Faculty and students' self-assessment of client communication skills and professional ethics in three veterinary medical schools.

Client communication skills and professional ethics are areas that have received much attention in veterinary education in recent years. The objectives of this study were to: i) establish the confidence level of faculty teaching in three veterinary schools with regard to their client communication skills, ii) establish a baseline of professional ethics indicators in the same faculty, and iii) compare veterinary students of all levels to faculty in both areas. Students and faculty received identical questionnaires, including statements addressing client communication skills and professional ethics.

Diffuse osteopenia and myelopathy in a puppy fed a diet composed of an organic premix and raw ground beef.

Case Description: An 8-month-old Shetland Sheepdog was evaluated because of the sudden onset of signs of neck pain, collapse, and inability to rise. A cursory diet history indicated that the dog had been fed a raw meat-based diet.

Clinical Findings: Initial evaluation of the dog revealed small physical stature, thin body condition, and signs of cranial cervical myelopathy.

The power of practice: harnessing patient outcomes for clinical decision making.

The practice of evidence-based medicine (EBM) relies on the ability of veterinarians to evaluate clinical outcomes. Evaluation of clinical outcomes optimizes the patient care process by transforming what is learned about a population of patients and applying it to an individual patient. Veterinarians' ability to summarize and record relevant information from each pet encounter enables outcomes analysis, thereby transforming clinical data into medical knowledge.