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Well, welcome everyone to Buying
Local the podcast. 

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I'm your host Mike Nelson from 5
Towers Media and joined today by

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Susan from Just Cats. 
And Susan, I'll let you 

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introduce yourself here in a 
minute. 

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Excited to talk about a few 
things. 

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We had you guys on the show. 
I want to say it was God, was it

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back in August, July, July, 
Yeah, talking about the big move

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and what you have done. 
So we're going to talk about 

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that. 
So Susan, if you don't mind, 

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just go ahead and introduce 
yourself and your practice. 

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Sure. 
Susan Ciculi just Katz 

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Veterinary Clinic has been my 
passion for the last 31 years 

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now. 
I just had an anniversary, yeah,

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in October. 
Craziness. 

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And yeah, the move went amazing.
It was so seamless, I guess in a

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cool way, you know, we went from
such a small space to now a very

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large space. 
And it, it's the, the layout and

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the opportunity for having a 
space for everything in, in that

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new, new Mechanicville location 
has been wonderful. 

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And the response for the most 
part from our clients has been 

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great. 
You know, I understand the 

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people that live in downtown 
Saratoga. 

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I have made your commute a 
little bit farther, but I'm just

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telling you it's worth the trip 
because the space is wonderful. 

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The rooms are very quiet. 
It was built for urgent care 

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for, you know, Albany and urgent
care. 

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And so they put extra insulation
in every one of those rooms. 

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So it's so and it's like perfect
for a cat practice, right? 

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Like we like quiet. 
We cats don't like to hear other

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cats and all. 
Of them. 

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So, so 31 years, that's a big 
anniversary. 

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I mean you, you've crossed the 
three decade mark. 

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That's right. 
You know, I'd love to know, you 

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know, maybe just tell us a 
little bit about how the 

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practice has changed over those 
3 plus decades. 

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Yeah, yeah, a lot. 
Not only the number of, you 

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know, people that now work with 
me, but just the practices we 

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do. 
I have to admit, way back when I

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handled cats differently, right?
Like we now know how to wrap 

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them in a towel and not stretch 
them out and do things that we, 

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we now go, Oh my goodness, we 
did that back then. 

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So that part has changed. 
And then the medicines changed, 

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right? 
We've, we have new advances, 

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especially this past year or 
two, very new. 

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So and I think back then I just 
opened it because I really 

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wanted a space for cats that 
they didn't mind, didn't worry 

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about the dogs barking, right? 
Like that was really my reason 

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for opening it. 
Now I realize it's more than 

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that, right? 
It's more than it's a just cat 

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place. 
We know more about cats. 

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We know how to handle them 
better. 

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And we also have the latest and 
up upcoming kinds of things to 

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practice. 
Yes, it's interesting that, you 

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know, I never really thought 
about it until this moment as 

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far as your practice goes. 
But I know like every time that 

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I go to the vet and I'm bringing
one of the dogs in and if you 

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walk into the waiting room and 
you see someone with a cat, 

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you're like, oh, no, here we go.
Right. 

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Like is this gonna be a 
situation right now? 

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They're like they're arch 
nemesis, you know, they're 

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they're natural enemies. 
So it's so it's always a an 

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interesting excitement that can 
be added to a vet visit when 

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you're when you're it's. 
A good word challenge. 

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Yeah, yeah. 
So that nice new quiet space 

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sounds great. 
And you know, I'm you mentioned 

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that the medicines change. 
I'm just curious any and 

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specifically you said in the 
last year or two had is AI 

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having anything to do with, with
that kind those kind of changes?

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I mean, are you guys integrating
any of that kind of stuff yet 

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into your practice or? 
Yeah, I, I think it just comes 

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from a veterinary part though, 
not just a cat only place. 

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But yeah, we, we now use a 
assistant in the room. 

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We are using one called Scribble
Vet, but it is becomes our 

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dictator. 
What's the word? 

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So they take notes for me, my 
mind is going blank from it, but

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they, they, so they're in the 
room along with my assistant and

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they're helping so that all the 
record keeping is being 

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concisely recorded. 
So that's been wonderful. 

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We are starting to see it on the
other side in the behind the 

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scenes. 
Radiology readings are now 

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becoming more common, cytology, 
and we're using it even in the 

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urine samples, those kind of 
things, all AI improved. 

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I mean, quite a difference from 
31 years ago, huh? 

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When you were. 
Probably. 

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Rewriting all your notes and 
absolutely. 

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You know. 
Doing cultures under microscopes

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and. 
Yeah, right. 

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Well, back to 31 years ago. 
Handwritten, you know, records 

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for everything. 
And yeah, are are. 

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Yeah. 
Are are veterinarians known for 

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sloppy handwriting like doctors 
are? 

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I know that's. 
Little bit, yeah. 

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You get those handwritten ones 
now and you're like, I don't 

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know what that says. 
What? 

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Did that actually say, yeah, 
exactly. 

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And I know, so I know one of the
things we want to talk about 

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today too, talking about 
changing technology is you have 

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a new laser therapy. 
Yes, Yep. 

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Cold laser therapy. 
Yep. 

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And they use it on the human 
side, a cold laser. 

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So it's not a heat laser. 
So it's not used for cutting. 

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It is a shorter wavelength and 
hence a ability to increase 

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blood supply and energy to 
specific areas of the body. 

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And so we're seeing some really 
good responses from the cats on 

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both arthritis, urinary issues. 
We've even had somewhere they 

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have some chronic sinusitis or 
infections of their sinuses and 

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that's been helpful and we're 
starting to use it even just 

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some acupuncture points there. 
It's not as it's more tolerated,

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I suppose having to put a needle
in it. 

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So it's. 
Yeah, So what is? 

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What does the setup look like 
for the? 

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Is it a machine or is it like it
is a? 

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Machine, Yep, it's a smaller 
portable machine which is makes 

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it nice so we can move it right 
into the room where the cat and 

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the owner are and then it's. 
You do have to wear specific 

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glasses when the laser is being 
used 'cause it does emit a a 

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light that you don't want to get
near your eyes. 

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So we do have glasses that we 
put on and then the machine 

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itself calibrates to the 
specific area that we're using. 

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And it's a timed. 
And so you put the laser or you 

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distribute the laser cone over 
top of the area. 

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Say it's got some hip arthritis 
and you go back and forth. 

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You don't want to ever have it 
stay in one place because it 

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could then burn from that 
standpoint. 

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But you've got, you want to 
gently rock it back and forth or

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place it along that hip area. 
And it does. 

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If you know, if you feel it 
later, it will emit a bit of a 

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warmth to it because again, it's
stimulating that energy in the 

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area, but it's helping from a 
deeper from tissue standpoint 

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than you can do with just cold, 
you know, just a heating 

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blanket. 
Yeah, that's fascinating. 

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It's great. 
Yeah, I it's, you know, I always

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wonder when I hear about things 
like this, like, how did this 

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idea even come to fruition, 
right? 

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Like, like someone sit around 
and I think we could, you know, 

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help a, help a cat with hip 
arthritis with this, with this 

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cold. 
Like how does that even? 

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It started actually I think more
on the horses and to be honest, 

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you know, some of that Yep, has 
has transpired down. 

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So it starts on a large animal 
portion and goes, OK, we can use

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this on every animal and they 
use it on people too. 

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You know PT Physical therapy has
its uses also on the human side.

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Yeah, that's very cool. 
And again, not, not even 

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something that I would think 
about as far as my cats go, 

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right. 
Like right, it, it's and you 

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know, you were talking about 
like the new therapy, talking 

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about some of the changes over 
the last 31 years. 

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You know, what are some other 
things that you've seen in the 

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last few years, maybe five years
for for cat medicine that really

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has been a game changer, kind of
similar to that. 

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I think for us lately there are 
some therapies related to 

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diabetes in cats. 
And in the past when they got 

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the diagnosis of diabetic, the 
only option was a injections 

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that you would have to give them
twice a day. 

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And now there are some oral 
medications that you can give as

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a tablet or a liquid once a day.
And it's quite effective. 

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And it has definitely changed 
how we now approach our diabetic

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cats, which is a great news for 
that because that was such a 

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game changer. 
If you think about it, you know,

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your cat's on insulin twice a 
day, pretty close to 12 hours 

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apart. 
You have to give that cat 

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insulin every day. 
And so, you know, it really 

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affects your quality of life 
along with your ads. 

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And then the idea is how do you 
then make sure that that cat's 

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regulated? 
So we did a whole lot of 

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checking glucoses throughout the
day or, you know, bringing them 

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in and getting glucose profiles 
way back when. 

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Now we don't have to do that 
with this oral medication. 

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It has very much improved the 
ability to stabilize these cats 

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without the extensive use of of 
insulin. 

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Yeah, that is very interesting. 
I did not realize that cats got 

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diabetes. 
Is that something that's more 

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common than it used to be, or is
it? 

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I think we have it. 
I, I probably see it more 'cause

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I see so many cats, right? 
You know, in the, in the cat dog

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world, I think dogs get insulin 
probably more commonly than 

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cats. 
So you hear about the dogs more 

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from a dog and cat perspective 
in a mixed practice. 

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But yeah, we see some, you know,
it's not the, it's not 

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everything, but. 
Yeah, yeah. 

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It's just really interesting to 
me. 

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I, you know, with people close 
to me that have diabetes, so 

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I'm, I'm familiar, pretty 
familiar with, with it. 

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It's, I'm just curious like, how
do you, you know, like for 

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humans, obviously there's things
like CGMS and wearables for 

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glucose monitoring and, and, and
apps on people's phones so that 

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they can keep an eye on their 
sugars. 

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I like in it sounds like with 
this oral medicine that is now 

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available you the monitoring of 
the blood sugar is less, but I'm

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just like, how would you do that
before? 

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Like, how would you have to? 
Like they probably weren't doing

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this at home, I take it? 
Some cats were, so again, going 

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back years ago, right? 
We would just periodically check

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them, we'd bring them into the 
clinic for the most part, which 

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is always challenging because 
their glucose goes up just from 

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stress of coming in, right? 
So now we're like, OK, well, is 

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it the diabetes or is it the 
stress from the cat? 

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And then later on we've 
discovered the ear tip is a good

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way instead of pricking the hand
like they do in people, the ear 

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tip. 
So we do show our clients how to

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you know, get get a glucose 
reading at home using little 

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monitors. 
But then we also do have ones 

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where we apply that to the we 
shave an area and apply the 

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constant monitor the human form 
and the client can get that at 

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home also. 
Interesting. 

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And I, you know, when I say 
about the oral medication, it 

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unfortunately is not perfect. 
And there are some cats if they 

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have higher ketones in their 
bloodstream, then we do have to 

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exclude them from the oral 
medication. 

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So, you know, we still use the 
insulin and we still have to get

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the glucose monitoring, but it's
it's improved. 

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Yeah, that is really wild. 
I never would have. 

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And we use I, I guess the A1 for
people gives them a range of 

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about a month prior to when that
is being tested. 

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We use fructosamine in cats and 
that gives us about a two week 

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average. 
So we'll also use that too. 

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How, how do you, I mean, 
obviously cats can't communicate

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like people can, right? 
So how do you even diagnose that

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a cat is having symptoms? 
And you should probably do some 

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tests to see if they have 
diabetes. 

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That's just fascinating to me. 
Drinking more, urinating more. 

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That's our typical All of a 
sudden that client goes, wow, I 

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am emptying that litter box a 
ton or I'm filling that water 

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bowl up a lot. 
That's probably the first time 

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we'll see, and then the weight 
loss will follow. 

226
00:14:02,120 --> 00:14:02,560
Yeah, Yeah. 
All right. 

227
00:14:03,160 --> 00:14:04,720
Good to know for our listeners 
then, right? 

228
00:14:04,720 --> 00:14:08,080
That's if they're drinking and 
peeing more and losing weight. 

229
00:14:08,080 --> 00:14:10,440
Better bring them in. 
And bring them in, yes. 

230
00:14:10,880 --> 00:14:16,800
Exactly, absolutely amazing. 
So you know, I know we are, you 

231
00:14:16,800 --> 00:14:18,840
know, you're moved into the new 
location, you're in 

232
00:14:18,840 --> 00:14:23,360
Mechanicville, Yes, to, you 
know, obviously a few 

233
00:14:23,360 --> 00:14:26,240
disappointed customers in the 
Saratoga market because they 

234
00:14:26,240 --> 00:14:28,920
have to travel a little further 
and you still have your other 

235
00:14:28,920 --> 00:14:30,440
location as well, right? 
Is that Niski? 

236
00:14:30,440 --> 00:14:33,640
The Yilderland, yes, the other 
one that I started, yeah, the 31

237
00:14:33,640 --> 00:14:36,760
years ago, different location on
that one too. 

238
00:14:37,120 --> 00:14:39,120
Yeah, not the same building for 
31 years. 

239
00:14:40,160 --> 00:14:44,240
Not the same building, that one 
I outgrew, but yeah, we moved 

240
00:14:44,240 --> 00:14:46,360
that one. 
And so yeah, the one in 

241
00:14:46,360 --> 00:14:51,520
Mechanicville has 6-7 exam rooms
and it's crazy. 

242
00:14:51,720 --> 00:14:54,560
We have 6 outpatient and then 
one inpatient. 

243
00:14:54,720 --> 00:14:57,480
So when we want to look at a 
cat, instead of it being out in 

244
00:14:57,480 --> 00:15:00,760
the big treatment room, we bring
it into a room which cats love 

245
00:15:00,760 --> 00:15:02,920
to They leave, they take their 
own space. 

246
00:15:03,600 --> 00:15:05,120
That's very nice. 
And being that they used to be 

247
00:15:05,120 --> 00:15:08,320
an urgent care, you probably got
a nice waiting area for yeah. 

248
00:15:08,320 --> 00:15:12,240
Yeah, exactly. 
Yeah, yeah. 

249
00:15:13,160 --> 00:15:18,560
And I, you know, I'm curious 
about you as a business owner, 

250
00:15:18,640 --> 00:15:20,360
right? 
You know, obviously I'm a 

251
00:15:20,360 --> 00:15:22,000
business owner. 
We have a lot, a lot of our 

252
00:15:22,000 --> 00:15:24,920
audiences, business owners in 
Warren, Washington and Saratoga 

253
00:15:24,920 --> 00:15:27,600
County. 
And I'd love to hear a little 

254
00:15:27,600 --> 00:15:30,480
bit about the kind of your 
journey as a business owner of 

255
00:15:30,480 --> 00:15:33,440
how things have changed for you 
or how you've changed over the 

256
00:15:33,440 --> 00:15:36,320
years or lessons learned. 
But what has that journey been 

257
00:15:36,320 --> 00:15:38,040
like for you over the last 31 
years? 

258
00:15:38,360 --> 00:15:42,240
Yeah. 
We got an hour or two. 

259
00:15:42,520 --> 00:15:44,080
Yeah, we got as much time as you
need to. 

260
00:15:48,480 --> 00:15:54,280
Moments of pure contentment and 
love for the business and then 

261
00:15:54,280 --> 00:15:59,520
moments of OMG what have I done?
Right, and sometimes pretty 

262
00:15:59,520 --> 00:16:03,800
close to each other. 
Right days, one day to the next,

263
00:16:04,120 --> 00:16:09,920
Yes. 
I don't know if I realized how 

264
00:16:10,480 --> 00:16:18,080
important the people that I work
with that work for me are to how

265
00:16:18,080 --> 00:16:22,400
things work. 
You know, in my mind initially, 

266
00:16:22,400 --> 00:16:25,720
oh, I just opened this up and 
people come work for me and all 

267
00:16:25,720 --> 00:16:29,760
will be good. 
And there are absolutely the, 

268
00:16:30,960 --> 00:16:33,200
any business owner will tell 
you, right? 

269
00:16:33,200 --> 00:16:40,520
It is the employees that make 
and sometimes disappoint every 

270
00:16:40,520 --> 00:16:44,880
business, right? 
And and yet in the 31 years, I 

271
00:16:44,880 --> 00:16:48,000
have realized that I get to 
choose, right? 

272
00:16:48,000 --> 00:16:51,280
Like that's finally hitting me 
after all these years. 

273
00:16:52,880 --> 00:16:55,760
I'm like, wow, I love the people
I work with, right? 

274
00:16:55,840 --> 00:17:01,440
Like, I have more and more gone,
Yep, this is a good fit for us. 

275
00:17:01,680 --> 00:17:06,520
Or maybe not, right? 
And so that has made such a 

276
00:17:06,520 --> 00:17:11,160
difference for me. 
And from the financial 

277
00:17:11,160 --> 00:17:13,040
standpoint, it's never ending, 
right? 

278
00:17:13,040 --> 00:17:18,800
Like we have every every week we
look at the books, right? 

279
00:17:18,800 --> 00:17:21,640
You cannot, you've got to have 
your pulse on it. 

280
00:17:21,640 --> 00:17:26,680
And it is never something you 
can relax on. 

281
00:17:26,800 --> 00:17:30,640
However, if you again surround 
yourself with the right people 

282
00:17:30,640 --> 00:17:34,200
that are paying attention to 
that with you, for that with 

283
00:17:34,200 --> 00:17:38,920
you, then it becomes this good 
exercise and not a Oh my 

284
00:17:38,920 --> 00:17:41,080
goodness. 
Not a painful one, right? 

285
00:17:41,200 --> 00:17:43,560
Not a painful one. 
Yes, I still remember one of the

286
00:17:43,560 --> 00:17:47,760
first times I ever went to visit
my accountant and end of the 

287
00:17:47,760 --> 00:17:51,080
year kind of things, you know, 
and on the books it looks like I

288
00:17:51,080 --> 00:17:53,720
made a lot of money. 
I turned it all back into the 

289
00:17:53,720 --> 00:17:55,920
business. 
So when he says I got to pay all

290
00:17:55,920 --> 00:17:58,520
these taxes, I'm like, I don't 
even have that money. 

291
00:17:59,040 --> 00:18:03,800
The taxes, that's all you say 
going to the accountant. 

292
00:18:04,080 --> 00:18:07,440
Now, I love the accountant. 
I reckon they are my friend 

293
00:18:07,640 --> 00:18:10,400
because they tell me how much I 
should be putting aside for 

294
00:18:10,400 --> 00:18:13,200
those taxes, right? 
And that has changed. 

295
00:18:13,800 --> 00:18:14,960
Yeah, you're not alone in that 
one. 

296
00:18:14,960 --> 00:18:18,400
I know I have felt that same 
pain and I know I talked to a 

297
00:18:18,400 --> 00:18:21,280
lot of business owners as well 
that and just recently I 

298
00:18:21,280 --> 00:18:24,240
actually had a friend that owns 
business where he was like, I 

299
00:18:25,080 --> 00:18:28,280
just got my tax bill. 
He's like and Ouch, Ouch, you 

300
00:18:28,600 --> 00:18:30,200
know, like. 
Is Ouch. 

301
00:18:30,200 --> 00:18:32,400
Yeah. 
I also have worked with business

302
00:18:32,400 --> 00:18:35,280
coaches. 
I feel that, you know, and and 

303
00:18:35,280 --> 00:18:41,480
bettering your own, my own 
awareness of myself has helped 

304
00:18:41,480 --> 00:18:45,600
me be a better leader and then 
help my other staff become 

305
00:18:45,600 --> 00:18:48,280
better leaders too. 
I think that's critical. 

306
00:18:48,800 --> 00:18:52,720
I'm a big fan of coaches and 
business coaches and and I've 

307
00:18:52,720 --> 00:18:56,680
worked with a few over the past.
And any that you would 

308
00:18:56,680 --> 00:18:59,560
recommend? 
I use Lauren Beller right now. 

309
00:18:59,560 --> 00:19:02,520
She is out of California and she
used to be here in the 

310
00:19:02,520 --> 00:19:05,960
Guilderland area. 
We've gone way back for 20 

311
00:19:05,960 --> 00:19:09,320
years. 
We come and go with using each 

312
00:19:09,320 --> 00:19:11,240
other and, and it's been 
wonderful. 

313
00:19:11,520 --> 00:19:14,040
I she's just my sounding board. 
You know, it's tough being the 

314
00:19:14,040 --> 00:19:15,640
owner, you know, you know how 
that is. 

315
00:19:15,640 --> 00:19:20,120
It's like, OK, I, it gets lonely
sometimes, right? 

316
00:19:20,640 --> 00:19:23,960
It does, it does. 
I had someone recently say to me

317
00:19:23,960 --> 00:19:28,200
and I thought this was spot on, 
that coaches in any aspect of 

318
00:19:28,200 --> 00:19:32,040
life, but business coaches that 
they, they help you see the 

319
00:19:32,040 --> 00:19:36,120
blind spots, the things that you
don't see because you're in it 

320
00:19:36,120 --> 00:19:38,240
and you don't have an objective 
viewpoint. 

321
00:19:38,240 --> 00:19:41,880
And but they do and they can 
really help you see through the 

322
00:19:41,880 --> 00:19:45,120
problem that you're probably 
making way worse than it is, but

323
00:19:45,120 --> 00:19:47,840
you just can't get a 30,000 foot
view of it right. 

324
00:19:47,840 --> 00:19:51,000
And I, and I'd love that. 
I think that's spot on. 

325
00:19:52,480 --> 00:19:56,800
You know, I'm, I'm curious, you 
know, you'd mentioned kind of 

326
00:19:56,800 --> 00:20:01,040
your, I don't want to say shift,
but you're, you're learning 

327
00:20:01,040 --> 00:20:04,080
experience with who you're 
hiring over the years. 

328
00:20:04,600 --> 00:20:07,400
And I, I feel like there's been 
a paradigm shift. 

329
00:20:07,440 --> 00:20:11,520
And I want to say that it's 
within certainly post COVID, but

330
00:20:11,840 --> 00:20:14,360
maybe it was the shift was 
starting before that. 

331
00:20:14,360 --> 00:20:17,520
Like I I know that when I first 
got into business. 

332
00:20:17,960 --> 00:20:21,960
The, the viewpoint and I don't, 
I don't think it was just my 

333
00:20:21,960 --> 00:20:23,200
viewpoint. 
I think it was a kind of a 

334
00:20:23,200 --> 00:20:27,240
shared viewpoint was that the 
employer employee relationship 

335
00:20:27,680 --> 00:20:31,760
is different than it is now. 
And that it, you know, kind of 

336
00:20:31,760 --> 00:20:35,360
that old school mentality of 
like, you know, you're, you're 

337
00:20:35,360 --> 00:20:37,840
lucky to have a job and you 
should appreciate the, you know,

338
00:20:37,840 --> 00:20:40,480
the job. 
And, and whereas now it's like, 

339
00:20:41,000 --> 00:20:43,600
I know as a business owner and 
employer, I'm like, I am so 

340
00:20:43,600 --> 00:20:48,400
lucky to have my team, right? 
And I, and I don't, I don't know

341
00:20:48,400 --> 00:20:53,040
if that's just something that 
has changed as a culture or if 

342
00:20:53,040 --> 00:20:57,480
it's the learning curve of being
a business owner that in the 

343
00:20:57,480 --> 00:21:00,520
beginning you, you have this 
mentality because of television.

344
00:21:00,760 --> 00:21:03,560
And then later on you learn 
like, Oh no, these people are so

345
00:21:03,560 --> 00:21:05,720
important. 
And the importance of having 

346
00:21:05,720 --> 00:21:09,800
quality about team members and 
making good hires is so 

347
00:21:09,800 --> 00:21:12,160
paramount because like, to your 
point, right, like you make some

348
00:21:12,160 --> 00:21:14,720
bad decisions. 
Do you have any thoughts on 

349
00:21:14,720 --> 00:21:15,160
that? 
Have you? 

350
00:21:18,320 --> 00:21:24,800
Yeah, and maybe it matters too 
about being a private business 

351
00:21:24,800 --> 00:21:30,000
owner versus a corporate or I 
mean, I watched my my siblings, 

352
00:21:30,000 --> 00:21:32,120
some of them worked for the 
state, right? 

353
00:21:32,160 --> 00:21:35,040
And there was a definitely 
different attitude there than 

354
00:21:35,040 --> 00:21:40,920
what I deal with from my staff. 
And I think when I first hired 

355
00:21:40,920 --> 00:21:45,080
back then it was friends of 
friends and then, you know, we 

356
00:21:45,080 --> 00:21:47,840
were all sort of in it as a 
small little group. 

357
00:21:48,200 --> 00:21:52,120
Now it becomes a little more and
and maybe it's not such a bad 

358
00:21:52,120 --> 00:21:54,680
thing, right? 
Everybody's needing to look out 

359
00:21:54,680 --> 00:21:56,440
for themselves a little bit 
more. 

360
00:21:56,720 --> 00:21:59,720
And so I think the owners have 
recognized that. 

361
00:21:59,720 --> 00:22:03,000
And if you don't do that, then 
you are going to lose that 

362
00:22:03,320 --> 00:22:05,960
employee. 
And so to recognize the ones 

363
00:22:05,960 --> 00:22:10,240
that really bring that, you 
know, positive energy and the 

364
00:22:10,240 --> 00:22:14,240
willingness to to be supportive 
in those, those are the ones you

365
00:22:14,240 --> 00:22:19,960
want to nurture more. 
So yeah, I think and it and 

366
00:22:20,000 --> 00:22:27,320
COVID affected us all for sure. 
It it definitely changed a lot 

367
00:22:27,320 --> 00:22:30,840
of a lot of things, some for the
better, some for the worse, 

368
00:22:30,840 --> 00:22:31,520
right. 
And. 

369
00:22:31,520 --> 00:22:34,440
Yeah, Yeah, yeah, yeah. 
That's. 

370
00:22:34,960 --> 00:22:35,640
A good question. 
Oh. 

371
00:22:36,400 --> 00:22:37,320
Thanks. 
Thanks. 

372
00:22:37,520 --> 00:22:39,920
I try, I try to, you know, I try
to ask a question sometimes. 

373
00:22:41,720 --> 00:22:45,400
So, and I, I appreciate all the,
the insight that you're giving 

374
00:22:45,400 --> 00:22:49,320
there on that stuff too. 
And, you know, I know there's, 

375
00:22:49,360 --> 00:22:51,640
you know, something else that we
wanted to touch on. 

376
00:22:51,920 --> 00:22:54,640
You know, we're kind of teasing 
the idea of potentially doing an

377
00:22:54,640 --> 00:22:58,360
open house for the new location,
still figuring out the details 

378
00:22:58,360 --> 00:23:00,840
on that. 
So more to come, right? 

379
00:23:02,520 --> 00:23:04,200
But you're also doing some other
things too. 

380
00:23:04,200 --> 00:23:07,480
You know, with the move, you're 
doing some, some new branding 

381
00:23:07,480 --> 00:23:11,040
and making some other aesthetic 
changes just to the, the, we'll 

382
00:23:11,040 --> 00:23:15,680
say the, the image of the brand,
right? 

383
00:23:16,600 --> 00:23:19,120
Can you tell us just a little 
bit about the kind of some of 

384
00:23:19,120 --> 00:23:22,720
that and why you're doing it? 
Yeah, I just, I felt like I 

385
00:23:22,720 --> 00:23:25,280
needed a change with the logo a 
little bit. 

386
00:23:25,280 --> 00:23:29,480
And so I, I've had that logo for
30 years and I'm like, OK with 

387
00:23:29,480 --> 00:23:33,360
the change in the new place and 
let's change it up a little bit.

388
00:23:33,840 --> 00:23:39,920
And it has fit well in the, the 
space that's above the, the 

389
00:23:39,920 --> 00:23:42,200
entrance of the Mechanicville 
office. 

390
00:23:43,240 --> 00:23:51,480
And yeah, I, I think our goal is
to recognize how important we 

391
00:23:51,480 --> 00:23:57,960
are as a cat only practice. 
And I think I've not done that 

392
00:23:57,960 --> 00:24:06,600
quite as I think I was a little 
leery of being too forceful in 

393
00:24:06,600 --> 00:24:10,000
that decision. 
You know, I, I, I think I'm, I'm

394
00:24:10,000 --> 00:24:12,520
stronger at recognizing our 
strengths. 

395
00:24:12,720 --> 00:24:14,800
Maybe that's it. 
You know, in, in the past, I 

396
00:24:14,800 --> 00:24:17,720
would be, I'm just cats, you 
know, kind of thing. 

397
00:24:18,240 --> 00:24:22,320
Now I'm like, no, we really are 
just cats, right? 

398
00:24:22,360 --> 00:24:24,400
It's how you put that emphasis 
on it. 

399
00:24:24,840 --> 00:24:29,640
And so that's what I want to 
share. 

400
00:24:30,480 --> 00:24:33,200
Yeah. 
And is that is that logo change 

401
00:24:33,240 --> 00:24:36,360
it going for both locations. 
And it will be, yeah, we could 

402
00:24:36,360 --> 00:24:39,800
change the the one on the road. 
I think that we had just moved 

403
00:24:39,800 --> 00:24:42,520
two years ago, so we're having 
to change that one also. 

404
00:24:42,520 --> 00:24:46,880
But yeah, all the the website 
and everything else, my practice

405
00:24:46,880 --> 00:24:50,360
manager Missy's been wonderful 
with the doing a lot of those, 

406
00:24:50,360 --> 00:24:53,160
those behind the scenes changes 
that are helpful. 

407
00:24:53,480 --> 00:24:55,480
She's been with at me now 10 
years. 

408
00:24:55,480 --> 00:24:57,280
She just had her 10 year 
anniversary. 

409
00:24:57,320 --> 00:25:01,880
So that's been great. 
Yeah, she's she's been, it's 

410
00:25:01,880 --> 00:25:05,080
been a nice relationship. 
She started as a receptionist up

411
00:25:05,080 --> 00:25:08,280
in Saratoga and she had some 
experience being a practice 

412
00:25:08,280 --> 00:25:13,160
manager at a human side of 
medical field. 

413
00:25:13,440 --> 00:25:18,600
And then we we have worked 
together since and it's been 

414
00:25:18,600 --> 00:25:21,040
great. 
Yeah, I bet it's great to have 

415
00:25:21,040 --> 00:25:23,440
someone that's been by your side
for that long. 

416
00:25:23,840 --> 00:25:30,440
It's, it's very helpful, yeah. 
I bet it is I any any tips or 

417
00:25:30,440 --> 00:25:33,920
tricks for being able to hire 
and retain A-Team member for 

418
00:25:33,920 --> 00:25:36,560
that length of time? 
Oh, I've got a few that have 

419
00:25:36,560 --> 00:25:40,800
been actually 15 years. 
I have one assistant actually 

420
00:25:40,800 --> 00:25:44,160
he, I think he was in high 
school that he started working 

421
00:25:44,160 --> 00:25:47,680
and he's still with us. 
So I, I don't know, the people 

422
00:25:47,680 --> 00:25:52,440
that have stayed with me 
recognize the passion we have 

423
00:25:52,440 --> 00:25:56,840
for the cats, the passion we 
have for our employees and, and 

424
00:25:57,400 --> 00:26:01,920
we, we take care of them. 
I think that's it so and Missy 

425
00:26:01,920 --> 00:26:06,960
is, is very good at that. 
She has a a very nice ability to

426
00:26:07,440 --> 00:26:09,960
make everyone feel special. 
The minute they walk. 

427
00:26:09,960 --> 00:26:11,960
She walks into the building, 
which is great. 

428
00:26:12,400 --> 00:26:14,600
Yeah, that's amazing. 
Yeah. 

429
00:26:14,960 --> 00:26:17,800
So. 
So if people want to learn more 

430
00:26:17,800 --> 00:26:20,680
about just cats, maybe they have
some cats and they're looking 

431
00:26:20,680 --> 00:26:24,360
for a cat only veterinarian 
practice, where do they find you

432
00:26:24,360 --> 00:26:26,280
guys? 
At just Cat, 

433
00:26:26,400 --> 00:26:30,120
www.justcatsvet.com. 
I don't know if it's WWW 

434
00:26:30,120 --> 00:26:30,880
anymore. 
Is it? 

435
00:26:31,200 --> 00:26:34,240
It's HTSP, yeah. 
They they come to. 

436
00:26:34,800 --> 00:26:36,800
I mean you can still use the 
WWW. 

437
00:26:36,800 --> 00:26:39,040
Dot. 
It's no longer necessary 

438
00:26:39,040 --> 00:26:40,320
Necessary. 
That's. 

439
00:26:42,360 --> 00:26:45,440
It I know, I know some of us 
that have been around for a few 

440
00:26:45,440 --> 00:26:50,280
years, we still use the 
www.alotbut yeah, those young 

441
00:26:50,280 --> 00:26:51,800
kids, they just love to shorten 
everything. 

442
00:26:52,080 --> 00:26:55,640
That's right. 
There's something to be said for

443
00:26:55,640 --> 00:26:58,680
that. 
I, I, I, I really actually 

444
00:26:58,960 --> 00:27:02,720
embrace a lot of the technology 
changes. 

445
00:27:02,720 --> 00:27:06,040
I, I'm slower at it, so it takes
me a little longer. 

446
00:27:06,040 --> 00:27:10,040
But I think it's important for 
us to do that because there are 

447
00:27:10,040 --> 00:27:13,440
some great advances that are 
helpful to everyone. 

448
00:27:14,000 --> 00:27:16,440
Yeah, there really are. 
And more and more every day, 

449
00:27:16,440 --> 00:27:17,840
right? 
It's moving so fast, right? 

450
00:27:17,840 --> 00:27:19,280
It is. 
It's pretty wild. 

451
00:27:19,480 --> 00:27:22,240
Yeah, you you probably see it 
more than I do in your field. 

452
00:27:22,680 --> 00:27:24,840
I, well, you know, we joke 
around all the time. 

453
00:27:24,840 --> 00:27:27,440
I, I pretty much have to 
reinvent our business like every

454
00:27:27,440 --> 00:27:30,080
30 days right now because the 
technology we're using is 

455
00:27:30,080 --> 00:27:33,640
changing so fast and there's new
technology and new platforms and

456
00:27:33,640 --> 00:27:37,000
new trends. 
And yeah, it's, I don't know how

457
00:27:37,000 --> 00:27:39,960
it is for other industries, but 
I know in the the marketing 

458
00:27:39,960 --> 00:27:42,760
space it's very fast. 
Yeah, yeah. 

459
00:27:44,760 --> 00:27:49,520
And obviously taking new 
patients over in the mechanics 

460
00:27:49,520 --> 00:27:52,160
of the location. 
In both locations, you're just 

461
00:27:52,160 --> 00:27:55,600
going to wait a little bit 
longer in Guilderland to get in,

462
00:27:55,600 --> 00:27:58,280
whereas we're we're open, you 
know, I think we've got some 

463
00:27:58,280 --> 00:28:01,480
openings 2 to 3 weeks out, which
is nice. 

464
00:28:02,000 --> 00:28:04,080
So yes, we are. 
Perfect. 

465
00:28:04,720 --> 00:28:07,560
Well, listen, I really 
appreciate you jumping on and 

466
00:28:07,560 --> 00:28:09,920
catching up with us on 
everything that's going on. 

467
00:28:09,920 --> 00:28:13,400
And congratulations on 31 years.
That's an amazing 

468
00:28:13,440 --> 00:28:16,800
accomplishment. 
You know, there's I, I don't 

469
00:28:16,800 --> 00:28:19,000
know what the statistic is 
anymore, but I know it's very 

470
00:28:19,000 --> 00:28:21,600
hard for businesses to get past 
the, the one year and five year 

471
00:28:21,600 --> 00:28:23,840
mark, let alone make it 31 
years. 

472
00:28:23,840 --> 00:28:26,120
So. 
That's certainly something. 

473
00:28:26,120 --> 00:28:29,240
To be proud of and appreciate 
you spending some time with us. 

474
00:28:29,240 --> 00:28:31,160
I know you got a busy schedule. 
Thank you. 

475
00:28:31,160 --> 00:28:33,400
Awesome. 
And thanks everybody for 

476
00:28:33,400 --> 00:28:35,400
listening. 
Of course, you can find us at 

477
00:28:35,400 --> 00:28:40,080
buying local dot US and our 
podcasts are on Spotify, Apple 

478
00:28:40,080 --> 00:28:42,880
Rumble and YouTube. 
Please make sure that you click 

479
00:28:42,880 --> 00:28:44,720
the subscribe button, the like 
button. 

480
00:28:45,680 --> 00:28:48,480
Leave us a review. 
Five stars preferred, please. 

481
00:28:48,480 --> 00:28:51,000
And you'll hear from us next 
week, everybody. 

482
00:28:51,000 --> 00:28:51,760
Thanks for listening.