Tristar Vet Blog

The Best Thing About Our Double Stack Kennel Is

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 13:03:34 -0600

Our Double Stack Kennel does not require a drain. Of course it’s also packed with so many other features, like the fact that it is mobile so you can move it around for a thorough cleaning or if you need the extra boarding space in another room. It comes standard with a swivel bowl feeder so you can replenish the animal without opening the doors. It ships fully assembled and is available in over 100 colors from orange to blue and everything in between!

Our Sales people spend a lot of time discussing kennel design around here. What’s great about our kennels and other manufacturer’s kennels and what would make them even better? At TriStar we design and build kennels and cages, but we don’t use them on a daily basis so we look to our customers to tell us what their day to day struggles are and we try to address those. Feedback regarding Double Stack Kennels or double decker kennels is that they are a great way to maximize square footage by boarding 2 dogs in the same space as a standard kennel which only houses 1 dog, thus doubling your profit). The one drawback is they require drainage systems. Our Double Stack Kennel functions without an expensive drainage system because it is outfitted with raised flooring and a collection pan so fluids pass through the raised flooring and onto the collection pan which pulls out and is also removable. You can pull it out a little, wipe it down & disinfect or you can pull it all the way out and hose it down then replace it. Our Double Stack Kennel receives high praises at tradeshows when compared to other brands. To find out what sets our space saving kennel apart from the rest, just give us a call and we’ll answer all of your questions!

Raised Kennel Runs: Increase Revenue Without Costly Construction

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 14:00:18 -0600

In the April Issue of Veterinary Economics, Gary Glassman, CPA says about Boarding & Grooming “Every square foot of your hospital, if not used for storage, needs to produce income. From a financial standpoint, boarding makes great sense. The most profitable veterinary practices I work with are those that offer significant boarding and grooming.

You already pay for the space so you might as well use it. You’ll pay wages and benefits for boarding staff, but the rest of the income goes straight to your bottom line. With grooming, the numbers aren’t quite so easy, but boarding and grooming do nicely go hand-in-hand. No one wants to send a dog home from boarding without being bathed or groomed and grooming as a service can lead to a boarding opportunity as well as medical opportunities. To make boarding and grooming work for you, you must market appropriately. Offer luxury boarding suites at premium rates, and you’ll be surprised how quickly they book up. Always offer complimentary pre-board exams, and assign a technician to the boarding kennel each day to check for medical issues. A lot of veterinarians see boarding and grooming as a management headache, and just want to stick to practicing medicine, but there are many great business opportunities in offering services that will benefit your clients as well. Find the right person to manage these services and you’ll reap great rewards for your practice and your patients.” We’ve heard this for a few years now in the design conferences we have participated in and one of the obstacles veterinarians face in offering boarding in an existing facility is how to incorporate kennel runs without costly renovations to the floors, and if you’re in a leased strip center, a lot of times you can’t make the changes needed to add a few boarding kennels. If either of these situations apply to you, you might consider looking into raised floor kennel runs. This type of run can be easily incorporated into an existing practice without the expense of ripping up the floors to accommodate trough drains, etc. Our raised kennel is a true self-contained unit, with numerous options (stainless steel, 1/4” solid HDPE, glass doors, rod doors, doors that clear glass at the top and patterned glass at the bottom, swivel bowl feeders, isolation panels, ventilation panels and so on) What is unique about our raised floor kennels is that we include a collection pan (without a collection pan the urine and fecal matter that is hosed down goes directly onto the floor. We also have sub-flooring which elevates the dog up off the floor and out of their own waste, keeping them clean and dry. Underneath the sub-floor is the base floor that has cross breaks that move fluids down toward the drain to a nipple that connects to PVC that then takes the fluids away. One last thing, when purchasing a kennel of any kind, it’s important to find out exactly what each component is made of. For example if a kennel has flooring that is fiber glass, a dog could dig at the flooring, removing the protective coating and get fiberglass in his paws. You want to make sure that any surface that has to be cleaned and disinfected is made of a material that can withstand proper maintenance. Offering boarding services is an excellent way to add value for your existing clients and bring in new clients too.

View of the nipple that attaches to the pipe

All Stainless Raised Floor Kennel, featuring Collection Pan, Sub-flooring and floor with cross breaks.

Our doors swing in and out, this allows you to board, even in a narrow room.

More Information click here

How A Specialized Wet Prep Top Can Save You Time and Money

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 09:30:00 -0600

What is this water-flo thing anyway? We make most of our equipment from type 304 stainless. It’s durable, beautiful and super sanitary. It’s ideal for medical treatment areas where spreading of disease is always a concern. When you’re performing a dental procedure on an animal, it can become very messy, very quickly and it’s not easy to clean up dried body matter, even off of stainless. With that in mind, we designed our patented water-flo system. It’s a specialized veterinary wet prep top that is engineered to provide a flow of water (from the knee space end) to wash fluids into the drain. Laying the animal on the grate, when the procedure starts you turn on the water flo system, sending a light flow of water cascading downward to the drain, keeping it wet, which slows the drying process. The blood/matter goes through the slots in the grate and down onto the tub surface, which slopes from 3” deep to 4” deep at the drain to promote what we refer to as positive drainage. When the procedure is finished, you can wipe down the tub surface and sanitize in minutes with no use of harsh abrasives which can scratch and dull the surface. We find the Vet Techs at the tradeshows bring their doctors by to see the water-flo unit because they know how much easier the system makes clean up, and let’s face it, in a busy practice, time is money.

Click Here For More Info

TriStar Patented Water-Flo system - U.S. patent #6,279,510

The Perfect Doggie Day Care Swimming Pool Design: A Cure For Boredom And Overheating

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 14:20:57 -0600

Some breeds love the water and they will dive right in, but let’s face it a lot of breeds avoid it like the plague. At Pompano Pet Lodge, our pool is a major attraction, I believe because we designed it from a dog’s perspective (we always try to see things through the eyes of a dog, both big and small). It’s challenging to think up new ways to play with the dogs, but it’s important to keep the activity level up so your clients get their money’s worth and the pool provides hours of entertainment for the dogs and the staff.

We are located in Southern Florida and overheating is a big issue for us so we not only wanted a pool, but we knew we were going to have to think outside the box of the traditional pool design in order to get all the dogs in and out of the pool several times a day to keep them cooled off. This is what we came up with and it has worked incredibly well. When we open the gates to the outdoor play area, it’s a free for all with dogs rushing to the pool:

No 90 degree corners {Hair will collect in the corners, Round corners allow hair to float into the skimmer}
Shallow Entry 360 degrees around {Beach entry all the way around is key. If dogs get into a pool and cannot see an easy way out they will avoid ever getting back in. A beach entry all the way around allows them easy access both in and out. Our design is 2’ deep in the center and 3” deep around the entire perimeter}
Decking-when choosing decking keep in mind nothing too course (dog’s pads can tear easier when wet) and nothing too slick/slippery.
Your pump motor-nothing special for the pump system, a typical home pool motor will work
Skimmer Baskets-they’ll get so full of hair so fast, we’ve found using pool “socks” over the skimmer baskets allow us to remove the hair, quickly and easily
Use river rock as the finish of your pool. It’s the only thing that will hold up to dog’s nails
Filters – we use 550 square foot, commercial grade cartridge filters. They run approx. $700/ea. We replace the cartridges every 3 years and the price of the cartridge runs about $350. {Your pool guy will tell you that you don’t need a filter of this magnitude for a pool that only holds 6,000 gallons of water (a back yard pool holds about 15K-23K gallons of water), but here’s why you do. Human beings, wearing sunscreen are oil based, a dog’s hair is grease based so basically 1 dog is equivalent to 10 humans wearing sunscreen, and depending on the number of dogs in your care, you get the idea.}
Superior Aqua is an ingenious purification system for your home and your pool. It’s used at a lot of resorts and hotels, even multiple features at Disney World! {Salt and chlorine are basically the same thing when it comes to swimming pools. We use the Superior system which uses copper & ozone to purify the water. I recommend contacting Superior Aqua www.superioraqua.com * Phone: 800-225-0119 for the specifics, but basically what you’re left with is pure, clean water that resists algae and won’t leave a sting in your eye. [By the way, your pool guy won’t tell you about it because then he can’t sell you a bunch of chemicals!]}

There is nothing worse than spending the money on a swimming pool in your doggie daycare, only to see that a vast majority of the dogs will not use it. This design will cost you about the same as a traditional back yard pool and is well worth the money, keeping dogs entertained and cooled off!

My final word is one of caution. If you don’t have artificial grass/turf at your facility then a pool may not be the best idea. Grass and dirt will dirty your pool and clog up the filter, not to mention the mud situation that will make maintaining a nice facility a nightmare. If you have natural grass and are planning to install a pool in a separate, gated area that could work. If you’re interested in artificial turf, check out my blog on How Artificial Turf Increased My Dog Daycare Business 250%

John Glorieux: 12 years managing the largest and one of the most innovative pet facilities in South Florida offering boarding, daycare training and grooming. john@pompanopetlodge.com

Get The Best Of Both Worlds With One Veterinary Cabinet: Metal Wood Grain

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 10:37:56 -0600

The idea for the metal wood grain cabinet hit us like a bolt of lightning. Metal and all of its properties are absolutely ideal for veterinary practice applications. We all know how much cleaning goes on in a veterinary office and all of the infectious diseases that can spread if not disinfected properly.

While metal is durable, sanitary and has the ability to outlast most practices, some clients in examination rooms may see it as “cold”. For this reason, a lot of doctors choose laminate exam tables and casework. Laminate accomplishes the goal of adding warmth to the room, but it’s challenging to disinfect it well and often without it warping and chipping. A great deal of our business is customers who are upgrading from their laminate to stainless, because the laminate just hasn’t held up over time.

Taking all of these factors into consideration we set out to answer one question: How can we provide TriStar customers with one product that is durable, cleanable and warm? Lightning bolt moment! We envisioned a metal cabinet and casework that would look like wood grain. After some thought and good old fashioned engineering we had created a metal cabinet that looked just like wood. You have to tap it to believe that you are not looking at real wood. You get all the warmth of wood and all the benefits of metal. We still have our unique options available such as pass thru drawers that open from either side of the cabinet and removable pans that pull completely out of the drawer making cleanup easy. (Removable pans are also great to quickly carry instruments to other parts of the hospital by just grabbing the pan and makes restocking the cabinet a breeze.)

This metal wood grain creation is a great example of how we strive to give more value for your dollar. It’s been fun to see the reactions at tradeshows and the feedback from doctors and architects has been overwhelmingly positive. We’ve even seen a few spies taking pictures of it at our tradeshow booths so it may be a matter of time until it’s available with other manufacturers, but for now it’s just ours, the original, like the Oreo or Dublin Dr. Pepper. We feel like this product is really the design of the future and we’re proud to bring it to you. Currently we can offer this metal wood grain in wet prep tables, casework and cabinets. Soon we’ll also feature cat condos and a number of other products as well. If you’ve got a product in mind that you’ve just not been able to find anywhere, give us a call. We’d love to bring your creation to life!

More Info

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Foster Programs for Animal Shelters

Fri, 02 Mar 2012 09:00:15 -0700

Why Foster

Public Perception that the shelter is a great place to adopt a loving animal
Free Labor – if you have a new litter they need lots of around the clock care, and fosters love puppies and kittens so having them foster a new litter is a win/win
Increased Visibility which can result in increased donations
Decreases employee burnout. If you’ve got shelter employees who are tending to the shelter animals all day long and then take an animal home to care for them at night, you can do the math on that one.
Animals who are fostered will be more adoptable upon their return (socialized, potty trained, obedience trained, etc.)
- If Foster parents can take a picture and write a bio for the animal they’ve fostered, it helps the animal match up to the best adoptive family.
  - Ex: “Coco loves kids, but does not care for other dogs.” “Loves her daily walk. She will thrive in an active home”

Benefits to the shelter. Increased services without increased cost, and more efficient use of staff time. If fosters can provide a loving, stable atmosphere, the staff can be doing more at the shelter which makes for healthier, happier animals and less risk of diseases.

The City of Plano in year 2005-2006

No foster program, outside of employees

No training, very informal

Employees suffered burnout

Compared to 2006-2007

We appointed a Volunteer Foster Coordinator, who was available to answer after hours questions, handled the interview process for potential foster families, held mandatory orientation for all potential fosters and conducted regular evaluations. If you can find a foster coordinator with a veterinary back ground, all the better. This will allow them to assess if a foster animal needs to see a veterinarian for what a foster may see as an emergency or if they can wait until the following day and see a vet that works closely with the shelter to keep the cost down, etc.

Instituting a foster program of your own:

1st-appoint a Foster Coordinator. This should be someone you trust to make sound decisions. Their responsibilities will be:

Main contact for current and potential fosters
Answer any questions
Authorize treatments
Follow ups

2^nd-Restrictions for Fosters:

Geographically desirable. They need to be close enough to the shelter that if it’s not working out and you have to go pick up the animal, you’re not traveling 3 hours, round trip to reach them.
Children. Small children can be a danger to puppies and small dogs
Other pets. Do you want to require their pets be sterile?
- Definitely want to require their pets be up to date on their vaccinations
- Previous experience. Do you want them to have previous experience caring for a pet?

3^rd-Paperwork:

Liability releases – seek an attorney’s advice on this one. You definitely want to include the language “Can’t guarantee the health or temperament of the animal.”
Confidentiality Agreements – gives you the authority to stop a person from bad mouthing you in the event the foster “goes bad”. With social media a bad experience can go viral fast and having the confidentiality gives you a powerful tool to put a stop to the slander.

In addition to these things you’ll want to establish Standard Operating Procedures. Make sure shelter and foster responsibilities are clearly defined.

Require pets be kept separate from foster pets
Ownership Agreements-make sure you state the animal belongs to the shelter and they are housing it for you and when you ask for it back, they have to give it back to you
Inspection Agreements-you should be allowed to come at a reasonable hour to check on the animal. Typically just having one in place will help keep out non-ideal candidates.

It’s important to have an orientation and you can often offer specialized training by local trainers who can donate their services (exposure for them). They can offer advice on obedience, pet first aid and potty training. The idea is that the animal is more adoptable when you get it back from the foster.

Recruiting Fosters

Social Media is a great way to announce your campaign and obtain free advertising for your new program
Community volunteer agencies and media outlets. Your local news will likely welcome a weekly spotlight, featuring an animal available for foster/adoption
Shelter signage
Senior Centers. These are great places to find fosters for the older animals that have a hard time being chosen. Seniors get a companion and something to take care of and the animal gets lots of love and attention
Word of mouth

*Media coverage. The local media tends to cover cruelty cases and seizures so it’s a great time to let the media know that you are not set up for large scale seizures and ask for the public’s help in volunteering for your foster program.

Screening Fosters

Get identification-know the address where animals will be kept. Unless they’re a student, the address on their driver’s license should match their current address listed on the application
Background check- www.publicdata.com is an easy way to check for any type of criminal record, etc..
Check county appraisal district records to know if they own or rent. The owner of the property needs to know that there is a pet on premises so if you have a renter, you may want to require a letter from the land lord giving permission for the animal.
Find out about the potential’s lifestyle. You want to match the pet to the lifestyle as much as possible.
Pet history-have they lost pets in the past or had pets die accidentally. If so they may not be a good candidate.
Do their personal views conflict with your work as a shelter? Sometimes education regarding why overcrowding and keeping an animal locked up for most of their life is cruel and euthanasia is often the only alternative if a home can’t be found within a reasonable period of time.

References-You’ll want to obtain a reference from their current vet to make sure they take care of their own animals before giving them a new one to foster.

Retaining Fosters

Appreciation Days –thank them by recognizing them in a small celebration. A thank you goes such a long way
Feedback-give lots of nice feedback on a regular basis so they know their efforts are appreciated
Public acknowledgement/Milestone Awards-you can host a luncheon for your volunteers and name a foster of the year award. You can invite the mayor to hand it out and have the local newspaper write an article. (bonus exposure for your shelter and foster program!)
Each year TACA (Texas Animal Control Association www.taca.org ) and NACA (National Animal Control Association www.nacanet.org ) award a Volunteer of the Year award. You can nominate one of your fosters.
Another great way to retain fosters is to let them know their efforts are critical in increasing animal adoptions by sending a follow up email with pictures and an update from the animal’s new home. This will often re-energize them to continue to foster

Best Practices

Litters-vaccinate at 2 weeks prior to returning to the shelter. Sterilize & booster the day of return. Get them returned at 8-9 weeks. The longer the foster waits to return them, the harder it is to get them adopted. Everyone wants new puppies and kittens so there is a small window for adoption.
Coordinate return of fostered animals with times of the year when adoptions are up
- For example-holidays are prime adopting season, especially Christmas so try to get fosters back in house in time for adoption seasons.
Provide collapsible cages for housing while in the care of a foster home. This helps an animal start on crate training and when they are returned to the shelter, they will feel more at ease.
Involving the foster in permanent placement of the animal can be positive if they’re good fosters. They are often more thorough because they’ve formed an attachment and want to insure the animal is going to a loving home and will be well cared for, long term.
ALWAYS, ALWAYS identify foster animals upon their return to the shelter so you can let the foster family know prior to euthanasia.

JAMEY CANTRELL

Jamey Cantrell began working with animals 1993 and his first job in a shelter was a kennel Technician for the Humane Society of North Texas in 1995. He learned to perform every service the shelter provided, from adoptions to emergency rescues of injured animals to cruelty investigations, and worked his way up to the position of Staff Coordinator by 1997. After a brief stint as an Animal Services Officer for the City of Benbrook, Jamey was lured back to HSNT where he took over the position of Director of Shelter Operations. He held that position for five years, managing the day to day operations of the largest full-service animal shelter in North Texas, until leaving in July of 2003 to become the Animal Services Manager for the City of Lubbock. After making great strides in a relatively short amount of time, Jamey returned to the D/FW area when he accepted the position of Animal Control Supervisor for the City of Bedford in July 2004. He led Bedford to the prestigious Texas Animal Control Association’s Animal Control & Welfare Agency of the Year award for 2005 despite the fact that one third of his staff was laid off due to budget cuts that year. In early 2007, Jamey accepted his current position of Animal Services Manager for the City of Plano where he is working to expand the shelter’s outreach and educational programs and improve upon the city’s placement rate of more than 80% of all animals handled. Jamey has wide-ranging experience and has managed small (1-6 employees), medium (20-25 employees), and large (50+ employees) shelters, private shelters run entirely on donations, private shelters with municipal contracts, and tax-funded municipal shelters and serves on the Board of Directors for TXFACS.

jameyC@plano.gov | www.planoanimalshelter.org

Tags: Animal Shelter information, TXFACS, Animal Shelter Foster Programs, Jamey Cantrell, City of Plano Animal Services, Animal Shelter Advice, NACA, TACA

How Artificial Turf Increased My Dog Daycare Business 250%

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 11:20:31 -0700

I operate a large boarding facility and doggie daycare in Southern Florida. The upkeep of the grass and annual replacement costs led me to consider utilizing artificial turf as a permanent solution. I spent about 7 months researching various companies and products and learned more than I thought I’d care to know about the stuff. If you’re considering artificial turf for your doggie daycare or boarding facility, I know you’ll find this information beneficial.

There are 3 main components that make up artificial turf:

Backing – holds the grass in place

Infill – holds the blades up and protects the backing

Blades-the green stuff, visible to the eye

There are many types of backing, infill and blades. I’ve found the ideal recipe of each for my part of the country and what I believe will work for pet play and stay facilities.

What to look for in each component:

Backing - Since the blades you choose will be woven directly into the backing you want to make sure the “Tuft Bind”( Tuft bind is the strength of the attachment of the yarn to the backing material of the turf and is measured in lbs/force.) is a minimum of 6 pounds since you’ll have playful dogs running and possibly trying to dig at the turf. The black rubber backing and not woven mesh backing is the only way to go when pets are the main focus. As a side note, I’ve had dogs dig holes in my grass, but once the turf went in, my “diggers” gave up when they realized they couldn’t get any digging satisfaction from the turf.

Infill –For years the two main choices for infill were rubber or sand, but I came across Envirofill www.usgreentech.com which is unlike any other infill product out there and is ideal for my application. It’s non-toxic and eco-friendly and has a natural quartz core, with an acrylic coating. The purpose of infill is to hold down the grass and protect the backing. I highly recommend Envirofill and no, they’re not paying me to say that. Another added benefit of using this product over black rubber is the heat factor. Black rubber infill gets very hot in the summer time, making dogs do the high-step, and once it’s hot it becomes tacky and can stick to dog fur. Envirofill actually cooled my black backing by 4 degrees in the hottest days of the year. This is a picture of an individual Envirofill grain, cut in half to see the quartz core.

Blade-you have to choose face weight, height and material when you’re shopping for a blade. For doggie day care lawns, the ideal face weight is a minimum of 60oz per square foot, height should be 1 1/8-1 3/4” tall and always, always 100% polyethylene.

To install or not to install, that is the question.

Artificial turf is as easy to install as carpet so if you’re handy and you have the time, you could install the stuff yourself. I chose to use an installer which allowed me to choose from all of the backing, blades and infills he or I had access too. The turf you choose will have a manufacturer’s warranty, standard is about 8 years and if you use an installer he should warranty his work as well.

Pros of Natural Grass-The initial cost is much less to install a natural lawn. Artificial turf is expensive to install on the front end, however it will pay for itself when you calculate being in business for a number of years and not having to water, fertilize, put in sprinkler systems, and replace the lawn annually, like I was doing. It cost me about $4,500 each year to replace the lawn and an additional $7,000 a year to maintain it. The high quality artificial turf I put in cost me about $80,000, but the benefits have far outweighed the cost and it’s an improvement that has given my facility year round curb appeal and resulted in increased business.

Cons of Natural Grass-Grass and mud make for a dirty combination, dirty employees, dirty animals, not to mention all the digging. Dogs are stuck inside when it’s raining and usually for a few hours if not the rest of the day after it’s rained because of the mud factor and fleas and ticks thrive in grass which is a problem when you’ve got so many animals from different households. If your facility gives a client’s dog fleas, you can bet they probably won’t be back.

Cons of Artificial Turf- Cost. It’s expensive to install the quality stuff that’s going to last. You’re looking at about $7.50 to $10/square foot installed if you use my suggested blend.

Pros of Artificial Turf-Curb appeal, the grass is green all year long, the dogs stay cleaner, employees stay cleaner,and the facility as a whole stays cleaner. No allergies or that redness that can occur with natural grass, no fertilizing, the dogs can be in and out of the pool without getting the pool full of grass and dirt and when it rains, as long as it’s not a down pour or lightening, we can stay outside. Even if there is a down pour, the dogs can go right back outside as soon as the rain stops. The best benefit of all is that my daycare business has increased 2 ½ times, even after raising the daycare rates 15%, which has helped offset the cost of the turf and after 8 years, it will have cost me the same as maintaining a natural lawn.

Here are some photos of the turf in use at www.pompanopetlodge.com.

One honest source of information you can believe in is shawnk@turfstore.com. (And he does not pay me either)

John Glorieux: 12 years managing the largest and one of the most innovative pet facilities in South Florida offering boarding, daycare training and grooming. john@pompanopetlodge.com

Design Requirements for Radioactive Iodine (I-131)

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 09:08:10 -0700

Designing for procedures you perform in your facility every day can have a big impact on the layout and construction of your space. One example is Radioactive Iodine (I-131) therapy. Depending on your local physicist’s requirements and your operational protocol, you may be required to provide lead lined walls and if you have an occupying space above, lead lined ceilings. At VCA Veterinary Referral Associates in Gaithersburg, Maryland, we were required to provide a 1” lead brick wall which required additional structural support in the foundation. Planning for the infrastructure that may be needed for these types of spaces ahead of time will save everyone time and money in the end.

Vicki J. Pollard, AIA, CVT

Vicki brings unique experience to Animal Arts www.animalarts.biz with degrees in both architecture and veterinary technology. Prior to joining Animal Arts, Vicki worked as the Owner’s Representative during the construction of the Alameda East Veterinary Hospital campus. She has worked on a variety of projects since joining Animal Arts including the Coral Springs Veterinary Hospital, VCA South Shore Animal Hospital, VCA Kaneohe Animal Hospital in Hawaii and VCA West Los Angeles Animal Hospital, a premier 42,000 square-foot specialty referral center.

“Animal Arts specializes exclusively in veterinary hospital and animal shelter design. We have a proven track record of success with over 600 projects in 40 states, Canada and overseas. Our designs have been presented with 35 architectural excellence awards from Veterinary Economics magazine. Visit our website at www.animalarts.biz”

Low Bidder: “It’s Unwise To Pay Too Much, But It’s Worse To Pay Too Little”-John Ruskin

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 13:54:55 -0700

“It’s Unwise To Pay Too Much, But It’s Worse To Pay Too Little”-John Ruskin (1819-1900)

I’m “sharing” this from the latest Pet Boarding & Daycare magazine, Volume 2 Edition 1. They have some of the best content for Groomers and Boarding Facility operators. This issue covers the best flooring for your pet care facility, dealing with increased competition and other various topics including this little nugget of wisdom by John Ruskin. It is such sound advice along with “Truth or Just Good Marketing” our blog from November 2011. Enjoy:

“It’s unwise to pay too much, but it is worse to pay too little. When you pay too much, you lose a little money – that is all. When you pay too little, you sometimes lose everything, because the thing you bought was incapable of doing the thing it was bought to do. The common law of business balance prohibits paying a little and getting a lot – it can’t be done. If you deal with the lowest bidder, it is well to add something for the risk that you run. And if you do that, you will have enough. There is hardly anything in the world that someone can’t make a little worse and sell a little cheaper – and people who consider price alone are this man’s lawful prey.”

Why 304 Stainless?

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 07:23:32 -0700

Why 304 Stainless?

In today’s economy it’s important to be an educated consumer. With the American dollar taking a beating, manufacturers are looking for ways to maximize profits. At the same time you, the consumer are looking for ways to get the most for your money. It’s tempting for you to opt for a less expensive product, just be sure your manufacturer isn’t doing the same thing.

At TriStar and Direct, all of our stainless steel is purchased strictly from American Mills. Did you know there are only 3 major stainless mills in the US? As a manufacturer, you can bring in material from other countries, such as China or you can have parts built in other countries and bring them here for assembly. Manufacturing can be done a number of ways. We use domestic, 304 stainless in all of our stainless product line. We always know what we’re getting, it’s consistent and ISO certified and we believe you should never compromise quality to save a buck! “Type 304 stainless has a minimum of 18% chromium and 8% nickel.”* The chromium and the nickel content are what give 304 stainless its non-corrosive properties. It will resist rust, and stain “less” than other types of steel. It will hold up to all kinds of fruit acids, which is why it is used in food processing equipment and cookery tools. It will also hold up to urine and cleaning agents. “The chromium in the steel combines with oxygen in the atmosphere to form a thin, invisible layer of chrome-containing oxide, called the passive film. The sizes of chromium atoms and their oxides are similar, so they pack neatly together on the surface of the metal, forming a stable layer only a few atoms thick. If the metal is cut or scratched and the passive film is disrupted, more oxide will quickly form and recover the exposed surface, protecting it from oxidative corrosion.”** It’s an absolutely perfect product for use in animal care facilities, where animals may be scratching at its surface and contaminating it with their saliva. It can be cleaned and it basically repairs itself, cutting down on the spread of disease. On top of being very sanitary and durable it is also extremely beautiful. For these reasons we’re proud to offer domestic 304 stainless steel to our customers!

References

* www.lenntech.com material notes Stain Steel 304

** Helmenstine, PH.D., Anne Marie. Why is stainless Steel Stainless? What It Is and How It Works. About.com.

Equipment Maintenance: Keep It Looking As Good As New, and Get Top Dollar When It’s Time To Replace It

Tue, 27 Dec 2011 10:59:06 -0700

Equipment Maintenance: Keep It Looking As Good As New, and Get Top Dollar When It’s Time To Replace It

November and December are notoriously busy months in the animal care industry. Whether you treat, clip, bathe or board chances are you’ll be chasing your tail this time of year. While you are trying to find time to catch your breath, think how much wear and tear is being placed on your equipment. Everything in your facility that has moving parts will likely need scheduled maintenance and the busier your place is the more frequent you should perform the maintenance; monthly, quarterly or annually.

A good rule of thumb is to take stock of any equipment you use that has moving parts that may need to be oiled or rotated, etc. Equipment features vary from vendor to vendor so you can call the manufacturer (most have their contact info directly on the product) and ask if they have any tips for routine maintenance. It will help if you still have your invoice so you can give them the product numbers you purchased. My husband takes excellent care of everything we purchase. After each lawn mowing, he uses the air compressor to blow off the lawn mower blades and wipes off the dust and dirt from the surfaces and after any 4-wheeler excursion he takes the time to wash the dry the ATV. The goal is to keep everything looking as good as new, which is key to getting top dollar when it comes time to sell what you have in order to upgrade to a bigger/better model. Craig’s List is an excellent place to list anything you’re trying to sell; posting pictures of what you’re selling is key and will help you sell your items faster). I’m sure most of you have a closing routine that includes some type of cleaning schedule, but make sure it’s effective and your staff is really cleaning. It’s a great idea to assign who will clean what, specifically what products will be used and proper, effective cleaning techniques. If you’re cleaning anything stainless steel, it’s best to use a non-corrosive cleaner. I’ve heard of a product called TripleTwo which cleans, disinfects and deodorizes all in one application. Once you’ve cleaned stainless, you can buy a product called Sprayway stainless steel cleaner and polish to give it nice high gloss shine. January is a great time to do annual maintenance and remember “old houses mended cost less than new, before they’re ended” or something like that. Happy cleaning!

www.craigslist.com a great place to sell any of your items

www.htproducts.net to purchase TripleTwo a non-corrosive cleaner

www.samsclub.com to purchase Sprayway stainless steel cleaner

Returning to Prosperity – A Feel-Good Read

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 07:33:57 -0700

Returning to Prosperity – A Feel-Good Read

Like many of our customers, we are a small business. This has been a tough year for small businesses in America and in the Veterinary industry especially.

Our industry is very unique. It’s not really comparative to the human health industry and it’s not comparative to a pet store. Unless you’re actively in the Veterinary industry, you just can’t really understand the challenges we face. When the economy started circling the “bowl”, we were surprised to note that the animal care industry didn’t really seem to be affected. Around the office we started telling everyone from our suppliers to the UPS guy (Will, the best UPS guy there is!) that our industry must be recession proof. However it seems we were not recession proof, it just took a little longer to affect us. We’ve all tightened our belts, looked for ways to save money and continue to grow our businesses and look for ways to become more efficient, but I’m inspired by local businesses in our community and by friends and associates who are not in the animal care industry. When we were busier than a one-armed paper hanger they were struggling to find business. Now it seems they are getting busy again, returning to economic prosperity, even getting bonuses again. Common sense tells me that if they’re getting back on track, we cannot be far behind. Here’s to 2012!

Holiday Pet Boarding-Let them know the Doctor Is In!

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 09:56:45 -0700

Holiday Pet Boarding-Let them know the Doctor Is In!

Tis the Season to make the long journey to visit family and friends for Christmas. This time of year my husband’s entire family heads south for the winter to San Antonio, Texas. (We make a pit stop at Rudy’s BBQ for some of the best brisket this side of the Mason Dixon) They live on a ranch with a lot of acreage, even still their Turkish Anatolians, Tilke and Kybear don’t exactly welcome my Pit Bulls for the holidays. So we have a standing reservation to kennel our pets at our local Vet’s office each year. One of my Pits is eleven and has a few health problems so I feel the best place to board her is with the people who can treat her right then and there if the situation calls for it.

I found it odd that some of the other family members say they don’t feel comfortable boarding their dogs. We manufacture kennels so naturally I was curious to find out why. It seems the view of boarding facilities is very outdated among those who had 1 bad experience several years ago and have never gone back. Those are the local customers you are missing out with. If you’re a Veterinarian who also has a small boarding area, make sure all of your customers know about it. If you have their email addresses, send an e-blast, promoting the benefits of leaving your animals with trained personnel and that space is limited so make your reservation quickly! Have a Holiday Boarding banner printed and put it right out there for locals to see. Look over your reservations from last year and call those customers to see if they need boarding this year for the holidays. I’m the worst about calling the day before we leave for San Antonio to book a spot. (Shout out to Marie at Avondale Haslet Animal Clinic for calling me this year to ask if I needed to book in advance!) In short, if you’re a Vet with kennels, make the most of those money makers, not just during the holidays, but all year round!

Why Glass Kennel Doors?

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 12:40:40 -0700

Why Glass Kennel Doors?

Not only is glass quieter and provides your facility with a more open look and feel, it is also easier to clean compared to other options on the market.

If you have an animal that has urinated on the glass you can identify that and it can then be easily cleaned and disinfected, and you’ll know by simply looking at it. On the other hand, if you have a stainless steel rod door you can’t see that as easily and it is a lot more difficult and time consuming to clean. By nature humans find the most efficient way to do things and would prefer cleaning a glass door, which takes 30 seconds as opposed to a rod door which takes a minute or two, and not everyone will take the time to successfully clean and disinfect the rod type door. Not only are glass doors easier to clean they are quieter. Glass doors are increasing in popularity as a result of veterinary hospitals and boarding facilities trying to get away from the caged, jail cell look by creating a more open feel and comfortable atmosphere for the animals. The Glass trend has caught on in animal shelter environments as well for the same stress reducing qualities, not to mention the spread of diseases is minimized. With the standard rod doors, humans touch from nose to nose while they feed and water and that can definitely spread germs and bacteria, quickly. TriStar Vet and Direct Animal Products offer glass doors with bowl feeders that allow shelter or boarding personnel to feed and water without opening the door. This eliminates the chance of an animal trying to rush the door and in an animal shelter environment can be an added safety measure against an aggressive animal. There are many positives glass provides for both employees and animals, so consider all of this when it comes time to build a new facility or remodel an existing one.

TriStar uses ¼” tempered clear glass which is a durable and holds up well in these type settings. There are some companies that use 3/16” which is a thinner glass but for the most part ¼” tempered clear glass is an industry standard. Others still use Lexan or plastic in their cat condos for instance, but we have always used the ¼” clear tempered glass simply for the fact that is a longer lasting and more durable product.

Tackling Your Remodel

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 09:01:10 -0700

Tackling Your Remodel

When renovating your existing facility or even building a new facility altogether, there are so many questions you will ask yourself; “What should my first step be?”, “What should my budget be?” and finally, “how will I pay for this?”

Like everything in life you have to plan the work and then work the plan. Recently I was a part of a Design Conference held for Veterinarians and Practice Owners that addressed all of these questions and so many more. The information gathered was invaluable and I highly recommend finding and attending a Design Conference if at all possible. I’d say the most valuable piece of advice was to retain the services of an architect, this is the first step. A good architect (I call them Veterinarian Architects) with experience in designing Veterinary facilities can save you so much time and money and do all of the research on materials and site development (not to mention the permitting through the municipalities) while you’re doing what you should be doing, treating your patients. A Veterinarian Architect will consult with you on your current practice demands and future demands, your wants and needs and help you plan your square footage requirements, then give you a true estimate (per square foot) on what type of budget you’ll need to accommodate the things you’ve asked for. A couple of architecture firms even partner with construction firms so the building process goes off without a hitch. I’ll make some recommendations on architects with specific veterinary design experience at the end here. A “Veterinarian Architect” will save you time and money, but one architect is developing a way to make you money. Wayne Usiak (BDA Architecture) speaks at national veterinary conferences and is an editorial contributor to Veterinary Economics and he’s working on a method that will allow his firm to calculate which areas of a clinic earn the money and which areas do not, then design a floor plan that is conducive to profitability. Another item to discuss with your architect is your exit strategy? When you’re ready to retire, how attractive is your facility going to be to potential buyers? If you’re purchasing land to build a new clinic on, you may consider setting up a personal LLC corporation to own the land and your new clinic can pay rent to the LLC. This way even after you retire, you’ll still get those monthly rental payments to help pay your greens fees! How will you pay for the expansion? Obtaining the lending can be tricky too so it’s important to seek out lenders who understand that a Veterinarian runs a unique business so the lender has to think outside of the box. Bank of America has a veterinary financing division that has had a lot of success in meeting the specific, unique needs of practice owners looking to grow. The veterinary financing division of Bank of America is not available at your local branch and many branches don’t even know it exists, you can find the link to their site below. Remodeling is an exciting yet challenging time, utilizing a team of experts to execute your vision will give you all the advantages and help you avoid the pitfalls.

BDA Architecture - www.bdaarc.com

Chapel Associates Architects - www.chapelarchitects.com

Bank of America Veterinary Financing - http://www.bankofamerica.com/small_business/practicesolutions/index.cfm

Truth or Just Good Marketing

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 08:59:36 -0700

Truth or Just Good Marketing

High quality products and craftsmanship, custom design services, have you heard these words before? Perhaps in numerous trade publication ads and websites in the animal care equipment industry? If all these claims are equally true, then how can you as the consumer, make a decision? I guess it all comes down to price. I mean if everyone offers top quality, innovative free design services then it’s safe to go with the cheapest manufacturer, right? We have all heard the phrase, and likely experienced it as well, “you get what you pay for”.

In other words, you only have yourself to blame when your cheap purchase breaks or fails to perform as promised. At the risk of losing a popularity contest, allow me to pull back the curtain and expose the “Wizard”. The problem is the word “quality” is subjective and truthfully all manufacturers, the big guys anyway, have to work with you on your floor plan to understand what you need them to build for you, hence the “free design services”. The bottom line is quality, like beauty is in the eye of the beholder, unlike quality materials, that’s an absolute. When you’re looking at several manufacturers, let’s say for stainless steel kennels. The heavier the gauge, the more durable the kennel, keeping in mind that the lower the number the heavier the gauge, i.e. 18gauge is heavier than 20 gauge. Or if you’re shopping for a stainless steel bathing tub for grooming, gauge is important again, but even more important is the construction of the tub. Is it fully welded or silicone and pop-riveted? Does it arrive fully assembled or do you have to assemble it? I will never forget being at a grooming tradeshow and hearing a first-hand account from a guy who was so angry that he got “my bathing tub”, assembled it and the first dog he groomed, a German Sheppard, got rowdy and the tub fell apart, sending water all over his new salon. Once he explained what happened, I had to explain to him that we don’t make a tub that arrives in a flat box and you silicone and pop rivet it together. He apologized and went on his way and apparently found the vendor who’d sold him the tub a few booths down and began the tirade all over again. With any large purchase, whether it’s a car, a piece of furniture or a new bathing tub it’s a good idea to have a list of questions to ask the manufacturer. These are great questions to ask when purchasing anything from a grooming table to a kennel run or stainless cages and bathing tubs:

1) How thick is the material, what is the gauge?

2) How is it constructed?

3) Does it ship fully assembled or is there assembly required? If assembly required do you have detailed assembly instructions?

4) What is the warranty period and what is covered in your warranty?

Another suggestion if you’re in the market to make a large purchase of kennels, cages, bathing tubs, etc. find a tradeshow, even if you have to book a flight. Pictures can be deceiving and all advertisers put their best foot forward, but you can’t afford not to look at their products up close, first hand and quiz the representatives in the booth. Most times you can look at equipment and say “wow, this is what I want” or “whoa, glad I didn’t buy this one based off of the photograph.”

Remember, The Wizard of Oz marketed himself as a fearful, ominous, magical wizard, but it turned out he was just some guy using a lot of elaborate magic tricks and props to make himself seem great and powerful.

Ergonomics - Where & Why

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 09:19:37 -0700

Ergonomics- Where & Why

Ergonomics is a word people hear all the time but don’t really stop and think about it. They think it doesn’t really apply to them or their veterinary hospital. But ergonomics is what hospital design and creating a positive working environment is all about, it is taking your practice and making all of the workspaces both user and patient friendly and comfortable. Knowing where ergonomics is important and why it is important is key, and then knowing how it can be incorporated into an existing facility can help you transform your hospital. When discussing ergonomics and how to include it into a practice many people tend to think “that sounds great if I was starting from scratch and building a new hospital but I already have an existing facility,” but there are some practical ways to incorporate ergonomics into our existing hospital.

Where Ergonomics is Key: would be you or your employees lifting large dogs onto an exam table or into a bathing tub. There are a lot of products on the market today that can be incorporated into your practice so that people don’t have to lift heavy objects and animals. Search for wet lift tables or bathing tubs that are hydraulic. These products help to decrease the strain of lifting large dogs and also the chance of a dog reacting to being lifted by biting an employee (worker’s comp claims, yet another excellent reason to incorporate ergonomics into your work place). Another way to make your workspaces more user friendly is by evaluating the height of your countertops vs. the height of your staff. Years ago a standard countertop height was 36” but research shows that people have gotten taller over the last 40 years and so now the new standard should maybe be 40”. For instance if you have a vet tech that is 5’10” it will be difficult for them to work off of the same exam table and countertops as a vet tech that is 5’4”. Many of the hospitals we have done custom cabinetry to utilize 1 work area by varying the counter top height sort of like a stair step, higher on each end, with a lower space in the center so everyone has a comfortable working height to do paperwork. If your staff is of varying heights but your budget doesn’t allow for a new counter top, consider buying a simple fold up or fold down exam table and installing it at the right height to accommodate those who currently use a counter top that’s too tall or too short.

It is often said that if you take care of your employees they will take care of you and creating a safer and more comfortable work environment is a great place to start. Whether you have an existing facility or are building a new one, it is often the little things that can make a big difference.

The TriStar Difference

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 09:09:45 -0600

The TriStar Difference

For more than 25 years, TriStar Vet has manufactured custom stainless steel equipment. We’ve continued to show our dedication to the animal care industry and animal health professionals as we have brought innovative animal care products to market.

As experts in the business, our commitment to providing the animal health industry durable, top quality, innovative products continues to be our top focus in 2011. Our quality control and field testing begins with our customers. At TriStar, our customer service continues to be our top priority. Our staff is dedicated to solving your needs, whether you are looking to update your facility or building a new one, we want to be your stainless steel equipment partner. TriStar Vet can help provide inspiration and solutions for any budget with products that are built to last.

Our products are proof that we continue to set new standards and develop new features with you in mind. From our designers to production staff we take pride in providing products of the highest quality. Almost everything we manufacture can be tailor-made to fit the dimensions for your existing or new facility. That's because TriStar customizes each order to our client's specifications, and our National Sanitation Foundation rating, ensures our clinical equipment meets the same sanitation requirements found in human hospitals. When you invest in a TriStar product, you are getting the highest quality available in the industry today.

Our customer inspired stainless steel equipment is the TriStar difference. We look forward to serving you.

History of TriStar

Fri, 28 Oct 2011 13:10:05 -0600

History of TriStar

My dad Richard Batterton, Sr. founded TriStar in 1986 in our family garage. He was a welder by trade, a true master craftsman and I was his apprentice. He started out making custom stainless pieces for anybody who needed anything. Eventually our small family business started to grow and we moved our company to Boyd, a small farming community outside of Fort Worth, TX. We manufactured all kinds of stuff from architectural hand rails to stainless cabinetry for military hospitals and Airforce bases.

About ten years ago a local veterinarian walked into our office asking for a stainless steel wet/prep table. He had a wood laminate version that was falling apart and wanted something that would last, in a custom size and wasn’t able to find it on the market. He and I worked up a drawing and just a few weeks later he was thrilled with his custom creation. After his open house, the phones started to ring with other Vets who wanted customized pieces and now we are exclusively a manufacturer for the Animal Health Industry. We soon realized there was nothing else like our products available in the marketplace and TriStar Vet was born. Each vet is different, they each practice medicine a different way, and TriStar has the ability to customize facility around the procedures they do on a daily basis.

Although we’ve grown, we still pretty much do business the same way. Each day we have a production meeting to turn in new jobs and it’s amazing to watch the customers’ ideas go from inception to completion. We set up every job for final inspection before we ship it out to the customer and the salesperson responsible for the job goes over each detail meticulously to ensure it’s exactly as the customer wanted it. We set aside a special area in our plant specifically for inspections. It’s not cheap to do that final step, but we get calls from general contractors all the time who say “I can tell this stuff was set up already”. An added benefit is that we have to pull all the hardware and whatever else is needed so we rarely get those calls of “I’m missing this or that”.

We have a niche in this market and that is our ability to customize our existing products or help a customer create something new altogether. When building a new veterinary hospital or updating an existing facility, by using TriStar, you are going to be able to maximize your money and get truly custom equipment, something you are going to be happy with. We know it’s not just important to use quality materials, but quality construction is key to building equipment that will last. We call it “The TriStar Difference”.