The Cone of Shame Veterinary Podcast

Recent Episodes

1. 408 - Beyond Trazodone: When the "Chill Protocol" Isn’t Chilling

   Jul 16, 2026

   Dr. Chris Pockle, a board-certified veterinary behaviorist and owner of Animal Behavior Clinic in Portland, Oregon, discusses pre-visit anti-anxiety medications for pets beyond the standard gabapentin and trazodone protocols. The episode explores when to adjust doses, switch medications, and considers alternative options including alpha-2 agonists, benzodiazepines, and combination therapies, with emphasis on recognizing true anxiolytic effects versus masking sedation.

2. 407 - The Dangers of Dutch

   Jul 9, 2026

   Dr. Matt Saloy, economist and president of Veterinary Management Group (VMG), discusses the dangers of Dutch Pet's telemedicine model through a Trojan horse metaphor. The episode examines how Dutch's business model—which removes physical exam requirements and dismantles veterinary practice safeguards—threatens pet welfare, increases costs for complex cases, and shifts medical accountability away from established standards of care, despite rhetoric promising affordability and access.

3. 406 - HoF - Fireworks Phobia Over the Phone

   Jul 2, 2026

   Dr. Lisa Radosta, a board-certified veterinary behaviorist based in Southeast Florida, discusses managing fireworks phobia in dogs during an emergency phone consultation scenario. The episode covers practical communication strategies for pet owners calling on July 3rd seeking last-minute help, medication options (trazodone and clonidine), why psychotropic medications are unreliable, and the importance of setting expectations about sedation and long-term management of noise phobias.

4. 405 - Redefining the DVM Career Path

   Jun 29, 2026

   Dr. Matt Sylvius, managing veterinarian and partner at Eagle Animal Hospital (4-location practice in Kansas City, part of NVA General Practices), discusses his unique career trajectory from kennel technician to veterinarian to multi-practice leader within a large corporate organization. The episode explores how veterinarians can build entrepreneurial careers and leadership opportunities inside larger organizations rather than only through independent practice ownership, and contrasts Sylvius's experience expanding practices independently versus with NVA's resources and analytics support.

5. 404 - HDYTT: The Critical Feline Patient

   Jun 25, 2026

   Dr. Andy Rourke interviews Tasha McNerney, a veterinary technician specialist in anesthesia, about managing critically injured feline patients. Using the example of a cat attacked by multiple dogs with severe trauma and blood loss, they discuss the critical balance between pain management and stabilization before anesthesia, emphasizing that analgesics should be provided early as part of stabilization rather than delayed until after induction.

6. 403 - Improving Animal Welfare at Commercial Dog Breeding Kennels

   Jun 18, 2026

   Dr. Tess House, Assistant Director of the Animal Welfare Division at AVMA, discusses improving animal welfare standards at USDA-licensed commercial dog breeding kennels. The episode covers kennel licensing requirements, welfare assessment criteria, veterinary care programs, and how general practitioners can advocate for better breeding practices. House emphasizes that regardless of breeding source, the focus should be on ensuring dogs are physically and mentally healthy, and provides resources for veterinarians and pet owners to identify quality breeding operations.

7. 402 - A New Vet Guide to Working with Senior Paraprofessionals

   Jun 15, 2026

   Dr. Randy Work interviews Vicki Oglane, an RVT and senior specialist in scientific communication at Hill's Pet Nutrition, about building effective working relationships between newly graduated veterinarians and experienced paraprofessionals. The episode focuses on communication strategies, team mentality, and practical approaches like "ways of working" conversations and positive reinforcement feedback to foster collaboration rather than hierarchy in veterinary practices.

8. 401 - Three Super-Judgy Things Vets Should Stop Saying (Maybe)

   Jun 11, 2026

   Dr. Andy Rourke discusses three statements commonly made by veterinarians that Dr. Kate Boatwright argues are unnecessarily judgmental: "if you can't afford the vet, don't get the pet," "you can't care more than the client does," and "that's below the standard of care." The conversation unpacks the nuance around each phrase, exploring the difference between gold standard/textbook care and actual standard of care, the role of cognitive versus emotional empathy in veterinary practice, and the complexity of access to care and affordability. Both speakers agree these phrases require context and suggest better frameworks for discussing care options and client situations.

9. 400 - That's Bad Advice

   Jun 4, 2026

   Dr. Andy Rourke celebrates the 400th episode of the Cone of Shame veterinary podcast with Dr. Sarah Boston, who was also his first-ever guest. The two discuss bad advice they've encountered throughout their veterinary careers, including unhelpful guidance about workplace conflicts, the dangers of telling students grades don't matter, unrealistic expectations about veterinarian-technician skill hierarchies, and career-limiting suggestions based on appearance or gender. They also explore whether certain advice—like the universal push for telemedicine integration—was genuinely poor or simply ahead of its time.

10. 399 - ARE PIMS Still the Center of Your Practice?

    May 28, 2026

    John Ayers, former chair and CEO of IDEXX, discusses the future of veterinary practice management systems (PIMS) in the age of AI. He explores how PIMS architecture must evolve to support third-party applications like AI scribes, diagnostic integrations, and data analytics tools through open APIs, and examines the tension between PIMS vendors' business interests and veterinarians' need for data access and interoperability.