Loyalty programs are an often-overlooked area for performance improvement that can help offset the ongoing willingness among consumers to try new brands and retailers, writes José Carluccio. He shares three key takeaways along with eight drivers of loyalty program value. Source: McKinsey and Company, October 12, 2021. Link. Key takeaways: More than three-quarters of … [Read more...]
Archives for October 2021
There’s no traffic jam on the extra mile
The Golden Rule is getting a makeover in some companies. Brian O’Connell says these company leaders say they instill their own golden rules at work and strive to make them stick. They're gratified when they see their employees follow those rules in the workplace. Source: SHRM, October 12, 2021. Link. … [Read more...]
Fast Bites – October 18th edition from IBPSA
2021 holiday shopping season trends, biggest dog companies and their popular brands, retailer Pets at Home adds video interaction with store experts, grain-free food trends, the IBPSA Rebate Program launches and more. Source: IBPSA Fast Bites, October 18, 2021. Link. … [Read more...]
Empathetic leadership
Effective leaders demonstrate a wide range of skills, abilities and characteristics that all play a part in their effectiveness. The ability to empathize with others plays a major role as Tracey Brower explains. Source: Forbes, September 19, 2021. Link. 76 percent of people who experienced empathy from their leaders reported they were engaged compared with only 32 percent … [Read more...]
Rethink just-in-time, at least for now
Supply chains at all levels are upended. Bridget McCrea shares five inventory management strategies organizations can use now to manage current volatility and optimize for the future. Businesses need accurate data to review historical activity, run projections and make good inventory management decisions. This is a time for great creativity and flexibility on the inventory … [Read more...]
Move forward by going back
The adage “two steps forward one step back” fits the theme of DVM Wendy Hauser’s article about creating and improving a culture of preventive care. The Covid-19 pandemic and new pet demands put some veterinary teams into a Dragnet-like “just the facts ma’am” triage mode. This created significant variability in how preventive care was discussed, if at all. Many veterinary … [Read more...]
5 facts about the labor shortage in agriculture
Labor shortage trends continue to be prominent in the news. The problem is not only for city workers, agriculture is facing challenges, too. Jenny Shaffstall shares five issues affecting ag businesses’ ability to find qualified workers. Source: Ag Web, July 27, 2021. Link. The June Ag Barometer from Purdue University found nearly two-thirds (66%) of respondents said they … [Read more...]
Worth a Glance – October 14, 2021
Last week’s. . . . . . most read post LED technology helps locate cows needing attention. Link. . . . AHD Bulletin Animal Health Digest Bulletin - Oct 7, 2021. Link. 7 animals that can harm dogs Source: Outside Resource, July 28, 2021. Link. Good reminders for fall as food resources begin to diminish and young animals strike out on their … [Read more...]
Scours treatment. Dealing with dehydration.
It’s generally not the gut infection that causes scours that kills the calf, it’s dehydration. Regardless of the cause of scours (whether bacterial, viral, protozoal or something else), dehydration and the resultant acid-base imbalance is often what kills the calf. Dehydration, the loss of electrolytes and decrease in pH in the blood (metabolic acidosis) are the three biggest … [Read more...]
Should we let cattle swim?
A group of beef cattle experts discuss the pros and cons of letting cattle have free access to ponds in the summer. Among the concerns were water quality, bank erosion, mastitis and foot rot. Overall, the risk of health challenges for beef cattle in ponds is low, and when considering investments in the herd, fencing off the pond is a low priority on my list of recommendations … [Read more...]
Temple Grandin: Looking back, looking ahead
Emphasizing the people side of the cattle business, Temple Grandin, PhD, recently told Wagyu breeders that all the technology you can buy won’t replace actually looking at your cattle. (Equipment) makes handling a lot easier. (But) equipment doesn’t replace management.” – Temple Grandin, PhD Source: Drovers, October 8, 2021. Link. Of the many lessons that COVID taught, … [Read more...]
How often should a horse see the dentist?
The most important person in tooth care for horses is the one hired to float the teeth, says Lu Ann Groves, DVM. Horse age, loose or erupting teeth can make a difference to how often teeth need floating. The general rule is that a horse’s teeth should be floated every year. But this may not always apply. . .” Source: Equine Wellness Natural Health Report, September 2021. … [Read more...]
Rooster talk. Vocalizations have meaning.
Dispelling the myth that roosters only crow in the morning, Ana Hotaling explains the complexity of rooster vocalizations. They differ from the morning cock-a-doodle-doos, when claiming territories or when it’s chow-time crow. They let out high-pitched shrieks when danger is perceived and crow when its time for bed too. Source: Hobby Farms, September 29, 2021. Link. Often … [Read more...]
5 cat facts that aren’t
Halloween always brings out the black cat = bad luck phrase. Beyond nine lives or a cat having your tongue, there are other supposed truisms that just aren’t: Cats are nocturnal Cats and milk go together Purring always indicates happiness Pregnant women should not be around cats A cat can steal a baby’s breath Source: Tuft’s Catnip, August 21, 2021. … [Read more...]
Asian longhorned tick found in Georgia
The Asian longhorned tick, an invasive species, was recently positively confirmed on a cow in north central Georgia. The ticks can cause severe anemia and tick fever in livestock. If an animal has one tick it’s probably our common Lone Star Tick. If a cow [or other animal] shows up with hundreds of ticks on it, we’re going to be very suspicious that we’re looking at an Asian … [Read more...]
Reinforcing the need for rabies vaccination
Rabies vaccination of dogs remains one of the more effective strategies for preventing rabies in humans. Arguments about titers and vaccination intervals aside, most U.S. states mandate revaccination for rabies regardless of medical history or antibody levels. Source: Today’s Veterinary Practice, January/February 2021. Link. Research is continuing to evaluate the duration of … [Read more...]
Advising pet owners on nutritional adequacy
Addressing questions from owners about whether a food is safe and meets their pet’s needs can be challenging and time-consuming, as there is a significant amount of misinformation available, writes Deborah E. Linder, DVM, MS, DACVN. She shares examples of the criteria and questions from the WSAVA Global Nutrition Committee’s nutrition toolkit to determine high-quality pet … [Read more...]
Grain-free? Grain-ful? The Chatfields discuss pet food choices.
Complimentary* Dr. Jen the vet and Dr. Jason Chatfield discuss the confusing pet food ingredients marketplace with Dr. Joseph Wakshlag, a veterinarian board-certified in nutrition and sports and rehabilitation medicine. They pragmatically differentiate what is marketing and what is nutrition. They also effectively addresses the differences between what dogs need and what … [Read more...]
The Bridge Club to discuss online pharmacies
Complimentary Join the live discussion with a panel of experts who discusses the future of pharmacies. They’ll talk about the good, the bad and how to be competitive. Source: The Bridge Club. Link. Live event: The state of online pharmacies October 21, 2021: 6 pm CDT/7 pm EDT Register here: Link … [Read more...]
Hannah Lau, DVM next on VVCA Lunch and Learn
Complimentary The VVCA Lunch and Learn series continues Wednesday, October 27 at 12:30 p.m. EDT. Hannah Lau, DVM, will share telehealth cases from her practice. She has been practicing veterinary telemedicine and telehealth fulltime since 2019, along with a small team of remote veterinary technicians and assistants. Although living in southwest Virginia, Lau practices … [Read more...]
New resources to discuss the cost of care from ASPCA® Pet Health Insurance now available
Sponsored Content Discussions with clients about the cost of veterinary care are often avoided until services are needed. This is a missed opportunity to help pet owners understand and prepare for their pets’ future health care needs, and how to pay for them. The ASPCA® Pet Health Insurance’s “Cost of Care Wheel” tool makes it quick and easy to have these conversations … [Read more...]
Additional disaster preparedness resources
Our August disaster planning post prompted Leslie Brooks DVM, MPH to share disaster safety guidelines created by the team at betterpet.com with us. Their guidelines are worth sharing with you. The best way to prepare for an emergency is to have a disaster plan in place ahead of time. Some extra preparation (even if it seems a little excessive) can go a long way in protecting … [Read more...]
October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month
Halloween goblins are nothing compared to the scare a security breach can bring. October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month and from ransomware to email hacks to scams, the risks are real. The cybersecurity pros at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and National Cyber Security Alliance have assembled resources anyone can use including social media posts, … [Read more...]
IBPSA’s Fast Bites – October 11th edition
What BarkBox teaches us about subscription services and personalization, survey shares pet care considerations when pet owners are hospitalized, a guide to airport pet boarding facilities and more. Source: IBPSA FastBites, October 11, 2021. Link. INSIGHTS: IBPSA offers members an online education center for easy to access species-specific educational materials and … [Read more...]
Much ado about nothing
Addicted to busyness and productivity, people are seeking ways to chill out and escape their running wheel lives. It is estimated that a $121 million industry has risen to address sleep, self-improvement and meditation. Leath Tonino, a self-proclaimed overachiever shares how doing nothing may be the newest antidote to doing too much. You can’t hurry your way to slowness or buy … [Read more...]
When is your Green Zone?
Your Green Zones are the times of the day when your energy is at its peak, according to author Carey Nieuwhof. SmartBrief surveyed readers to arrive at the chart shown here. Overall, cooperating with your energy levels produces far greater productivity than competing with them.” - Carey Nieuwhof Source: SmartBrief on Careers, October 8, 2021. Link. Nieuwhof discusses the … [Read more...]
Attrition or attraction? You choose.
More than 15 million workers – and counting – have quit their jobs since April 2021, a record pace disrupting businesses everywhere. Source: McKinsey & Company, September 8, 2021. Link. Employees want a renewed and revised sense of purpose in their work. Employees want social and interpersonal connections with their colleagues and managers. Employees want to feel a sense … [Read more...]
First, do good. Dr. Bellows on beneficence versus maleficence and oral care
The veterinary oath does not contain any language about doing no harm, shares Jan Bellows, DVM, DAVDC, DABVP. It is a basic principle errantly drilled into veterinary students and practitioners, he says. Nowhere in the veterinary oath is the mention of doing no harm, otherwise known as nonmaleficence.” - Jan Bellows, DVM, DAVDC, DABVP Bellows shares information about the … [Read more...]
Worth a Glance – October 7, 2021
Last week’s. . . . . . most read post Highlights from the 31st Carthage Swine Conference. Link. . . . AHD Bulletin Animal Health Digest Bulletin - Sept 30, 2021. Link. Goodbye Google: 7 privacy-first search engines everyone should try Source: Fast Company, September 29, 2021. Link. Jared Newman offers search engine options that remove the … [Read more...]
USDA vaccine candidate successful in blocking ASF
One of the USDA African swine flu vaccine candidates has been shown to prevent and effectively protect both European and Asian bred swine against the current circulating African strain of the virus. Source: Feedstuffs, September 30, 2021. Link. A major step for science and agriculture, a commercial vaccine for ASF virus will be an important part of controlling ASF in … [Read more...]