UVSA leaders and members outlined ways they can take a proactive role in the animal health industry to improve access to veterinary care. Graham Garrison outlines interview topics from the recent USVA annual conference, the importance of access to care, the association’s upcoming initiatives and the commitment to NextGen leadership education. Source: Veterinary Advantage, … [Read more...]
IBPSA Fast Bites – September 23, 2024
FLOW Business Conference underway in Tucson, Arizona, pet startup funding slower, dogs on airplanes, pet night on Capitol Hill, loyalty programs have value, marketing on a small budget, ownership transition plans, and more . . . Source: IBPSA Fast Bites, September 26, 2024. Link. … [Read more...]
Pet weight survey starts October 7th, includes horses
The Association for Pet Obesity Prevention will collaborate with veterinary practices and teaching hospitals to collect and report the weight and body condition scores of dogs, cats and, for the first time, horses. Veterinary clinics interested in recording the weights and scores of patients seen during routine examinations may register at bit.ly/APOPsignup. Source: Today’s … [Read more...]
Federal bill seeks to expand HSA, FSA eligibility to include veterinary care expenses
The People and Animal Well-being (PAW) Act aims to support pet owners by making veterinary care more affordable under Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs). Source: Veterinary Practice News, September 17, 2024. Link. … [Read more...]
Study estimates superbug crisis could get worse, killing nearly 40 million people by 2050
A recently published study <Link> projects the challenge of antimicrobial resistance into the future. AMR, one of the top global public health and development threats, is expected to get worse. It is driven by the misuse and overuse of antimicrobial medications in humans, animals and plants. Source: CNN, September 16, 2024. Link. … [Read more...]
JBS to transform renewable gas to sustainable fuel at US beef and poultry plants
JBS and GreenGasUSA are collaborating to collect methane from wastewater streams at JBS facilities using GreenGasUSA’s on-site upgrading systems, which can purify biogas into pipeline-quality renewable natural gas. Source: AgricultureDive, September 18, 2024. Link. … [Read more...]
Mosquitos bug pigs, too
Mosquitos! Animal health pros often associate the pesky biting bugs with dogs and horses, but they are a problem for swine producers too. Jennifer Shike’s two articles address issues with mosquitos and controlling them around swine production sites. Sources: 9 ways to fight mosquitos on the farm, PORK, September 9, 2024. Link. Mosquitos are on the rise: Why pork … [Read more...]
Parasitic ‘horror’ wasp bursts from a fly’s abdomen like an alien
Scientists accidentally discovered a new species of wasp, Syntretus perlmani, that lays eggs inside living, adult fruit flies, which then burst from the hosts' abdomens while they're still alive. Finding the wasp surprised the researchers because Drosophila flies are so common and well-studied. Source: Live Science, September 13, 2024. Link. Image credit: Matthew … [Read more...]
It’s better to forget the ice cubes for dogs
Depending on which Google search result you read, the vote on sharing ice cubes with dogs is 50/50, yes/no. Pam Nichols, DVM, CCRP, CFI, offers guidance on the topic in this article, ultimately saying not to offer dogs ice, including teething puppies. The main risk is tooth damage, she says. Giving a dog ice water, or just a handful of ice cubes, has no beneficial … [Read more...]
Explore different facets of empathy to improve client communication, earn CE
Jennifer Sperry, DVM, leads this online CE webinar and shares the different facets of empathy through storytelling, real-world examples and academic publications. She identifies some tools any clinic or practitioner can employ to activate and improve empathetic practice. Source: ASPCA® Pet Health Insurance. Link. Earn 1 Hour of RACE-Approved CE Credit. Related: Search … [Read more...]
IBPSA Fast Bites – September 16, 2024
The People and Animals Well-being Act, rising costs threaten pet ownership, Pak Social seeks to redefine pet care, what works in marketing now and more . . . Source: IBPSA Fast Bites, September 16, 2024. Link. … [Read more...]
Worth a Glance – September 12, 2024
Last week’s AHD Bulletin – Animal Health Digest Bulletin, September 5, 2024. Link. Most read posts from the September 5th AHD Bulletin – A priest, a drunk and a business leader meet and . . . Link. Wildlife decision tree helps clinic staff deal with wildlife properly. Link. New guidance for AMR gram-negative infections. Link. Swine producers, veterinarians … [Read more...]
Federal court blocks FTC final rule on non-compete agreements
On August 20th, a federal district court in Texas blocked implementation of the Federal Trade Commission’s April 2024 final rule banning most non-compete agreements declaring it “arbitrary and capricious.” Source: AVMA, August 22, 2024. Link. … [Read more...]
APPA introduces new supplier membership
The American Pet Products Association’s new membership category, supplier members, hopes to connect suppliers of pet product components, ingredients, packaging, live animal companions, business services and more with top manufacturers in the industry. Source: Pet Product News, September 2024. Link. … [Read more...]
Drs. Peter Weinstein and Marty Becker honored in Kansas City
Peter Weinstein, DVM, MBA, was presented with the Distinguished Life Member Award and Marty Becker, DVM, received Pioneer Professional Award for their commitments to advancing veterinary medicine and the animal health industry. The VetPartners™ 2024 Mid-Year Conference, took place August 20–22 in Kansas City, Missouri, and was attended by nearly 100 industry leaders. Source: … [Read more...]
Don’t forget. Manure can kill!
Dealing with manure pits and tankers is a nasty reality for livestock producers. Jennifer Kiel addresses safety as the fall manure application period gets going. Consider her article for newsletters, social media posts and print a few to leave at local coffee stops. Manure is dangerous . . . it breaks down to produce gases such as carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, methane and … [Read more...]
10 most popular vet apps for cat owners (2024 Update)
Apps can’t completely replace in-person vet appointments and annual checkups, but they can still benefit many cat owners, shares Jessica Kim. She classifies the most common types of vet app deliverables as providing 1) tele-triage services, 2) telemedicine services, and 3) veterinary clinic operations software. The reviews of the various app functions may provide some … [Read more...]
Why you should pet your dog first thing in the morning
Before getting out of bed for the first cup of coffee, start the day with five minutes of head pets and belly rubs. By making this a regular activity, you’re essentially teaching the dog that the day doesn’t begin until they have been petted and acknowledged. Plus, those few minutes before checking email, texts and schedules are good for our health too. Source: Better … [Read more...]
Let’s review. Dog park safety tips
Dog parks come in many shapes, sizes and terrain. Ashley Bates shares 11 tips to ensure pets and people have good experiences using these spaces. This article is good content for social media posts, newsletters and to share with your own commentary with local media. Source: Whole Dog Journal, September 5, 2024. Link. Before you go to dog parks know the rules. Some of them … [Read more...]
IBPSA Fast Bites – September 9, 2024
Tech and the veterinarian, retaining talent, video marketing for small business, streamlining, luxury pet brands, heartworm and questions about customer-centricity. Are consumers starting to fade into the backseat?” Source: IBPSA Fast Bites, September 9, 2024. Link. … [Read more...]
The latest email scams
Thanks to artificial intelligence, email scams are becoming tougher than ever to detect, writes Steven J.J. Weisman, JD. He reviews five scams many will recognize and how to avoid or deal with them: Spoofing scams from what appears to be a known email address Fake invoice PayPal email scam Airline customer service scam Social Security update scam E-Z Pass … [Read more...]
Automation to streamline its rabies vaccination, certificate processes
GlobalVetLink has developed a solution that simplifies the creation and submission of rabies vaccination certificates and ensures compliance with state and local regulations. GVL's Rabies Vaccination Certificates eliminates the cumbersome, time-consuming tasks associated with manual certificate management, saves time and reduces errors. Source: GlobalVetLink via PR Newswire, … [Read more...]
Chewy Q2 earnings results show app use growing, net sales increase
Chewy’s Q2 earnings call highlighted six percent net sales per active customer increase, 20 million active customers, six Chewy Health clinics in operation and 13 percent more unique customers using the Chewy app. Source: Digital 360, September 3, 2024. Link. Digital Commerce 360 projects that Chewy online sales will reach $11.59 billion in 2024. Also see: Chewy sees … [Read more...]
AAFCO and FDA to end longstanding MOU signaling shift in animal feed regulation
The 17-year memorandum of understanding to provide standardization to the animal food industry is ending. It allows AAFCO to look at new and innovative solutions in the ingredient space, and to seek out additional partners that can provide strong, science-based guidance to our state officials. Meanwhile, the FDA is evaluating its animal food ingredient review authorities and … [Read more...]
Webinar tonight – Updated EID tag requirements for disease traceability
In April 2024, USDA-APHIS issued a final rule updating its existing 2013 regulations on animal disease traceability. The updated rule will take effect on November 5, 2024. This update now requires ear tags to be used as official animal identification for the interstate movement of covered classes of cattle to be both visually and electronically readable. Webinar information: … [Read more...]
Bird flu pushing egg prices higher
Reading this article, animal health pros might conclude the growth in backyard poultry production will continue. HPAI has reduced egg supplies that are now less robust than normal. Meanwhile, domestic sales and exports have jumped to levels not seen since the pandemic. Source: Agricultural Dive, September 3, 2024. Link. … [Read more...]
Do cats need fresh air?
All cats can benefit from a little fresh air. This article shares tips on safely getting cats the benefits from fresh air and outdoor environments. Source: Catster, July 2, 2024. Link. … [Read more...]
Heartworm fact sheet urges pet owners to Think 12
A convenient fact sheet from the American Heartworm Society urges pet owners to test annually for heartworm and commit to year-round heartworm prevention. The document is suitable for social media and newsletters. Heartworm preventative compliance remains challenging and requires routine reinforcement of the reasons and benefits. Source: Think 12, American Heartworm Society. … [Read more...]
Pathway to CVPM certification (videos)
Samantha Millet, CVPM, Tiffany Consalvo, CVPM, and Christine M. Cesena, CVPM, share their challenges, perseverance, and benefits of becoming a Certified Veterinary Practice Manager. The link below begins with Millet and then links to Consalvo and Cesena in a series of informative personal experience videos of about two minutes each. Source: VHMA, YouTube, February 23, 2023. … [Read more...]
What happens to water left sitting out
This article by Christina Manian, RDN, is worth reading for personal reasons and relates to water quality for animals. Fresh, clean water is foundational to animal health and often overlooked by animal owners <Link>. When water is left sitting out, uncovered for eight or more hours, the carbon dioxide in the air starts to mix with it. This chemical reaction will result … [Read more...]