only seen it recognized over the last few years, which is incredibly sad but also heartwarming.

 CSRs are the heart of veterinary practices; they know the clients and patients. Sometimes, our time with clients can feel like a little therapy session, and I know more about some clients than my own family, and that’s fine because as a CSR, I genuinely care about clients and patients.

Kelly Kulhavy, VRCE, holding her VRCE certificate (image courtesy of IGNITE) 

Veterinary receptionist program simplifies CSR training

You may be thinking that surprising them with a pizza party, and while I do love a good pie, I’d prefer to be appreciated in other ways. A heartfelt thank you would be a huge one. Oftentimes, we are overlooked with saying thank you, with some of us rarely receiving any thank yous for our work. Think of all the ways your CSRs help practices. They communicate with clients in many different formats like schedule appointments, multitask, clean, and carry animals and food out for clients, and more. Now, if all your budget allows is a pizza party, there is nothing wrong with that, but don’t discount an individual handwritten thank you card to each of your CSRs. Put more than just thanks for all you do, make it heartfelt. They will appreciate it.

Want to do more for them? I haven’t met a CSR that will turn down free caffeine, whether it be tea, coffee, energy drinks, etc. Gift baskets are fabulous, but I’ve never received one, but I enjoy the idea behind them. You could fill it with things a CSR needs to do their work, such as fun notepads, stickers, snacks, pens, etc. A clinic outing could also be fun, plus help with team building. Post snippets about them on your social media, I once made a whole client education board about our CSRs and social media posts.

Making your team feel valued will help with overall morale and support lower turnover rates. In short, celebrate your CSR because they deserve it.

Do you know a CSR who goes above and beyond for pets, clients, and the veterinary team? nominate them for dvm360's 2025 Veterinary Heroes® Awards! These award honor veterinary professionals, including CSRs, who makes a meaningful impact on patient outcomes through exceptional communication, compassion, and dedication. Submit your nomination 

Vastag K. Veterinary Receptionist Week: Tips for Appreciation. Weave. Published May 24, 2024. Accessed April 21, 2025. https://www.getweave.com/veterinary-receptionist-week/

A happy client service representative will make clients and patients feel welcome and comfortable in your veterinary clinic

Veterinary Receptionist Week and what CSRs want

Happy Monday dvm360 readers! We hope that you had a great Easter Sunday for those who celebrate, and a not so stressful 4/20 Day at your clinic. Over the weekend, dvm360 posted clips from an interview with veterinary toxicology Renee Schmid, DVM, DABT, DABVT, on how to talk to clients who use cannabis, how to treat pets with suspected cannabis exposure, and the Easter toxins that can also find their way to Mother’s Day. You can find them all 

, plus other content written or involving Schmid.

CineLens/peopleimages.com/stock.adobe.com

While you catch up on the content dvm360 posted over the weekend, here is what you can find this week at dvm360.com:

In September 2024, the Veterinary Hospital Managers Association revealed during its annual conference that it will be offering a new certification program, the Certified Veterinary Office Manager. To help provide more intel on the program, Christine Shupe, CAE, breaks down the program and what it means for the veterinary profession.

In recognition of Earth Day, dvm360’s assistant editor 

, took a deep dive into how to create an affordable and eco-friendly clinic by implementing low and no cost ways to create a sustainable practice, and save some money along the way.

On this week’s episode of The Vet Blast Podcast presented by dvm360, Jill Clark, DVM, founder and chief visionary officer of IGNITE, joins Adam Christman, DVM, MBA, to discuss how it is now time for evidence-based continuing education for client service representatives.

On World Vet Day on April 26, 2025, Dechra will launch its One More Step for Not One More Vet campaign to help continue its support of a veterinary mental health charity, plus participating Not One More Vet’s Race Around Word.

During an interview with dvm360, Craig Clifford, DVM, MS, DACVIM (Oncology), and Christine Mullin, VMD, DACVIM (Oncology), share more on the latest product launch from ELIAS Animal Health, ELIAS Cancer Immunotherapy.

Here is a sneak peek at this week’s headlines 

Sneak peek: dvm360 recognizes National Veterinary Receptionist Week, and other news 

Advancing in the veterinary and animal care industries can foster not only personal growth but also the chance to drive meaningful change within organizations. By stepping into new roles, professionals can influence the direction of the industry through their knowledge, desire for change, and leadership.

The following individuals are being spotlighted in this week’s “Paws and profits” column:

Sarah Rumple, MPP, president, VetPartners

Rumple was recently appointed VetPartners’—a nonprofit dedicated to serving the veterinary profession—2025 president. With 15 years of experience in the veterinary space, Rumple aims to update the association’s industry resources and grow its membership so that it represents those who support the veterinary profession.

“There are so many people who could benefit tremendously from the unparalleled relationships and networking opportunities afforded to VetPartners members,” Rumple said in a news release.

 “Over the next year, I want to get more bright minds ‘in the room where it happens’ to strengthen our association and the veterinary profession as a whole.”

In addition to Rumple, VetPartners newest members of the 2025 Board of Directors include immediate past president Monica Dixon Perry, CVPM; Will Lindus, vice president; Tony Mahan, MBA, CVA, secretary; Jimmy Bell, CPA, treasurer; Mary Berg, BS, LATG, RVT, VTS, director; Andrea Crabtree, BS, CVPM, PHR, SPHR, PHRca, CCFP, director; Sheri Gilmartin, CVT, director; and Stephen Strickler, CFP, CVA, director.

Jennifer Kirk, MBA, CEO, Exubrion Therapeutics

Jennifer Kirk, MBA, CEO, Exubrion Therapeutics. (Photo courtesy of Exubrion Therapeutics)

Exubrion Therapeutics has appointed Kirk to its Board of Directors and named her the company’s CEO. Kirk will assume her new role as CEO on May 3, 2025. Kirk has more than 28 years of experience in leadership roles, as well as in business transformation. Her experience includes a tenure at Medtronic, where she focused on finance and operational growth through executive leadership.

"We are thrilled to welcome Jennifer to the Exubrion Therapeutics leadership team," said Laurie McRay, executive chair and interim CEO, in a company release.

"Her energy, servant leadership, and extensive business experience make her the ideal person to guide us into our next phase of growth. Her proven ability to lead organizations and create value will be instrumental as we continue advancing our mission. We are fortunate to have her at the helm."

Kirk has contributed to company transformations by fostering a culture of innovation, building high-performing teams, growing revenue and expanding margins, and more. Under her leadership, her teams captured more than $3.5 billion in savings and value, according to Exubrion.

Karen Shenoy, DVM, chief veterinarian, Hill’s EMEA

Shenoy recently stepped into the roles of vice president and chief veterinarian for Hill’s Pet Nutrition Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA). In her new roles, Shenoy will play a key role in advancing the veterinary profession and strengthening relationships between Hill’s and the veterinary community in the EMEA region.

I'm honored to become vice president and chief veterinarian for Hill’s EMEA. This role fuels my passion for helping veterinary professionals do their very best in meeting their clients’ and patients’ needs through the power of nutrition. I look forward to working closely with and learning from colleagues and partners in the region, and I’m eager to explore new ways Hill’s can support the veterinary profession as a whole,” said Shenoy in a news release.

Shenoy first joined Hill’s in 2008. She is a mentor and member of the Women in Leadership and Management in Animal Health organization and has held board positions with the Veterinary Innovation Council and Diversify Veterinary Medicine Coalition, as well as served on the American Veterinary Medical Association’s Food Safety Advisory Committee.

Chelsie Estey, DVM, MS, chief veterinary officer, Hill’s US

In conjunction with Shenoy’s recent promotion, Hill’s announced Estey was appointed the company’s chief veterinary officer. Estey has written numerous articles published in scientific journals, as well as various book chapters. She is also the recipient of the 2025 High Flyer Award from the Feather in Her Cap Association. In her most recent position, Estey was vice president of US Pet Care at Parnell.

We are excited to welcome Dr Estey as our new chief veterinary officer for Hill’s US. Dr Estey brings a dynamic blend of experience, leadership and vision, crucial in driving our strategic goals and elevating our veterinary advocacy to new heights, said Yvonne Hsu, president and general manager of Hill’s US, in a news release.

“Her proven track record in commercial sales and technical leadership underscores our commitment to excellence in pet health and veterinary care. I am confident that Dr Estey will be an invaluable contributor to our team, ensuring that we continue to innovate and serve the needs of our veterinary partners effectively,” Hsu continued.

Sarah Rumple named 2025 VetPartners president during biannual gathering of industry leaders. News release. VetPartners. March 11, 2025.

Exubrion Therapeutics® appoints Jennifer Kirk to Board of Directors; names her CEO. News release. Exubrion Therapeutics. March 18, 2025. Accessed April 18, 2025. 

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/exubrion-therapeutics-appoints-jennifer-kirk-to-board-of-directors-names-her-ceo-302403466.html?tc=eml_cleartime

Hill’s Pet Nutrition advances veterinary leadership with new appointments in US and EMEA. News release. Hill’s Pet Nutrition. March 24, 2025.

New leadership moves, recognition, and achievement