Often, practice owners aren’t aware of how much risk is shared between their personal and practice’s finances. The life cycle of any good built-from-the-ground-up practice hopefully follows this pattern:

The practice depends on its owner to see patients and generate revenue. 

The owner depends on staff to help generate more revenue. 

The owner depends on newly hired veterinarians to take ownership of seeing patients to generate more revenue and allow the owner to focus on the practice’s growth. 

The owner’s financial security for retirement depends on how much they saved during the years leading up to the eventual sale of the practice and the amount of the proceeds of the practice sale after taxes.

Meanwhile, the owner’s income is completely reliant on the performance of the business, and their retirement plan is, in many cases, nearly 100% dependent on the sale price of the business. If the owner’s retirement plan is not fully dependent on that sale, it’s because they own other assets that can generate income and the net proceeds from the sale of the business get added to that amount.

Once the business’ value is turned into cash for the seller, they are faced with the reality that now that money must be an income generator. The total from the sale is often not enough to take them through retirement at the income level they desire.

What are your practice goals, if you have any, or are you living day-to-day trying to make it through while making everyone happy, checking off the things you need to do? Most of the time when I ask what practice goals an owner may have, it’s followed by a brainstorming session of what goals they should have. This then leads us to more soul-searching for what they really want.

: We often find practice owners who are “ready to sell now” but are unaware they are not completely ready to sell. It’s scary and unknown. They know they are ready to sell but aren’t sure what exists for them post-sale.

So, what are some ways we can focus on the hopes, desires, and dreams of a practice owner so they can narrow down what’s important to them and, ultimately, line up the goals of the practice to ensure they are met?

There are many exercises that can help you narrow your focus. I will go through the one we most commonly use when we are coaching clients to find what they really desire.

Imagine yourself at the time that you sell your practice. It can be at the age of 45, 65, 85–it doesn’t matter. Forget about the financial numbers for a moment. You no longer see patients, and you don’t have any business messes to clean up. There isn’t anyone calling you with a need that only you can fill.

Think about what you are doing with your time and remember to think in the present tense. You have all the time in the world now. What’s on the list of things you now have the mental space and time to do? What is it that you’re emotionally gravitating toward doing? What gets you excited? Write them down and then prioritize them based on which ones are most important to you. What you listed as your personal goals will dictate how you accomplish them. However, the real question is, “how do I line them up with the practice goals?”

If you don’t have practice goals, the first place to start is imagining if you could snap your fingers, what would you change right now, and why? Sometimes the goals we hear from business owners are heavy. Sometimes they’re simple and easy.

The main goal for any business owner, veterinary or otherwise, is to create enough processes in the business that all employees can manage the practice entirely without the owner’s involvement, and the owner can have income that is truly passive, ie, income that pays the owner no matter what they’re doing with their time. The business continues to serve the community and run efficiently regardless of what the owner does with their time and attention.

After looking at your personal goals for after you’ve sold your practice, consider whether there is a chance you don’t have to wait until you sell the business before you can accomplish them. We often try to get our clients to take their list of personal goals and their list of what they’d change in their practice and start trying to connect the 2 lists. Creating a vision can give you the next clear steps to aligning the business’ direction toward accomplishing what you desire.

Securities products and advisory services offered through Park Avenue Securities LLC (PAS), member FINRA, SIPC. OSJ: 4200 West Cypress Street, Suite 700, Tampa, FL 33607, 813-289-3632. PAS is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America (Guardian), New York, NY. The individuals associated with Florida Veterinary Advisors do not maintain specialized licenses or qualifications for the financial services provided to veterinary professionals. Florida Veterinary Advisors is not registered in any state or with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission as a Registered Investment Advisor. Florida Veterinary Advisors is not an affiliate or subsidiary of PAS or Guardian. 7856149.1 Exp 4/15/2027

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Check out these strategies to align practice growth with personal financial goals for a secure future.

Business financial planning: Incorporating personal finance goals with practice goals

Adam Christman, DVM, MBA, and Michael Tokiwa, DVM, discuss the rising costs of veterinary supplies and services due to tarriffs and inflation.

The impact of "vetflation"

On this special Friday afternoon addition of The Vet Blast Podcast presented by dvm360, our host Adam Christman, DVM, MBA, welcomes Michael Tokiwa, DVM, to the show to discuss the rising cost of veterinary products and services due to tarrifs and inflation, or 'vetflation.' Throughout the show, Christman and Tokiwa chat about the importance of clear communication with clients about price increases and flexible payment options, pet insurance, and to be compassionate and transparent when veterinary teams are discussing financial constraints with their clients.

Below is a transcript, edited lightly for clarity

 I want to expand on this of an issue that's in veterinary medicine, where we're calling it vetflation. You know, we're talking about tariffs, inflation and economic anxiety. So let's chat about that. I mean, how are some of these global forces showing up in the exam rooms across veterinary hospitals?

 well, Adam, it's actually showing up everywhere, because we have to talk about the basics of basics of costs, of the basic items we use, like syringes, surgical gloves, even the lab heartworm test. Everything is going up in price. And when you you're dealing with something that happened in times of [COVID-19]. The last time we really dealt with this was  [COVID-19], but, but we, we had a reason for that. It wasn't a a political thinking that is affecting a worldwide issue here. And you know, it's it's like, if you're running a petty yard and you suddenly run out of oxygen masks, what are you going to do? And the downside about this, and what I tried to explain my clients is that with these increases pricing, we have to in order to continue to provide best medicine. Unfortunately, the price is going to be passed on to the consumer, the clients. 

What's unique to our profession, though, is sometimes we actually absorb some of those prices just just so that we can continue. But that is not good for the profession, and so what I want to do is I want to preemptively let the clients know that these are coming. So the latest is that the tariffs with China are 30% so we're looking at an increase of everyday items. You go on Tiktok and you look at the Tiktok shop, they're saying, 'hey, buy this blanket now, because it's going to be 34% higher in a couple months.' So those are the things we need to seriously talk about in order to stay afloat as a business and continue to provide the best medicine. So it's hitting at every level

EDITORS NOTE: This podcast was recorded on May 8, 2025.

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What is vetflation, and how can it impact your patients, clients, staff, and practice?

The impact of "vetflation" 

A cancer diagnosis for a beloved pet can be an overwhelming experience for pet owners. As general practitioners (GPs), you are often the first point of contact, the ones delivering the news and helping families navigate their options. Although all cancer cases may benefit from referral to a specialist, some are more critically time sensitive than others. Additionally, referring the client to the right specialist can significantly affect the pet’s outcome.

The veterinary profession is already stretched thin, with demand for services far outweighing supply. As GPs, you should be empowered to feel confident in your role as a patient’s primary veterinarian while acknowledging what you know, recognizing where additional expertise is needed, and understanding that guiding pet owners through this journey is as much about communication as it is about medicine.

The reality is that GPs manage diverse cases, from dermatology to cardiology to orthopedics to behavior. Expecting any GP to be fully up to date on every cancer treatment is unrealistic.

Some pet owners may have researched their pet’s specific cancer more thoroughly than their primary care veterinarian has had time to, and that is not a failure; it is simply the nature of modern veterinary medicine and the information age in which we live.

One of the biggest challenges facing GPs is knowing when and where to refer. Sending a case to the wrong specialist or delaying a necessary referral can negatively affect the patient’s outcome. For example, suppose a patient with a soft tissue sarcoma is sent to a medical oncologist instead of a surgical or radiation oncologist. In that case, 2 months might be lost waiting for an appointment, time that could have been used for definitive treatment.

Additionally, access to specialists is a growing concern. Medical oncologists often have long appointment wait times. With fewer than 150 active diplomats certified in veterinary radiation oncology by the American College of Veterinary Radiology,

 pet owners may need to travel significant distances for treatment, making early decision-making even more critical.

Top hurdles pet owners face after a cancer diagnosis

Every day counts and the sooner the patient can be prepped, the quicker they can make treatment decisions.

In addition to getting more information faster, your patient will appreciate spending less time and money on consults that they may need from other local specialists.

Your office benefits from providing care in-house, you stay involved in your patient's treatment journey and it helps strengthen the relationship you have with your client and patient.

The specialty clinic can work faster at providing treatment options when they receive a pet who has already been diagnosed and worked up.

For pet owners, the cancer journey is not just a medical one; it is emotional, financial, and logistical. Some of the biggest challenges pet owners face include the following:

Finding an oncologist, especially for radiation therapy, can be challenging. Treatments such as stereotactic radiation therapy have gained popularity because of their shorter treatment timelines (3-5 days vs weeks of daily conventionally fractionated radiotherapy).

 Many pet owners struggle with risk vs benefit decisions. They need clear, unbiased information from specialists who handle these cases daily.

 Owners often worry about anesthetic risks, but it is crucial to help them understand that without treatment, their pet will die from the disease. The risk of a negative outcome from anesthesia is less than 1%.

 We must reframe the conversation to address the real risk: doing nothing.

 Pet owners often hear conflicting opinions from friends, family, and coworkers: “Why would you spend $10,000 treating a dog?”, “Isn’t it cruel to put them through this?”, and “Are you doing this for them or for you?” It is important to convey to pet owners that it does not matter what others believe but what the owner believes. Ultimately, the pet owner must be comfortable with the risk-benefit analysis and prognosis for the pet.

 Veterinary oncology treatment can be costly. A 3-day radiation treatment might cost $12,000 and be due in a single payment 3 days after treatment was started. Although chemotherapy, which is a longer treatment process, can be even more costly, the payments are spread out over months rather than days. Pet insurance can be a game changer for those who have it, but less than 4% of dogs and cats in the US are insured.

 Therefore, pet owners should consider how paying for treatment will affect their lives before agreeing to treat.

 Many owners ask themselves: Am I crazy for treating my pet? Some need reassurance that their decision is valid, whether they choose aggressive treatment or palliative care. Our job is to guide, not judge.

 Cancer treatments are evolving rapidly, and many GPs are unaware of the latest treatment options. Rather than feeling overwhelmed, the key is knowing when and whom to ask for help.

 Chemotherapy and radiation may require frequent visits, long-distance travel, or weeks of commitment, making treatment unfeasible for some families.

Setting expectations: What pet owners want from their primary veterinarian

GPs are in a challenging but powerful position. Listed below are some expectations clients have for their GPs:

Be honest about what you know (and do not know):

 You do not have to know everything, but you should know where to find the right answers. It is OK to say, “I don’t know, but I know who will have clear answers.”

Cancer is overwhelming. Pet owners look to you for the next steps, not just a diagnosis. It's critical to know when to refer and which specialist is the right one.

Your clients want to know that you will support their decisions, whether they choose aggressive treatment, palliative care, or no treatment at all. They fear being judged for whatever decision they make.

Some cancers, such as lymphoma, progress rapidly. If treatment is delayed, a pet who could live 12 to 18 months with treatment may only have weeks left.

 This, again, underscores the importance of referring to the right type of specialist.

The way you present the diagnosis sets the tone. Clients need to feel that they have a trusted guide through the journey.

Most owners do not just want to know what to do next—they want to understand why a treatment is or is not recommended. If your client has information that is new to you, let them know that you will research it or put them in touch with someone with more expertise in that area.

Veterinary GPs play a critical role in a pet’s cancer journey—not just in initial diagnosis and referral but also in guiding families through an emotional and sometimes overwhelming process. You do not need to be an oncology expert to effectively advocate for your patients. What matters most is ensuring they reach the right specialist at the right time, presenting options without judgment, and helping them make informed, compassionate choices.

Whenever possible, initiating a basic diagnostic workup, such as cytology, baseline laboratory work, or imaging, can help expedite the referral process and improve patient outcomes. Even small steps taken in advance can significantly affect how quickly a specialist can act on the case. With that said, not every situation allows for it, and that is OK. The most important step is getting the patient to the right specialist without delay.

Cancer does not wait, and neither should we.

History of ACVR. American College of Veterinary Radiology. Accessed May 5, 2025. https://acvr.org/who-we-are/history-acvr/

Brodbelt DC, Blissitt KJ, Hammond RA, et al. The risk of death: the confidential enquiry into perioperative small animal fatalities. 

. 2008;35(5):365-373. doi:10.1111/j.1467-2995.2008.00397.x

North American Pet Health Insurance Association State of the Industry Report 2024. North American Pet Health Insurance Association. April 9, 2024. Accessed May 5, 2025. https://naphia.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/NAPHIA-SOI2024-Report-Highlights_Public-May16.pdf

Vail DM, Pinkerton ME, Young KM. Canine lymphoma and lymphoid leukemias. In: Vail DM, Thamm DH, Liptak JM, eds. 

Withrow and MacEwen’s Small Animal Clinical Oncology. 6th ed

One of the biggest challenges is knowing when and where to refer a client.

Guiding pet owners through the cancer journey: The general practitioner’s role

A renovation can bring new life to your hospital. It can show your clients and future clients the importance you place on the care of their pets. It can also show your team the importance you place on the work they do and their well-being. It can help you serve more clients and patients—and serve them better.

Regardless of whether you want to simply modernize and refresh your hospital or rework your entire building, there are some concepts that can help you make the most of the process.

The specialty services lobby at ARISE Veterinary Center in Queen Creek, Arizona.

Digital record keeping for client files and artificial intelligence technologies for charting, handheld tablets, and wall-mounted computer screens can all help free up space within your hospital. This space savings can translate to a smaller reception desk that allows more room for client seating or maybe even an additional exam room. It can reduce the size of work surfaces needed in exam rooms, making these spaces more flexible for accommodating larger families or providing floor exams. Going digital will also help you keep surfaces in your hospital less cluttered for a more professional appearance and a better working environment for your team.

Small changes can have a big impact. Change the color on the walls. Add a new accent wall feature behind your front desk. Clad your front desk in a new (but durable) material, and put a solid surface material on the counter. Update your lighting fixtures and switch to LEDs if you haven’t already. Change out the seating in the lobby and the exam rooms. Add artwork that is cohesive, well thought-out, and modern throughout the building.

This might also be the time to consider a rebrand. If you are the new owner of an existing practice or you are looking to attract new clients, or it’s just time for a change, consider the message you want to send about who you are and the type of medicine you practice, and communicate that through the style of your front-of-house spaces. Match or complement the colors in your new branding to your building interior and exterior design.

The Humane Society of the Boulder Valley Veterinary Clinic in Boulder, Colorado. 

Not only can you attract new clients with a simple renovation, but you can also attract new clients and upsell existing clients by providing improved and new services. Can you live without office space to add a dental suite or another exam room or 2 to reduce wait times and/or increase the number of clients you can see? Is telemedicine a big part of your practice, and could you make it bigger by adding a small, dedicated phone room perfect for making video calls to clients? Do you have an underutilized boarding area that could be better as just a dog day care? Is there a specialty service that is underrepresented in your community that you could add to your services, such as diagnostics, physical therapy, or specialty surgery? There are new portable CT machines on the market, for example, that require very little space and are self-shielded.

Creating or improving dedicated space for your team is also a great renovation investment. A doctor at Raintree Animal Hospital in Timnath, Colorado, intentionally placed a window into the dog day care from the break room so his staff could enjoy watching the dogs play. That kind of thoughtfulness can go a long way to hiring and retaining great team members. Include a covered or shaded outdoor patio with a table and chairs. Consider that different people decompress differently and include options for comfortable seating in your break room. Make sure the break room is well equipped. That could include simple things like an ice maker, a fancy espresso machine, an electric kettle, or a charging station.

Taking care of your team should extend beyond the break space. Natural light is important for everyone’s well-being. If you can’t punch holes in the exterior walls to bring more light in, perhaps you can add a Solatube skylight to bring light into interior spaces or replace some solid doors with Dutch doors or doors with windows. This also has the advantage of making communication across the hospital easier. Ergonomics are important, too. Sit-stand desks, adjustable stools, and adjustable treatment surfaces can greatly improve the day-to-day life of your team members.

If you have the funds for a large renovation, remember that this is a major investment in the future of your practice and consider how you can best serve your clients and your community for years to come. Marry that investment to the way you personally want to care for clients and pets when deciding what changes to incorporate. Large budget or small, a renovation of your hospital can breathe new life into not only the physical spaces you practice in but also to your practice of medicine.

Indoor/outdoor dog daycare at Raintree Animal Hospital in Timnath, Colorado.


A variety of methods can help refresh the look and efficiency of a practice.

Renovate to revitalize

In this panel discussion, Adam Christman, DVM, MBA, 

All love. All species. All welocome!

This panel discussion is sponsored by VCA Animal Hospitals. 

As we continue to celebrate Pride Month, the members of the LGBTQ+ community, and allies within the profession, dvm360 welcomed Leslie Soper, CVT, and Maria Libonate, RVT, to an open discussion with host Adam Christman, DVM, MBA. Throughout the panel, the trio discussed their journeys as allies and members of the LGBTQ+ community, ways hospitals can show their support, the importance of having great mentors, and how the landscape of veterinary medicine has become more inclusive throughout the years. 

Below is a partial transcript, edited lightly for clarity:

When we talk about creating that inclusive environment, what steps can organizations like VCA take to foster a more inclusive environment for the LGBTQ+ associates and also the clients that we serve?

I think we've been doing a pretty good job thus far and just continuing to do that by being really open and visible about our support and our inclusion and diversity in general...As long as we continue to do that, we can show not only our own associates, but our clients and the community at large that we do support inclusivity. We do support diversity. This is an important thing for all of us. 

And, you know, it's so major for us to be able to share that and we do things like...the Pride in a Box where we have...a little pride kit that we send out to our hospitals to help promote Pride events. Ot has a little flag, a t-shirt that you're wearing right now, and things like that to help promote all of the inclusivity that we're really big on. 

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All love. All species. All welcome!

Toni L. Trego, DVM, shares her experience with the using the Vetlen pouch in this interview with dvm360

Video interview with Toni L. Trego, DVM 

On March 3, 2025, a 5-year-old male neutered shih tzu was brought to Amboy Veterinary Clinic in Amboy, Illinois, immediately for vehicular trauma on his left hind leg. Toni L. Trego, DVM, owner of the clinic, stated in a case study regarding the patient that, remarkably, no bony injuries were identified in the patient. However, the patient’s skin extending from just proximal to the hock down to his toes was avulsed from the underlying tissue. The team at the clinic approached the patient with conservative management, including a drain, bandage, oral antibiotics, and pain medication, but all of the affected skin sloughed. A week after the patient arrived at the clinic, the veterinary team obtained a culture during debridement on March 10.

On March 12, a pouch flap was created on the left body wall, and the left hind leg was inserted into the flap and sutured into place with a fenestrated drain and a 10-mL Vetlen Pouch—the first time that Trego had used the product.

“[Vetlen] actually offered a free sample, and I had signed up for that online...so it’s been sitting in my clinic for quite a while, and then this case came along. I thought at first that we might be able to use it within the wound, but then it was clear that all the skin was necrotic. So then when I decided to make the pouch flap, it’s like, 'I know this is going to need antibiotics, there’s no question,'”  Trego said in an interview with 

Through the pouch, the patient was initially given ceftiofur sodium 50 mg, up to 9 mL total volume with 0.9% sodium chloride from March 12 to 21. A culture was then performed that revealed multidrug-resistant 

. The result of culture findings led the doctors to switch the patient to vancomycin hydrochloride 30 mg, up to 6 mL total volume with 0.9% sodium chloride from March 22 to April 1.

The drain was removed from the patient on March 15, and an antibiotic treatment was administered through the pouch. The client had disclosed to the team that administering oral medication to the patient had been a challenge for them, so they were grateful to discontinue oral antibiotics once the switch to vancomycin was made.

The flap of skin from the patient was excised from the donor site and closed over the left distal limb on April 2; the Vetlen Pouch was then removed and discarded. The team noted that parts of the flap became necrotic and sloughed, but the majority survived with only small areas of open granulating wounds remaining. The patient has made progress healing, and the client is delighted with the results of the ordeal.

 that normally, being a small practice in a rural town, she would refer emergencies out. However, that was not in the client’s budget in this case, so she decided to try the Vetlen Pouch to make it work for the client and is now looking forward to trying the product out on one of her larger animal patients. Trego explained that after this case, she would recommend this product to other veterinary professionals and offered some advice on how to use the product.

“I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it. I would say [to] read all the directions. I think it was very advantageous to us to have a culture so we knew what antibiotic to use. I mean, that’s just good antibiotic stewardship to begin with. But there is a limited list of antibiotics that diffuse well through the pouch, so getting that culture so you’re on target would be really helpful,” Trego said. “As far as ease of use goes, it’s great.”

The 5-year-old canine's left hind leg was treated after experiencing vehicular trauma.