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Rick LeCouteur
Inviting young readers to marvel at the wonder of nature's creatures
Rick's Blog
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Right Lane Ends: A Warning for Veterinary Medicine (#336)
Somewhere on a lonely stretch of asphalt, I saw a mangled guide rail twisted like a wound. Among the debris was a fractured road sign,...
Rick LeCouteur
Jun 32 min read
Academic Leadership in Vet Med: Public Service or Private Profit? (#335)
In an era when public trust in institutions is eroding, the lines between service and self-interest grow increasingly difficult to...
Rick LeCouteur
Jun 13 min read
Deans, Dollars, and Divided Duties: The ethics of academic leadership on corporate boards (#334)
In academia, integrity and transparency aren’t just ideals. They're the foundation of public trust. But when university leaders step into...
Rick LeCouteur
May 313 min read
In Search of Integrity: A reflection on modern veterinary medicine (#333)
Are ethics, honesty, and integrity old school in Veterinary Medicine? The Quiet Cost of Conflicts of Interest and Commitment Once upon...
Rick LeCouteur
May 302 min read
Public Office, Private Interests: A quiet reckoning in veterinary medicine (#332)
The evolving relationship between veterinary schools and corporate animal health companies raises important questions about integrity , ...
Rick LeCouteur
May 294 min read
Why Orange Cats Are (Mostly) Boys: Science cracks the code (#329)
For years, the genetic mystery of orange cats has gone unsolved. While their personalities have long inspired memes, comic strips, and...
Rick LeCouteur
May 264 min read
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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