We have linked to the table of contents in the latest issue of the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. The article Risk reduction and management strategies to prevent transmission of infectious disease among dogs at dog shows, sporting events, and other canine group settings provides a series of 64 recommendations focused on group settings from multi-dog … [Read more...]
Developing grit leads to success
Effort, perseverance and intention trump IQ and talent, professes Angela Duckworth, PhD, University of Pennsylvania. She calls this grit and recommends cultivating a purpose and developing optimism. Duckworth’s Grit Scale questionnaire lets you determine how gritty you are. Source: Bottom Line Personal, September 1, 2016. Good news: You can grow grit “from the inside out.” … [Read more...]
The social (media) sweet spot
A busy infographic from a 2015 study shows how veterinary team members use social media. 78% say they use Facebook for both personal and professional reasons. 60% believe they are using social media to educate and connect with veterinary clinics. Source: Firstline, August 2016, page 20. INSIGHTS: Information such as this is important to study and monitor. Facebook and … [Read more...]
X-rays tell the story
The headline says it all, “They ate what?” The honorable mention images from the 2016 x-ray contest give a view of the challenges created when animals ingest things not intended for their consumption. We think you’ll enjoy the cases shown and could use some of them in client education as well. Source: Veterinary Practice News, September 2016, page 30. … [Read more...]
First puppy cloned in U.S.
ViaGen Pets of Austin, Texas, announced the birth of a Jack Russell terrier named Nubia on July 22, 2016. Nubia was implanted as an embryo in a surrogate and was born nine weeks later. The article suggests cloning can be a win-win for veterinarians wanting to offer a solution to help soften the loss of a favored pet. Source: Veterinary Practice News, September 2016, page … [Read more...]
Unique cattle influenza virus studied, named
The executive committee of the International Committee of Taxonomy of Viruses officially announced a new genus, Orthomyxovirdae, with a single species, influenza D virus, because of its distinctness from other influenza types—A, B and C. This is the first influenza virus identified in cattle, explained Professor Feng Li, South Dakota State University. Source: Bovine … [Read more...]
Feeding for the perfect (cow) pie
Dan Gary, an Amarillo, Texas, ranch consultant, suggests that you can use cow-pie-ology to monitor the nutritional status of a cow herd. He relates cow pie configuration to nutrient balance. If nothing else, we believe you’ll get a chuckle out of the discussion of the perfect cow pie. Source: Beef, September 2016. 'There is no better method of determining the nutritional … [Read more...]
Human-animal bond helps with empty nest syndrome
Facing an empty nest at home, author and mother Ashley Collins shares her experience and realizations of how her horse is part of her emotional support network. She also acknowledges how the family dog reacts to college preparations taking place in the home. This article supports the increasing discussions about the human-animal bond and one-health initiatives. Source: Horse … [Read more...]
Avoid problems smartphones cause
Smartphone technology can create problems for users of all ages. This article references four ways they could be harming you and what to do about it. The four problems are: Text neck Bum thumb Eyestrain Distractibility Source: The Kansas City Star, August 17, 2016. We spend five hours a day on our mobile phones. 'A whopping 90 percent of us text with our necks … [Read more...]
September is Animal Pain Awareness Month
The second annual Animal Pain Awareness Month is being sponsored this month by the International Veterinary Academy of Pain Management (IVAPM). The IVAPM is a multi-disciplinary organization dedicated to promoting, enhancing, and advancing pain management in animals. Scheduled to coincide with human medicine’s Pain Awareness Month, its theme is “Because their pain is our … [Read more...]
What you’re reading on AHD
See what your colleagues are reading in the trending posts. Animal Health Digest is a free content curation service for animal health professionals. It provides a trusted, easy to read, weekly compilation of the most relevant industry topics. Instead of you getting offers from hundreds of media sources, our team reads for you to: keep you up to date save you time … [Read more...]
Where to look, how to stand and what to do with your hands
Make eye contact. Keep your hands out of your pockets. Find balance between stiffness and fidgeting. Practice good posture. These are among tips experts give for improved communication. In conversation, "pretend your eyes are glued to your conversation partner's with sticky, warm taffy," Leil Lowndes, says. Source: Business Insider, August 20, 2016. Here are six body … [Read more...]
World Dairy Expo turns 50
Dairy Herd Management celebrates the 50th anniversary of the World Dairy Expo in this commemorative edition. No doubt about it, the annual event champions much of the progress that strengthens the dairy business, domestic and foreign. When Expo started in 1967, cows averaged just 8,800 lb. of milk per year. We needed no fewer than 13,500 million of them to produce 120 … [Read more...]
Avoid office gossip with new coworkers
Downloading the inside scoop on office personnel and discussing inner workings of the office with a new colleague can backfire or be helpful depending on the motives for sharing the scoop in the first place. Source: Harvard Business Review, June 17, 2016. 'If it’s information that everybody who works there already knows, that’s fine. But if it’s sharing privileged … [Read more...]
Calf weaning methods compared
Steve Boyles, Ohio State University (OSU) Extension specialist, recently compared pasture weaning to drylot weaning in an OSU Beef Cattle newsletter. Boyles looked at a recent study that compared three weaning methods for calves averaging 180 days old: drylot weaning + complete visual and auditory separation from dams pasture weaning + fence-line contact with dams … [Read more...]
Selfies and other images not proof of VCPR
Videos or photos cannot be used as a way to document the VCPR needed to obtain a veterinary feed directive, according to William T. Flynn, DVM, MS, deputy director for science policy, FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine. Source: Poultry Health Today, August 31, 2016. One key element of the federal VCPR definition requires veterinarians to have sufficient knowledge of the … [Read more...]
Get off the soap box
Soapboxing, is a term stemming from an era when a person would literally stand on a soapbox crate as a stage and scream to the world that he or she knew the right way — the only way — to do anything. Soapboxers tend to be utterly convinced that his or her view is the only view — and vocalizes it. They can destroy the rapport of an otherwise well-aligned group. Here are some … [Read more...]
Climate-friendly cows
Methane from cows is estimated to be the source of one-third of the world’s methane emissions. A study in Finland identified areas of genetic variation linked to the amount of methane produced per kilo of milk produced. The potential to select for a reduced methane emission cow warrants further study. Source: The Beef Site, August 31, 2016. A recent study using cows in … [Read more...]
Back to school doggie blues
Now that everyone is back to their fall schedules, dogs may feel neglected and can even fall into depression. Cesar Milan presents strategies to prevent or help relieve depression and anxiety in family pets during this time period. Source: Cesar’s Way, August 31, 2016. If a dog has never experienced “back to school,” it is going to take some time. If the dog has gone … [Read more...]
Why do dogs eat poop?
Poop-eating is surprisingly common and mostly harmless to dogs eating their own poop. Coprophagia, is the scientific name for this vile habit. Ingesting the stool of other animals, on the other hand, puts a dog at higher risk for intestinal parasites, viruses or toxins. Lisa Radosta DVM, DACVB, recommends physical and fecal examinations to rule out physiological factors such … [Read more...]
The Amazon effect is changing logistics
Amazon continues to be the most disruptive element in supply chain management since UPS expanded its common-carrier package delivery system to cover nearly all geographic points of delivery. The term logistics is used in this article. This is correct for some of the services discussed. However, the direction of the article is about fulfillment, which includes supply chain … [Read more...]
Get a handle on cats
Funded by a grant from Zoetis, this toolkit provides a multi-topic review of key elements in feline care that range from pain to premise. Veterinary team leaders can use it to create a team exercise. Assign team members the task to read through the toolkit and identify at least one positive thing currently done in the practice and one strategy or tactic that could be … [Read more...]
Wilting black (wild) cherry leaves pose livestock risk
As little as 1.2 to 4.8 pounds of wilted black cherry leaves could constitute a lethal dose for a 1,200 pound dairy cow, says Rory Lewandowski, Ohio State University Extension educator. Recent storms in Michigan and across the country make this reminder valuable. Veterinary teams and retailers can offer this information in posts, websites and newsletters for customers in areas … [Read more...]
Teaching puppies to sleep
Katherine Eldridge offers tips for helping a puppy to settle in and sleep through the night. She says getting a new puppy is just like having a baby in the house. They are cute and fun to cuddle and play with, but also poop a lot and throw occasional tantrums. Everyone has heard horror stories about owners kept awake all night by an unhappy baby. Luckily getting a puppy to … [Read more...]
Introversion, the veterinary edition
Dean Scott, DVM, discusses the challenges of introversion versus extroversion from the veterinarians’ perspective. Introverts are naturally quiet and internalized; behaviors that extroverts may interpret as signs of aloofness or arrogance. Introvert’s interactions with people are draining. They also exert a lot of energy pretending to be an extrovert. I read once that if the … [Read more...]
JAVMA contents in latest issue
The table of contents for the September issue of the Journal of the American Veterinary Association is linked below. We are pleased to see the study, Impact of a chapter book and collectible cards describing the lives of seven veterinarians on third-grade students' career aspirations and expectations. The survey measured the response of 176 third graders to career education … [Read more...]
Routine use of dry cow therapy under investigation
USDA National Animal Health Monitoring Survey data shows more than 80 percent of U.S. dairy herds managers treat 100 percent of their cows’ quarters at the end of dry off. Plus, almost all herds treat a majority of all quarters. This practice is now undergoing a reexamination of the use of antibiotics on dairies with the goal of using them responsibility and only for animals … [Read more...]
Catheters suspect in hospital-acquired infections
Hospital-acquired bloodstream infections most commonly originate from IV catheters and should be suspected in any patient with an IV catheter that develops systemic inflammatory response syndrome without an extravascular infection source. Adoption of hospital-cleaning protocols and standard operating procedures for clinical tasks enables all members of the veterinary team to … [Read more...]
Tunes for dogs
Deezer, the on-demand digital music streaming service has assembled two playlists that dogs enjoy. Deezer worked with animal behaviorist Dr. David Sands to study how dogs hear and react to different kinds of music based on beats per minute. The results are these playlists that they claim are scientifically proven to help energize or calm your pup. Source: The Bark, August … [Read more...]
Dr. Roark explains anal sacs
Dr. Andy Roark explores – not expresses – the four things pet owners need to know about anal glands. The video clip offers a fun discussion. Source: Dr. Andy Roark, August 24, 2016. He discusses: What are anal sacs or glands? Why are they there? How do they cause problems? What can we do to keep them healthy? … [Read more...]