Initiating a movement to revise the language of veterinary professional oaths to include a commitment to attend to personal health and mental well-being, Galaxy Vets has offered a way to gather support for amending the oaths. The addition would parallel an amendment made by the World Medical Association into the Declaration of Geneva, or “The Modern Hippocratic Oath" taken by … [Read more...]
Catching up or just back to normal?
Opinion The recent Vetwatch™ Commentary provides consistent data to help assess the scope, velocity and significance of developments in the veterinary care sector across the United States. Following more current trends, the national 3-week rolling average for practice revenue growth fell to -9.1 percent. None of the nine census divisions posted positive revenue growth for … [Read more...]
Wild pigs, a ticking time bomb on U.S. pork industry
Feral hogs pose a serious threat to the health of the U.S. pork industry specifically if African swine fever were to infect and spread in wild herds. There is no vaccine nor cure and the disease has a long track record of crossing international borders and wiping out billions of pigs. Source: PORK, June 29, 2021. Link. Wild pigs have exploded in numbers across the U.S., … [Read more...]
All about calves
Complimentary Commercial Content In our review of this January’s Bovine Veterinarian, Rhonda Brooks shares calf content was 60 percent of the top-read content. This parallels our experiences with AHD content. For the first time, we’re not cherry picking specific articles but providing the link to the full online issue. We continue to see new developments of optimizing … [Read more...]
It’s time to cull “cull cows” from our vocabulary
Cull cow weight and cull cow price have long been top factors in herd profitability. Making the decision to remove a cow from the herd is not always an easy one. Determining when the cow leaves and how is equally important. Contrary to what many believe, dairy cattle contribute much more to the beef industry than just ground beef. Changing the vocabulary from cull cow to … [Read more...]
Guinea pig might be coming to a high-end restaurant near you
While the concept might make us cringe, there are parts of the world where guinea pigs are seen as something to be farmed instead of an adorable furry house pet. Cuy (guinea pig) is popular in South America and is described to taste more like a game hen, with dark and stringy flesh. Considerations beyond edible pet concerns include factory farming-like development and carbon … [Read more...]
Educating pet owners on correcting nuisance behaviors (video)
It’s not rocket science, but redirecting pets is not a normal reaction. Chris Pachel, DVM, DACVB, CABC, advocates pet owners redirect problem behaviors in their companion animals rather than responding with punishment. Have we provided the pet an appropriate outlet for nuisance behaviors? What do we want the animal to do?” - Chris Pachel, DVM, DACVB, CABC Source: DVM 360, … [Read more...]
Turn away from the screen and tech habits to start for a happier 2022
Realizing she needed to make changes that reoriented her brain from distraction-based impulses and toward periods of deep, sustained focus, Rebecca Ruiz shares her story and five tech habits to help us feel more in control and energized. Spend chunks of the day, even three-minute bursts, without your phone or device. To truly reorient the brain toward quiet and stillness, you … [Read more...]
Gonadectomy resources for veterinarians
Elective and often controversial, pet sterilization is an important part of pet owner decision making. As the risks and benefits of gonadectomy are re-examined, a renewed conversation about if and when to sterilize a pet is emerging. The AVMA stays on top of this topic and provides resources for veterinarians and pet owners as spay and neuter decisions are considered. As we … [Read more...]
Banks say consumers are in good shape. Cost of care opportunities?
Opinion, with Sponsored Content Believe it or not, top bankers say consumer spending is rebounding as we move past pandemic fears. Regardless of the bankers’ positions, veterinary teams and animal health businesses remain historically cautious when dealing with animal owners. Often criticized for prejudging pocketbooks, veterinary teams especially have opportunities every … [Read more...]
Latest well-being study reveals increased distress among veterinary professionals
It is no surprise the pandemic impacted many veterinarians and clinic staff, including veterinary technicians, veterinary assistants, practice managers and client service representatives. More than 90 percent of study respondents reported the shortage of qualified veterinary staff has been one of the biggest concerns throughout the pandemic. Sixty eight percent indicated … [Read more...]
Mark Cuban’s new online pharmacy. Will one for critters be next?
Opinion The online pharmacy business has a new option presented as a vertical channel strategy to eliminate the middleman. Cuban’s company launched the online pharmacy, Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug. Focusing on transparency, the pharmacy's prices reflect actual manufacturer prices, plus a 15 percent margin and a $3.00 pharmacist fee. Source: United Press International, … [Read more...]
Worth a Glance – January 20, 2022
Last week’s most read post Lyme-carrying ticks live longer. What? Link. Last week’s AHD Bulletin Animal Health Digest Bulletin, Thursday, Jan 13, 2022. Link. =========================== The world’s largest wildlife crossing could have a spring groundbreaking Source: LAist, January 13, 2022. Link. The Liberty Wildlife Crossing has been impressive since its … [Read more...]
Defining when to help during calving’s three stages
Understanding the stages of birthing is critical to identify when or if we need to provide help during calving season. Producers and veterinary teams alike want to increase the likelihood a calf is born alive and off to a good start, writes Mark Z. Johnson, Oklahoma State University Extension. With calving season just around the corner and labor challenges across the … [Read more...]
Background and research supports caffeine for high-risk calves
Zach Janssen, DVM, shares how producers came to use caffeine to stimulate at-risk calves that are the result of dystocia (difficult birth), hypothermia from being born in the cold or being run down from a stressful event such as disease or transport. While caffeine citrate has proven effective in humans, we are not able to feed this synthetically produced compound to animals … [Read more...]
Bird flu confirmed in wild duck in South Carolina
A wild American wigeon, a species of dabbling duck, was discovered with the highly pathogenic Eurasian H5 variant avian influenza. The virus was considered to pose a low risk of infection to humans, but APHIS issued warnings to poultry producers. Anyone involved with poultry production from the small backyard to the large commercial producer should review their biosecurity … [Read more...]
Kinesiology tape on dogs? You decide.
This article is in the red flag category. Review the information with your team before an 80-pound Staffordshire terrier mix comes into the clinic taped up like an injured professional wrestler or Olympic gymnast. Proponents say that kinesiology tape can help a dog recover from chronic and acute sports injuries. At the same time, kinesiology taping is not a magic cure-all, … [Read more...]
5 scary consequences of neglecting pets’ oral care
Sponsored Commercial Content Every month and every visit to the veterinarian should include an oral care discussion about dogs and cats. The animal health industry parallels the dental months in human medicine with our own National Pet Dental Health Month in February supported by the AVMA. PetMD’s Dr. Hanie Elfenbein, DVM, PhD, reminds dog owners that poor oral hygiene … [Read more...]
Chatfields talk about CBD and pets — Episode 20
Complimentary Commercial Content So many questions. So much information. A lot of room for misunderstanding. The Chatfields visit with Cornell’s Joseph J. Wakshlag, DVM, PhD, to dig into what’s what. CBD? THC? Terpenes? WHAT?! Are all these the same? What are they? Did you know there are even different kinds of cannabidiol? Like CBDA? How much is safe for dogs? Cats? … [Read more...]
Rabies, lest we forget it’s importance
We often hear rabies is eliminated. It is true for canine rabies. It is NOT true for wildlife, especially bats. Scott Weese, DVM, recaps the 2021 rabies scene in the U.S. He shares details on the five human deaths due to rabies reported in 2021. This is the highest annual case count in the last decade. There’s limited penetration of rabies awareness education for the general … [Read more...]
Quitter’s Day and finding a theme word that hits you right in the gut
What if resolutions complicate our lives and pressure us more than we realized? Research conducted by Strava using over 800 million user-logged activities in 2019 predicts the day most people are likely to give up on their New Year's Resolution is January 19, now coined as Quitter's Day. The resolution isn't the problem. Most people fail because of the way they try to … [Read more...]
Drucker still matters
We found the inclusion of Covid in a discussion of Peter Drucker’s management approach intriguing. Simon Caulkin writes, “Covid is an existential moment for management, amplifying existing challenges at the same time as it opens up a tantalizing vision of a different future.” The reason Drucker stands apart from most management writers is that he wasn’t primarily interested … [Read more...]
Worth a Glance – January 13, 2022
Last week’s most read posts Workplace bullying, a growing concern for HR departments. Link. To hug or not. Tools to solve the conundrum. Link. Last week’s AHD Bulletin Animal Health Digest Bulletin, January 6, 2022. Link. =========================== So you cried at work Source: Harvard Business Review, January 4, 2022. Link. To minimize the impact of … [Read more...]
U.S. producer pessimism grows
The Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer slipped five points in November marking continued pessimism among producers indicating they are concerned about mounting costs. November marked the lowest reading of 2021 for all three measures of producer sentiment and comparing year-over-year, the barometer is 30 percent lower than in November of 2020. Source: The … [Read more...]
Cow toilet is more than a passing novelty (video)
Laugh no more at toilets for cows. A prototype has been awarded the Gold Innovation Award at the 2021 EuroTier. The objective of reducing ammonia omissions is possible, say Dutch dairy producers who are experimenting with prototypes. Plus, the urine can be used later as targeted crop nutrient fortification. Pure urine is high in nitrogen and potassium. Source: … [Read more...]
Pigeon fever documented in 25 states
Also called dryland distemper or Colorado strangles, pigeon fever develops when Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis bacteria enter a horse’s body, probably via insect bites or breaks in the skin. It has nothing to do with birds except the shape of the external infections often resemble the breast of a pigeon. The infection appears in three forms: External abscesses … [Read more...]
Reminder: February is Pet Dental Month
Opinion National Pet Dental Health Month is celebrated in February to reinforce the importance of pet dental health and as a reminder for pet owners to practice routine oral care on their pets. It is sponsored by the American Veterinary Medical Association. Call it dental care or oral care, it is a critical component of healthy pet management at home, in veterinary … [Read more...]
Pet owners are searching Amazon for these pet food attributes
Keyword searches indicate pet owners know what type of pet food they want, yet major gaps remain, according to NielsenIQ officials. Opportunities exist in more inclusive labeling, as well as ingredient development. Source: Pet Product News, October 12, 2021. Link. … [Read more...]
Lyme-carrying ticks live longer. What?
Research reported at the annual meeting of the Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology reveals black-legged ticks infected with the Lyme disease-causing microbe thrive in subfreezing weather and can be active, even in winter. Laura Ferguson, PhD, and Amal El Nabbout reported their findings from working with ticks over three winters. Infected ticks in fluctuating … [Read more...]
Salmonella sp. is ubiquitous and not going away
USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service is mobilizing a strong and comprehensive effort to reduce Salmonella illnesses associated with poultry products. Swine producers took note since Salmonella I 4, [5],12:i:- has emerged as one of the most identified serotypes in pigs, pork and humans worldwide. Salmonella is an opportunistic bacterium that loves to get into something at … [Read more...]