We all have filters that can prevent us from seeing the world unbiasedly, writes Sara Taylor, author of Thinking at the Speed of Bias. She shares that regardless of whether our actions are effective or not, whether they are biased or not, whether our decisions are equitable or not, they all originate with our unconscious filters. Taylor says that 85 percent of us cannot … [Read more...]
Sharing cases can create confusion
Sarah Wolff, BVM&S, provides two strategic approaches to manage client experiences when more than one veterinarian can service a client. “Worst-case scenarios occur when colleagues have conflicting approaches and clients are caught in the middle.” Source: Clinician’s Brief, May 2024. Link. Wolff shares the benefits and drawbacks of a) clinician-bonded strategies and b) … [Read more...]
SBA’s Working Capital Pilot program for small businesses launched
A Small Business Association pilot program that offers a new line of credit with greater flexibility than a long-term loan was announced on June 6th <Link>. The article below explains the intent and we’ve included a link to the most recent SBA information. The pilot is touted as engineered to meet the needs of modern small businesses. Sources: White House … [Read more...]
Embark Veterinary announces 3 new tests for copper toxicosis
Breeders of Labradors and Dobermans can now test their dogs’ DNA to make informed decisions for ongoing breeding programs to reduce the risk of copper toxicosis in progeny. Dogs affected with copper toxicosis have difficulty excreting excess copper from their liver, which allows copper to build up until the liver eventually begins to fail. Source: Embark Veterinary Inc, July … [Read more...]
Facing declining interest in vet practice ownership
Patty Khuly, VMD, MBA, shares her top four stumbling blocks to practice ownership in the article here positioned as a rebuttal to an article in The Atlantic <Link>. She writes about forces that affect the makeup of veterinary professional attitudes that alter attitudes toward entrepreneurship and, therefore, practice ownership. Regarding decreased aspirational … [Read more...]
Boost beef-on-dairy calf value with good health records
With the beef-on-dairy market booming, dairy farmers using a beef-on-dairy program must seize every opportunity to market their crossbred calves effectively, writes Taylor Leach. This means ensuring the highest health and nutrition standards, plus maintaining detailed health and vaccination records. She shares what is important and what should be recorded. Source: Dairy Herd … [Read more...]
Biosecurity planning for secure beef supply
Foot and mouth disease fears have driven transdisciplinary approaches to biosecurity across livestock industry segments. The current issues with high-path avian influenza in dairy cattle underscores the importance of biosecurity planning as it is the leading protection against diseases. The Beef Checkoff-funded Beef Quality Assurance program proactively established … [Read more...]
Overcoming head shyness improves safety for horses, handlers
Horses can be head or ear shy for reasons such as preexisting pain or fear. Ruling out physical issues is the first course of action. Katie Narvarra shares how trainer Shawna Karrasch addresses head shyness in this article. Head shyness can be difficult to address and often puts horse and handler at risk.” Source: The Horse, July 4, 2024. Link. True systematic desensitization … [Read more...]
Handling the threat of ticks
While animal health pros may discuss the same topic multiple times daily, individual animal owners may only hear about the risks from mosquitoes, fleas and ticks once or twice a year and ignore the topic in their online streams or feeds. Dana Kneese, DVM, reminds us that animal owners need to know the types of ticks and what diseases they carry and understand the basics of … [Read more...]
Understanding FIP in cats
JoAnna Pendergrass, DVM, shares information for cat owners about feline infectious peritonitis, a viral disease caused by a mutated form of the feline coronavirus. She clarified the feline coronavirus is not related to the Covid 19 coronavirus. Since this article was published, a treatment for FIP has been making news <Link>. Jeanette L. Maucher, DVM, shares Stokes … [Read more...]
Help save Monarch butterflies
We saw a sign like this one recently. It led to uncovering Lynn Coulter’s article on the importance of planting pollinator-friendly plants and Monarch waystations. Many veterinary hospitals and pet services locations have areas large enough to include a pollinator focus in landscape maintenance, so we’re sharing this information. Source: HGTV. Link. Monarch Watch recommends … [Read more...]
6 ways to bring strategy into work every day
David Lancefield shares six ways to incorporate strategy into daily practices instead of switching on autopilot and defaulting to habits that keep us focused on the familiar. He reminds us to be aware of our personal limitations and practices which prevent us from translating intent into strategic actions. Source: Harvard Business Review, July 12, 2024. Link. We have more … [Read more...]
Zoonotic web exposes complexity of disease transmission
As humans, animals, and wildlife coexist, there’s a lot to consider, including the zoonotic risks of cross-species disease transfers. This article provides a comprehensive picture of naturally occurring zoonotic interactions, sure to expand how animal health pros view zoonotic transmissions and risk management. A major challenge for the One Health community is quantifying … [Read more...]
Preconditioning: Worth the input or not?
Cindy Mansfield’s surprising article title made me read her review of the value cattle producers receive when committing the time, effort and expense to pre-condition their cattle. She reviews the economics, importance of vaccination, timelines and benefits to a producer’s reputation as advantages from preconditioning. Source: Progressive Cattle, July 4, 2024. Link. Also … [Read more...]
Meat goat demand continues to rise
About 90 percent of the U.S. goat inventory is raised for meat and herds average 20 animals. Goats can be found in urban, suburban and rural areas. They are an excellent biological tool to graze land that is overgrown or has the potential for wildfire. Although the overall number of meat goats has decreased over the last several years, demand for the meat continues to … [Read more...]
Reassuring findings about prednisolone
While concerns about glucocorticoids and laminitis are not completely unfounded, an English study shows that the commonly used drug prednisolone does not appear to make horses more susceptible to laminitis. Prednisolone is an extremely useful drug in equine medicine but use the drug with caution in horses with a history of laminitis.” - Victoria Jordan, MA, VetMB, … [Read more...]
Addressing common nutrition misperceptions
Discussing pet diets is fraught with challenges created by common myths, misconceptions and marketing jargon. These include an excessive focus on the concept of natural ingredients, the effects of processing on pet food and the assumption that cost directly represents quality. Ultimately, the cornerstones of feeding pets are safety and nutritional balance, and these concepts … [Read more...]
6 steps to improve your resilience
The reality that humans and animals are at risk daily is a primary lesson from the pandemic. Around every corner is a potential punch in the gut, whether health-related, societal, work-related, or emotional. Improving resilience helps us weather loss, setbacks, disappointment and a plethora of emotions. Some days the supply of available curse words is insufficient to meet my … [Read more...]
Majority of U.S. women struggle to prioritize health
Results from an April 2024 survey show women in the U.S. find it tough to make their own health a top priority. The findings are disturbing considering the high percentage of women graduating from veterinary schools and veterinary technician programs. Younger women and mothers with children under 18 are more likely to struggle to prioritize their own health. Survey results … [Read more...]
Avian flu updates
Staying abreast of the latest on high-path avian flu is time-consuming and often confusing. Multiple media sources share information along a rapidly progressing timeline of discovery, opinions and responses. We aggregated some of the more recent updates at these links. Sources: Detections of HPAI in livestock, USDA, July 9, 2024. Link. The most current information and … [Read more...]
Animal health pros really DO matter
Getting caught up in the minutia of our daily animal health activities and checklists is easy. Swine flu, foot-and-mouth, CWD, HPAI, leptospirosis, tickborne diseases and more can create havoc for animals, the food supply and potentially our lives. As we return to our efforts from the Independence Day holiday and dive into 3-Q-2024, this graphic is a stark reminder of the core … [Read more...]
Worth a Glance – June 27, 2024
Last week’s AHD Bulletin – Animal Health Digest Bulletin, June 20, 2024. Link. Most read post(s) from the June 20th AHD Bulletin – Cat acne: causes, signs, treatment. Link. 6 myths about cooling horses in hot weather. Link. Cheese now drives dairy growth. Link. ===================================== Sitting is the new smoking. Get off your … [Read more...]
Shelter dogs do better with a well-matched roommate
Newly published research from Virginia Tech showed companiable dogs housed together showed fewer signs of stress and were adopted more quickly than dogs housed by themselves. . . . social isolation can work against dogs’ behavioral health and adoptability.” - Erica Feuerbacher, PhD Source: Virginia Tech News, June 12, 2024. Link. INSIGHTS: Pairing dogs that can get along … [Read more...]
What can we expect from Elanco’s new Bovaer®?
Bovaer is a powdered feed supplement that blocks an enzyme involved in methane formation, reducing the amount of methane emitted by each animal. Elanco Animal Health, Inc., is licensing Bovaer for marketing in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Feeding Bovaer to 1 million cows would reduce methane emissions equivalent to removing more than 285,000 cars from the road for a … [Read more...]
Preventing pink eye with autogenous vaccines
Includes Sponsored Content Before commercial pinkeye vaccines were approved, autogenous vaccines offered veterinarians and producers a way to protect against herd-specific strains of bacteria that cause pinkeye in cattle. In the article linked here, Gregg Hanzlicek, DVM, PhD, reintroduces the value of autogenous vaccines, the challenges with cross-protection and how pinkeye … [Read more...]
The ROI of pet insurance according to HR professionals
Commentary, Commercial Content Petpartners shares case study results from a 2024 survey of human resources professionals. The study explored how pet-friendly benefits boost employee well-being, reduce stress and cultivate a more supportive work environment. The findings emphasize the importance of pet-friendly benefits and pet policies in today’s multi-generational … [Read more...]
Dr. Jen the Vet to implement Healthy Pet-keeping Seal program at Best Friends Fur Ever
Complimentary Commercial Content Elevating the standards of pet care facilities and bridging the gap between pet care and veterinary care is core objective of the Healthy Pet-keeping Seal program, shared Jenifer Chatfield, DVM, Dipl. ACZM, Dipl. ACVPM, last October <Link>. Best Friends Fur Ever recognizes the opportunities of implementing an industry-leading initiative … [Read more...]
Biosecurity compliance research shows motivation is not the problem
Commentary An exploratory study conducted to establish a baseline for worker motivation and to identify the primary factors that could be affecting biosecurity compliance in swine operations showed motivation is not the problem. Biosecurity compliance is influenced by job resources, availability of performance feedback and rewards. The preliminary study discoveries should … [Read more...]
Worth a Glance – June 20, 2024
Last week’s AHD Bulletin – Animal Health Digest Bulletin, June 13, 2024. Link. Most read post(s) from the June 13th AHD Bulletin – Comedian: Taking my dog to the vet. Link. Brakke study shows pet owners not always aware of e-retail options. Link. Debunking fly spray myths. Link. ===================================== Woof! A new wrinkle in marketing real … [Read more...]
Make cows earn their living
Running a cow-calf operation costs money, a lot of money. Understanding more about the details of the costs producers incur may help veterinary teams and suppliers reposition their value and likewise support producer profitability. Elizabeth Hodges shares the different economic categories Aaron Berger shared with young farmers and ranchers. Commentary Although one might … [Read more...]