Speaking Engagements
For some, there is a light that appears at the toughest moments of being a doctor. Dr. Dani McVety found that light early in her career, and it sparked an idea that has become one of the most unique and fastest growing businesses in the veterinary space. Lap of Love Veterinary Hospice, a service that has visited the homes of over 50,000 families, is now a nationwide network of over 90 passionate doctors and a full time interdisciplinary support staff dedicated to making the end of life experience for pets, and the people that love them, as dignified and peaceful as possible.
Dr. McVety is Co-Founder and CEO of Lap of Love and co-host of PetCareTV. She frequently writes and speaks for professional and lay audiences in hopes of empowering both parties to seek the highest standards of care. Her talks have quickly garnered the reputation of being “fantastically hilarious,” “bringing humor where it’s needed most,” “incredibly inspiring,” and “simply authentic.”
In her talks, Dr. McVety shares her struggles through veterinary school, how she found her passion in the emergency room, why she felt a calling in the toughest moments of medicine, and how her and her business partner have grown a nationally recognized business.
As a certified body language instructor, one of her favorite topics is communication. “Communication is the heart of all that we do; it is lifeblood of all our interactions.”
Dr. McVety, Dr. Gardner, and Lap of Love have been featured on numerous local, national, and professional media outlets including ABC, Fox 13, Associated Press, The New York Times, Washington Post, Entrepreneur Magazine, Huffington Post, and many more. She proudly graduated from the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine and is the youngest recipient the college’s Distinguished Young Alumni Award (2013), the Florida Veterinary Medical Association's President's Award (2014), and the Pet Industry Woman of the Year (2016).
Upcoming And Recent Events
Speaking Topics
The Changing Face of Veterinary Medicine
85% of all new veterinary graduates are women; this has been the case for over a decade now. The industry of veterinary medicine started in a much different place than we find ourselves today; we started as “equine mechanics." As the animal population has moved closer and closer to our homes, and even into our beds, the responsibility of keeping these pets healthy has more in common with pediatric medicine than any other aspect of practice. The rising rate of women in this industry will change much of what we do, how we do it, and why we do it.
Body Language
The way you walk into the room, hold the patient's chart, and shake the client's hand may determine compliance before you even speak. By unknowingly appearing disinterested, forceful, or unsure of yourself in the exam room you are giving up your position of influence and losing ground with your clients. This will not only affect your ability to appropriately treat the pet, but will also decrease the perceived value of your services. Being aware of these unspoken subtleties offers clinicians and technicians alike the chance to discern, confirm, and reshape the attitude a client may be feeling without saying a word.
Turning Career Burnout Into a Life of Passion
The term “compassion fatigue” is often overused in the profession of veterinary medicine when most often, what we really struggle with in our profession is not as much compassion fatigue, but actually ethical fatigue. Typically, it is not the over-demand of compassion that leads veterinarians to feeling fatigued. Rather, it is the immense responsibility to make the ‘right’ decision (many of them ethically based) within the boundaries of someone else’s illogical values or unreasonable budgets. Through honor, dignity, professionalism, and finding our niche in veterinary medicine, we can combat the feelings of burnout.
Gold Standards of Compassionate Communication
The words you use and the words you fail to use say more about your intentions and emotions than you may think. Verbal communication anchors a client’s feelings and experience about you and your ability to help their pet before you’ve even presented them with an estimate. When combined with non-verbal communication (body language), verbal “anchors,” set the client (and you) up for a good experience. This presentation addresses handling difficult discussions, conveying positive emotions, responding to clients’ concerns, and sets the foundation for the entire team to ensure the best experience possible.
Entrepreneurism in the Medical Field & Beyond
Whether you dream about, plan on, or are even remotely considering starting your own practice, acquiring an existing one, or simply being a valued, integral part of a business, you need to hear some things before you set out on your own. You need to know what will lead to your success, what obstacles will be in your way, and most importantly, what your true vision is supposed to include. I may not have all the answers, but I guarantee you that if I can do it, anyone can.
Veterinary Hospice and Assessing Quality of Life
Veterinary hospice care is a unique case approach centered around education, preparation, and support for the pet and the client. Understanding what this service includes and what it does not include will help veterinary professionals solidify their role as animal advocators, strengthen the human animal bond, and maintain the highest level of client care. We will learn how to discuss and offer hospice services to clients with terminally ill or severely geriatric companion animals and gain an understanding of the ways to evaluate quality of life to best serve our patients and their family.
Art of Euthanasia
The euthanasia appointment is unparalleled in emotion and sentiment. The tone of voice, delivery of words, bedside manner with both patient and client, and the medical procedure itself become a delicate dance around death that doctor and staff should carefully choreograph and continually improve. By learning to rehearse and enhance performance in these areas it is possible to bring the comforts of home into your clinic. It is only through this unexpected and shared solace that the family will forever be kindredly-linked with your clinic, ensuring an unsurpassed level of client satisfaction and loyalty.
Why Veterinarians Will Change the Face of Human Death
Veterinary medicine is the only health care profession licensed to end life. Death is not only a necessary, essential, and permanent part of our job, but also an art form that requires immense personal focus, unparalleled empathy, and a unique form of compassion. In this talk, we will take an open, non-judgmental, and compassionate look at how veterinarians evaluate quality of life, discuss options with pet owners, and eventually work through the emotions of purposefully ending a life.
Ethics of Convenience Euthanasia
When it comes to ethical-border-line euthanasia requests, we have a very important decision to make as veterinarians. By requesting euthanasia in the first place, the family is communicating to you that there is something wrong with the human-animal bond, and they care enough to tell you about it instead of letting the dog or cat go on the side of the road. So, what should be done in extreme cases of uncomfortable euthanasia requests? Let's push the boundaries a bit in this open conversation about the most difficult and widely debated aspects of our profession, "convenience" euthanasia.
Publications and Interview
In-Home Euthanasia: Putting a Pet Down at Home
No one knows your pet better than you and your veterinarian, so the moment you think it may be time to consider putting your dog or cat down, start the process of talking to your vet and weighing the
To The Veterinary Class of 2019: Dreams Don't Work Unless You Do
For almost my entire life, the answer to the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” was simple: A veterinarian. I didn’t have much of a vision of what that actually meant. Upon
UF College of Veterinary Medicine
2019 UF Commencement Speech - Watch This if You Want to
Lap of Love founder and University of Florida (UF) alumna, Dr. Dani McVety, delivered the commencement speech to the 2019 graduates of the UF College of Veterinary Medicine.
11 Ways to Take Care of Your Dog As It Gets Older
Taking caring of a puppy can be a whirlwind of training, playing, and cleaning up messes. Once they get past that stage, all you really have to do is keep up the same good work. But as your dog gets
Four veterinarians share stories of facing big change in their lives: divorce, death, illness, work stress. Find out how they braced themselves against harsh conditions in their personal lives.
Veterinary Hospice Pioneer Sees Change in Profession's Future
At Nationwide, we’ve known Dr. Dani McVety since she was a veterinary student, and I’m not alone here in being very proud of where she has taken her career as a veterinarian. She found her calling
"Your exceptional reputation precedes you. Your way of doing things allows the veterinarian to offer guidance and comfort to the pet owners as well as ongoing care to patients. It puts everyone on the same team to allow the kind of relationship-based and patient focused medicine that simply works better for all involved. I love that it's a blue waters approach, I love that it puts patient and client first. You are doing so much to help owners come to good terms with the loss of their pet, it's really remarkable. Euthanasia is so much more than just a peaceful end for the pet, it's also about being there for the owners and helping them through the loss of a family member; Lap of Love is doing that in a huge way."
"Your outlook on the profession is inspiring."
"Your excitement and enthusiasm for what you do and what we represent as a profession gives me hope that when I graduate, I won't be the only veterinarian who is still glad they pursued this path."
"I don't really think I even have enough words to really tell you how amazing I feel after hearing your presentation and speaking with you afterwards. I honestly have this renewed sense of excitement for my future."
"You have validated my beliefs and feelings about euthanasia being a gift that we can give."
"Your 'Why' really helps nurture the human-animal bond."
"This talk completely changed my life in the most incredible ways."