Life Boost with Amelia

Ep. 81 | Thriving Together: Revolutionizing Our Approach to Senior Dog Care with guest Dr. Lisa Lippman

• Amelia Knight Pinkston • Season 2 • Episode 81

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In this episode, Dr. Amelia discusses an exciting new approach to senior dog care with guest Dr. Lisa Lippman. They introduce the senior dog veterinary society and a new senior dog veterinary certification co-founded by Dr. Lippman, Dr. Monica Tarantino, and Dr. Lauren Adelman. This episode dives into the power of adopting this certification, emphasizing its positive impact on the well-being of the entire veterinary ecosystem: pets, pet parents, and veterinary professionals. They dive into how this new proactive approach can help to decrease stress, overwhelm, and frustration that can come with senior pet care in a holistic way including better communication, decreased stress around finances, managing the emotions and heaviness associated with aging and end of life care, time management, relationships, prioritizing co-morbidities, and more.  Amelia and Lisa also share their personal experiences caring for and losing a senior pet and why adopting a nervous system perspective and fear-free approach is a game changer when caring for aging pets. 

Dr. Lisa Lippman, DVM, is one of the most followed and socially influential veterinarians in the United States. She is nationally respected by media outlets such as Good Morning America, Inside Edition, and Live with Kelly and Ryan as a go-to source for expertise in pet health and safety. 

When not treating some of the most influential pets in the world at Bond Vet she is the co founder of the Senior Dog Veterinary Society as well as the Pet Loss Community and sits on the board of Animal Lighthouse Rescue, whose mission is to help the homeless dogs of Puerto Rico. On top of that, she still finds time to devote to her own dog, the incomparable Herbie.

Resources mentioned:
The Senior Dog Veterinary Society and certification: seniordogvets.com

Instagram:

  • @seniordogvets - Senior and Geriatric Dog Society
  • @drlisalippman - Dr. Lippman
  • @seniordogdoc - Dr. Tarantino
  • @thetinyvet - Dr. Adelman

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Veterinary Well-being resource: www.lifeboost.today/https:

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Disclaimer: The information provided in this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as medical, mental health, or professional advice. I am a certified health and life coach, not a licensed medical or mental health professional. Please consult with a healthcare provider before making any changes to your physical or mental health routines. If you are experiencing a crisis, seek help from a qualified professional or contact emergency services.

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I love to hear from you. You can always reach me at amelia@lifeboost.today.

Welcome to the Life Boost with Amelia podcast where we're changing the narrative around what true health and success look like. They should give you energy, not drain it. I'm your host, Dr. Amelia multi-passionate integrative health and life coach, entrepreneur, and recovered burnout veterinarian. Together, we'll explore the science behind how your brain and body work, including the unconscious mind while also connecting with what your heart needs in order to stand up to the norm of feeling stuck on a hamster wheel-working hard yet feeling exhausted and not where you want to be- and instead live a life that makes you excited to get out of bed in the morning and in love with who you see when you look in the mirror. The reality is if you do what everyone else is doing, you're not going to feel good. Let's break the norm. Hi friend. Today's episode is on a topic that's a really big deal. And whether you're an animal lover, dog parent, or veterinary professional, my hope is that by the end of this episode, you'll share my excitement for this new approach in the way that we care for our senior dogs and you'll be inspired to share this with our community so that we can make this the new norm across the board as quickly as possible. This conversation's about the senior dog and geriatric society and new certification that my guest, Dr. Lisa Lippman co-founded along with Dr. Monica Tarantino and Dr. Lauren Adelman. And what they've created is something really special. There are two reasons that I'm such a huge fan of this. As a vet who experienced and recovered from burnout and now is really passionate about coaching and speaking out on how we can all thrive in and outside of that med, this aligns so well with the vet med unicorn movement that I want to see in our profession, where we are working together and meeting challenges with compassion and curiosity, and a willingness to think outside the box in order to find solutions that prioritize the wellbeing of everyone: pet, pet parent, and veterinary professional, because that's really the only way that we can all thrive. And it also aligns with the nervous system perspective and fear free approach for people and pets that I talk about so much. And that I think is a really crucial piece of creating positive changes in vet med so that it is more sustainable. And then on an even more personal note, I haven't talked about this on the podcast much. But this year I experienced something really hard and that was being on the pet parent side of having my sweet boy Jameson, who I adopted in my second year of vet school. I experienced the frustrations and stress and heartache that comes with seeing your dog getting old and navigating end of life decisions on top of caregiver burden and anticipatory grief. And when I signed up for the senior dog certification, I thought that Jameson was still going to be with me. And unfortunately a few months ago, I had to say goodbye to him before I started the program. But even though he's not physically with me, he has been with me every step of the way in taking this certification. And he taught me so many lessons that have given me such an important perspective in just how important this mission and future that they're creating is. And so I want to dedicate this episode in memory of Jameson. And also for you, if you have a senior dog who is no longer physically with you. These guys stay in our hearts. And this is an example of how experiencing really hard things can lead to something truly beautiful on the other side. So as you listen to this episode, think about how adopting this in every hospital, but also at groomers and boarding facilities, how this is going to help to increase the quality of life and lifespan of not just our senior pets, but for all of us. Because everything is connected and this is such a beautiful example of how when we embrace compassion and curiosity towards ourselves and others. We all thrive. My guest Dr. Lisa Lippman is one of the most followed and socially influential veterinarians in the us. She is nationally respected by media outlets, such as Good Morning America, inside edition, and live with Kelly and Ryan as a go-to source for expertise in pet health and safety. When not treating some of the most influential pets in the world at bond vet, she is the co-founder of the senior dog veterinary society, as well as the pet loss community and sits on the board of animal lighthouse rescue, whose mission is to help the homeless dogs of Puerto Rico. On top of all that she still finds time to devote to her own dog. The incomparable Herbie. enjoy the conversation.

Amelia:

Hello and welcome Dr. Lisa. Thank you so much for being here.

Lisa:

Thanks for having me.

Amelia:

I am so happy to have you here because I am obsessed with the new senior dog certification that you've created along with Dr. Monica Tarantino and Dr. Lauren Adelman, it really is the perfect example of finding a challenge in vet med and the source of stress, and then just being really proactive of finding solutions in a way that supports the well being of the entire ecosystem of vet med. Not just our sweet pets and patients, but also the pet parents and the veterinary team and I love that so much. So I

Lisa:

appreciate what you've done and also this year I experienced being on the pet parents side too

Amelia:

of having my sweet guy who I got in vet school, he was reaching that geriatric point. And so experienced that caregiver burden and the anticipatory grief and choosing when it's time. And so it just feels extra near and dear to my heart, this vision that you have because I can feel so much on both sides how important this is.

Lisa:

Thanks. That means so much to us. I mean, this has definitely been a labor of love. We've been working on it for two years, I think. And um, you know, we're all, Right, we're all pet parents as well as veterinarians and totally get that. And I think that's where so much of our passion comes from. And I was in the same boat, you know, I was just saying my old dog, Chloe, was a geriatric Rhodesian Ridgeback and she passed away almost a year ago, which is crazy. But yeah, I went through all of that too. The anticipatory grief, the caregiver burden, and those were all words even that were new to me, right. Was,

Amelia:

Yeah, me too.

Lisa:

Brief caregiver burden, like before a couple of years ago, I'd really not heard about it or given any credence to it. And so just even sharing with people, there are words that fits this demographic of patient and letting our clients know this can be so validating and and really just life changing for them. So they know that they're not alone. There are words and, actions given to these things. So,

Amelia:

Yeah, that's so true. It's so huge just feeling seen and when you do have those words and it's really not something that's covered at all in vet school and even the euthanasias weren't really. So it is like this whole huge part of vet med that just has not been getting the attention it deserves until now.

Lisa:

And so are, you know, our whole mission at the senior and geriatric doc society is to create a society really where veterinarians can feel open and comfortable asking any questions that they have around geriatrics because we didn't get that course in school, right? Like we did not get a course on geriatrics. It's a whole field in human medicine and we just are completely missing it. And our mission is really to better the lives of, of senior dogs, but in doing that also bettering the lives for veterinarians as well.

Amelia:

Yeah, I love that so much. It's huge having that space to turn, to have support in that community aspect, definitely. And so I'd love to paint a picture really of this beautiful future that is happening in vet med. What does this senior dog culture look like and, and how did this vision come to be?

Lisa:

Yeah. Well, the vision came to be, I mean, if you follow Dr. Monica Tarantino on Instagram, she is the senior dog doc. She has always had a love of senior dogs. She's probably our muse and really everything that we do and our, our impetus and, she's my favorite human. And, we came together on Instagram also when I had an old dog and I said, I just adore you. I love what you're doing. I love old dogs. And then we found Dr Lauren Adelman who felt the same and we all just have this connection over, over old dogs. And so, we took it and, we ran with it. And so we started again, about two years ago with, continuing education credits. So these were credits where we gave talks, where specialists gave talks on things like chronic pain, anesthesia, dental care specific to senior patients. and people took it and they loved it and we thought, we need to do more, so we just created a senior dog certificate where veterinarians, as well as any other veterinary professional, can become senior dog certified. And we're looking to extend this also to anybody in the animal professional care world. So, um, groomers, kennel assistants, anything like that anybody who has a really keen interest in being in the animal space to become senior dog certified And we've got two levels to the course, the first one is a basic learning about senior and geriatric dogs and how we can help them. And the second one is a little bit more specific for veterinarians where we really have our specialists come in and talk about those senior specific diseases, but not just diseases. Like you said, like all of the decisions we have, how do you make a decision for a senior patient when you have, five comorbidities that you're dealing with that at a time? How do you help guide the pet parent to make the appropriate decision, right? Because we're the advocate for the pet. And so I think The future definitely looks more like you said, a little bit more holistic at the senior dog picture in terms of their comfort, their mental well-being, their actual diseases, their quality of life, as well as really considering what the pet parent is going through the caregiver burden, another term that I learned when I was going through chemo with my dog was time toxicity and over 50% of dogs over 10 will develop some form of cancer if pet parents who do the chemo and things like that, there's what's called time toxicity, where you spend, you know, going back and forth to the vet and doing the blood work, doing the follow up care, time that you could be spent living life. You know, that's really important for cancer patients as well. So yeah, I think the future is definitely senior care. I think everybody's getting on this bandwagon, but it's just so needed. Just like, you know, human medicine has

Amelia:

yeah, I completely agree and I do really love so I've completed level one and I'm excited to do level two as well. And I do love what a holistic approach it is. Like, you're absolutely going over the science, but there's also so many great communication tips and you're looking at the pet parent and, and, And I really love the team approach too. I love that this isn't just for veterinarians. Like one of the things I'm doing right now is a workplace satisfaction and wellbeing survey for hospitals. And one of the questions asks what's your perception of priority when it compares the patients, the pet parent, veterinarians and support staff, and consistently the support staff feel like they are the lowest priority. And that's the perception in general, and I feel like this kind of thing is such a cool opportunity for support staff to get really involved in creating positive changes for practices.

Lisa:

Yeah, you hit the nail right on the head. I think Dr. Monica goes into this mostly in her talks, but it really does start with the support staff. One of the things we talk about is really, taking the time to support these senior patients. Yes, there is an aspect of we have to prioritize, when you have a patient with five comorbidities, in an exam room and they come to all at once and everything is urgent at once. We have to prioritize what is the most important and helping pet parents set expectations for that. But All of that starts with our support staff with our we have surveys up

Amelia:

up front even before it gets to the support staff, can you send surveys ahead of time to pet parents understand what their senior dogs needs are in a more efficient manner and can the

Lisa:

support staff help set up the rooms and the exams for senior patients to be successful, making sure that they have accurate appointment time making sure that we address their concerns making sure, for example, if you have an old dog with arthritis, you don't want to be dragging it through the hospital, on a long roundabout route. You want to get it as quickly as possible into a room with your non slip mats and things like that. So definitely, they're going to be a big part of helping us set that patient up for success and advocating for that patient as well.

Amelia:

Yeah, and I love there are so many helpful resources and handouts that you provide throughout the certification, like those surveys of questions to ask even before they're there. And one that I really loved was like, you've broken down for 30 versus 45 minute appointments for these senior and geriatric patients, an example of what could this look like? Like when it's started, who's doing this, how much time does it take? And then what does it look like when the veterinarian and tech come in? And just being so proactive and thoughtful, because I can think of these really stressful scenarios in vet med. It's like a Saturday I'm working double rooms, you know, I'm trying to stay on top of things and I see, Oh great, my next appointment is a wellness appointment thinking I'm going to be able to get ahead and I walk in and maybe it's like a 15 year old chihuahua with a raging heart murmur and Oh by the way, it is peeing and drinking more often and it's hobbling around the room even though the owner isn't really mentioning anything about mobility and You really feel stuck, right? Because I want to be able to be tackling all of that. And I want to be able to be present for them, but then there's that time pressure. And so I think what you, you are all creating with the certification is so great and really trying to be proactive of, for one thing, just not having that happen in the first place, but then also being able to prioritize so that you're not just. Everybody's overwhelmed and not winning, right?

Lisa:

Yeah and that priority is then we've brought Dr. Josh Rosen into this a bit.. And he has incredible if you follow his page, he talks a lot about clinical empathy and something called signposting for pet parents in the exam room where you help them set expectations about what's going to happen. But on the flip side of that, we are really advocating for the fact that we know senior dogs take longer. They do. They're more complex and we advocate for giving them that time for setting up that time, but also charging appropriately in veterinary medicine. I think we're so afraid to charge appropriately for our time and, you know, it's really important that everyone feels valued in that situation and that we can give our all and there are pet parents that are happy to pay for that just to have the extra time And and it's just really critical that we give them that time as well as set expectations and also charge appropriately. I really believe, good medicine is good business. There have been studies that have shown the more time you spend with a client, The more they trust you, also, the more you also remember to recommend things. If you have a quick appointment, you may forget things. So I really do believe good medicine is good business if that's what it comes down to. But obviously our job is to advocate for the patient and just making sure that they have the time that they need. While also being able to set priorities and have them, do their rechecks, et cetera.

Amelia:

Yeah, so many things that you mentioned there. So Dr. Josh Rosen actually was just on the podcast talking all about signposting and clinical empathy. So, yes.

Lisa:

That's That fits so much Yeah. And And starts there because, we really can't address their diseases unless we also address the pet parent and the mental side of things too.

Amelia:

Completely. Yeah. And I love there. There's so many ways that this is helping. Like, finances in vet med can be a source of stress for both sides, right? Especially as they're getting older, there are more and more expenses that maybe they're not anticipating. And then that can be frustrating, you know, on the veterinary side, too, of wanting to be able to help and sometimes feeling like your hands are tied. And so I think, as you're saying, one component of that communication is so huge of developing that trust and just having time with the pet parents. But also, one concept that I really love, like it makes so much sense, but I wasn't doing it or thinking about it, is kind of looking at each stage for our senior and geriatric ones and like signposting kind of in a bigger way of just like I have a spiel for my puppy patients of what to expect.

Lisa:

Exactly.

Amelia:

Starting to have these and helping pet owners to know what to look for and just being so proactive. So, can you speak a little to that? Because I think that's a huge part of

Lisa:

Yeah I talk about that in the lecture that I give but we have so many guidance oriented things that we do for puppies, you know, vaccines at this age and this age and up until this age, heartworm tests and fecals and all of that. And then when it comes to senior dogs, owners are so lost I think and veterinarians are too, right? Do you still give that dog with five core morbidities their vaccines? Do you care about heartworm prevention? All the things like that. So we really need good guidance. to remind people again, Hey, vaccines are important. The last thing you want is for a geriatric dog to, contract heartworm disease or parvo. And it is still very possible. And so keeping up with these things are important, but I think there's so much misinformation and misconception when it comes to old age. And I think you mentioned this, In the email that you sent me, talking about is old age a disease and obviously, we always say old age isn't a disease in the sense that I don't treat old age, right? I treat the arthritis but I do think that it is important to acknowledge that age is a predisposing factor for morbidity and mortality. And we talk a lot about that too with very interestingly, one of our sponsors loyal that's super cool. They're coming out

Amelia:

Yeah.

Lisa:

They're coming out with an FDA approved drug to increase the healthspan and lifespan of dogs, right, because we're not going to increase the lifespan without increasing the healthspan meaning the time that they spend healthy and Disease free. But it's so important to do both of those things. Old age isn't a disease, but it predisposes us to disease and it's important to acknowledge that.

Amelia:

Yeah, and I think this is a really exciting time both in human and animal health of the progress that we are making when it comes to aging. And I think. It's important to kind of bust that myth of this thought of oh, I'm just getting older so, my quality of life is going to be deteriorating.

Lisa:

Yeah, what we don't want is for pet parents to go, Oh, they're just slowing down because there are things we can treat there, right? Is there arthritis happening we can treat or something else we need to be sussing out. So yeah.

Amelia:

yeah, yeah. And I think very early on in the certification course, you talk about a really important differentiation between that chronological age versus biological age, right? And the chronilogical is just how many years old you are. But the biological is like really how that's impacting your body. And that is just so multifactorial. And there are so many things in our power to help to support our patients, like, for example, keeping them at a nice, healthy weight. And I thought it was really interesting a discussion on frailty and how that's something that we are starting to almost be able to score and, and that really is everything right? Because that's that resilience or ability to bounce back after stressors.

Lisa:

Yeah. Yeah, that's a really big one. And I think so many of us can look at a dog that's old and know, quote unquote frail, but not really understand the implications or the importance of that. How to guide pet parents on it. Again, a word that is so validating because now we can put a name to it and treat it and have power over it. I think. Yeah, frailties and it was also a new concept to me, in digging about all of this and seeing all of the research that there is again on the human side. But I've never once heard a veterinarian mention frailty to me. And so I think that's huge. And all of that gives us, more power to help treat our patients, help our clients and do the best that we can for them.

Amelia:

Yeah, yeah, and to put it into perspective, one quote that I found so interesting in the lecture is just talking about people and it was saying like a typical 50 year old woman even completely curing all forms of cancer would likely only increase her life expectancy by a few years, whereas the aging process itself, comparable to what they've already been doing with lab animals, could yield like 15 to 20 extra years of life. So this is so exciting, like with that new FDA approved medication you said coming out, and if we can be even having our brain filter, even looking for those signs of frailty, I think that's Really exciting what we could be doing for our patients.

Lisa:

Yeah and then figuring out how to work with it, reverse it treat it. Yeah, because, you'll hear Dr. Brendan McKenzie, who's a part of loyal will talk about how age it's a modifiable factor for increased risk of morbidity and mortality. And so that's what they're trying to do, which we're all trying to do. But of course, a little silver bullet never hurts.

Amelia:

Really. Absolutely. Yeah. And as I was thinking about this conversation and the frailty, I was thinking it's really interesting how in a way what you're doing for vet med as a whole is helping to decrease the frailty of our profession. You are really helping to Increase that resilience by helping to create that fear free approach for everyone creating that safety and support and that is important for our life expectancy within this profession, and

Lisa:

Totally. it has

Amelia:

the power of really helping to make cases that maybe sometimes feel overwhelming, whether we have imposter syndrome or feel like we don't have enough time or are overwhelmed with that seemingly high maintenance senior pet parent. It has this potential to take something that could be stressful and draining and actually make it a really fulfilling, empowering part of our job.

Lisa:

Yeah, definitely. I think one of the things that fear free does so well for our profession is I think our profession, we suffer a lot from moral injury, right? Knowing what the right thing is to do, but having our hands tied from doing it. And it used to be that in veterinary medicine, right? We were just like, get it done no matter what, right? Just hold the animal down. And if you were the one who didn't like doing that, it was like you just had to get it done. And now fear free has changed all of that and given us, power to say, Hey, this Will help us get it done more efficiently, in a better way for our patients, in a better way for our clients. And we're really trying to do that, with the senior dog, so I don't think I said this yet, but you took the words outta my mouth, is that we're really like the fear free of senior dogs. But not only do we talk about the behavioral aspect of it and, mental health side of things we also go, for veterinarians who are really interested, do the deep dive into all of the ologies, so anesthesiology, oncology, neurology, pain management, things like that. And just things where. Yeah. There's just so much to go over and to be done in so many things that we can improve. And we aim to start the senior pet revolution just like fear free did. Yeah.

Amelia:

Yeah,

Lisa:

thank you for mentioning that

Amelia:

absolutely. Yeah, I can really see that of looking for both that mental and physical pain and and really taking that empathy approach of trying to be in their shoes, whether that's the pet parent. I really love how you give lots of tips on how to be proactive in creating a room that's comfortable for them you know, those pets are having those decreased senses, whether that's, like a yoga mat and also really thought it was helpful with the restraining techniques that you go over because these senior pets, it may be really uncomfortable. And I think sometimes that's just not even on our radar of that, the typical way of holding may be uncomfortable. And yet. Even for a nail trim, right? If we're just holding, we think that if they're trying to pull away, then they're just being difficult. When in reality that could just be that they,

Lisa:

If we're cranking on that pet with arthritis and they're, fighting us, there may be something more happening there. So how can we even avoid that to begin with? I think that was my lecture. Is that my lecture? I think that's my lecture you're talking about.

Amelia:

I think so. I loved it. Yeah.

Lisa:

and yeah, we actually have an incredible veterinary technician, Alyssa, who demonstrates in video form different ways to handle senior pets. and avoid scenarios. So yeah, thanks

Amelia:

Yeah. Yeah. I love it. And is there one that you would want to share now, like for anyone listening that you feel like people should really be thinking about when it comes to

Lisa:

hmm, there's so much, that's such a good question, there's so much you know, I think we've touched on so much of it which is the pre-appointment surveys that we hand out can make you so much more efficient in your clinic, making sure of the layout in your clinic so we're not dragging these pets with a million comorbidities through the hospital so they don't have to walk super far. They're not exposed to diseases because they are more susceptible. And then, no, I think all the techniques are equally amazing. And of course it's going to be, really patient dependent and specific. And because I think one of the things you touched on earlier that Dr. Monica also talks about is we classify our seniors to early classic or super senior. And that's the thing with again, biological versus chronological aging is you can have the senior, And depending on the size of the dog too, that makes a big difference. So you could have a senior Chihuahua at 12 years old and they look like they're ready to, go out and be part of the all star football team. And they're just out there living life and doing great and they you can have a different 12 year old Chihuahua or a Great Dane that's going to be more on the geriatric side of things and that's on those factors that we're really trying to distinguish and identify to help us so we can treat them as individuals and also, treat them appropriately. So,

Amelia:

Yeah, yeah, I love that so much. And then also thinking about in general, like you said, it can be so individual with the restraining and stuff, but just having that thought process of thinking, okay, These pets probably, you know, maybe they're not having hearing or they're not able to see as well, maybe they are arthritic, and so just having that in mind as we're interacting with them I think is so helpful And then on the pet parent side, I think it is so valuable to be having these words and to be thinking about like the anticipatory grief or the caregiver burden because I think it is so valuable to be having these words and to be thinking about like the anticipatory grief or the caregiver burden because Sometimes we can have clients coming in and they can be in that fight stress response, right? Like they can just be very short and seem very frustrated or rude. And think it's always helpful just having that nervous system perspective of that's just someone who is experiencing something that's feeling really hard or overwhelming in their own life. And especially with these communication tips that you share, you know, these are ways of really connecting with an owner and finding out how is their aging pet really affecting their own quality of life and impacting their stress and looking for ways to support them. When, when you think about like the pet parent side, are there certain things that you think are most important for us as a veterinary team to be thinking about?

Lisa:

Yeah, I think that, I think we laugh because the old joke is, we went into veterinary medicine because we like pets and not humans. And that's just come totally and completely untrue. We know that better than anybody who've been working in the profession. And so it is really important to treat the client as well as the pet. And If it takes a toll on them and they're not going to be able to be compliant or they're not going to be able to provide their care for their animal as best as they can, that takes a toll on everybody's quality of life. And then everybody suffers. So it is so important to have all of these things in mind where we can give them the words for how they're feeling and not only validate their feeling but saying oh hey, you're having anticipatory grief there's a word for this and you're not alone and there are resources that can help you we guide them to. Obviously not the focus of this podcast but Dr. Monica and I also cofounded a pet loss and grief community where we deal a lot with caregiver burden and anticipatory grief. And there are resources out there now. And so it all just comes together and helps a pet parent, I would say identify it, validate it, give them resources for it and that's just life changing. We didn't have any of that. I've been practicing for 11 years and until I did a deep dive into this and until Dr. Monica and I created it, we didn't have any of that, and especially that's true around, senior dog specific and focused care where we can sit down and say they're different and they deserve a different kind of attention. And that's where there's a whole board certification around it in human medicine. Yeah.

Amelia:

Yeah, and I think that is so important for pet parents listening is knowing that there are so many great resources that you have created. I love your Instagram account. You share some of the best resources that I continue to turn people to including the post on different organizations that can help with vet bills. And you just recently had another great post on how to decide if something's a true emergency or if it's just urgent. And I know with, pet parents that I've been talking to who have heard about this certification, they're like, where can I find vets who are having this approach? So you are going to be having a resource. Is that right? Where a pet parent can search to find a hospital or practice.

Lisa:

We have it, it's up. We have a directory where pet parents can find senior dog certified veterinarians. So if they're interested in finding a veterinarian who has a special interest in senior pets and has taken this extra step to become senior dog certified and learn how they can make their senior pets more comfortable, then go to our directory. I. Yeah we have, I think over a hundred now listed it's just growing like crazy. Definitely please check that out if you're interested for your pet and finding a veterinarian who just loves seniors. Cause really, I think we are a special breed. there's many of us, but I think we're special.

Amelia:

Absolutely. Yeah, it's so nice to have a vet that just loves those little crunchy guys, right?

Lisa:

exactly. And wants to delve into the comorbidities with you and the, the hard things that come with that. And chances are they get it and they love seniors because they've been a senior pet parent themselves and they know how incredibly special it is. And, what's crazy to me is, dogs spend far more time in their senior years. We start thinking about seniors for some breeds that like six years old, six, seven years old, depending on breed and size and, particular dog. Whereas, their puppies for, One, one to maybe two years, we can start with really up to a year, I think. And then they spend far more time in their golden years than they do as puppies, but we have so many more protocols, so much more attention paid and we're going to change that.

Amelia:

that's so true. And having been on the pet owner side, I know there can be that element of denial too, you know? Like, I, knew that I wanted to be proactive with keeping Jameson, my guy, comfortable, but He did also experience canine cognitive dysfunction and that really gradual decline and that can be hard. And so I love that this is just so about being proactive and really asking questions early and setting expectations and also helping the pet parents to plan, whether that's Financially or emotionally and mentally preparing. I think, yeah, that's such an interesting point that you point out of how short of a period the puppy period really is compared to that aging process. So, I'm curious, if you could wave a magic wand, are there, like, three changes that you wish could, instantly happen with, like, all veterinary practices have adopt or pet parents when it comes to the senior dog approach?

Lisa:

I'd say immediately off the bat to know that, again age isn't a disease, right? We don't treat old age, but there are things that come with old age that we can treat for pet parents, and please seek out a veterinarian who is interested in senior dog and, geriatric care. And we, we have that now available to us. I would say the other thing is for veterinarians to know that it really is important to take that extra time with your senior, pet parents to schedule the time, charge appropriately, train your staff and just be prepared in your clinic to make the experience overall, a way better one. Third one. Let's see. What do you think? Do you have anything that you think pops out at you After taking the course?

Amelia:

yeah, I mean, I think the one that I think is most important is having that brain filter on looking at things from the eyes of both the pet and the pet parent. And I think that is just a game changer in the way that we are interacting with them and handling them with compassion and curiosity instead of frustration It's

Lisa:

a really powerful one, Amelia. I think that and obviously, I think this is what you do. So there's no surprise there that you would come up with that. But it's very powerful because when we change our thoughts, we change our actions. And I think it's even in the most subtle ways, so I have a puppy now and we're doing cooperative care. He needs surgery on his eye and he's going to be having eyedrops. So I'm trying to teach him to allow me to, for him to be a part of his care, to allow me to place eyedrops so I don't have to fight with him and it's not stressful. And part of the training. It's just so ever going so slowly, like picking up my hand by his eye so that he can see this will come, but then you get a treat for it. And it's a good thing. And it's a good thing that's coming. But before I pick up my hand, even I have to go in such tiny, slow motions. The trainer says to me, just think about picking up your hand. Just think about it. Just the slightest movement, just think about it..

Amelia:

Yeah.

Lisa:

And just even thinking about it is enough, you know, to be apart of that training, changing that mindset, even having the language, any of it, if you change nothing else in your practice, if you do nothing else for these guys, if you just listen and learn the language, you will change your actions. Obviously we can't change everything all at once overnight as much as we would love for everybody to book longer appointments and charge Appropriately and have all the specialists at their fingertips or have the resources to be able to do everything It won't be possible to do everything but you're right It starts with changing our thoughts and our actions will follow

Amelia:

Yeah, it really is so powerful and I do love that even though these changes can't happen overnight. I do feel like you all have really provided a lot of resources for a clear road map and to make it as Easy as possible to be making these changes.

Lisa:

Yeah, we've worked really hard on just providing a ton of PDFs and resources and things like that so that you don't have to go look it up on your own and, be on your own and we want you to get real true value out of being certified.

Amelia:

Yeah, I can't emphasize enough. It's absolutely worthwhile. Definitely. So many great, it's just That brain power, right? Of like having to create those PDFs or anything, just having them. It's great. So I want to be respectful of your time. So I have a couple closing questions. One question that I like to ask everyone, because I think it gets to the root of what really Matters is when do you feel most alive?

Lisa:

I think probably no surprise. Oh, I would say lately in the morning when Alexa goes off, the puppy just is It's like he hasn't seen us in a year, all of a sudden he gets so excited and he jumps on us and he gives us kisses and that's the best time. I would say the other time, like in normal life, would be on like trail walks, maybe. I love that.

Amelia:

Yes.

Lisa:

trail walk with a dog. So I think those two.

Amelia:

I love those. Yeah. Happy puppies and being out in nature doesn't get better than that.

Lisa:

Hello. Do you want to say hello?

Amelia:

Oh my gosh. The cutest,

Lisa:

stinky. I don't recommend puppy to anybody. I don't recommend it, but yeah, he's here. He's what we call what Dr. Monica calls young crust.

Amelia:

young crust,

Lisa:

he's hi buddy. Why are you staying in like this? Oh, you're a good boy.

Amelia:

And for those listening, he is just the cutest little Cavalier puppy.

Lisa:

Young crust, and I can't wait until he's really old and crusty. So, um, but in the morning, he's been very cute. Okay. That's that's more like him. He's not really cuDdly..

Amelia:

and definitely love for you to cover where people can find you, how they can sign up for the certification, and also is there anything else that you want to share you feel like is important to cover?

Lisa:

I can't believe how much we have covered. I thank you. Thank you for taking the course and, remembering such amazing poignant examples. We are on Instagram@seniordogvets, and I would say definitely follow Dr. Monica at@seniordogdocs. I'm at@drlisalippman, Dr. Lauren Adelman's@thetinyvet and yeah, we all provide, different resources, but come find us at the senior and geriatric doc society. We're going to have also really cute, chic swag coming out. And

Amelia:

I've been seeing those. They look great.

Lisa:

yeah it's going to be really cute. That's it. Come find us at seniorDogVets. com and you can find everything about the certification there. But if you have literally any questions, reach out to any one of us. So we're happy to answer at any time

Amelia:

Yeah. Absolutely follow all of them. You all have such great accounts and share such great information and

Lisa:

same for you. But obviously everybody listening knows. Yeah.

Amelia:

Thank you. I so appreciate your time and just for sharing this beautiful vision and thing that you have created. I know it's going to create such positive changes in the vet profession and outside of it.

Lisa:

That means so much to us. You are one of us, and we just adore you, and we thank you for being as enthusiastic as we are about all of this. It means a lot. Thank you.

Amelia:

You're so welcome. Awesome.

Lisa:

Okay, thanks. Bye.

I hope you enjoy today's episode. We covered a lot. So take a moment to think about what is one action you want to take, or one thing you want to focus on from this episode this week? And as a reminder, the three life boosts, CS compassion, curiosity, and connection will always help you to move forward in a way that feels good. And so compassion. Compassion has to start with yourself, putting your own oxygen mask on first. And thinking about what you need in order to support yourself so that you have the patience and energy and resilience to take care of these aging pets. And then when it comes to pet parents, especially as veterinary professionals, having compassion for what the pet parent may be going through. They may seem high maintenance or irritable or rude, and that isn't personal. Just keeping in mind that at home, they may be dealing with a lot of stressors that come with the increased demands and changes of having an aging pet. And if we can acknowledge some of those challenges that they don't always even have words for, that can help them to feel so supported. And then of course, having compassion for our senior pets, their bodies are changing and sometimes their minds are as well. And so the more proactive we can be in supporting them in a way that feels good for them in this season of life, like being mindful of signs of pain or discomfort, being compassionate when they are maybe having changes in energy, maybe not able to do walks in the way that they used to be able to. A compassionate eye is such a game changer for all of us. And then curiosity when something isn't working or it's feeling hard, getting curious, why isn't it working and what needs to change? For example, if senior pet visits tend to be really stressful or draining, Why specifically and what needs to happen? Like, if you always feel rushed, increasing appointment times and charging accordingly can help or learn to prioritize instead of feeling pressure to tackle absolutely everything in one visit. Or maybe learning more about a topic that you don't feel super confident in. I just took the anesthesia lecture in level two of the senior doc certification. And it is so good, highly recommended. Or curiosity, say you have a senior pet that seems like it's being difficult for a nail trim. Instead getting curious of maybe the way that you are holding their paw is uncomfortable and they're not actually trying to be difficult. They're just in pain. And then connection. When things feel overwhelming, we're often in survival mode and focused on this moment and just getting through the day. But if we zoom out and look at the big picture, we can see how making changes to be proactive in supporting our senior pets can actually lead to sustainable success in so many ways. Like more trust and better relationships with pet parents, positive reviews because our pet parents actually feel really supported, less financial frustrations because we're being proactive and setting expectations for owners, and a happier veterinary team for better retention and ultimately increased profitability Because we're near being proactive instead of reactive and operating in survival mode that ultimately ends up saving so much time and energy and money that may be wasted on mistakes and frustrated clients and not enough time to educate on the importance of the things that we recommend. And connection is also about connecting with each other. And when we prioritize the wellbeing of everyone, the pet parent, the pet and the veterinary team, that helps us all to have so much more meaningful connections so that we can support one another in really thriving. It's such a beautiful future that they're creating with this senior pet certification. And I hope that you become a part of it. And if you're excited about your veterinary hospital adopting this approach. My free workplace satisfaction and will being survey available for all veterinary practices is such a cool way of being able to collect data about how impactful these kinds of changes are. So you can have everyone on your team take this survey to get a baseline on your overall workplace satisfaction and wellbeing, make some changes to be more proactive with your senior dog care, and then you can repeat the survey and see what a powerful impact that has had on everybody's wellbeing, not just the senior pet. To learn more and sign up, you can visit www.life boost.today/unicorn hospital survey. I'll also leave the link in the show notes. As well as the other free resources and coaching programs available to support. your wellbeing. Cheers your inevitable health happiness and success