President's Message

Renee Rucinsky, DVM, DABVP (Feline), President

I’m writing this on Valentine’s Day, after a relatively challenging day in my hospital. A day in which I feel like I gave way more bad news than usual. So maybe it was actually fitting. It was a day that I really felt in my heart. The day that is meant to be all about love really was - the people that belonged to the very ill cats today have very heavy hearts. Unconditional love really doesn’t exist between humans, in my opinion. There’s always something that we can do that makes people feel differently about us, fall out of love, not want to be around us. But that’s not true with our pets. They love us no matter what. That even counts for cats, despite them refusing to admit it. We can come home late. We can forget to take the trash out...again. We can be incredibly grumpy. But they still love us. They love us so very much. And when we lose
them the pain seems unbearable. The holes they leave in our hearts are always there, even when we find ourselves able to open up to new beasts in our lives.

An elderly gentleman and his wife were in today to put their old cat down. The man couldn’t make eye contact with me, so upset about his cat. He kept calling him ‘it’, which seemed both odd and endearing at the same time. “It won’t eat,” he said. “I don’t know what I’m going to do without it.” His heart was broken.

I met with some friends at the end of this not fun day today for a beer. Eight days ago I euthanized their beloved dog, a major part of our extended people and dog family. I was relatively zombie-like by the time we met up, and they were still feeling hollow from last week. They were saying how they had called a local rescue to donate leftover dog beds, but then just
couldn’t do it. It was just too crushing.

How do we as veterinarians heal from this? How do we do this, day in and day out? It’s hard enough with the model clients, but then throw in the folks that just don’t understand how to care for animals correctly, and it just gets harder. Some days it feels like our veterinary hearts get broken at least daily.

So during this Valentine’s time, despite being lucky enough to have people whom I love and who also love me, I feel like today my heart is with the amazing animals that have given us our careers. All of them have filled our hearts, from the reptiles to the horses to the pigs and birds and fish and dogs and cats. We have learned compassion, patience, and healing (on
many levels). Today my heart is dedicated to all of the creatures who have tried to teach me unconditional love, to all of their people who love them, and to all of you who care for them. 

ABVP Fellowship Update 

Mike Dutton, DVM, DABVP, (Avian, Reptile and Amphibian, Exotic Companion Mammal, Canine and Feline), CE Chair 

ABVP Diplomates continue to work together to create advanced Fellowship training for our Diplomates. Companion Animal Pain Management Practice is the latest one to go live. Learn more at abvp.com. 

Your February MOC Update

Sonnya Dennis, DVM, DABVP (Canine & Feline), MOC Chair

• Quick links: MOC webpage, Journal Club, add me to the Google Group/Listserv!

• Tip of the Month: Save time! Remember that you can save all of your completed Journal Club screenshots and upload them all together in one application. Be sure to name the application appropriately, e.g. “All 6 JC for 2023.
• Volunteers: The volunteer year ends June 30th. You will receive an email from mocchair@abvp.com in July with instructions on how to request your volunteer points. Please be sure this email is set as a safe sender! 

Mentors Needed

The mentorship committee is asking for additional Diplomates to serve as mentors for new applicants in the credentialing process. Mentors may set their own cadence of communication and there is no expectation of skills mentorship. Please email mentorship@abvp.com if interested in this rewarding experience.

ABVP Symposium Registration

Join us in New Orleans, April 25-28, 2024! Don't forget to review the offerings and book your spot before they are gone!

SAVMA Symposium 

Sarah Eaton, DVM, DABVP (Equine), Outreach Chair

The SAVMA symposium is being held March 14 – 17 in Knoxville Tennessee. ABVP is looking for any members who will be attending and are free for an hour (or two!) to help run our sponsored booth. No special tasks will be asked of you other than talking about the ABVP and what it offers practitioners.
If you are able and interested, please email Sarah Eaton ASAP for more details. Thank you all!

Residency and Job Postings

Don’t forget that ABVP has classified listings for open positions all over the world!

April 25-28, 2024

• ABVP Symposium, New Orleans, Louisiana

July 1, 2024

• 2024-2025 Diplomate and Emeritus Diplomate fees payable

July 15, 2024 

• Semi-Annual Residency Logs deadline. Logs must be submitted online by 11:59 PM Central Time

December 31, 2024

• Final date to be called a Diplomate for those who failed to MOC on time

January 15, 2025

• Credentials deadline for both Initial Applications and Re-Applications. All documentation must be submitted online by 11:59 PM Central Time

• Swine Health Management Entry Exam registration and fee deadline. Registration must be completed online account by 11:59 PM Central Time

• Semi-Annual Residency Logs deadline. Logs must be submitted online by 11:59 PM Central Time

March 27-30, 2025

• ABVP Symposium, San Antonio, Texas