PORTLAND, OR (KPTV) -
Megan Brashear clips a device called a pulse oximeter to a dog's cheek, looks into a video camera and advises, "Patience is certainly a virtue when you're dealing with this machine."
The technician manager and education manager at DoveLewis Emergency Animal Hospital is practicing for a video tutorial that will be posted on On The Floor @Dove, a rapidly growing online library of articles and videos.
The site is designed for members of the veterinary community, especially technicians.
Topics range from simple procedures to complex surgeries, management of a veterinary practice and a very popular demonstration of how to handle a cat who is very vocal about not wanting to be examined.
The videos feature DoveLewis staff and patients. They're shot and edited at the northwest Portland teaching hospital.
"It's real life. It's really what we're doing in the hospital," said Ron Morgan, CEO of DoveLewis. "And that's really the whole onus of http://www.atdove.org/. It's really meant to be like you're working on the hospital floor with the staff."
It has proven to be very helpful for staff at Silver Creek Animal Hospital in Silverton.
"I can tell a new employee, this happens once every three or four years. You might get to see one, you might not," said Practice Manager Kyle Palmer. "But, boom, now you can go and look at it and watch it firsthand. That's a pretty exciting thing."
Palmer said his staff is eager to learn new techniques. Online training is more cost-effective and convenient.
The site has reached an audience outside of Oregon. Videos have been viewed throughout the United States, Asia, Europe and Africa.
On The Floor @Dove launched as a free library last August. It will move out of its beta stage the first week of July and launch as a paid subscription site.
The idea came about as the nonprofit's staff searched for another revenue source after taking a hit during the recession.
"We have to grow, we have to evolve. There are no certainties down the road," said Morgan. "We're very reliant on donors and people who come through our doors for our medical care. We really have to watch the future."
He added, "We think this is really forward thinking and it's something we though we could really do and do well and meet the DoveLewis mission and really expand the teaching program without bricks and mortars. We don't have to build buildings to do it."
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