Former veterinarian turned immunologist Mario Gomes-Solecki focused beyond animals susceptible to Lyme. She studied the large population of Borrelia burgdorferi infected white-footed mice and on reducing the number of ticks that become carrier after biting a mouse. Roughly half of ticks carrying Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacteria that cause Lyme disease, pick it up by … [Read more...]
DVMs called to action to reduce breeding of brachycephalic dogs
Paul McGreevy, PhD, and Anne Fawcett issue a challenge to the veterinary community’s role in reducing or preventing any negative health impacts of disorders in animals. They utilize brachycephalic or short-skulled dogs as their examples which include French bulldogs, pugs, British bulldogs, Boston terriers, and Cavalier King Charles spaniels. . . . given what we know, we’re … [Read more...]
Opinion – Chewing on topics for AHD
We often rely upon categories that represent frequent visits to veterinarians <link> to choose articles for you. We also review material about animals’ behavorial challenges. Here we share a selection of articles that come from media that target dog owners. These initially may not seem important to animal health pros. However, they are consistent with the top reasons for … [Read more...]
AVMA tackling technician underutilization
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...]
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...]
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...]
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...]
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...]
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...]
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...]
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...]
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...]
Heavy tech use threatens connections
Michael K. Spencer asks the question, “What if all of this technology . . . is leading us into a state where we might be at risk (as a species) to die one day of loneliness? Technological loneliness is set to increase. . . Loneliness is now agreed to be considered more dangerous than obesity, smoking, a sedentary lifestyle or working too much. Source: The Medium, January … [Read more...]
The (dark) origins of Valentine’s Day
In its modern context, Valentine’s Day is mostly about romance, love, gifting and the celebrating of relationships. Yet, this holiday has much different origins. Searching for something meaningful and unique for a sweetheart often makes one question “why are we doing this valentine’s thing anyway?” With efforts by Chaucer and Shakespeare and most recently Hallmark, … [Read more...]
Heart attack symptoms often subtle in women
As our industry embraces the contributions and needs of female animal health pros, we offer this reminder that heart disease is the number-one killer them, as well as men. Heart disease accounts for about one in four deaths in women in the U.S., according to the CDC. February is American Heart Month so now is the perfect time to review and share this information among the women … [Read more...]
Hay! Plastic bale netting is not digestible
Modern technology for hay bale wrap is causing rumen problems that can be just as damaging and fatal as the miscellaneous hardware cows often ingest. Many producers never remove net wrap and never have problems, while others say these risks are the reason they always remove net wrap before feeding hay or running it through a processor,” Cody Creelman, DVM, says. Source: … [Read more...]
Don’t let frostbite harm calves
Winter temperatures in some areas challenge early calving. Producers share their methods for fighting frostbite in these articles selected. Preventing damage to ears and tails is critical because once the tissue gets frozen, there’s little that can be done. Source: Dairy Herd Management, January 2019. Link. Frostbite is relatively uncommon in calves older than a … [Read more...]
Miniature goats create connections
Goats of all sizes, including miniature goats, to create connections with them and their owners. Smaller goats can be practical, affordable and affectionate. For some small-scale breeders, miniatures are the perfect starting point for raising goats. (Miniature goats) . . . can be kept in a small backyard, are easy to handle, and are the perfect size for young children to … [Read more...]
Frazzled? 4 steps to get ‘er done
Productivity experts John Zeratsky and Jake Knapp created a system to overcome the obstacles that prevent us from doing the things we really need to focus on. . . . there’s a default in our culture, in our work culture, and our everyday society of guilt . . . a lot of the tools that are out there are just designed to nag us . . . to make us feel more guilty.” Source: … [Read more...]
No, cats cannot be vegan
A study of U.K. cat owners revealed one in five were not aware their pets were carnivores and required animal products in their diets to thrive. It is believed similar ignorance exists in U.S. cat owners. Veganism simply cannot be a lifestyle choice you make for your cat, even if you make it for yourself. Source: Tufts Catnip, February 2019. Link. It is not possible … [Read more...]