Veterinary medicine is changing fast, and 2026 is already taking shape. In this episode of the Veterinary Viewfinder, Dr. Ernie Ward and Beckie Mossor step back and take an honest look at the trends that are most likely to impact veterinary teams in the year ahead.

They examine how artificial intelligence is moving from novelty to a background tool, quietly reshaping documentation, diagnostics, and client communication. Telemedicine continues to evolve, not just as video visits but as flexible, everyday touchpoints that can help practices improve access and continuity of care. The conversation also explores the return of wearables and continuous monitoring, particularly how improved data could impact pain detection, obesity management, and chronic disease management.

As always, this episode does not shy away from the hard stuff. Workforce burnout, shifting practice models, climate-driven disease patterns, and growing affordability pressures are all front and center. Rather than offering quick fixes, Ernie and Beckie focus on what veterinary professionals can anticipate, question, and influence now.

If you want a grounded, practical discussion about where veterinary medicine is headed and how to stay adaptable without losing your footing, this episode is for you.

This week, the Veterinary Viewfinder keeps a beloved tradition alive with a festive gift for the profession. Dr. Ernie Ward and Beckie Mossor, MPA, RVT, share a brand-new veterinary rendition of T’was the Night Before Christmas, written for every veterinarian, technician, assistant, CSR, kennel team member, and manager working through the holidays. The poem walks listeners through a Christmas Eve shift full of familiar chaos, unexpected cases, and the kind of humor that only happens in a clinic on a busy night.

You’ll hear nods to the species you treat, the equipment that never seems to cooperate, and the teamwork that holds the whole place together. Most importantly, the episode offers a moment of gratitude for everyone who shows up for patients and families during a season that can be joyful and exhausting at the same time.

If your clinic is open this week, or if you’ve ever spent a holiday in scrubs, this episode is meant to bring a smile, a sense of recognition, and a little warmth at the end of a long year. Merry Christmas from the Viewfinder family to yours.

This week on The Veterinary Viewfinder, Dr. Ernie Ward and Beckie Mossor, MPA, RVT, slow down the holiday rush to talk about something deceptively simple and surprisingly powerful: gratitude. 

As Thanksgiving arrives, many practice owners and managers are asking the same question: What do I do for my staff this year? Yet the podcast reveals a deeper conversation about why traditional gestures, pizza parties, gift cards, and generic thank-yous often fall flat. Beckie shares that “pizza parties are cliché these days.”

Ernie and Beckie break down why authentic appreciation requires more than convenience. They explore the concept of “gratitude love languages,” encouraging leaders to notice how individual team members naturally give and receive appreciation. 

Through real examples, from celebrating a shy kennel assistant in a way that made her light up, to publicly acknowledging an associate veterinarian’s hard-won case success on social media, the hosts show how personalized recognition creates lasting impact.