We’re sharing sponsored content from recent AAHA Red and AAHA NEWStat issues, two media offerings available from AAHA Press, the publishing arm of the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA). Stress less with the needle-less Bordetella protection, AAHA Red, October 22, 2018. Link. Forty percent of cat owners find veterinary visits personally stressful, AAHA Red, … [Read more...]
Muzzle is not a dirty word
Muzzles are one of the more effective safety tools veterinary teams use. Dr. Michael Miller shares his ideas about muzzling and dealing with clients whose dogs can benefit from muzzling. Source: DRANDYROARK, October 31, 2018. Link. . . . some people think when we muzzle a dog, it’s cruel. It’s not. It’s a matter of safety. We all love animals and love the patients we work … [Read more...]
Assertively address the issue of fat cats
Felines are faring worse than their canine counterparts, with more than a 169 percent increase in overweight cats over the past 10 years, writes Rachel Beck, referencing 2016 Banfield data. She provides a body score card, tips and tricks for talking with cat owners about their cat’s weight. Source: Today’s Veterinary Nurse, Spring 2018. Link. Prevention, demonstration, … [Read more...]
Winterize for pet safety
Falling leaves remind us that winter is coming. Krista Carothers shares tips from veterinarians to help keep pets safe as the temperature drops: Limit their time outside Know when winter gear is necessary Monitor working and older dogs Don’t assume your outdoor cat can cope in the cold Make sure indoor cats stay indoors Prepare your pooch for long hikes … [Read more...]
47,000 ticks on a moose and that’s an average
According to Dr. Peter J. Pekins’ research, warmer winter months increase the ability of ticks to acquire a moose host and survive winter months. While large numbers of ticks aren’t great for adult moose, they’re especially bad for moose calves, which can die from the onslaught. Source: New York Times, October 18, 2018. Link. The abundance of moose enables the ticks to … [Read more...]
VHMA blogs enlighten
For some animal health pros, the roles and responsibilities of veterinary hospital managers are not well known. Each month, the Veterinary Hospital Managers Association posts on two blogs and researches a topic. We’re linking to the most recent editions of The Champion’s Corner and Practice Pulse which contains the VHMA’s Insiders’ Insight Report. Source: VHMA, October 2018. … [Read more...]
Technology trend: Teledentistry expands preventive care
This article is thought-provoking given the new efforts in veterinary telemedicine. Minnesota’s dental industry is returning to a high-tech solution known as teledentistry, which allows dental hygienists to provide preventive care at low cost while supervised electronically by dentists at a different location. The trend comes as dental hygienists are taking on a greater share … [Read more...]
Spending 5 hours a week learning can create amazing ROI
Why do the world’s smartest and busiest people find one hour a day for deliberate learning, while others make excuses about how busy they are? The answer is simple: Learning is the single best investment of our time that we can make. Or as Benjamin Franklin said, “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.” The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who … [Read more...]
Philosophy professor questions ethics of some pet spending
Sandra Woien, philosophy lecturer at Arizona State University, speaks out on elements of the millions of dollars spent on pets. Citing the philosophy of effective altruism, she suggests if the money spent of pets was instead donated to a good cause, more good or utility could be produced. According to one estimate, about $440 million of pet spending in the U.S. was on … [Read more...]
We’re terrible at planning our time. Here’s how to fix it.
The 40-hour work week is a myth, writes Jory MacKay. She describes our bias toward being overly optimistic when it comes to how much time is needed to complete a future task. In other words, we are notoriously bad at figuring out how long a task will take us. . . . most people typically have a window of about three hours where we’re really, really focused . . . we found that … [Read more...]
The top 10 risks your employees bring to your organization
Human resources leaders stand to benefit from seeing how their peers are overcoming challenges. HRE asked experts to weigh in on some of the biggest issues facing today’s HR leaders and consider solutions to these obstacles. We identified information from research done by Aon Risk Solutions that applies to businesses in our industry whether small or large. Your employees are … [Read more...]
Policing women’s anger
Gathering knowledge and experiences from a female star athlete, an NFL coach, a governor and conference speakers, Katie Sanders writes about defining a strong female lead. . . . speaking out . . . can be a challenge in the workplace, where women are disproportionately penalized for expressing emotions, especially when they are perceived as angry. Source: Fast Company, October … [Read more...]
4 ways busy people sabotage themselves
Self-sabotaging patterns maintain a cycle of always having too much to do, or at least feeling like that’s the case, writes Alice Boyes. She examines the problems and proposes solutions. You’ve left an important task undone for weeks. It’s hanging over you, causing daily anxiety. And yet instead of actually doing it, you do a hundred other tasks instead. Source: Harvard … [Read more...]
Stop doing 7 things found in the worst managers
Animal health pros often lead projects, work in groups and work as managers. Marcel Schwantes reviews counterproductive behaviors that destroy team morale and performance. His perspective is focused on new hires. However, these examples are equally consistent with team and group performance. Source: Inc., September 18, 2018. Link. These behaviors are recognized as toxic: … [Read more...]
Appreciate the art of thoughtful disagreement
Ray Dalio believes we must appreciate and develop the art of thoughtful disagreement. In thoughtful disagreement, your goal is not to convince the other party that you are right. It is to find out which view is true and decide what to do about it, he says. It’s challenging because most people are instinctively reluctant to disagree. . . . it’s pointless when people get angry … [Read more...]
How to handle a stressed-out colleague (includes infographic)
Here’s a nice infographic that could easily be used on break room bulletin boards and during a wellness meeting on site. Source: Ascend. Link. Things not to say. Thinks you can say instead. INSIGHTS: Cliffs notes for supporting a stressed colleague. … [Read more...]
AHD – focused on you for three years
We’ve been honored to bring actionable information to animal health pros for three years. Using your feedback, we added resources that help us get along with each other and develop our own interpersonal skills. This edition of the AHD Bulletin focuses on challenges animal health pros experience in day-to-day interactions with human beings. We define animal health … [Read more...]
6 most read posts from the last 6 months
Providing you a way to quickly sift through industry media is the main objective of Animal Health Digest. We believe informed animal health pros create more opportunities when you’re up to speed on what’s out there. With reading in decline, readers have a comparative advantage in today’s business, Michael Hyatt. Link. We’ve captured a few of the most read posts from Q1 and 2Q … [Read more...]
New resources can help handle negative conversations
Three resources about dealing with negative interactions from HBR caught our attention. It’s not easy to stay cool and engaged when things get heated in meetings, negotiations, or difficult conversations. We’ve all been there. Consider using these three quick reads at a team meeting before the holiday season heats up and tensions rise. Source: Ascend from Harvard Business … [Read more...]
Refine receiving protocols to assess morbidity risk
At the recent Academy of Veterinary Consultants conference, John Richeson, Ph.D., discussed how the use of new chute-side diagnostic tools have potential to help cattle feeders assess morbidity risk for individual cattle upon arrival. This could potentially reduce antibiotic use in mass treatments while improving health outcomes. Citing Kansas State University research, … [Read more...]
Beef industry is based on discounts more than anything
Discount risk avoidance is a compelling way to consider the economics of the beef industry and its value programs. Jared Wareham shares a perspective that can help veterinarians and salespersons maintain preventative programs while helping producers avoid costly discounts. Value-added programs don’t necessarily add value to a set baseline price. Rather, they begin by removing … [Read more...]
Learning from the Leman conference
The annual Leman conference has consistently been a place of discovery, sharing and a focus on improving swine management and pork protein production. Jennifer Shike and JoAnn Alumbaugh share an overview from this year’s conference. Source: PORK, October 2018. Link. INSIGHTS: Last year’s theme of co-opetition, the balance between cooperation and competition, is evident in … [Read more...]
Brush up on measuring blood pressure
Whether in general practice settings or emergency or critical care environments, blood pressure measurement is used as a diagnostic tool. Oriana D. Scislowicz, LVT, provides an opportunity for veterinary nurses and clinic staff to brush up on their skills. Source: Veterinary Team Brief, October 2018. Link. Take action notes: Include blood pressure measurement as a … [Read more...]
November JAVMA
The research continues. This issue of JAVMA includes a commentary on engaging a veterinary behaviorist to help pets with behavior problems early instead of as a last resort: Veterinary behaviorists should be the first, not the last, resort for optimal patient care, Link. Asking clients about behavior problems during appointments can be difficult for veterinarians. . . … [Read more...]
One Health Series: Researcher discusses the challenge of antibiotic resistance (includes video)
Tim LaPara is an environmental engineer at the University of Minnesota. He and his students are investigating the environment, searching for antimicrobial-resistant genes in materials like human and animal waste. There, the bacteria compound the problem. There are predictions that antimicrobial resistance will actually be responsible for more deaths in the next 50 years than … [Read more...]
Human nurses take exception to using ‘nurse’ in veterinary medicine
The debate about the veterinary nurse initiative continues. Rachael Zimlich explains some of the objections from the human nurse perspective. We are not suggesting any pet owner will confuse a staff member in a veterinary clinic or hospital as a human healthcare practitioner. The issue at hand is the title 'nurse' and the connotations and respect that come with that … [Read more...]
Opinion – Pets are like family. But as health costs rise, few are insured that way.
Paul Sullivan takes a circuitous route through pet economics, market growth and the challenges of price versus value. References to pet owner attitude changes include contrasting the Snoopy generation of 30 years ago with the current Brian (Family Guy) generation. Sullivan’s perspectives are dashed with quotes, pet health examples, products and animal health companies. Two … [Read more...]
National Veterinary Technician week highlights vet techs
Our industry is celebrating the work of veterinary technicians all week long. The Firstline team offers free team training, appreciation and inspiration throughout this week. It’s a cacophony of notes, posters, videos and quotes to help make this entire week reflect the respect we have for the veterinary technicians and nurses on veterinary hospital teams. Source: FIRSTLINE, … [Read more...]
The Bridge Club celebrates veterinary techs every day of National Veterinary Technician week
The Bridge Club kicks off five consecutive days of technician-centric conversations focused on work/life balance on Monday October 15th. The schedule and links are below: OCTOBER 15, NOON CST – VET TECH WEEK: WORKING MORE THAN ONE JOB? YES, YOU CAN STILL BE SUCCESSFUL. Is work/life balance achievable? Hear from Julie Legred, CVT, and Beckie Mossor, RVT. <Register … [Read more...]
Thinking equipment before year end
The fourth quarter of each year brings thoughts of end-of-year inventories and opportunities to use Section 179 of the IRS code. It provides incentives for all types of veterinary equipment purchases. Pam Foster writes about how equipment features, function and capabilities have changed over the past decade with some expert help from Rick Warter, of MWI Animal … [Read more...]