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Rick LeCouteur
Inviting young readers to marvel at the wonder of nature's creatures
Rick's Blog
#bunyipsbooksbeyond
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The Myth of Being the Best: What does #1 really mean for Vet Schools? (#324)
Graduation season is upon us. Across campuses and live streams around the world, proud deans will take the podium, look out at rows of...
RIck LeCouteur
May 112 min read
43 views
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The Great Deception: When ‘independently owned’ means ‘corporate controlled’ (#323)
Walk into a veterinary hospital in your neighborhood and you might be greeted by warm staff, a comforting logo, and a sign that proudly...
RIck LeCouteur
May 112 min read
259 views
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The Chewy - PetSmart - BC Partners Saga (3 of 5): Who is BC Partners and does it matter? (#320)
Parts 1 and 2 of this series of posts on the Chewy - PetSmart - BC Partners Saga examined how Chewy evolved from a niche online pet...
RIck LeCouteur
May 34 min read
28 views
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Veterinary Medicine for Sale: When profit replaces purpose (#317)
Increasingly, private equity firms and multinational corporations are in charge. Not veterinarians. In the U.S., U.K., Australia,...
RIck LeCouteur
May 13 min read
80 views
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The Chewy – PetSmart – BC Partners Saga (2 of 5): Raymond Svider & the billion dollar bet (#316)
In the world of private equity, convention is king: borrow big, slash costs, and squeeze profits. But Raymond Svider , Chairman and...
RIck LeCouteur
Apr 303 min read
36 views
0 comments
The Chewy – PetSmart – BC Partners Saga (1 of 5): Pet food to power play (#315)
In a previous Rick’s Blog post, titled Chewy’s Big Play , we looked at how Chewy evolved from a niche online pet retailer into a...
RIck LeCouteur
Apr 303 min read
21 views
0 comments
Microscale, Mega Impact: How tiny robots are changing neurosurgery (#308)
What if a robot the size of a grain of rice could transform the way we treat brain tumors, navigate the labyrinth of the human brain with...
RIck LeCouteur
Apr 233 min read
2 views
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AI in Vet Med: Record keeping do's and don'ts (#307)
In recent years, the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into veterinary medicine has transformed many aspects of clinical...
RIck LeCouteur
Apr 233 min read
4 views
0 comments
Chewy's Big Play: Dog food, vet clinics, insurance, and beyond (#304)
Chewy Inc., once seen as just an online pet supply retailer, is rapidly transforming into something much bigger: a full-service pet care...
RIck LeCouteur
Apr 174 min read
45 views
0 comments
Rethinking “Pet Parent”: Language, Expectations, and Animal Welfare (#300)
A fellow veterinarian recently asked me why I object to the term pet parent. It’s a fair question. After all, it’s everywhere: in...
RIck LeCouteur
Apr 113 min read
176 views
0 comments
Vet Med on the Brink: Lessons from Wall Street. (#299)
What does Sydney’s Northern Beaches Hospital teach us about veterinary corporatization? In recent years, Sydney’s Northern Beaches...
RIck LeCouteur
Apr 104 min read
154 views
0 comments
From Exam Room To Oval Office: The Cost of Putting Profit First (#298)
Have you noticed? There are some striking similarities between corporate greed in veterinary medicine and the ethos that characterizes...
RIck LeCouteur
Apr 73 min read
30 views
0 comments
The Fear-Free Brain: Fearless climber & fear free vet care (#293)
Alex Honnold , the world’s greatest free solo climber, has a brain that defies conventional understanding of fear . His ability to scale...
RIck LeCouteur
Mar 313 min read
18 views
0 comments
Tales of Tails: What curliness reveals about life within (#292)
Ever walked down a dark alley in a big city at night and felt your body subtly shift? Your shoulders rise, your back stiffens, and your...
RIck LeCouteur
Mar 314 min read
15 views
0 comments
Social Prescribing in Vet Med: Expanding the clinical toolbox (#291)
In recent years, social prescribing has gained recognition as a powerful adjunct to traditional medical care in people. Rather than...
RIck LeCouteur
Mar 303 min read
14 views
0 comments
White Coat Worthy: When should veterinary students earn the symbol of the profession? (#290)
For veterinary students around the world, the white coat ceremony is a moment charged with symbolism, pride, and a deep sense of...
RIck LeCouteur
Mar 304 min read
22 views
0 comments
From Lectures to Likes: Veterinary education is evolving (#289)
Once upon a time, the only way to learn from a veterinarian was in person. In the lecture hall, in the lab, in a practice or on a rural...
RIck LeCouteur
Mar 294 min read
254 views
0 comments
Corporate Consolidation & The Opium Wars: Tales of power, profit, & consequence (#286)
I believe that the more you know about the past, the better you are prepared for the future Theodore Roosevelt History often repeats...
RIck LeCouteur
Mar 254 min read
26 views
0 comments
Old Tricks, New Suits: What 1970s hostile takeovers taught private equity firms (#283)
When I was a young man in Australia, my father worked for a pastoral company named Australian Mercantile Land & Finance Co. Ltd. (AML&F)....
RIck LeCouteur
Mar 243 min read
16 views
0 comments
Private Equity Is Reshaping Veterinary Care: An opinion piece (#282)
Over the past decade, a quiet revolution has transformed the veterinary industry. Once dominated by independent, family-run practices,...
RIck LeCouteur
Mar 223 min read
71 views
0 comments
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