Dr. Ernie Ward and Beckie Mossor, MPA, RVT, have co-hosted their award-winning weekly veterinary podcast since 2016.
Each week, they “tackle the toughest topics in veterinary medicine,” highlighting controversial issues and trending news, introducing veterinary key opinion leaders and provocateurs, and offering solutions to the myriad challenges facing the veterinary profession.
Latest Podcast
Latest Podcast Episodes - Click to Listen
Animal Hoarding with Dr. Jill Kirk - What Veterinary Professionals Need to Know and Do
There are approximately 900-2,000 cases of animal hoarding in the U.S. each year, affecting over 250,000 animals. Dr. Jill Kirk is on the front lines of the war against animal abuse, neglect, and hoarding. Host Dr. Ernie Ward along with Dr. Cyndie Courtney and Beckie Mossor, RVT, talk with Dr. Kirk about animal hoarding, how to recognize the common signs of abuse and neglect, and steps any veterinary professional can take. This is an important conversation for any veterinary team member and animal advocate.
Veterinary Technology, Telemedicine & App Pioneer Dr. Philippe Moreau
This week we meet an OG veterinary entrepreneur and innovator, Dr. Philippe Moreau from France. Dr. Moreau is double-boarded in Neurology and Internal Medicine, published author and award-winning speaker, serial entrepreneur, and has pioneered much of the technology, telemedicine, and apps that claim to be “new” today. Veterinarians Ernie Ward and Cyndie Courtney discuss Philippe’s story, his vision for telemedicine, and this latest innovation, My Buddy Pet App, an incredibly rich client education, appointment scheduler, and telemedicine app. This conversation covers Philippe’s 40-year career, and gives incredible insight into the mind of a true innovator and entrepreneur.
Tripawds.com - Helping 3-Legged Pets - Jim Nelson and René Agredano
Cancer. Amputation. Two words that strike fear in many pet owners' hearts. This week we're joined by the founders of Tripawds.com, a website community dedicated to helping pet owners facing limb amputation and other ambulatory challenges in dogs and cats. Host veterinarians Ernie Ward and Cyndie Courtney, along with registered veterinary technician Beckie Mossor, talk with Jim Nelson and René Agredano about why they started Tripawds.com, how they made it a sustainable business, and future trends in pet care, especially pet cancer treatments. They discuss the rising cost of cancer care, the importance of pet health insurance, and potential pet owner guilt when it comes to confronting cancer. You don't want to miss their inspiring story!
Facebook Safety, Secret Groups, & Online Client Confidentiality
With the recent Facebook/Cambridge Analytica controversy, many veterinary professionals have been concerned and confused about their online safety and the privacy of their client communications. This week veterinarians Ernie Ward and Cyndie Courtney, and veterinary technician Beckie Mossor explore Facebook usage by veterinary clinics, whether or not Facebook Messenger and other social media interactions are potentially violating veterinarian-client confidentiality, how safe and secure (or not?) are Facebook Secret Groups, and debate the question of should veterinary staff members and clients be Facebook friends.
Veterinary Staff Unionization, A Different Perspective on VNI, and Pet Medical Marijuana with Liz Hughston, RVT
This week we’re delighted to share the microphone with registered veterinary technician specialist, Liz Hughston, MEd., RVT, CVT, VTS (SAIM, ECC). Host veterinarians Ernie Ward and Cyndie Courtney and registered veterinary technician Beckie Mossor embark on a wide-ranging discussion about veterinary staff unionization and collective bargaining, Liz offers her perspective on the Veterinary Nurse Initiative (VNI), and the quartet discuss pet medical marijuana / CBD / cannabis usage. This podcast is a little longer than normal, but I think you’ll want to stick around for the entire conversation!
Cooperative Veterinary Care: A New Way of Working with Animals - Monique Feyrecilde, LVT, VTS (Behavior)
Cooperative Veterinary Care is the latest concept to help make veterinary patients more comfortable during examinations, testing, and treatments. This week host veterinarians Ernie Ward and Cyndie Courtney, and registered veterinary technician Beckie Mossor are joined by Monique Feyrecilde, LVT, VTS (Behavior). Monique is co-author of a new book debuting this week, Cooperative Veterinary Care with Alicea Howell.
Creativity for Veterinary Professionals: Walks, Rest, Mushrooms & More!
Imagination, curiosity, and creativity are essential traits, attributes, and skills for successful veterinary professionals (and people). This week host veterinarians Ernie Ward an Cyndie Courtney along with registered veterinary technician Beckie Mossor explore the creative side of veterinary medicine. The trio traverse Thoreau’s take on inspiration and creativity, share tales of imaginative solutions discovered in exam rooms, surgical suites, and strapped onto turtle shells, and simple steps to encourage your creativity. Dr. Ward reveals what a nootropic stack is, shares some of his favorite freaky supplements and rituals, and the gang goes bonkers over people who shut down ideas. This episode is entertaining, educational, and maybe a little weird when Ernie gets in his infrared sauna to meditate and take mushroom extracts. (Joking).
MONEY! What do veterinary professionals do when a client can’t afford the cost of pet care? Are we providing the best veterinary medical care at an affordable price? How do we deal with situations when a client can’t - or won’t - pay for “gold standard care?” Do payment plans work? Should veterinary technicians discuss billing and pricing with clients? Those are a few of the topics our trio tackle this week. Host veterinarians Ernie Ward and Cyndie Courtney along with registered veterinary technician Beckie Mossor share their experiences and insights in confronting cost of care controversies in veterinary practice.
Does National Pet Dental Month Matter Anymore? with Veterinary Dental Specialist Dr. Heidi Lobprise
Does National Pet Dental Month Matter Anymore? Since 1995, veterinarians have celebrated National Pet Dental Month each February. But has the "holiday" lost its luster? Veterinary dental specialist Dr. Heidi Lobprise weighs in with host Drs. Ernie Ward and Cyndie Courtney along with Beckie Mossor, RVT. The group discuss why veterinary dentistry still isn't being prominently featured in most veterinary school curricula, the role and future of veterinary technicians in pet dentistry, Dr. Lobprise's 2-week dental recheck strategy, and why veterinary professionals should be talking more about chronic inflammation (CI) in our pet patients.
Dealing with Angry Veterinary Clients
You know what we’re talking about because you deal with them, too. Angry, upset, threatening and irate veterinary clients can damage team morale, cause unbearable stress, and adversely affect patient care and client service (for our nice clients). This week, our hosts tackle how they deal with irate clients, how to spot a “secretly angry” client, and steps your team can take to help prevent conflict in the future. Drs. Ernie Ward and Cyndie Courtney along with Beckie Mossor, RVT share stories from their practice lives (Dr. Ward’s gun battles! Beckie witnesses trashed lobby TV’s!), offer advice on addressing anger in the exam room, and explain why “Firing Clients” may not be the correct terminology nor professional mindset we should be using. This is a wide-ranging, highly informative, and provocative conversation your entire practice team should consider listening to as a group. Bonus points if you identify and explain Dr. Ward’s musical choice this week!
LBGT Issues in the Veterinary Profession, Medical Marijuana, and How Human Feet Led Stephen Cital, RVT to Find His Passion in Veterinary Medicine
This week we are thrilled to be joined by the extraordinary and accomplished registered veterinary technician, Stephen Cital, RVT. Stephen shares his journey from human medicine to laboratory animal medicine, veterinary anesthesia, and why he loves his job more than ever. We also discuss the issues faced by the LGBT community in the veterinary profession, solutions and suggestions to help make our profession more inclusive, and how to spot — and avoid — some of the common everyday pitfalls practitioners fall into with a diverse workforce. This is a high energy conversation you do not want to skip!
It’s the time of year when veterinary clinics revisit their staff policies, but how do you implement them without creating chaos or resentment? In this week’s episode of “The Veterinary Viewfinder,” Dr. Ernie Ward and Beckie Mosser, MPA, RVT, dive into the challenges of rolling out new rules, such as sick leave policies, PTO usage, and vacation time, in a way that ensures fairness and team cohesion.
The co-hosts explore common pitfalls in policy implementation, such as reactionary rule-making after isolated incidents such as “sick-outs” and chronic absenteeism, and explain why sudden, poorly communicated policy changes can erode trust. They also discuss the importance of balancing structure with empathy and emphasize collaborative approaches to decision-making that involve the entire team.
The episode also unpacks why policies requiring sick employees to provide doctor’s notes can send a harmful message of distrust and why flexible, inclusive guidelines create a healthier workplace culture. Dr. Ward and Beckie share real-world stories of successful—and unsuccessful—policy rollouts, offering actionable tips to help veterinary managers make thoughtful, equitable decisions.
If you’re a practice owner, manager, or team member, tune in to learn how to create policies that support your team while keeping your clinic running smoothly. Let’s make 2024 the year of fair, effective policies in veterinary medicine!