New research found pregnancies in mares and mules were strikingly similar, with comparable ultrasound findings. Despite their inability to reproduce naturally mules make amazing surrogate dams. Source: The Horse, March 15, 2020. Link. “Mules can host the embryo of a mare, gestate normally, produce a good amount of milk, and have an incredible maternal instinct and ability,” … [Read more...]
Fomite control: you, me, us, them, plus where they have been
Fomite: fo-mite Noun (plural fomites) (medicine, epidemiology). def: An inanimate object capable of carrying infectious agents (such as bacteria, viruses and parasites), and thus passively enabling their transmission between hosts. < link > Media coverage, though sometimes raucous, is a necessary tool to help communicate the importance of the need for societal … [Read more...]
Pet grooming businesses deemed non-essential. Need some extra help?
Original content Groomers have been shut down by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, animal shelters, pet supply retailers and veterinary clinics may need temporary help during this crisis. Groomers could provide temporary support to help receive animals from owners’ cars, infection control processes, bath prepping, home deliveries and more. These animal health professionals … [Read more...]
BabelBark/BabelVet® announces free support to transition to telehealth
Complimentary Sponsored Content Fueled by shelter-in-place orders and social distancing recommendations, medical professionals are turning to telehealth platforms to maintain client-patient interactions and screen to determine if a physical visit is needed. Telehealth in today’s COVID-19 context is relatively new. Vertical integration is a mainstay of platforms in general, … [Read more...]
Don’t try to fix anything right now
The ability to sit with uncertainty is a valuable asset. In these unpredictable times, it is a necessity, writes Kathleen Smith, PhD. She shares two steps to cultivate a skill that has never been more vital: Recognize your anxiety fixing Work on your cognitive flexibility Source: FORGE, March 23, 2020. Link. You can’t control the future, but you can begin to work on … [Read more...]
Posture, movement, variety matter working from home
Before you buy the new office chair, desk or start remodeling, consider what Arianne Cohen shares about managing your office responsibilities from home. Source: Fast Company, March 23, 2020. Link. Cue the stabbing back pain and weird neck spasms. . . . the same desk habits that suited you at the office will not work at home, where you move much less. Also see: How working … [Read more...]
Been there. Done that. But, have you recently?
Our world IS scrambling to deal with immediate and mid-term fallout caused by COVID-19. We are dealing with a global five-alarm fire. Local levels, however, may only be a one- or two-alarm fire that can be managed proactively. Proactivity requires setting priorities. It may have been years since you were trained on the urgent/important principle President Dwight D. … [Read more...]
Getting cats to take a pill (Video)
Videos attract attention of animal owners. Pilling cats is easy for veterinary team members but, some pet owners get unnerved by that mouth full of teeth. Consider using one of these videos to support proper pilling at home. Also, including a reminder about oral care would be applicable since the cat owner will be looking at the mouth cavity while pilling. If your database … [Read more...]
Feline antiviral drug for FeLV, FIP is now being tested against SARS-CoV-2
A Singapore startup is testing its antiviral drug, RetroMAD1, against the SARS-CoV-2 beta-coronavirus that causes COVID-19. A spokesperson for Biovalence Technologies, the company that developed the drug, believes its drug could treat Covid-19. He said several scientific papers had revealed that a specific mutation of Sars-CoV-2 bears similarity to how dengue, Ebola, FeCoV and … [Read more...]
Getting our minds around pandemics and their history
Context is key when seeking to understand how our current situation with SARS-CoV-2 fits in the overall view of pandemics. The selections below warrant a hard look. “F-E-A-R has two meanings: 'Forget Everything and Run' or 'Face Everything and Rise.' The choice is yours.” – Zig Ziglar Source: Visualizing the history of pandemics, Visual Capitalist, March 14, 2020. … [Read more...]
AVMA advocating for veterinary practices as essential businesses
Although many businesses have temporarily closed, the AVMA is advocating for veterinary hospitals and ambulatory practices to be considered essential businesses and remain open during periods of mandated business closures, This is because veterinary hospitals “provide important animal and public health surveillance, deliver essential medical care for ill animals, and ensure … [Read more...]
Keep or cancel your incentive trips? A corona virus dilemma.
Robert Tegge offers three options to consider for upcoming incentive trips while we are all hunkered down losing face-to-face time with key accounts. Consider these: Keep the trip Bank the money and send winners later Cash-out the winners Source: The Carrot, March 4, 2020. Link. In the end, there’s no right answer and the decision shouldn’t be made by any single … [Read more...]
Horses, horse owners and coronavirus (podcast)
Complimentary Sponsored Content from Merck Animal Health Dr. Nicola Pusterla, an equine infectious disease expert from the University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine, talks about coronaviruses and answers key questions in late February 2020. Can horses contract coronavirus? What is equine coronavirus? How is equine coronavirus spread? How … [Read more...]
AAHA’s NEWStat: Special COVID-19 edition
See what AAHA provides for member practices to deal with the impact of SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19. Source: AAHA NEWStat, March 17, 2020. Link. How to communicate with staff and clients about COVID-19. AAHA responds to COVID-19 virtually What’s up with that dog in Hong Kong who keeps testing positive? Plus, visit NEWStat’s COVID-19 page for regular updates and new … [Read more...]
Leading and working through a pandemic
HBR is publishing daily articles and resources on how to manage yourself, your team, and your company through the coronavirus crisis. The resources are provided at a dedicated Coronavirus Special Coverage page < link >. HBR opened access for these resources to all visitors, so this content can be easily shared with your own teams, colleagues and network. Source: … [Read more...]
Owner contact guidelines algorithm for COVID-19 pandemic
Brief Media’s Chief Veterinary Officer, Indu Mani DVM, ScD, shares the algorithm developed by J. Scott Weese, DVM, DVSc, DACVIM, for the benefit of veterinary clinic teams, their clients and animals. It is a step-by-step COVID-19 protocol for receiving patients in small animal veterinary clinics. Keep disinfecting and be safe.” – Indu Mani, DVM, ScD Source: Clinician’s Brief, … [Read more...]
EPA expands COVID-19 disinfectant list
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released an expanded list of EPA-registered disinfectant products that have qualified for use against SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19. The new expanded list adds nearly 200 products. This includes 40 new products that passed through the agency’s expedited review process. Source: PORK, March 16, 2020. Link. To … [Read more...]
You, me, us, and them as SARS-CoV-2 disrupts our world
CORONA VIRUS PANDEMIC EDITION These days of myriad, progressing and conflicting COVID-19 articles, blog posts and news releases should be the stuff on which a curation business thrives. The AHD team will do our best to provide factual SARS-CoV-2 material that supports our objective to focus on sharing actionable information in the context of how animal health pros live, work … [Read more...]
Protecting your eyes in a screen-focused world
Modern demands on vision, especially our constant focus on close-up screens, is causing our eyes to make unhealthy adaptations. But you can do something about that! Marc Grossman, OD, Lac, shares steps that can keep your eyes healthier in a near-focused world. Grossman’s steps include: Keep neck muscles loose Avoid extremes of light/dark contrast Lounge consciously … [Read more...]
The state of high stakes learning
Intrepid Learning recently published an infographic to share the results of their 2020 learning and development survey. The results indicate little change compared to 2019 including weaknesses from the top down. The main findings are: Leadership is still the most critical topic Learning with and from others remains the best modality Learning cultures are still seen … [Read more...]
How now shall we house cows
Contemporary dairy cattle housing practices are at odds with societal perceptions of positive animal welfare. Non-dairy persons often emphasize the importance of naturalness for dairy cattle. Their expectations include pasture, freedom of movement and the ability to interact socially with other cows. In a symposium review, the authors share perspectives on animal welfare … [Read more...]
Phytochemical richness improves animal health
“There’s a big difference between a couple of beers and a case,” writes R.P. ‘Doc’ Cooke in his essay on how phytochemicals produced by plants, usually to help them thrive or to thwart competitors, predators or pathogens. He reminds us that they can be important nutrients for grazing animals as well. Source: BeefProducer, March 3, 2020. Link. Mineral rich soil (calcium is … [Read more...]
How and where marketers are spending
About 50 percent of companies now spend 10 percent of their budgets on B2B marketing. A report from Sagefrog Marketing Group shows the marketing mix trends from a recent industry cross-section survey. Digital marketing, website development, and trade shows and events dominate budget allocations. The author noted stagnancy represented by doing what was done in the past three … [Read more...]
Train the whole team on dentistry, oral care
Midmark’s Danielle Heberle, CVT, VTSH (Dentistry), provides sound reasoning for total clinic team dentistry training in this SPARK video. She discusses the practice development opportunities as well as Midmark’s training services. Traditionally we have seen that the client care people get left out of the education process. It is sad considering how integral these staff members … [Read more...]
Virox announces free webinar on COVID-19: Protecting People and Animals
Complimentary Sponsored Content from Virox Animal Health™ Webinar: Coronavirus (COVID-19) in veterinary and animal group settings: Protecting People and Animals TODAY: Thursday, March 19, 2020 - 2:00 p.m. Eastern time Top infection prevention and epidemiology experts will provide a brief summary of the current COVID-19 status in people and animals, along with specific … [Read more...]
Effect of insulin and fasting regimen on blood glucose concentrations of diabetic dogs during cataract surgery
Diabetic cataract is one of the more common complications of diabetes mellitus in dogs. It can be treated surgically but possible comorbidities such as kidney disease, systemic hypertension and peripheral neuropathies complicate anesthesia. The study referenced herein aimed to compare four protocols for preanesthetic insulin administration and fasting time with respect to … [Read more...]
Limit the spread of canine influenza during an outbreak
Jarod M. Hanson, DVM, DACVPM, discusses canine influenza virus outbreaks and methods that help in reduce its spread. The outbreaks were due to multiple virus introductions associated with the importation of rescue dogs from Asia. The use of contact tracing and longitudinal sampling, coupled with a 28-day quarantine period helped reduce the spread. Source: Clinician’s Brief, … [Read more...]
2019 Triennial Heartworm Symposium selective summary
Marisa Ames, DVM, DACVIM, provides an informative and actionable summary from the September 2019 heartworm symposium. The topics in the presentations and poster included: Heartworm vectors and transmission Heartworm prevention Heartworm pathology Heartworm diagnosis Wolbachia and heartworm treatment protocols . . . a strong correlation was noted between … [Read more...]
Watch for the PANDEMIC EDITION AHD Bulletin on March 20th
Tomorrow, we will deliver a special edition of the AHD BULLETIN covering a variety of important SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 news. The posts offer information for animal health pros to use in the context of protecting yourselves, families, colleagues, communities and clients while maintaining the critical roles of prevention and treatment of animals in their purview and … [Read more...]
Marketing: no time, no money, no expertise
In a recent article and podcast, George B. Krueger, MBA, DBA, shares research that explores the theme of microbusiness marketing with no time, no money and no expertise. Microbusinesses were defined as small businesses that employ nine or fewer people, including the owner. Source: bizTimes, March 5, 2020. Link. White paper copy of article < link > The research … [Read more...]