VetFolio brings together the best educational material in the industry through the combined efforts of the North American Veterinary Community (NAVC) and the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA). They provide a one-stop resource platform for professional and personal advancement under a new way of learning—Continuous Education. Source: VetFolio, September 22, … [Read more...]
Dermatology care can demand a quarter or more of practice time
Last week, Animal Health SmartBrief published a conversation with veterinary dermatologist Karen L. Campbell. Readers were asked to weigh in, as well. About 60 percent of those responding indicated they spent more than 26 percent of their time on companion animal dermatology. Source: AVMA SmartBrief, September 22, … [Read more...]
Editorial – Wild horse advocates respond to BLM advisory board
The wild horse debate continues. Clearly, the overpopulation of wild horses on public lands is a problem. The challenges are ecological, geological and economical, all compounded by weather patterns. From one perspective, wild horses never seem to be labeled as feral. It may be time to look at their management and control as we manage feral hogs, feral dogs, feral cats and … [Read more...]
Top 5 causes of ADR in older cats
ADR? This new acronym is soooo animal health! It means, Ain’t doing right. What follows from Glenn Allen Olah, DVM, PhD, DABVP, is a realistic view of the top five ADR causes in his practice. Dr. Olah reminds us that certain disease conditions are more common in cats more than 10 years old and are frequently a different mix than those conditions in kittens and younger adult … [Read more...]
Kick your inner critic in the pants
In the post Self-talk is worth understanding, we offered two resources to address the inner self-talk that sometimes occupies and weakens our thinking. Dan Rockwell assertively approaches this topic by giving the inner critic a persona. He says, “Your inner critic believes you’re a failure and wants you to stay that way.” Various resources state humans have as many as 70,000 … [Read more...]
Antibiotics in feed: a brief history – Sponsored Content
Ask anyone who has worked in animal health for 10 years or more what the hottest topics are, antibiotic resistance will be one of their first answers. Our world is rapidly adapting our approaches to food production, animal wellness and human health to be less dependent on antibiotics. While viewing this video, I reflected on the how the scientific method* brought us to where … [Read more...]
Self-talk is worth understanding
The responses to information about managing ourselves, teams and relationships continue to top the list of most-read posts at AHD. Bob Stahl explains how paying attention to your internal dialogue can free you from you self-doubt and help you become familiar with your own personal brand of autopilot. Source: Mindful, September 12, 2016. When you begin to bring mindfulness … [Read more...]
11 things you love about equine medicine
Portia Stewart takes readers on a fun ride from the perspective of DVMs and technicians who work with horses. The sequence is nicely illustrated as well. One of these is guaranteed to make you smile. Source: DVM 360, September 14, 2016. These were my two favorites: The feeling of relief after you float a horse's mouth, knowing you got rid of those sharp edges that … [Read more...]
Vet tech coming. Plan now.
Tony Bennett recorded “Who Can I Turn To” in 1964 when it hit the top five on the Adult Contemporary chart. Like Bennett’s recording, veterinary technicians are a hit practices worldwide. They are essential and the primary point of contact with clients. Without them, who would our industry turn to? National Veterinary Technician week is October 16th to 22nd. Plan time to … [Read more...]
Potential for ultrasound use with horses is almost unlimited
Ultrasound is commonly used to evaluate the female reproductive tract, as well as the, tendon and ligament a horse’s lower limb. The applications are not the limit, according to David Ramsey, DVM. Ultrasound is easily learned and can be used in less common situations, including colic. Ultrasound mechanics are straightforward. Ultrasonic waves are generated by a probe the … [Read more...]
DVMs lie to themselves
Veterinarians lie to themselves, according to Dr. Andy Roark. He says, “There’s one particular lie that undermines the way we practice, communicate and provide patient care. It affects how we educate veterinarians and how we operate our clinics.” Here’s the lie: If we just tell average pet owners what’s best for their pets, they’ll do it. Source: Dr. Andy Roark, August 27, … [Read more...]
Cull cows early and often
Cull cow weight and cull cow price have long been listed as key factors that affect profitability for cow calf producers. Jason Faubion, assistant director of the Ranch Management Program at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas, recommends culling early and often to keep the ranch operating as efficiently as possible. Cows only earn a profit – and therefore their … [Read more...]
2-step calf weaning
Pressure from consumer groups challenges all levels of food animal care. It also makes our industry consider other ways to approach “what we already know.” Our team liked this article as it challenges the nomenclature for shipping fever and introduces a possible solution that more closely fits natural herd behaviors. “There is no event we impose on cattle more stressful than … [Read more...]
Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds turns 50
Just for fun! This May marked the 50th anniversary of one of rock music’s seminal albums — the Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds. Beach Boy founder Brian Wilson’s opus was a compositional and engineering masterpiece that has had a lasting impression on everyone from the Beatles to Radiohead. The 1966 album featured Beach Boy classics—Wouldn’t It Be Nice, God Only Knows, and Sloop John … [Read more...]
Test your horse smarts
During a recent event, a UBM representative shared that quizzes and brain teasers were very popular. So, if you missed this one and you love horses, try these trivia questions. Source: DVM 360, September 2, 2016. Whoa! Stop what you’re doing and try your brain, which weighs about twice as much as a horse’s brain (that’s a freebie), at these horse trivia questions. … [Read more...]
Avoid email time traps
Email is not dead, according to Jocelyn K. Glei, but it does kill our productivity. Recent projections suggest that worldwide email usage will grow by 12 percent in the coming years. Let’s look at the numbers and then learn how to manage this invasive digital necessity productively. The average person checks their inbox 11 times per hour, processes 122 messages a day, and … [Read more...]
Let’s talk discounts
This topic parallels our editorial - Toot your own horn. A growing number of veterinary practices and independent dealers or retailers are using practice or business managers to monitor the delivery of services and their residual profits. Discussing discounting behaviors is challenging. Tanja Mimica, of ConsultMates, believes there are four key things that make discounting … [Read more...]
OUCH! Prevent needle sticks.
The Upper Midwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center says more than 80 percent of U.S. farmworkers have accidentally stuck themselves with a needle while vaccinating animals. A study in Australia published in 2009, showed around three quarters (75.3 percent) reported suffering at least one needle-stick injury (NSI) in the previous 12 months, while 58.9% reported suffering … [Read more...]
Pet foods questions need science-based answers
Pet owners sometimes blame pet food for causing an overweight pet. Pet obesity discussions generally follow one of two main themes: that many pet owners are in serious denial about their pets’ weight or that pet food may play a role in the pet’s obesity. Both lines of thinking originate because some pet owners don’t understand pet nutrition or the ingredients in pet food. … [Read more...]
Editorial – Toot your own horn
Every day in a large percentage of veterinary practices, product is “given away.” Depending on the practice, most of these products are not recorded as a “sale at no charge.” This behavior contributes significantly to inventory shrinkage. As important, the value of the free goods is not realized by the client or by hospital staff. Additionally, hospital owners give away … [Read more...]
Editorial – Some U.S. teens are hungry – literally
A majority of animal health pros are parents or grandparents. This article so compelling I wanted to share it with our readers. A recent small, exploratory study shines a light on how food insecurity affects teens (ages 13 to 18) and threatens their well-being. An estimated 6.8 million people ages 10 to 17 are food insecure, meaning they don’t have reliable access to enough … [Read more...]
Number of AAHA-accredited practices continues to rise
The AAHA Standards of Accreditation were created to help standardize and promote excellence in care in the veterinary profession and for veterinary practices. Since 1933, these standards have been updated to reflect evolving industry standards. The enhanced standards were developed to keep these practices at the forefront of advanced veterinary medicine. Standards are … [Read more...]
A wink is not just a wink
Not everyone can wink. Whether using an emoji or contorting your face to drop an eyelid, winks are one of the most wide-ranging, ambiguous behaviors there is. Bottom line, you can’t really control how your wink is interpreted. Source: Science of US, September 19, 2016. The most popular interpretations: The wink was meant as a way of communicating thanks, or it was a sign of … [Read more...]
Transition time is critical for milk and more
Phil Cardoso, University of Illinois, shared his presentation, “Fine-tuning transition cow care,” with listeners on the monthly Hoard’s Dairyman webinar. He strongly urged producers to limit the change in body condition scores by 0.5 for the entire lactation and dry period. “It is tough, but we really need to minimize the condition shifts.” Source: Hoard’s Dairyman, … [Read more...]
New resource helps people understand expanded feed directive
Human and animal health experts agree that antibiotic resistance is a public health concern. This is why some agriculture groups, including the Animal Health Institute, National Pork Producers Council, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and the Animal Agriculture Alliance launched a new educational website, togetherABX. It offers information about how the Food and Drug … [Read more...]
Tick warning from up north
Cooler weather is ahead or here. Veterinarians from Prince Edward Island reminded pet owners that fall is clearly still tick season. You should warn your clients, too! Source: CBC.ca (Canada), September 15, 2016, via AVMA SmartBrief. The cooler weather may have some pet owners thinking they can ease back on flea and tick treatments for their animals. But P.E.I. … [Read more...]
Veterinary medicine, lynchpin for One Health
One Health Day is taking place November 3, 2016. The campaign is designed to engage as many individuals as possible from as many arenas as possible in One Health education and awareness events, and to generate an inspiring array of projects worldwide. Veterinary medicine is the only profession that routinely operates at the interface of the three main components of One … [Read more...]
Young foals susceptible to colic, other GI issues
There’s nothing quite like watching a new foal struggle to stand on wobbly legs. But, colic can quickly spoil that joy. Because of the foal’s delicate gastrointestinal system, it is important to take signs of even mild colic seriously. It could progress to a life-threatening condition in a few hours. Dr. Thomas Lenz reviews common causes for foal colic and gastrointestinal … [Read more...]
Sponsored Content – Videos help explain mosquito control and heartworm prevention
AHD sponsor CEVA created a video series in which parasitology experts discuss vector control and the multimodal approach to heartworm prevention. Presenters in the videos share results from studies by John McCall, MS, PhD, which examine the effects of topical repellent-insecticide plus oral heartworm preventive on development of heartworm disease. Videos like these are … [Read more...]
USDA Veterinary Services needs feedback
Emerging animal diseases have the potential to negatively affect animal health, public health, and trade. Continuing work begun in 2014, this week, the Veterinary Services (VS) division at the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service released an update titled “Emerging Animal Disease and Preparedness Plan.” The agency seeks comments on the document, which expands on the … [Read more...]