“The BQA Transportation (BQAT) training and certification program has been a long time coming,” said Chase DeCoite, director of BQA for the National Cattlemen's Beef Association. “By educating cattle haulers and producers on the best practices in cattle transportation, BQA is helping make improvements in cattle care and beef quality.” Source: Beef, November 16, 2017. Online … [Read more...]
Cuddling Fido in bed can cause problems
The discussion of sleeping with pets continues. An estimated 79 percent of pet owners share their beds with their pets. As reported by WebMD, a survey from the American Pet Products Association determined that 62 percent of small dogs, 41 percent of medium-sized dogs, and 32 percent of large dogs sleep in their human’s beds. Source: Cesar’s Way, November 15, 2017. In … [Read more...]
A no-nonsense guide to blanketing horses
A recent study indicates as many as 50 percent of equestrians don’t know enough about their horses’ physiological responses to environmental temperatures. This poses a risk to the horses’ welfare. Heather Malcolm offers her no-nonsense guide to blanketing or not blanketing a horse. This is great information to share with horse owners via websites, in holiday communications or … [Read more...]
Cooling out horses helps after exercise
Most horse owners are comfortable with the basics of cooling off their horses. But, what does it mean, physiologically speaking, to say that your horse is “cooled out?” Joan Hiltz, VMD, shares her experiences. This information is useful for websites, social media posts and horse owner consultations. Source: Horse Network, November 6, 2017. Physiologically speaking, the … [Read more...]
Headbutting shows affection
Watch most team sports and you’ll see a common cat behavior exhibited after a great play, the headbutt. Similar to our human use of this action, cats have used head butting for eons for bonding and social purposes. More appropriately, this action is called head bunting. Source: Catster, November 8, 2017. Cat behaviorist Pam Johnson-Bennett says, “For the cat to place his … [Read more...]
Fear Free Happy Homes newsletter now available
The Fear Free Pets movement is well underway. A newsletter is one of the tools available for pet owners. With the growing adoption of fear-free practices, we wanted to help expose animal health pros to some of the tools being used by Fear Free practices. Source: Fear Free Happy Homes, November 14, 2017. Become a Fear Free Happy Homes member today, and experience all that … [Read more...]
Eating “clean’ food wasteful, Iowa State says
We are constantly reminded of organic, all-natural and raised without antibiotics designations on food items. Beyond these definitions are even more food label considerations. New research from Iowa State University shows that consumers are unaware of the costs related to producing “clean” label foods. Source: Drovers, November 10, 2017. Ruth Litchfield, an expert on food … [Read more...]
Keep pets safe during cold weather (includes printable handout)
Just like people, pets’ cold tolerance can vary based on their coat, body fat stores, activity level and health. Be aware this and adjust accordingly. The AVMA website content and the PDF handout make the cold weather tips easy to distribute to pet owners. Tips include the easy to forget antifreeze clean-up warning and other excellent reminders. Source: AVMA, November … [Read more...]
3 tips to start your day right
Since we turned our clocks back over the weekend, these tips may help the chronological confusion for some of us. The first few minutes of waking up can set the tone for the rest of the day. Adding mindful habits to the start of the day can help you to feel more in sync with the sunrise. Source: Mindful, November 6, 2017: Elisha Goldstein shares 3 mindful actions to start … [Read more...]
Women’s leadership Q/A: Never let them see you sweat
This Q/A with Kimberley Bennett, senior director of Kentucky Beam Bourbon Experiences at Beam Suntory will resonate with the increasing number of female animal health pros. Bennett has always worked in male-dominated industries and learned early on to "never let them see you sweat." She says women "need that network of strong-minded women to cheer for your success and share … [Read more...]
No kidding, goats are smart
As the number of homestead-like farms grows so does the number of goats. Researchers continue to study how they are affected by the production environment and how they see and interact with us. Goats may appear to have one-track minds, but they devote a lot of thought to social issues, too. Source: Countryside Daily, November 6, 2017. In 2017, we have seen published results … [Read more...]
Impostor syndrome sneaks up on everyone
It’s likely every animal health pro feels like a fraud from time to time. Ciera Miller, CVT, VTS, speaks to us all in her article on the imposter syndrome. Source: Firstline, October 26, 2017. Impostor syndrome, a concept where an individual is marked by an inability to recognize their accomplishments and lives with a constant fear of being a “fraud,” is extremely … [Read more...]
Work/life balance benefits work performance
One’s mind and the body health are optimized by balancing work life with personal life. Finding this balance is becoming harder, not easier. We no longer leave our work in the office. It follows us everywhere we go. The growth of 24/7 connectivity – impossible a decade ago, but normal now – brings with it challenging problems. Source: LinkedIn, November 6, 2017. Where … [Read more...]
November is Adopt-a-Senior-Pet Month
Older pets are just as loving and loyal as their younger counterparts. Plus, adopting a senior animal companion comes with some cool advantages: Grown-up pets don’t require the constant monitoring and training that puppies and kittens do. Many are already housetrained. Since senior pets are fully grown, you’ll be immediately aware of important information like … [Read more...]
Pork facts (slideshow)
Pork is big business today. More than 2 billion pounds of it is produced annually in the United States. As the most versatile meat, it can be marinated, roasted, barbecued, pan-fried, stir-fried, grilled, dry rubbed, boiled and baked. No matter how you fix it, pork is a protein-packed treat. Cheryl Day shares some facts about pork that animal health pros may find useful and … [Read more...]
Grandad’s tractor is not listed in today’s small farm tractor buyers guide
Resident acreages and small farms often need small tractors that have more functionality than riding lawn tractors. Jeremy Chartier walks through the modern choices that make granddad’s tractors out of date. Source: Countryside Daily, October 24, 2017. Manufacturers have developed new systems and unified many interfaces since the age of the Farmall, creating best small farm … [Read more...]
Training cats (includes podcast)
Animal health pros often get questions about the validity of training cats. Feline behavior specialist Sarah Ellis explains how you can train your kitty to come on command, take medicine and stop waking you up in the middle of the night. Source: NPR, October 27, 2017. The common wisdom about pets is that you can train a dog, but you can't train a cat. Today's guest says you … [Read more...]
Be stronger than yesterday: how to increase productivity
Recognize this? Your mind is commanding you to power through, but your body is slumped over your desk. You notice this behavior is happening every day and it’s becoming clear you’re mentally stuck in a rut wishing the week would just end. Bin Jeong offers a few tricks to break out of your rut and encourage a productive work environment. Source: Forbes, October 18, … [Read more...]
End never-ending email chains without being rude
A coworker sends an email to a dozen people with an open-ended question that doesn’t have any real consequences on anyone’s life. What follows is a predictable avalanche of responses that solve nothing. Source: The Muse, October 2017. Richard Moy shares an email template he uses to redirect the discussion and keep you from throwing your laptop against the wall. … [Read more...]
Tell your company story better (includes videos)
With one click of the “About Us” link, anyone, anywhere can hear your company story. Countless organizations settle for a poorly written, poorly designed, dry-as-dust blurb. Boring! Bringing a company story to life and giving it impact and reach is one of the best ways to engage customers, the public and prospective employees. Source: Grossman Group, October 16, … [Read more...]
Its fall in mountain cattle country (photo essay)
With photos that look like slides from a cowboy movie, Shipping at the Basin Ranch is a modern day look at gathering and shipping cattle on the mountain ranch outside of Elk Mountain, Wyoming. The ranch is part of the Wyoming Stock Growers Land Trust. The group is dedicated to conserving Wyoming’s working family ranches and farms and the wide-open spaces, natural habitats and … [Read more...]
Should you believe the article you just read?
It only takes a single click to spread information like wildfire, says Nicole Palumbo, DVM. A 2012 University of Illinois graduate, Dr. Palumbo is clearly part of the social media generation. Her article offers animal owners guidelines on what is appropriate to share about veterinary medicine. Source: Dr. Andy Roark, September 9, 2017. Check your sources before spreading … [Read more...]
Be part of the AHD team
A special thank you goes out to our contributors listed on the AHD site. Their ongoing work help keeps you informed and our offerings fresh. You can contribute to our weekly email once or on an ongoing basis. If you want us to look for specific topics, please email us from the “contact us” section of the site. Better yet, write up a short summary of an article or other media … [Read more...]
AHD subscriptions arrive at no cost to you
Our industry provides millions of dollars in advertising and content development in the media from which we curate. Your feedback tells us that providing this service to animal health pros at no charge helps you do your jobs better. Sponsors receive consideration for their brands and activities when published content relates to their portfolios. Source: Animal Health Digest, … [Read more...]
Hoof trimming not always understood
Managing hoof care can be challenging. Often, the horse is not the issue. Horse owners sometimes have varying levels of knowledge and different backgrounds. Nancy Rich-Gutierrez shares why farriers often must explain what they’re doing and why. Source: Horse Network, October 1, 2017. Horses in the wild don’t need their hooves trimmed because they walk all day and wear them … [Read more...]
The invisible emotional burden of caring for a sick pet
Researchers are discovering the dynamics of overlooked or minimized impacts on animal owners with sick animals. “I wouldn’t equate pet caregiving with human, and certainly don’t want to minimize what family caregivers go through,” said lead author Mary Beth Spitznagel, a clinical neuropsychologist at Kent State University, “but we are seeing similar patterns in terms of a … [Read more...]
Sponsored Content – Protect horses from the five core diseases
Dr. Kevin Hankins, DVM of Zoetis technical services group, asserts the threats from deadly equine diseases like West Nile and rabies is closer than we think. Don’t leave horses exposed. Help protect them with annual vaccinations against the five core equine diseases: Eastern and Western Equine Encephalomyelitis Rabies Tetanus West Nile Source: AQHA, October 5, … [Read more...]
Fear Free resources for the home (videos included)
The Fear Free movement continues to gain momentum. We stumbled on to Fear Free Happy Homes on Twitter. Housed on this website are videos and information to help pet owners create their own fear free environment. Consider registering and using the videos in social media, on websites and as part of school educational programs. Source: Fear Free Happy Homes, October 7, … [Read more...]
Should you believe that article you just read?
Nicole Palumbo, DVM, speaks out about internet articles, their sources and whether they are believable. Addressing pet owners, she cautions, “When it comes to social media, we all have to be careful with what we share and what we believe is to be true.” She offers some guidelines to influence you on what is appropriate to share about reporting on veterinary medicine. Source: … [Read more...]
Fear is worse than pain for animals
Dani McVety, DVM, writes that humans can rationalize pain and the anxiety of negative emotions that accompany the anticipation of it. Animals cannot rationalize, she says. She quotes Temple Grandin, PhD, who says, “The single worst thing you can do to an animal emotionally is to make it feel afraid … fear is so bad for animals I think it’s worse than pain.” Source: … [Read more...]