Comments Strategies are the how of moving forward. They are meaningless unless we know the why. Getting to why requires focus. The words of the veterinarian’s oath clearly identify the why. . . . I solemnly swear to use my scientific knowledge and skills for the benefit of society through the protection of animal health and welfare, the prevention and relief of animal … [Read more...]
We ARE living the new normal – Part 1, situation analysis
Comments Change management experts are returning to their themes of adaptability, including life and business always accepting change as a constant. In some ways it is refreshing. Yet the day-to-day strategy changes, coupled with statistical analysis have most people running in place awaiting what comes next. From what has been published in recent weeks related to … [Read more...]
Correcting dehydration is always job 1 with calf scours
Calf scours are complex, multi-factorial and expensive in the immediate and mid-term life of the animal. Alan Newport discusses calf scours causes, interventions and consequences. Prevention of scours requires the combined experiences of veterinarians and the calf care team. Source: Beef Producer, April 14, 2020. Link. The calf’s age is as important as the color of the … [Read more...]
How to manage pinkeye
Fly season is well underway. It marks the beginning of pinkeye infections to come by mid-summer. Infectious bovine keratoconjunctivitis (IBK, or pinkeye). Pinkeye costs the beef industry an estimated $150 million annually. Historically, Moraxella bovis was considered the primary IBK pathogen. More recently, mixed cultures of M. bovis, Moraxella bovoculi and Mycoplasma … [Read more...]
It is fly season again!
EQUUS Extra sponsored content Nothing can ruin a nice ride or antagonize a horse quite like the multitude of flying pests that emerge this time of year. More than an annoyance, they can also cause a host of health issues, including allergic reactions, skin infections and viral diseases. This article reviews the insects most likely to pester horses and how to stop … [Read more...]
Dog personality strongly linked to human personality
The human-animal bond works both ways. People and dogs have shared a relationship for at least 15,000 years, so it is no surprise that dog personality has been affected, say researchers. Conversely, the benefits of the human-animal bond are frequently expressed as dogs helping people. Paula Fitzsimmons shares how dogs and humans benefit. Source: PetMD, Link. Dogs and people … [Read more...]
Early or delayed dog neutering? What to tell clients.
Neutering is an elective procedure for which there is still no definitive, universally accepted yes or no answer. While frustrating, it is more productive to use this subject as an opportunity to shape our expectations, and those of our clients, regarding medical decision-making writes Brennen McKenzie, MA, MSc, VMD, cVMA. Source: Veterinary Practice News, March 27, 2020. … [Read more...]
They bought Easter baby chicks. Now what?
Chicks and bunnies are a great project for youngsters. The key word is project. Many families have added pets during this 2020 pandemic. Some of them are baby chicks. With the newness now gone, the questions start. We chose some resources that can be shared on social media, in newsletters or directly with individuals having chick questions. Sources: How to tell the … [Read more...]
Identify and recapture missed charges
Like a poorly tuned automobile, veterinary clinics lose revenue because services and items never get billed. There is no change in costs, rather a reduction in revenue and margin. 17 percent of lab tests do not get billed (AAHA) 5 to 10 percent of all charges are not billed (source unknown) Missed billings have consequences A hospital grossing $2 million could … [Read more...]
Better inventory management is worth the effort
The current pandemic adjustments put inventory in motion in new ways. Alan Newport reviews inventory shrink in the context of a busy dairy practice. Shrink in this review has little to do with theft, rather it is caused by not recording inventory transferred to mobile units or not invoiced. . . . it's important the veterinarians form a habit of creating an invoice for the … [Read more...]
BISSELL Pet Foundation cancels Blocktail Party, launches Walktail initiative
Sensitive to social distancing efforts, BISSELL Pet Foundation (BPF) has cancelled its annual Blocktail Party, its biggest fundraiser. This year, BPF is launching the Walktail Walkathon initiative in its place. With a partner network of 5,000 shelters and rescues in all 50 states, BPF has helped more than 260,000 pets through adoption, spay/neuter, microchipping and … [Read more...]
Pet insurance, wellness plans are win, win, win
Research findings led to AVMA changing its policy on pet insurance from neutral to advocacy. Metrics from studies support a more assertive position in practices, economic benefits for clients and of course improved health care for pets: Insured dog owners spent $216 per year more than uninsured owners (MSU findings) Insured dog owners spent 29 percent more, insured cat … [Read more...]
Strategies that get pet owners in the door
Eighty percent of pet owners choose their veterinarian based on two primary factors: their perception of the DVM as caring, honest and trustworthy recommendations from other pet owners Research reinforces the power of word-of-mouth referrals for veterinary practices.” – Kimberly Ness, Diggo Source: DVM 360, April 6, 2020. Link. INSIGHTS: Diggo is a subscription … [Read more...]
How to age a goat and more
Although goats all have the same basic needs, details vary due to age, sex, breed and individual requirements. Nutritional, activity and comfort needs are among them writes Tamsin Cooper. Pop quiz: Do goats have top teeth? Pick the right answer. Yes, they have top teeth in front and back No, goats only have lower teeth, the incisors Both, goats have bottom and top … [Read more...]
Anaplasmosis, here to stay
Often forgotten anaplasmosis is now in 48 states. It is a bacterial pathogen that lives within the red blood cells of cattle and is spread by Dermacentor species ticks, the American dog tick and the Rocky Mountain wood tick. Cattle who survive the first round of infection become persistent carriers and therefore a reservoir for additional infections. Source: BEEF, April 6, … [Read more...]
Where’s the beef? The pork? The chicken?
Our meat supply channels face some bottlenecks as packing plants close to protect workers, deeply disinfect and determine potential fomite risks in their throughput. Our meat industry is built to have inventories moving all the time. There are challenges facing producers who now have limited options for moving animals ready for slaughter on their terminal schedules. It is … [Read more...]
Tips and tricks for managing feline allergies
Amelia White, DVM, MS, DACVD, offered VMX attendees insight about managing several types of allergies in cats. Developing a successful treatment plan for common allergies in them first requires an accurate diagnosis. She shared information in these areas: Feline allergies: causes and imposters Cats and their eosinophils Creepy crawlies When food’s the culprit … [Read more...]
Ticks bite, suck, drink and spit
Ticks are waking up across most of the U.S. They require blood meals to survive, to develop to the next stage in their life cycle and to reproduce, shares Edward M. Wakem, DVM. It is primarily, though not exclusively, through blood feeding that a tick can harm its host by acquiring disease-causing organisms from one infected host and transmitting them to another host. Ticks … [Read more...]
Coaching pet owners through unrelenting flea infestations
Joan Capuzzi, VMD, discusses how a comprehensive approach to stubborn flea infestations is needed to help clients gain control over their pet and the pet’s environment. The pet is the easy part. She shares ways to coach pet owners to treat the pet, treat the other pets and treat the environment. Source: DVM 360, April 7, 2020. Link. INSIGHTS: Attention sales … [Read more...]
American Heartworm Society issues guidance for pandemic
Conditions under which a veterinarian can delay annual heartworm tests during the Covid-19 crisis is just one of the topics covered in new recommendations released by the American Heartworm Society. Source: Veterinary Practice News, April 7, 2020. Link. The recommendations explore: scenarios when a veterinarian can delay annual heartworm tests, but can still prescribe … [Read more...]
New habits, new normal? Halfway there? What will you keep?
Commentary In the midst of managing COVID-19’s impact, it is time to discuss the changes we’ve made in the context of what we wish to keep in a new normal. It takes days 21 days to make or break a habit and 90 days for it to become permanent” During a recent Zoom meet-up, I was taken by comments shared about positive experiences in the last weeks. The context was as if … [Read more...]
We don’t know what normalcy will be
No one can say what a return to normalcy will look like, how long it will take to get there or if normal like 2019 is even achievable. New York Times Emily Bazelon moderated a panel discussion to seek answers and weigh morality. Five experts talked about the principles and values that will determine the choices. SOURCE: New York Times, April 10, 2020. Link. In the longer … [Read more...]
Fomites, pets, and transmission
Information and risk messaging about pet-to-human transmission may change as more information is collected. For now, there is no evidence that pets can serve as fomites for SARS-CoV-2. However, measures to prevent a pet becoming a fomite are important. Source: Clinician’s Brief, April 8, 2020. Link. Also see: COVID-19 in animals: Living systematic review, Worms & … [Read more...]
Open-field calving box keeps newborns warm
Like its own miniature windbreak, this Canadian producer’s idea has merit for inclement weather conditions anywhere. It is an idea to consider sharing with cattle producers directly or by newsletters and social media posts. Source: Drover’s, March 30, 2020. Link. INSIGHTS: Calves are often born in the worst weather regardless of seasons. Something about those changes in … [Read more...]
Hard calvings mean a difficult start in life for newborns
Calves experiencing a traumatic birth have the deck stacked against them as they grow. Study results quantify the challenges and make the topic valuable to discuss with cow-calf producers in both dairy and beef operations. . . .calves with the most difficult births also were 1.3 times more likely to experience scours and 1.6 times more likely to suffer from respiratory … [Read more...]
Floating horses’ teeth. Needed or not?
David Ramey, DVM, presents the pros and cons of teeth floating in horses. Getting a horse’s mouth examined periodically, to look for signs of oral disease is a good idea. Floating a horse’s teeth once in a while probably isn’t a bad idea either. But need? Well, that’s a subject for a good bit of discussion.” – David Ramey, DVM Source: Horse Network, April 3, 2020. Link. … [Read more...]
Feed pets for optimal dental health
One of the most important ways to improve dental health is to feed dogs and cats the correct diet writes Judy Morgan, DVM, CVA, CVCP, CVFT. She reviews the effects diets have on dental health and addressing some erroneous beliefs. Contrary to popular belief, the consumption of dry food does not provide enough mechanical abrasion to prevent the development of plaque and dental … [Read more...]
Clean and disinfect horse barns the right way
Barb Crabbe, DVM, shares valuable information about horse barn cleanup in the face of an equine disease outbreak and in the context of everyday stable maintenance. It is a timely article for horse owners to consider as spring arrives and barn activities increase. Source: Horse and Rider, November 27, 2019. Link. Recent studies indicate equine influenza virus can be spread as … [Read more...]
Monkey see. Monkey do: the effects of social cues on biosecurity compliance
To the detriment of animal health, humans do not always follow biosecurity protocols. Human behavioral factors have been shown to influence willingness to follow biosecurity protocols. Research from the University of Vermont underscores the importance of peer-to-peer demonstration of biosecurity measures to improve biosecurity compliance and can be simply summarized as monkey … [Read more...]
What scientists know about immunity and the novel coronavirus
It is too early to tell how well humans will mount effective antibodies, writes Katherine J. Wu. She shares information on challenges to immune development, viral replication and antigenic drift. If nothing else, her article is a decent review of virology and the challenges of protection. Source: Smithsonian, March 30, 2020. Link. Complicating matters further is the biology … [Read more...]