Dr. Andrew Clark addresses managing operating lines of credit in this edition. He reminds us that credit lines to cash flow can be a slippery slope. Source: Is My Practice Healthy?, February 27, 2017. You have borrowed an operating line of credit because you didn’t have enough money in the bank to pay the bills. You must budget to pay the full year expenses PLUS pay off the … [Read more...]
Editorial – Seeking truth among alternative facts
I present this as opinion because of political references in the content. The context of discerning the truth is the reason for posting it. Peter Peregrine presents compelling insights on the culmination of a long retreat from the scientific perspective on truth. “Because I said so,” is no longer simply a disciplining statement from a parent to a child it seems. Source: The … [Read more...]
Wild pig meat goes USDA Prime
Producer Keith Mann slaughters, processes and sells wild pig meat on his South Florida operation, all signed and sealed by USDA. “We thought the market was ready and knew a lot of chefs would be interested. People instantly recognize the meat is packed with awesome flavor,” he says. Mann could sell every wild pig processed if he had market access. Even foreign markets in … [Read more...]
Toxic teams hurt patient care
Ask sales reps about their in-practice or retail store experiences and you’ll likely hear about some pretty tense business settings. The dvm360 toxic team survey reveal that stressful environments not only hurt employees and dissuade animal owner visits, but the environment is harmful to animals as well. Source: Vetted, February 2017. Toxic veterinary teams are a problem, … [Read more...]
Who stays. Who goes?
Michelle Arnold, DVM, discusses considerations for culling cows from the herd. Twenty percent of gross receipts in a typical cow-calf operation come from the sale of cull animals. Paying attention to price seasonality and body condition scores is important before sending them to market. Source: Drovers CattleNetwork, February 23, 2017. Dr. Arnold offers this list of … [Read more...]
Pet food nutrition: protein hype and digestibility
Differentiating one pet food from the next gets harder every day. Nutritionists say regardless of what is in the prepared diet, getting essential nutrients in the ingredients actually absorbed into the body during digestion is most important. Recent studies dug into the issues of protein and digestibility. Source: Petfood Industry, February17, 2017. Two studies on pet food … [Read more...]
There are surprising benefits when keeping hens with horses
Casie Bazay shares her experiences with free-range chickens and horses. She describes a symbiotic existence that reduces flies, feed waste and breaks down manure so that it dries faster. Source: Horse Network, February 21, 2017. In addition to the bug-eating behaviors, Bazay shares these benefits: Chickens will eat the tiniest piece of grain or other feed dropped on … [Read more...]
March issue of JAVMA
There continues to be a lot of attention paid to probiotics. Among the papers in this issue is Use of probiotics in small animal veterinary medicine. Animal health pros will appreciate it as well as with the others presented. Source: JAVMA, March 2017. (abstract access only) … [Read more...]
Sponsored Content – World’s first commercial Moraxella bovoculi vaccine now available
Addison Biological Laboratory, Inc. announces the approval of the world’s first commercial Moraxella bovoculi vaccine for the prevention of pinkeye in cattle. This USDA-conditionally licensed product is the first of its kind. The product features eight specifically different Moraxella bovoculi isolates and an easily syringeable adjuvant. Source: Addison Biological … [Read more...]
Screwworm eradication: An Interactive View
The parasitic New World screwworm has an interesting history in the United States, and the USDA has developed a series of interactive graphics to illustrate past and present eradication efforts. Source: Drovers CattleNetwork, February 15, 2016. The USDA interactive website illustrates the biology of the screwworm fly and uses maps to illustrate past and present eradication … [Read more...]
Weaning stresses impact piglet gut health
At weaning, piglets are faced with a combination of stresses to which they must quickly adapt, including diet, environment, social stress, maternal separation and more. David Saornil and Sylvie Roquefeuil focus on the impact of weaning stress on piglet digestive physiology and function. Source: Watt AgNet, February 9, 2017. (partial access only) As the industry faces … [Read more...]
Management tree helps determine Macrocyclic lactone-resistant heartworm disease resistance
Animal health pros dealing with heartworm or heartworm products will appreciate the management tree for successful resolution to determine if resistance to macrocyclic lactone preventives is a factor in canine heartworm patients. Source: Plumb’s Therapeutics Brief, November 2015. Resistance to macrocyclic lactone preventatives in canine heartworm cases has been proven, … [Read more...]
Involve dog owners to screen for cancer
The “Big C” often strikes fear in humans. When it involves their pets, the results can be devastating. Rodney Page, DVM, says owners must take responsibility for prevention of cancer. Annual physical exams, screening bloodwork and urinalysis are recommended for dogs more than seven years of age or from breeds prone to develop cancer. Source: Modern Dog, February 16, … [Read more...]
Feline gastritis common, needs treating
Gastritis is so prevalent in cats that the disorder ranks as the number 2 reason people seek veterinary care for their cats. Mary Labato, DVM at Tufts University, says a few bites of spoiled food or a mild infection can cause stomach distress for our finicky feline friends. Source: Tufts Catnip, February 20, 2017. There are two types of gastritis: acute and chronic. Acute … [Read more...]
Measure what matters to your clients
Ed Blach, DVM, hits the nail on the head with this short post. He reminds veterinary teams that a small number of measures can have a dramatic impact on how your team serves your clients. Measure what matters to clients and you will deliver exemplary service. Source: Is My Practice Healthy?, February 19, 2017. Measure what matters to your clients. Measure: how long it … [Read more...]
Do you know your dog breeds?
If a customer requested assistance for their St. John’s Water Dog, today it would be called a: Newfoundland Barbet Boykin Spaniel Labrador Retriever Otterhound Source: Acreage Life, February 2017, page 44. Discover the answer here. … [Read more...]
CWD research a focus of USGS National Wildlife Health Center
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) remains a key focus for research at the USGS National Wildlife Health Center (NWHC). CWD infects elk, white-tailed deer, and mule deer, but is not known to infect livestock or humans currently. No treatment is known and the disease is typically fatal. With deer harvests complete, the NWHC has updated its map of the distribution of CWD in North … [Read more...]
Guide helps eliminate busywork
“Busywork has a double negative impact," Renee Cullinan says. "It consumes time that could be better spent on other things, and it drains energy. Longer term, it breeds a work culture that values activity over results and busyness over effectiveness." Source: Fast Company, January 27, 2017. Cullinan says busywork often fits one of these three scenarios: You don’t know … [Read more...]
Generation X more addicted to social media than millennials
A Nielsen report released last week shows that Americans from 18 to 34 are less obsessed with social media than some of their older peers are. Smartphones are driving activity in all age groups. Source: New York Times, January 27, 2017. The report also broke out which social networks were most popular on smartphones, finding that Facebook still dominated on mobile, with … [Read more...]
Chickens considered clever
Chickens may be as emotionally, socially and cognitively complex as most other birds and mammals, explains Mark Clements. Source: Watt AgNet, January 17, 2017. A study of peer reviewed scientific data on cognition, emotions, personality and sociality in chickens, exploring areas including self-awareness, cognitive bias, social learning and self-control, published in Animal … [Read more...]
Violence in veterinary practices – be prepared
Since 2006, news outlets have reported dozens of violent crimes against veterinary professionals in their workplaces in the United States, ranging from simple assault to homicide, murder–suicide, and rape, followed by murder. The offender may be a client, a stranger, a team member, or an outsider in a volatile relationship with a team member. Source: Veterinary Team Brief, … [Read more...]
DIY marketing for parasite-free pets
Remember "stop, look and listen?" They were potentially life-saving actions drilled into us by our parents and teachers when we are about to cross the road. Our AHD team urges you to stop, look and listen to the advice Jane Harrell offers regarding marketing parasite prevention yourself. Research shows that clients view the education you give them about their pet’s health as a … [Read more...]
“Lexus” pet dentistry
The title made me a bit uncomfortable but as the metaphor played out it was clear the authors had a strong point to make. As with shopping for a car, clients want to compare the Lexus style with that of the Kia. However, actual dental services represent a wide continuum of services depending, at least, on the age, size, and breed of the pet. To the client, however, it often … [Read more...]
Kids prefer pets to siblings
While many families have pets, there hasn’t been much research done on the importance of child-pet relationships. Researchers with the University of Cambridge wanted to shed more light on these relationships by developing a system to test them. The study was published online in the Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology and will appear in the March 2017 print … [Read more...]
Dealing with a bossy coworker
Sara McCord offers suggestions to deal with a coworker who has a hard time keeping their leadership (i.e. bossy) tendencies in check. Source: the muse, February 12, 2017. While it’s super-frustrating to deal with a bossy coworker day in and day out, there are steps you can take to address the situation. Speak up in the moment Schedule a chat Nominate coworkers … [Read more...]
Walmart working on high-tech food safety initiatives
A technique from the financial industry, blockchain technology, may help improve food chain safety. The initiative is being deployed in China to improve the transparency and traceability in pork production and in the U.S. on a produce project. Source: Meat + Poultry, February 2017, page 66. Pilot projects developed by Wal-Mart, IBM and Tsinghua University will use … [Read more...]
Editorial – Consumers getting dental messages
February is National Pet Dental month, but dental care for pets is a daily routine we rarely get established as animal health pros. Even veterinarians admit they don’t brush their own pets’ teeth daily. Still, the amount of media attention to this topic in February is admirable. In this consumer article Sarah Young summarizes the importance of dental care, a daily routine, … [Read more...]
Make emails give the right impression
Every email you send affects your professional reputation. Avoid these all-too-common mistakes in your communication: emails too long for anyone to digest including way too many people dashing off incomplete thoughts burying the lede Source: Harvard Business Review, February 6, 2017. Take a close look at your sent folder. Everything you need to know about your … [Read more...]
Pay attention to the 3 stages of parturition
Experienced cow producers and veterinarians can benefit from reviewing basic information as spring calving season nears. The more we understand about the physiology of the process, the more likely we are to make sound decisions about when and if to provide assistance. Source: High Plains Journal, January 17, 2017. Parturition or “calving” is generally considered to occur … [Read more...]
Bumblebees will return
Jeff Whitworth, Kansas State University associate professor of entomology, said bumblebees are not headed for extinction. Bee declines have been attributed to a variety of factors, including parasites, pesticides and urbanization, as well as fungal, bacterial and viral diseases. Source: Feedstuffs, January 27, 2017. Whitworth predicted that bee populations will continue to … [Read more...]