Jared Wareham writes from his experiences with livestock management, yet, his take-home points are applicable industry-wide across animal health. Managing people will always require more effort and personal skill development than any of us want to devote; yet, it is absolutely necessary. Source: Drovers, August 14, 2018. Link. The risk of losing a great employee that you … [Read more...]
Archives for September 2018
Ensure SKUs reflect modern methods for wound treatments
September and October are good months to review standard SKUs that are often treated like staples in clinic inventories. With advancements in materials, new products and the expanding role of the veterinary nurse, make sure current SKU choices reflect the overall direction of the veterinary team. Pam Foster discusses veterinary wound management with distributor reps in mind in … [Read more...]
Beyond Facebook; secondary social media platforms for veterinary marketing
Beyond Indigo looks more closely at three social media platforms and how to best use them to reach your intended audience with the content they crave in this sponsored content: Instagram Twitter Google Business Source: Beyond Indigo, February 20, 2018. Link. While the bulk of your social media efforts should still be squarely focused on Facebook – especially when … [Read more...]
Stop saying um, ah and you know
Filler words quickly become crutch words that we habitually use. They “ah” diminish our credibility and “um” distract from “you know” our message. Animal health pros routinely interact with animal owners and other animal health pros. Noah Zandan shares how to replace the crutch words with pauses. Source: Ascend, September 2018. Link. Used sparingly and effectively, filler … [Read more...]
Happy cows make more milk on their own schedules
Most U.S. dairy operators milk cows twice or three times a day. But, what if the cows were left to decide when they wanted to be milked? Aòasteinn Hallgrímsson and his brother Gardar run a dairy outside of Akureyri, Iceland. They found out what happens. Source: Quartz, September 24, 2018. Link. In 2007, the Hallgrímsons rebuilt their barn from the ground up, spending kr 160 … [Read more...]
Selective dry-cow therapy called the way forward
Mastitis management is responsible for up to 85 percent of the antimicrobials used in the dairy sector. Implementing selective dry-cow therapy is the way forward, say the authors of recent analyses. The mindset of farmers and veterinarians and their attitude towards reduction of antimicrobial use is crucial for successful implementation of selective therapy at dry-off. The … [Read more...]
Weaning is good time to score cows’ body conditions
Robin Salverson, SDSU Extension cow/calf field specialist, shares information about body condition scores (BCS), market timing and factors that affect BCS throughout the year. Source: Drovers, September 19, 2018. Link. Age, lactation, feed quality and availability, and parasite load are all factors that influences BCS. . . Regardless if cows are thin due to drought, age, or … [Read more...]
Weaning, a ‘house of horrors’ for young calves
With a Halloween mindset, Blaine Corners compares weaning a calf to sending a small child into a house of horrors alone. . . . weaned calves face frightening new surroundings. This can include unfamiliar feed, new water sources, exposure to different cattle and harmful pathogens, and increased stress. Source: Progressive Cattleman, September 11, 2018. Link. Producers can … [Read more...]
So, a Jewish dietician walks into a pig farm. . .
Leia Flure writes about her experience of learning about swine production. She had no knowledge about raising pigs and had questions of her own. They included: What’s a “factory farm” really like? How are the animals treated? How sustainable is animal agriculture? And, of course, are piglets as cute in person as they are in the movies? (note the anthropomorphic … [Read more...]
Antibiotics and vaccines are critical to livestock production
Those of us in the U.S. are well-aware of efforts to vaccinate for disease prevention and use antibiotics judiciously. Some organic and antibiotic-free operations operate with them. Perspectives from other parts of the world offer insight into why antibiotics remain necessary for humane livestock production. Kenneth Wameyo, secretary of the Kenya Veterinary Association, shares … [Read more...]
Genomics has reduced the generational interval
Genomic selection refers to breeding selection decisions based on genomic breeding values. The discovery of thousands of DNA markers plus the development of predicted breeding values based on marker data has allowed for accurate genomic selection of dairy sires by AI centers. A reduction in generation interval translates into more rapid genetic progress. Source: Dairy Herd … [Read more...]
Boehringer-Ingelheim forum focuses on well-being, not welfare for farm animals
The 11th Boehringer Ingelheim Expert Forum on Farm Animal Well-Being recently convened in Australia. Delegates from around the world focused on the intersection between animal well-being and international trade. The discussion centered on how to recognize and measure well-being, and how this relates to introducing standards in a global market where appetite and capacity for … [Read more...]
Modern livestock production practices are environmentally friendly
A new study in published in Nature Sustainability shows that modern, high-yield agricultural practices that produce as much food on as little land as possible is good for the environment. Researchers associated with Cambridge University looked at the effects of Asian rice and European wheat cultivation, Latin American beef and European dairy production. They then measured the … [Read more...]
Multiple reports of mycotoxins in corn as harvest continues
With the weather issues of this growing season, news of mycotoxins is no surprise. The past week brought new reports of deoxynivalenol (DON), aflatoxin and fumonisin in corn, as well as the first report of zearalenone in corn silage, according to Neogen’s Monday Mycotoxin and Crop Report reported by Feedstuffs September 24. (link) Mycotoxins are produced by specific molds and … [Read more...]
Pheromones and household cat aggression
Targeting multicat households in the midwestern U.S., researchers recently examined the use of synthetic feline-appeasing pheromone (FAP*; Feliway Friends*) for its effect on intercat aggression in multicat households. Take-home Message - For households with established intercat aggression issues, FAP treatment correlated with significantly reduced aggression within 21 days of … [Read more...]
Install an off switch to dogs’ playtime
Pat Miller shares her experiences with an overly energetic dog and the benefits of teaching the off switch. She explains how to install a cue like “all done” to indicate its time to stop or change focus. Training humans to ignore your dog’s attempts to get them to play fetch might be the hardest part of this! Source: Whole Dog Journal, August 2017. Link. . . . All done!” … [Read more...]
Animal health pro finds out the hard way that pet insurance works
Animal health pro Mark Niblo was on the fence about committing to pet insurance for his new dog, Storm. No so, anymore. He shares Storm’s journey and tallies the costs without insurance. Now insured, Storm is covered for another incident of this kind anytime in the next five years. If only I would have had it earlier! Source: Durvet, September 2018. Link. INSIGHTS: Mark’s … [Read more...]
The Bridge Club ends September with ageism topic
Stacy Pursell with The Pursell Group returns to The Bridge Club for insight on landing a new job opportunity when you are older than 50 years of age this Friday September 28. Register here. The October calendar is full of more opportunities to connect and share during these unique virtual community discussions. Source: The Bridge Club. Link. Click the link to see the events … [Read more...]
Interest building for NAVC Resource Library
NAVC’s recent introduction of the Veterinary Resource Library <link> is generating considerable interest from the veterinary community and manufacturers alike. Designed to eliminate the need for veterinary personnel to check multiple websites to seek information, the resource center is quickly building toward its objective of becoming a one-stop product portal. The … [Read more...]
AAHA welcomes 12 new accredited practices
A dozen practices evaluated from August 15 to September 17 achieved the AAHA Accredited status. Congratulations to these practice teams for going above and beyond to meet the highest standards in veterinary medicine. Source: AAHA Red, September 18, 2018. Link. The following practices achieved accreditation: Anthracite Animal Clinic, Ashland, PA Atlantic Animal … [Read more...]
Vetsource doubles technology investment
By doubling the investment in technology and scalability, Craig Sutter, chief technology officer of Vetsource, explains how recent funding will help veterinary practices and pet owners. This investment means our platform — which supports tens of thousands of veterinary practices and pet owners — is poised to evolve with additional tools, like in-depth data analytics on … [Read more...]
Rx for cyberbullying in veterinary practice (includes videos)
Communication is a key element to managing cyberbullying preventatively and reactively. The first line of defense is a knowledgeable team trained to respond appropriately if and when a social media storm blows in. The first thing to do is to make sure that everyone on your team is aware of the situation and that you have all the information and all the facts before making a … [Read more...]
Purdue establishes National Academy for Veterinary Medicine
"Vet Up! The National Health Careers Opportunity Program" (HCOP) Academy for Veterinary Medicine will address a national shortage of veterinarians in public health and rural and food animal practice and a significant lack of under-represented individuals entering the veterinary profession. Vet Up aligns with other programs already in place at Purdue, including being home to the … [Read more...]
Little things = big results
A penny that doubles every day for a month will produce more than $10 million by the end of 30 days. In the same way, the following small changes will produce big results in your career and personal life. Consider these micro habits. Source: Forbes, September 18, 2018. Link. If you want to change your life, you need to start considering the needs and wants of your future … [Read more...]
FDA, Bad bacteria are kicking our butts! (includes videos)
The U.S. Food and Drug’s Administration’s (FDA) recently announced its 2019 Strategic Approach for Combatting AMR, or antibiotic resistance. Scott Gottlieb, FDA commissioner, said bacteria are rapidly developing new ways to evade our current weapons. He called for an all-hands-on-decked approach, citing revelations in the Pew Charitable Trust’s analysis of the antibiotic … [Read more...]
Conclusions from FDA’s meeting on non-traditional therapies for bacterial infections
Antibiotic resistance gets discussed daily and globally. FDA recently convened a meeting to explore non-traditional therapies for bacterial infections (NNTBI). For the time being, no guidelines for the clinical development of NNTBIs are expected to be released. Beyond the challenge of defining NNTBIs, these diverse therapies challenge current models for biomarkers, safety, … [Read more...]
FDA alert – potential neurologic adverse events associated with isoxazoline class flea and tick products
Bravecto, Nexgard, Simparica and now Credelio are implicated in the FDA alert. Following drug approvals, the FDA monitors adverse events. In the case of the isoxaline class of flea and tick products, FDA’s post-marketing activities show some pets have experienced adverse events such as muscle tremors, ataxia and seizures. In the first three years after approval, the FDA pays … [Read more...]
What kind of thinker are you?
Technologies for collaboration are improving faster than people’s ability to learn to use them. . . . in today’s marketplace, the smartest companies aren’t those that necessarily out-produce the competition . . . it’s the organizations that outthink them. After a lot of co-creation and trial-and-error, Elisa Steele and Mark Bonchek developed a three-step method that … [Read more...]
Emotions that sabotage sales
Managing disruptive emotions is the primary meta-skill of sales. The art and science of getting past NO begins with self-control. This skill is not reserved for just bag-carrying sales persons. Most interactions with other persons are transactional at some level. Whether selling a widget, explaining an invoice or answering a question, learning how to recognize and manage your … [Read more...]
Put your why to the test
Stephen Shedletzky reprises his discussion of why. Pat Malone wrote, “The answer to why,” AHD, September 2017. Link. Shedletzky has upgraded the language of WHY to a Just Cause. A Just Cause is your noble purpose for being. For a Just Cause to be a Just Cause, it must be: Resilient Inclusive Service oriented Source: LinkedIn, September 14, 2018. … [Read more...]