In a survey conducted by the National Pork Board in November, 95 percent of pig farmers surveyed said that they were ready to be fully compliant by the time the rules took effect on Jan. 1, 2017. Source: National Hog Farmer, January 9, 2017. Jan Archer, NPB president and a pig farmer from Goldsboro, N.C. noted a key hurdle in complying with new FDA rules is ensuring that … [Read more...]
Managing your team when asked to do too much
High expectations in the form of ambitious goals or targets are often touted as a benefit to help companies grow. Sometimes, reason is thrown away and teams can move toward unethical or illegal methods to achieve the objective. Managers at all levels have the responsibility to ensure that unreasonable targets don’t unleash harmful behaviors on their teams. Source: Harvard … [Read more...]
Monthly preventives are not 100-percent effective on worms
Richard Gerhold, veterinary parasitologist, sets the record straight about monthly preventive medications and the possibility of pets still picking up parasites. He discusses a case where a dog picked up hookworms, even though the client was believed to be compliant on a monthly preventive regimen. Source: DVM360, January 3, 2017. The preventive effectiveness and the … [Read more...]
Embrace dentistry
There’s no shortage of dental opportunities says one veterinarian. "The incidence of dental disease is 100 percent in cats and dogs," says Dr. Dave Nicol, BVMS, Cert. Mgmt. MRCVS. Matthew Lemmons, DVM, DAVDC, agrees. “Veterinary dentistry is almost an instant gratification for our patients.” Each veterinarian makes the case for pet dentistry in these two … [Read more...]
Heat and ice therapy explained
Dr. Lydia Gray answers horse health questions at HorseChannel.com: Ask the Vet. In this Q&A article, she explains the difference between hot and cold therapy and under what circumstances each should be used. Source: HorseChannel.com, January 10, 2017. In a nutshell, cold is for early stages of injury while heat is for the final states of healing. Each in their own way, … [Read more...]
Catster promotes vet visits
Consumer media sources don’t often tell pet owners the importance of veterinary visits. Not so with this Get-your-cat-to-the-vet for a checkup article. Source: Catster, January 4, 2017. Cats are experts at hiding pain and illness. Just because your cat doesn’t seem sick doesn’t mean she isn’t. She could have dental disease — by three years of age, most cats have signs of … [Read more...]
Dr. Scott Dee discusses antimicrobial resistance
A recent CDC report that listed the most worrisome threats associated with antibiotic resistance did not implicate livestock, veterinarian Scott Dee says. Veterinarians, producers and others in the food industry are nevertheless working to improve stewardship of antimicrobials. Source: Pork Network, January 9, 2017 via AVMA Animal Health SmartBrief. Research to better … [Read more...]
Editorial – Pet care goes to Mars
Mars will soon dominate corporate-owned pet hospitals with the purchase of the animal-hospital chain VCA Inc., that was announced Monday. Mars already owns Banfield Pet Hospital and BluePearl Veterinary Partners, as well as several pet food brands. Its combined marketplace clout is not expected to exceed 10 percent of the veterinary market after the merger. There will be a … [Read more...]
Top 5 genetic diseases in dogs
From allergies to airway disease, heart disease to hip dysplasia, this article explores common genetic disorders in dogs. Source: Clinician’s Brief, December 2016. … [Read more...]
Tail docking still best practice in swine
The issue to dock or not dock the tail has been under scrutiny. The standard operating procedure of tail docking, performed to prevent the common problem of tail biting, is also criticized for inflicting pain. A University of Minnesota research team took another look at the consequences of raising pigs without tail docking under modern, confinement housing system conditions. … [Read more...]
Brain science shows time management can help you succeed
Time management is more than just work-life balance. The way you successfully manage your time is less about a packed schedule and more about a clear and organized mind. Learn what brain science says about how to manage your time so you can be more successful: Manage your time by prioritizing information to make better decisions Manage your time by being wise in how you … [Read more...]
Price matters
The internet has significantly impacted price transparency and it also gives us a picture of price variability. Frank Rumbauskas speaks to salespersons in this article and recommends establishing a fair price that is not the absolute maximum discount. Source: B2C, December 15, 2016. If you’ve read my materials before, you know that I am very blunt about speaking the truth, … [Read more...]
Your people’s brains need face time
The technology that supports virtual meetings and dispersed teams is getting better and less expensive. But our own brains are not wired for two-dimensional relationships void of non-verbal cues. We need the human connections. Source: Strategy + Business, December 12, 2016. Building trust is a multi-sensory experience. Only when people are physically present together can … [Read more...]
Study looks at group housing for sows
Consumers have been driving the conversation about the use of group housing for sows. The swine industry has been hesitant to adopt this practice because of concerns over sow aggression and lack of control over individual feed intake. Source: National Hog Farmer, December 28, 2016. For producers, this means that a variety of mixing options can be used successfully for sows … [Read more...]
Summaries from Drs. Blach and Clark
Dr. Ed Blach and Dr Andrew Clark develop and write Is My Practice Healthy? It is formatted to be quick-hitting, thought-provoking and actionable. These three posts from holiday installments caught our attention. Leadership versus management in veterinary medicine Science versus service Manage Creeping Incrementalism Out of Your Expenses Source: Is My Practice … [Read more...]
Hay, its winter!
Mike Rankin writes about feeding hay, the challenges, strategies and opportunities during these winter months. Winter chores are a survival game, but don’t lose sight of what’s going on during the hay-feeding ritual, he says. One of the tasks associated with bale feeding is removing the bale-binding material, be it net wrap, plastic twine or sisal twine. Source: Hay and … [Read more...]
Social video viewing enhances purchasing
Animal health pros use social media routinely. Yet, the use of video to educate and influence customer buying decisions has not become mainstream during sales calls or follow-up communications. According to new research commissioned by Brightcove, Inc., 74 percent of consumers say there is a connection between watching a video on social media and their purchasing … [Read more...]
Social media transitions in 2017
Ryan Holmes writes about social media, its future, its transition and the opportunities in this article. He writes that for businesses, the decline of organic social media reach needn’t be a doomsday scenario. The new social media order that's taking shape in 2017 promises companies the kind of precision and measurable results long expected from traditional channels such as … [Read more...]
How we self-sabotage
Ed Batista shares perceptions about our relationship with ourselves. Common interpersonal relationship principles show up as three forms of self-sabotage: Self-Criticism: Viewing a problem as the result of our defective personality Self-Contempt: The belief that we're inferior in some way to others Denial: A refusal to engage ourselves and take … [Read more...]
Change your life – trust your future self
Have you broken one of your New Year’s resolutions yet? Being human is hard. We know the sorts of choices we ought to make, and we intend to make them, but we often don’t. The struggle seems to be between good and bad. According to an emerging model from the field of addiction studies, the struggle is between the future and the present. Source: Science of US, January 3, … [Read more...]
Pork consumption still declining
Nick Boddicker, PhD, reports from the recent National Swine Improvement Federation conference in Raleigh, North Carolina. Consistency is an objection and the consensus was “the pork industry needs to align the grading with consumers demands.” The beef industry has done this and has been successful. Source: The Pig Site, December 23, 2016. Another issue that leads to a poor … [Read more...]
Transition, we’re getting closer
A recent study from the University of British Columbia suggests both rumination monitoring and recording of feeding behavior are effective in gathering data for preventive health care. Sick transition cows tend to avoid eating much like humans with a stomachache or head cold. Preventative treatment then is all about getting out in front of these conditions and getting cows … [Read more...]
10 most popular pet food industry news stories of 2016
In 2016, news about pet food contamination, top dog and cat food companies and market trends topped the list of most popular stories published by Petfood Industry. The rankings were determined by the number of page views recorded by Google Analytics. Source: Petfood Industry, December 27, 2016. These 10 stories received the most attention on Petfood Industry’s … [Read more...]
Know the risks of transporting horses
All horses are subject to tendon and ligament injuries, regardless of breed or whether they are performance horses or ridden for occasional trail rides. Transporting them adds to the risk of injury and disease. Ligament injuries can occur in the forelimbs or hindlimbs and can be serious enough to end an athletic career or impact lifestyle. Colic aside, injuries to the … [Read more...]
Opinion – Jumpstart 2017
This is a short work week for many that may feel like three or four Mondays in a row as we return to normal routines. Consider what is ahead then schedule a staff or group meeting early next week to discuss some of the following: Attending industry conventions such as: NAVC, WVC, AAHA, NCBA Note that NAVC and WVC are later in the year. NAVC will be at a new venue … [Read more...]
Why your mind has a mind of its own
Dr. Dan Siegel, clinical psychiatry professor at University of California–Los Angeles has spent much of his career investigating why “the mind has a mind of its own.” Much of the project of life, and the essence of well-being, Siegel argues, is to have a well-balanced brain and a harmonious mind. Source: Science of US, December 12, 2016. Siegel says that our relationships … [Read more...]
Feed gruel to underprivileged piglets
Gruel feeding is a management practice that targets the bottom 10 percent to 20 percent of small-for-age piglets in any weaning group, regardless of weaning age. In general, research and commercial experiences have indicated that gruel feeding offers four distinct advantages when done correctly: Enhances ingestion of nutrients, especially during the early days … [Read more...]
Revive a cold newborn calf with ice water
Dr. Sheila McGuirk says ice water is a handy way to get a struggling calf on the road to warmth. Calves that don’t score well on a vitality scale need stimulation to avoid hypothermia. Source: Dairy Herd Management, December 1, 2016. Shivering, shaking and making standing attempts are how newborn calves maintain body heat, but they don’t always want to do that right away. … [Read more...]
New flow chart helps teams deal with nasal discharge in cats
Respiratory conditions rank in the top issues feline patients face. Douglas Palma, DVM, DACVIM (SAIM), has created an impressive flow chart to help veterinary teams deal with both acute and chronic signs of nasal discharge. Consider using it in staff meetings as a training tool. Source: Clinician’s Brief, December 2016. … [Read more...]
Antibiotic-resistant bacteria found on sow farm
In early December, a research team from The Ohio State University announced that they had discovered the first transmissible carbapenem-resistant enterobactericeae in U.S. livestock on a farrow-to-finish operation. This discovery is a stark reminder of the importance of having the veterinary-client-patient relationship in order as the deadline for the VFD implementation looms … [Read more...]