Veterinary technicians continue to struggle with low pay, compassion fatigue and burnout, as well as a lack of recognition and career advancement opportunities. Underutilization was the main topic during the AVMA’s house of delegates Veterinary Information Forum. Discussions included: how to encourage the consistent use of credentialed veterinary technicians as part of … [Read more...]
Archives for February 2019
What retailers can do for healthier pets
Help DVM360 to investigate retailing and the interactions between pet retailers and veterinary hospitals. Take this short, 5-minute survey <link> and share your insight on the relationship between veterinary practices and pet retailers. Note: The survey is open to a wide set of categories of animal health pros. Vet professionals and pet retailers may have some of the … [Read more...]
Smarter snacks and treats
Consumers are seeking treats that are palatable to their pets and provide wholesome, natural nutrition at a good price, writes Keith Loria. He reviews trends, challenges and options in the retail treat marketplace. Source: Pet Product News, February 2019, page 40. Link. Loria reviews trends including superfoods, increased protein options and price sensitivity using … [Read more...]
Help clients offer diets for pets’ life stages
Deborah E. Linder, DVM, DACVN, Tufts University, recommends veterinarians study established guidelines and give clients clear direction in selecting the appropriate pet food at each life stage. Source: Clinician’s Brief, January 2017. Link. A careful discussion of BCS, life stage, medical conditions, and AAFCO nutrient adequacy statements can better guide owners in … [Read more...]
Control what you pay attention to and control your life
To be consistently productive and manage stress better, we must strengthen our skill in attention management. Attention management is the practice of: controlling distractions being present in the momentfinding flowmaximizing focusbeing intentional instead of reactiverecognizing when your attention is being stolen staying focused on the activities you choose. … [Read more...]
Generational management challenging, but can be done right
Right now, the U.S. workforce is made up of five different generations, (Link) all of which have their own opinions and expectations — about colleague camaraderie, about power dynamics, about work-life balance, and about office culture. And, that’s a good thing. Source: Medium Leadership, February 5, 2019. Link. For a younger employee, being dropped into a directorial role … [Read more...]
Ways to give people a good work experience (video)
Bhushan Sethi and Carol Stubbings believe good work in today’s employment environment needs to: involve a decent workplace contextoffer fair payhave tolerable levels of changegives autonomy and control over one’s workoffer a chance for fulfillment. Workers today want careers that fit their values, are enjoyable, and contribute to society. Source: Strategy + Business, … [Read more...]
Get your New Year’s resolutions back on track
Changing a pattern of behavior doesn’t happen overnight. We experience relapses. Instead of giving into self-defeating attitudes that typically accompany relapses, we can reflect on our past patterns — yes, even our relapses and ask ourselves: Why did I get off track? What’s my pattern of behavior in situations like this? Source: PurposeUnlimited.com, February 19, 2019 Link. … [Read more...]
Talking money, a team opportunity
Brendan Howard put some good thought to using Naomi Strollo’s assertions on talking money with clients. By making the topic a team challenge, there’s an excellent chance team members will be more likely to be more effective at presenting options to animal owners. Source: FIRSTLINE, January 30, 2019. Link. . . . reflect, discuss and get greater clarity and open … [Read more...]
There’s no such thing as a universal periodontal procedure fee
Barden Greenfield, DVM, DAVDC, cautions veterinary teams about the variability of dental procedures, client consent forms and client accessibility to approve of variations from a periodontal exam and treatment plan. 80 percent of all dogs and cats over the age of 3 years have some form of periodontal disease. Therefore, the initial treatment plan for an oral procedure is … [Read more...]
5 signs you spend too much time with your phone
Most of us know we likely spend too much time on our phones. From Facebook to games to email and texts, they’re a never-ending source of information, entertainment and frustration. A 2017 analysis of multiple studies found that people spend more than hours a day on their smartphones – the equivalent of a part-time job! The folks at grammerly share five signs of excessive … [Read more...]
Upwards of 300,000 Australian cattle feared dead in record-break floods
Two years’ worth of rain that fell in two weeks in northwestern Queensland, Australia, has killed an untold number of cattle. Following a severe drought and recent high winds and cold weather, some say the losses will likely climb higher. Source: Beef Central, February 11, 2019. Link. “The loss of hundreds of thousands of cattle after five, six, seven years of drought, is a … [Read more...]
The calf-fed conundrum
Calves are weaning heavier, often at weights where they go from the ranch to the feedyard without a growing phase in between. The conundrum? For as long as 90 days following placement, these cattle can show health issues later in the feeding period rather than when they first go on feed. From a health standpoint, we continue to go backward,” says Miles Theurer, DVM. “The … [Read more...]
Culling decisions and dairy cattle welfare during transport to slaughter in the United States
Twenty eight percent of dairy cows are removed from dairy herds each year. Cull cows are often transported long distances to slaughter and may face many welfare challenges during this process. The authors discuss specialized slaughter locations, what holds this culling system in place and opportunities to improve cull cow welfare. At each point of sale and during each leg of … [Read more...]
Transportation biosecurity is imperfect at best
Biosecurity is one of the greatest ways to mitigate risk. Procedures cannot fully eliminate cross contamination. Clayton Johnson, DVM, suggests producers focus on controlling what they can when it comes to risk management in their pork operations. Source: PORK, February 7, 2019. Link. There are three main principles that come into play when it comes to biosecurity on the … [Read more...]
Animal Health Protection Act enforced by USDA and FDA
Pre-signing the interstate certificate of veterinary inspection without inspecting the cattle has a Kentucky DVM waiting for sentencing. Illegally moving cattle across state lines with fraudulent paperwork is a federal offense. Source: Drover’s, January 21, 2019. Link. Under federal law prior to shipment across state lines cattle are required to be inspected by a … [Read more...]
Ruminations from NCBA Cattle Con (includes video)
Burke Teichert < link > reflects on his experiences during this year’s Cattle Industry Convention. His years of work show in his “I wonder” topics. The video interview reveals his wisdom and he challenges us to keep learning. My challenge is for all of us to become better and more engaged life-long learners—to become better systems thinkers and observers. Source: BEEF, … [Read more...]
Bad attitude or equine ulcers?
Show horses are prime candidates for ulcers because exercise, stress and travel are proven risk factors. “The interesting thing about this disease is that it seems to be affected by the environmental stressors,” Sherry Johnson, DVM, says. “Management, stress levels and even housing conditions have been shown in literature to be associated with a horse’s chances of developing … [Read more...]
She’s not pregnant. That cat is fat!
Overweight cats are at risk for a host of health issues. Sassafras Lowrey shares five health risks for overweight cats worthy of sharing with cat owners: DiabetesHigh blood pressureBone/joint damageFatty liver diseaseSkin problems Cats who are overweight are known to have shorter life spans, and the associated health problems can be deadly to the cat. Not only that, … [Read more...]
Opinion – Don’t forget to market to dealers, distributors and sales reps
Dealers, distributors and sales reps represent audiences that are too often overlooked by marketers and their agencies. While Diane Martin speaks specifically about the ag marketplace, her advice is applicable to more traditional animal health channels. Companies apply Pareto’s 80/20 thinking over and over to optimize resource deployment while relying on channel systems to … [Read more...]
My dog’s smarter than yours . . . maybe
Recent crowd-sourced research suggests that bigger dogs with larger brains perform better than smaller dogs on certain measures of intelligence. In particular, bigger dogs have better short-term memory and self-control than smaller ones – Animal Cognition Source: BARK, February 2019. Link. < The study’s findings mirror what has previously been found true in … [Read more...]
Separation anxiety study reveals benefits of petting
Like kissing your significant other or children goodbye as you leave for work, dogs respond positively to last minute petting before being separated from their owners. . . . after gentle petting, they were calmer during their owners’ absence, with lower heart rates afterward. Source: Dogster, January 28, 2019. Link. Findings from a pilot study published in the Journal of … [Read more...]
DVM shares 15 tips for caring for dogs in cold weather
Veterinary hospitals are likely seeing a rise in cold weather cases as snow, ice and bitter cold conditions continue. Winter can be hard on our pets. Dr. Laura Playforth shares common challenges that cold weather causes and her top tips for caring for your dogs in cold weather. frostbite on pawsbreathing difficulties from dogs who have short-nosespets injuring themselves … [Read more...]
It’s too cold to go potty!
What do you do when the mercury drops, or the snow is deeper than a dog’s belly? Dog owners need to strongly encourage their dog(s) to potty – actually, insist on it! Nancy Kern shares some ideas for dog owners. Consider sharing these on social media and in e-newsletters. . . . the number of cases of urinary tract infections spikes in winter, when dogs tend to “hold it” for … [Read more...]
The biofilms challenge
Bacterial biofilms have been associated with persistent surgical site, wound and urinary tract infections. They are a complex community of bacteria embedded within a self-produced matrix. Two types of biofilms cause challenges for infection management and control: a) planktonic (e.g. slime), b) biofilm-embedded (e.g. plaque). Biofilm formation is a complex process during … [Read more...]
Q & As on cannabidiol use in vet practices
As CBD goes mainstream, Stephen Cital, RVT, RLAT, SRA, VCCS and VTS-LAM, shares the lowdown on CBD—what he wishes pet owners understood about CBD treats, what conditions these treats address, and how the veterinary team can play a supporting role in educating pet parents about cannabis products. Source: VETTED, January 24, 2019. Link. . . . we must teach harm reduction … [Read more...]
Cannabis gaining acceptance in U.S. agriculture
Cannabis has become an everyday subject in animal health as an alternative to traditional treatments. Someone has to plant, cultivate and grow these plant sources. A Farm Journal exclusive survey of crop farmers and livestock producers reveals farmers’ attitudes about cannabis and gauges their interest in growing cannabis as a commercial crop for medical use, recreational … [Read more...]
Trends in pet food ingredients
Before it becomes kibble, pet food formulators and manufacturers must make ingredient choices and find suppliers to meet the demands of new formulations. Consumers increasingly expect pet foods to be free from additives, have clean labels and be formulated as specialty diets. It is a complex challenge. Source: Pet Food Industry, February 2019, page 12. Link. One aspect of … [Read more...]
4 assumptions to avoid letting others get us down
We cannot know about why people behave the way they behave, writes Wyatt Edward Gates. He reminds us everyone has a reason for what they do and that our assumptions affect our own happiness. . . . by taking a charitable attitude towards others we can avoid a lot of pointless suffering. Source: Medium, January 31, 2019. Link. If we can imagine a charitable reason for what … [Read more...]
Active listening is an art
Glenna Fulks shares typical hindrances to listening. Too often we’re guilty of hijacking a conversation, speaking too soon and cutting off the other individual's response. Count to eight before you reciprocate. Source: Linked In, May 4, 2018. Link. Fulks’ common deterrents to listening include: we don’t give ourselves a chance to listen since we never stop talkingwe … [Read more...]