Ed Blach, DVM, MS, MBA, reminds us of the dichotomy of servicing both humans and animals as veterinary clinic customers. The same is true of retail associates who deal with the public. He says veterinary teams must love to service humans as much as they love dealing with animals to be successful. Source: Vet Advantage, September 2016, page 20. The client experience is … [Read more...]
Payne talks about Compassion-First Pet Hospitals
John Payne, founder and CEO of Compassion-First Pet Hospitals, discusses the Mayo Clinic-like approach to veterinary care he envisions. This vision includes exceptional care for animals and the need for a positive experience for both the client and referring veterinarian. Source: Vet Advantage, September 2016, page 24. We have to be good listeners. Rather than thinking we … [Read more...]
Microchip conundrum
Microchips are great for helping lost pets find their way home. But microchipping and ownership ethics present dilemmas to veterinary teams. Honoring the veterinarian-client confidential relationship trumps the chip record. This article discusses ethics, current laws or the lack thereof, and possible court cases. Source: Veterinary Team Brief, September 2016. No matter the … [Read more...]
Latest research from AJVR
We have linked to the table of contents in the latest issue of the American Journal of Veterinary Research. A broad spectrum of animal health research is presented. Source: American Journal of Veterinary Research, October 2016 (Vol 77; No. 10: pp. 1048-1174) … [Read more...]
California dairies going nuts
Many California dairies have joined the burgeoning almond industry. The diversification helps with farm economics and even a by-product to feed to the cows. Source: Dairy Herd Management, September 26, 2016. Dairymen are also reaping an added bonus; A complimentary crop that will continue to be viable into the future. That's a by-product to feed their livestock. ‘This is … [Read more...]
Saving parvo puppies
Medora Pashmakova, DVM, DACVEC, presented tips about managing Parvoviral enteritis at the International Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Symposium in Grapevine, Texas. Her underlying message was when you help puppies survive the first three to four days of a parvo infection, they usually make a rapid recovery. Source: DVM 360, September 28, 2016. Dr. Pashmakova … [Read more...]
Common VFD form format part of FDA final guidelines
FDA has issued final guidelines for veterinary feed directive (VFD) forms veterinarians will issue when authorizing the use of a medicated feed additive containing an antibiotic deemed medically important. The document provides examples that illustrate how a common VFD format might appear and how some of the information on the VFD may be pre-populated by an animal health … [Read more...]
Take control of year-round calving in two years
Tightening calving seasons creates management and economic benefits. Done wrong, the benefits turn into costs. Les Anderson, University of Kentucky Extension beef specialist, says takes at least two years for producers to tighten a year-round calving season into a 75-day controlled calving season. Source: Drovers CattleNetwork, September 2016. Anderson offers eight steps to … [Read more...]
Debate sparks help for interruptions
Trying to have a conversation these days is a challenge. Interruptions seem constant. The recent presidential debate is a prime example. Interruptions are familiar behavior on sports and news panels, in the workplace and at home. The question is, how do you even talk to someone who won’t let you get a word in or finish a pair of sentences? Source: Science of US, September … [Read more...]
BVD war turns 70
After 70 years, BVD still wages war on cattle health and producers’ wallets, writes Wyatt Bechtel. He presents economic losses for dairy, beef, stocker/feedlot and all cattle and calves as documented by studies in the U.S and summarized by Derrell Peel, livestock marketing specialist with Oklahoma State University. Source: Dairy Herd Management, September 2016, page … [Read more...]
Help pets adapt to fall
Fall may be more work than fun for dogs says Cesar Milan, noted TV dog whisperer. He offers tips that will help make the transition into the new season enjoyable for owners and their dogs. He covers allergies, Halloween candy, arthritis concerns, nutrient needs, exercise needs and protective wear. Source: Cesar’s Way, September 28, 2016. The change in the season can mean a … [Read more...]
Welcome Addison Biological Laboratory, Inc.
Animal Health Digest welcomes Addison Biological Laboratory, Inc., as a Supporting Sponsor. Headquartered in Fayette, Missouri, the company has manufactured and marketed exclusive veterinary technologies for more than 30 years. Founder J. Bruce Addison is recognized as a leader in veterinary diagnostics and herd-specific bacterin production. In addition, Addison companion … [Read more...]
Journal of Swine Health and Production
For your convenience, we have linked to the table of contents from the latest issue of the Journal of Swine Health and Production. The story The Winds of Change, by Brian Schantz, DVM, is a revealing account of the dynamics of practice in a rural area and the importance of community. Source: Journal of Swine Health and Production, September/October 2016. … [Read more...]
It’s dog food revolution
A series of three articles addresses the abundance of new dog foods and claims that now proliferate the diets marketplace. Why human food trends are changing how your dog eats – it’s a revolution. Should you really feed it to your dog? – demystifying life stage dog food. We demystify the lingo on dog food packaging and labels – no this, not that! Source: Dogster, … [Read more...]
You’re not free to move about the country
Stress-free flying sounds like an oxymoron. Consumer Reports’ Mandy Walker addresses the frustrations of high prices, endless fees, cramped seats, long lines and crazy connections. She shares strategies to fly saner, safer and cheaper. Source: Consumer Reports, October 2016. See: Secrets to Stress-Free Flying: Fed up with endless fees, cramped seats, long lines, and … [Read more...]
Gun-shyness
Next to having a dog killed by a passing car, there is probably no worse feeling for a bird dog owner than having the hunting dog he paid dearly for, trained, raised carefully and conditioned to loud noises, come crawling into your vest at the first gun shot on opening morning. If this sounds like a personal story, it is. It was devastating and never resolved. Craig Doherty … [Read more...]
AAHA, State of Industry 2016
Michael Cavanaugh, DVM. CABVP and CEO, presented the 2016 State of the Industry Report that kicked off the March AAHA annual conference in Austin, Texas. The report contains a snapshot of the overall economy, research about the success factors of practices and features a new study from DU on culture and its impact in the veterinary practice. Ben Williams writes about key … [Read more...]
Medical nurses weigh in on veterinary technicians
The National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America (NAVTA) recently announced they have initiated the process of having a nationally standardized title of Registered Veterinary Nurse. However, the title change met opposition from medical nurses in Pennsylvania. Therefore, NAVTA initiated a study of medical nurse perceptions of veterinary technicians. Our team … [Read more...]
Cedar troubles
The disruptive invasion of cedar trees, such as eastern red cedar, blueberry juniper and redberry juniper, has become a major issue for rangelands, wildlife and landowners. While providing habitat benefits for some species, they push out other species. These invasive trees are also very thirsty. An acre of them absorbs 55,000 gallons of water per year. One report indicated a … [Read more...]
Prepare to be powder-free
It is inevitable that powdered gloves will join the dinosaurs of animal health SKUs, based on a pending FDA ruling. Whether it takes affect this year or is delayed into 2017, it is time to try out alternatives, writes Laura Thill. To see the FDA’s proposed ban, visit https://www.regulations.gov/document?D=FDA-2015-N-5017-0001. Source: Vet Advantage, August 2016, page … [Read more...]
Banfield’s Aja shares his big picture
Dan Aja, DVM, chief medical officer for Banfield Pet Hospital, moved from private practice into industry roles. He shares some perspective on the challenges of those situations and about our industry. Following the Aja story is a micro-review of The State of Pet Health® 2016 Report (page 38), created by Banfield’s research team. In summary, Banfield data shows diabetes and … [Read more...]
Editorial – Carrier rate hikes will affect cost of goods
Minimum orders used to be commonplace in the animal health business. Not so today. In general, we have swallowed the costs of delivery in animal health supply chains. This is not true for those shipping products ordered from websites. In fact, it is common to see charges for shipping and handling on internet orders. The current boom of internet sales affects shippers, … [Read more...]
Pet sitting generated $391 million in 2015
Pet Sitters International (PSI), the educational association for professional pet sitters, released its 2016 State of the Industry Survey. PSI’s member pet-sitting businesses performed more than 17 million pet-sitting assignments and generated more than $391 million in pet-sitting revenues last year. Source: Pet Product News, September 20, 2016. Survey results reveal that … [Read more...]
JAVMA, October issue now available
We have been linking to the table of contents for JAVMA for your convenience. It is also easy to access an abstract of one of the articles. Check the box next to the article Then at the bottom of the table of contents page – click this link: View highlighted abstracts on one page The abstracts matching your selections will be visible to you for your … [Read more...]
The latest from VetFolio can help connect reps with prospects, clients
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...]