Caffeinators, do you like cats? That's a dumb question! This episode is all cats, all the time! Caitlin Dutcher-Lundy reached out to us a while back and this turned in to an awesome episode! Caitlin is THE FIRST VTS-CP(Feline) to have successfully applied and passed the examination, and we talked about the process and pathway, and also all the cool things her hospital does-SPOILER ALERT, her hospital sees dogs but that whole area is separate from the cats to keep stress to a minimum. This was a fascinating discussion that brought up a lot to think about when it comes to hospital logistics!

Show Links:

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If you would like to help us cover our podcast expenses, we'd appreciate any support you give through Patreon. We do this podcast and our YouTube channel content to support the veterinary technicians out there and do not expect anything in return! We thank you for all you do. 🐾

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/vettechcafe

As Dave and Jeff prepare for IVECCS they had one final Taproom before heading to San Diego! What are your thoughts on Space vs. Ocean? Which is scarier?

We've got a lot of great guests coming up in the next couple months!

HiVE Anaheim: https://navc.com/hive/vet-nurse-and-tech/

Illinois Veterinary Technicians: https://www.isvma.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/ISVMA-Title-Infographic-7.25-10.pdf

Union organization shutdown: https://news.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=210&catId=617&Id=12798538

Caffeinators, are you ready to laugh and hear cool stories?! We recently had Chelsey Vanetten over at the Vet Tech Cafe, and she is a VTS in Anesthesia and Analgesia. She told us all about anesthetizing fish, researching large mouth bass, and how she utilizes her knowledge and expertise to elevate anesthesia in veterinary practices in which she provides relief services, and training and education. This is an incredibly fun episode you don't want to miss!

Our Links:

Check out our sponsor https://betterhelp.com/vettechcafe for 10% off your first month of therapy

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Our website: https://www.vettechcafe.com/

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If you would like to help us cover our podcast expenses, we'd appreciate any support you give through Patreon. We do this podcast and our YouTube channel content to support the veterinary technicians out there and do not expect anything in return! We thank you for all you do. 🐾

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/vettechcafe

Been a while since we had a taproom! We're retiring our "state of the profession" quiestion for all our guests, but we had to let it go out with one last hurrah. We talk about respect, patient:tech ratios, and surviving in the field.

Caffeinators, does anyone on your leadership team have an advanced, non-veterinary, degree in something to do with leadership? If not, we highly recommend listening to this episode with Amanda Kriesel. She has a Master's degree in Industrial and Organizational Psychology, and did her thesis on OTJ veterinary technicians. This made for a fascinating discussion about leadership. She is also very active with the Minnesota Association of Veterinary Technicians and worked with her group to recently get title protection in their state. We cover a lot of ground in this one, and there are some other really raw emotions in this one, so make sure to give it a listen!

Our Links:

Check out our sponsor https://betterhelp.com/vettechcafe for 10% off your first month of therapy

Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vettechcafe

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Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/vet-tech-cafe

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Our website: https://www.vettechcafe.com/

Vet Tech Cafe Merch: https://www.vettechcafe.com/merch

If you would like to help us cover our podcast expenses, we'd appreciate any support you give through Patreon. We do this podcast and our YouTube channel content to support the veterinary technicians out there and do not expect anything in return! We thank you for all you do. 🐾

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/vettechcafe

Caffeinators, do you know what benefits you receive? Do you understand there are various federal and state protections you're entitled to? Do you understand your benefits package or know where to find the information in your employee handbook? Do you even have one of those? In this episode of the Vet Tech Cafe, we sat down with Andrea Crabtree Wood who is a CVPM and has several HR certifications as well, to talk all things employee benefits. Oh, and if you're provided a benefit for work and are not allowed to use it, you can't be retaliated against either. There's a lot to unpack in this one, but a lot of really valuable information.

Show Links:

https://www.pawsitiveleaders.com/

http://www.furpawsconsulting.com/

Our Links:

Check out our sponsor https://betterhelp.com/vettechcafe for 10% off your first month of therapy

Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vettechcafe

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Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/vet-tech-cafe

Like and Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMDTKdfOaqSW0Mv3Uoi33qg

Our website: https://www.vettechcafe.com/

Vet Tech Cafe Merch: https://www.vettechcafe.com/merch

If you would like to help us cover our podcast expenses, we'd appreciate any support you give through Patreon. We do this podcast and our YouTube channel content to support the veterinary technicians out there and do not expect anything in return! We thank you for all you do. 🐾

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/vettechcafe

Caffeinators, this is a HEAVY episode. But it is one you ABSOLUTELY need to tune in to. You may remember our episode with Kelly Foltz from 2023 where she touched on the idea of futile care and has since been involved in researching this topic (link below). In this most recent discussion we try to define and label this idea, which proves to be very tricky and as yet is still undecided. But the fact remains, as evidenced by her research, we all have, or will, experience futile care in veterinary medicine. That "why are we doing this" patient. This episode starts that discussion and hopefully many more because we need to be preparing all future veterinarians and credentialed technicians for this. We need to learn to identify it, talk about it, and develop steps to mitigate it because it is not going away. DO NOT miss this episode.

Show Links:

Our Links:

Check out our sponsor https://betterhelp.com/vettechcafe for 10% off your first month of therapy

Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vettechcafe

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vettechcafepodcast

Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/vet-tech-cafe

Like and Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMDTKdfOaqSW0Mv3Uoi33qg

Our website: https://www.vettechcafe.com/

Vet Tech Cafe Merch: https://www.vettechcafe.com/merch

If you would like to help us cover our podcast expenses, we'd appreciate any support you give through Patreon. We do this podcast and our YouTube channel content to support the veterinary technicians out there and do not expect anything in return! We thank you for all you do. 🐾

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/vettechcafe

Caffeinators, let's talk oncology. And let's have that conversation with Inge Breathnach! Inge (@oncologyrvn) came by the Vet Tech Cafe recently (TWICE due to technical issues!) to talk all things oncology. We discussed the importance of alignment, ethically speaking, between the oncology nurse and the oncology veterinarian, the importance of celebrating your wins no matter how small they may be, and flipping the script from the difficulty that comes with a cancer diagnosis to the impact we can make in helping the patient feel better and improve their quality of life, and give the owner more time with their pets. We covered a lot of ground in this one, but not nearly as much ground as Inge has covered in her career from Ireland to Australia to the UK-more on that in the episode!

Our Links:

Check out our sponsor https://betterhelp.com/vettechcafe for 10% off your first month of therapy

Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vettechcafe

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vettechcafepodcast

Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/vet-tech-cafe

Like and Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMDTKdfOaqSW0Mv3Uoi33qg

Our website: https://www.vettechcafe.com/

Vet Tech Cafe Merch: https://www.vettechcafe.com/merch

If you would like to help us cover our podcast expenses, we'd appreciate any support you give through Patreon. We do this podcast and our YouTube channel content to support the veterinary technicians out there and do not expect anything in return! We thank you for all you do. 🐾

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/vettechcafe