Guest Contributor – Caitlin Keat, MSm We’ve combined two contributions from Caitlin Keat. Leadership behaviors do not always come naturally. Recognizing and allowing the whole person is critical to improving team dynamics, successes, retention and continuity. Wholeness is a state of forming a complete and harmonious whole. It is ongoing, everchanging, and something we have … [Read more...]
Pandemic pets taking toll on vets, staffs
Veterinarians and their teams across the country are seeing more new pets and more sick ones than in pre-pandemic times. The Associated Press reports despite extending hours, hiring more staff and refusing new patients, the load is heavy. Some practices have hire counselors to help staff members deal with burnout and fatigue. The numbers support the burden. Approximately … [Read more...]
May is National Beef Month
Fire up the grill! May is National Beef Month. It’s a month when U.S. Beef Checkoff promotional dollars highlight the benefits of beef. Checkoff funds will also provide coupons in grocery stores across the country, partner with food and restaurant brands for promotions and host beef cooking demonstrations at multiple locations. Keep the grill hot, because May 28 is National … [Read more...]
Ensure patient safety when outsourcing prescriptions
Guest Contributor – Elaine Blyth, PharmD We occasionally hear about prescription errors and miscommunication when a third-party pharmacy fills a veterinary prescription. As third-party fulfillment continues growing, veterinary team members can proactively help reduce errors. Elaine Blyth, PharmD, offers worthwhile action items in this bulleted guide. Source: Elaine Blyth, … [Read more...]
Covid-19 takes heavy toll on farmers mental health
Two in three farmers/farmworkers say the Covid-19 pandemic has affected their mental health and more than half say they are experiencing more mental health challenges than they were a year ago, according to a recent American Farm Bureau poll. Animal health pros who call on farmers and ranchers may notice behavior that is out of character. Farm Bureau assembled a list of great … [Read more...]
AHD welcomes new contributors from EVT
Beginning this month, Alyssa Mages, BS, CVT, and Caitlin Keat, BS, MS, will contribute their perspectives from their work with veterinary teams. Throughout the pandemic and through their business, Empowering Veterinary Teams (EVT), Mages and Keat have worked to support and inspire veterinary team members taxed with myriad changes in how work and life are transpiring. We’re … [Read more...]
National Pet ID Week kicks off Saturday
National Pet ID week starts Saturday and runs through Friday, April 23. This event helps owners make sure their pets’ identification is up to date. Collar tags and microchips offer the best chances for pets to be returned to their owners if they get separated, according to the ASPCA. Source: National Band and Tag Company, Link. Vets recommend every pet owner prepare for a … [Read more...]
April is heartworm awareness month
Heartworms are in every U.S. state and other countries. In fact, heartworm disease is on the rise throughout the U.S. and areas that were once non-endemic. The American Heartworm Society offers multiple resources for veterinarians and pet owners at heartwormsociety.org. They include: Heartworm incidence map: updated every three years to highlight the average number of … [Read more...]
Covid-19: Here to stay
It is more evident Covid-19 is here to stay. It transmits easily, readily develops new strains and is as tough as flu, HIV and measles. Experts recommend we must realize that our lives will not be the same from now on, even with effective vaccines fully available and distributed worldwide. Quite literally, a new Covid-19 industry is developing to address the goods and services … [Read more...]
6 ways diversity and inclusion will change in 2021
Get ready for uncomfortable conversations. From the squeeze chute to the C-suite, knowledge about diversity, equity and inclusion will take place this year, according to Amber Cabral, author and diversity and inclusion consultant. She predicts six trends that, at last, indicate true change will take place. Remote work will be more common Workforce diversity will … [Read more...]
Rover’s expensive. Pandemonium pup costs are real.
Nearly half of all dog owners spend about $3,400 a year on their dogs, but dog ownership doesn’t have to be this expensive. Source: Wall Street Journal, January 22, 2021. Link. Here are ways real pet owners save on these items. Food Pet insurance Health care and meds Grooming Boarding … [Read more...]
Injured AHD editor kept going with Talkatoo
Commentary Animal Health Digest appreciates the support sponsors offer, especially when it goes beyond expectations. I recently compressed a nerve in my right arm, which greatly limited my typing ability. As one who thinks with his fingers and types for a living, this was a challenge. The good folks from Talkatoo kindly provided me full privileges to its voice-to-text … [Read more...]
Dairy farming; being cruel to animals is a perception and sometimes a reality
Multiple animal activists groups have argued for years that dairy farming is no less than animal cruelty. Despite their actions being denounced by dairy owners, industry groups and the American Association of Bovine Practitioners, activists are making headway. Market forces and the coronavirus pandemic are helping their cause, too. Scientists are working to show ways the … [Read more...]
Another new virus is coming. So, scientists study bats.
The coronavirus outbreak is nowhere near over and researchers are already trying to discover what will hit us next. Their goal is to identify other viruses that may be highly contagious to humans and use that information to stop them. It may seem early to study this, but scientists say that its highly likely another novel virus will jump from animal to human host and spread as … [Read more...]
Chip your pet, dammit!
King, a Chihuahua mix, disappeared from his San Antonio, Texas, home in 2014. Owner Debi Vazquez searched high and low and found no trace of him. This October, she got a call from the Broward County Humane Society in in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Animal health pros there found King, thanks to his microchip. Source: New York Post, November 5, 2020. Link. “It took nearly 23 … [Read more...]
Trained dogs provide emotional support to first responders in inaugural program
Last week, the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department rolled out a program that pairs dogs with chaplains to provide emotional support to first responders as part of an overall wellness support program. Two Labrador retrievers, and a mini Goldendoodle are paired with chaplains to provide emotional support for first responders. Source: Los Angeles Times, December 14, 2020. Link. He … [Read more...]
National Pork Board launches AgView to respond to disease outbreaks
The National Pork Board launched AgView, a tool to help the pork industry respond quickly to a foreign animal disease outbreak. The voluntary system is designed to enable producers to input premise identification data, diagnostic data and pig movement data for pig contract tracing in the event of a disease outbreak. Source: The Pig Site, November 11, 2020. Link. “AgView is … [Read more...]
Manna Pro Products launches “YolkTube” YouTube channel for chicken aficionados
Manna Pro Products launched “YolkTube by City Folks,” a YouTube series that helps teach first-time and established chicken owners basic and advanced care for chickens in backyard poultry setups. The channel is Manna Pro’s latest resource to expand its community of urban and suburban chicken owners can connect and share tips. Source: AgriMarketing, December 8, 2020. Link. … [Read more...]
Swine vets, producers invited to participate in survey about pig castration pain management
No drugs in the US are approved for castration pain relief in pigs, but veterinarians have options to administer pain-relieving drugs via extra-label methods. Three focus groups conducted at the recent AASV annual meeting identified three factors that influence the use of pain management. They are: Lack of approved pain reliving productions that have been validated for … [Read more...]
Augustine, Clausen discuss inventory management on Inventory Nation podcast
Kirk Augustine has been following Nicole Clausen, CSSGB, CCFP, as she developed Veterinary Care Logistics. In ongoing communications, Clausen shared a current context that mirrored Augustine’s experiences in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Finding common ground, Clausen invited Augustine to be a guest on a recent Inventory Nation podcast. Clearly the lack of inventory … [Read more...]
Dogs being trained to detect Covid-19
Scientists are training dogs to sniff out Covid-19 at airports and other public places around the world. The dogs are doing a good job, too. Madeleine Brand, host of Press Play, interviews Maria Goodavage, journalist and author of Doctor Dogs: How Our Best Friends Are Becoming Our Best Medicine. Link. Source: KCRW, November 17, 2020. Link. At a few airports in the UAE … [Read more...]
The science behind the masks
Despite all the evidence face masks help protect us and others from coronavirus exposure, we occasionally run into doubters. This short animation vividly shows how even a simple mask works to reduce the virus spread. Source: The New York Times, October 30, 2020. Link. The public health debate on masks is settled, said Joseph G. Allen, director of the Health Buildings program … [Read more...]
2 powerful words to empower animal owners
We received overwhelming responses to Kirk Augustine’s opinion post last week. He reflected on what he heard during veterinary tech week and identified a primary impediment blocking the full use of certified veterinary technician skills < link >. He also shared a spoiler alert for the two powerful words referenced here. Source: Animal Health Digest. Link. Asking “WHAT … [Read more...]
Your pandemic meltdown has an upside if you allow it
If the least inconvenience or someone’s action sent you into an uncharacteristic fit, a bawl fest, a rant or even silence lately, you’ve probably experienced your version of a pandemic meltdown. Yet, meltdowns can have an upside. They let us release tension. Once it’s released, we can think more clearly because we’re not spending the energy to hold things together. The author … [Read more...]
Temple Grandin to headline October 28 webinar
Dr. Temple Grandin, renowned Colorado State University animal science professor, livestock handling specialist and autism expert, will be the featured speaker for an interactive webinar at 4:00 p.m. Central time, October 28. The program includes a Q&A session and will end at 6:00 p.m. Animal health pros from all backgrounds will likely find a topic or two worthwhile. The … [Read more...]
What you wear while working matters
It’s true how you look affects how you work. Science backs it up. Researchers studying the links to what work clothes people wear, brain activity and productivity have found dressing up for work improves performance. They’re now paying attention to how this applies to Zoom-type meetings. Source: Wall Street Journal, September 20, 2020. Link. “Just putting on [formal] clothes … [Read more...]
Is feed a Trojan horse for the ASF virus?
Feed ingredients are the new “Trojan horse” that helps move the African swine fever virus and they could bring the worst pig virus in the world to North America, according to Scott Dee, DVM and director of applied research at Keystone Veterinary Services. Speaking at the recent Animal AgTech Innovation Summit, he says the way grain is dried in Asia allows it to get contaminated … [Read more...]
Top livestock genetics closer to being available for all
Scientists have created cattle, goats and pigs that can serve as viable “surrogate sires,” male animals that produce sperm carrying only the genetic trains of donor animals. Published September 14 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, this feat may speed available of desirable livestock characteristics and improve food production worldwide. The study is the … [Read more...]
Normal is now. Live in it.
COMMENTARY Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has said multiple times Covid-19 will be with us deep into 2021. While it would be great if we could fill football stadiums, participate in concerts and sit next to neighbors in our favorite church pews, it is unrealistic to safely do these things for the foreseeable future. … [Read more...]
Don’t kiss the calves.
We’ve featured more than a few posts about not kissing chickens. The same caution applies to calves. According to Jeff Bender, DVM, MS, DACVPM, the Centers for Disease Control reported 59 disease outbreaks tied to animal contact in 2017. Of these, 25 were linked to farm livestock and 15 to poultry. Source: Dairy Herd Management, September 14, 2020. Link. The zoonotic … [Read more...]