Most of us know we likely spend too much time on our phones. From Facebook to games to email and texts, they’re a never-ending source of information, entertainment and frustration. A 2017 analysis of multiple studies found that people spend more than hours a day on their smartphones – the equivalent of a part-time job! The folks at grammerly share five signs of excessive … [Read more...]
Animal Health Protection Act enforced by USDA and FDA
Pre-signing the interstate certificate of veterinary inspection without inspecting the cattle has a Kentucky DVM waiting for sentencing. Illegally moving cattle across state lines with fraudulent paperwork is a federal offense. Source: Drover’s, January 21, 2019. Link. Under federal law prior to shipment across state lines cattle are required to be inspected by a … [Read more...]
Bad attitude or equine ulcers?
Show horses are prime candidates for ulcers because exercise, stress and travel are proven risk factors. “The interesting thing about this disease is that it seems to be affected by the environmental stressors,” Sherry Johnson, DVM, says. “Management, stress levels and even housing conditions have been shown in literature to be associated with a horse’s chances of developing … [Read more...]
She’s not pregnant. That cat is fat!
Overweight cats are at risk for a host of health issues. Sassafras Lowrey shares five health risks for overweight cats worthy of sharing with cat owners: DiabetesHigh blood pressureBone/joint damageFatty liver diseaseSkin problems Cats who are overweight are known to have shorter life spans, and the associated health problems can be deadly to the cat. Not only that, … [Read more...]
Opinion – Don’t forget to market to dealers, distributors and sales reps
Dealers, distributors and sales reps represent audiences that are too often overlooked by marketers and their agencies. While Diane Martin speaks specifically about the ag marketplace, her advice is applicable to more traditional animal health channels. Companies apply Pareto’s 80/20 thinking over and over to optimize resource deployment while relying on channel systems to … [Read more...]
Separation anxiety study reveals benefits of petting
Like kissing your significant other or children goodbye as you leave for work, dogs respond positively to last minute petting before being separated from their owners. . . . after gentle petting, they were calmer during their owners’ absence, with lower heart rates afterward. Source: Dogster, January 28, 2019. Link. Findings from a pilot study published in the Journal of … [Read more...]
DVM shares 15 tips for caring for dogs in cold weather
Veterinary hospitals are likely seeing a rise in cold weather cases as snow, ice and bitter cold conditions continue. Winter can be hard on our pets. Dr. Laura Playforth shares common challenges that cold weather causes and her top tips for caring for your dogs in cold weather. frostbite on pawsbreathing difficulties from dogs who have short-nosespets injuring themselves … [Read more...]
It’s too cold to go potty!
What do you do when the mercury drops, or the snow is deeper than a dog’s belly? Dog owners need to strongly encourage their dog(s) to potty – actually, insist on it! Nancy Kern shares some ideas for dog owners. Consider sharing these on social media and in e-newsletters. . . . the number of cases of urinary tract infections spikes in winter, when dogs tend to “hold it” for … [Read more...]
The biofilms challenge
Bacterial biofilms have been associated with persistent surgical site, wound and urinary tract infections. They are a complex community of bacteria embedded within a self-produced matrix. Two types of biofilms cause challenges for infection management and control: a) planktonic (e.g. slime), b) biofilm-embedded (e.g. plaque). Biofilm formation is a complex process during … [Read more...]
Q & As on cannabidiol use in vet practices
As CBD goes mainstream, Stephen Cital, RVT, RLAT, SRA, VCCS and VTS-LAM, shares the lowdown on CBD—what he wishes pet owners understood about CBD treats, what conditions these treats address, and how the veterinary team can play a supporting role in educating pet parents about cannabis products. Source: VETTED, January 24, 2019. Link. . . . we must teach harm reduction … [Read more...]
Cannabis gaining acceptance in U.S. agriculture
Cannabis has become an everyday subject in animal health as an alternative to traditional treatments. Someone has to plant, cultivate and grow these plant sources. A Farm Journal exclusive survey of crop farmers and livestock producers reveals farmers’ attitudes about cannabis and gauges their interest in growing cannabis as a commercial crop for medical use, recreational … [Read more...]
Trends in pet food ingredients
Before it becomes kibble, pet food formulators and manufacturers must make ingredient choices and find suppliers to meet the demands of new formulations. Consumers increasingly expect pet foods to be free from additives, have clean labels and be formulated as specialty diets. It is a complex challenge. Source: Pet Food Industry, February 2019, page 12. Link. One aspect of … [Read more...]
4 assumptions to avoid letting others get us down
We cannot know about why people behave the way they behave, writes Wyatt Edward Gates. He reminds us everyone has a reason for what they do and that our assumptions affect our own happiness. . . . by taking a charitable attitude towards others we can avoid a lot of pointless suffering. Source: Medium, January 31, 2019. Link. If we can imagine a charitable reason for what … [Read more...]
Active listening is an art
Glenna Fulks shares typical hindrances to listening. Too often we’re guilty of hijacking a conversation, speaking too soon and cutting off the other individual's response. Count to eight before you reciprocate. Source: Linked In, May 4, 2018. Link. Fulks’ common deterrents to listening include: we don’t give ourselves a chance to listen since we never stop talkingwe … [Read more...]
Heavy tech use threatens connections
Michael K. Spencer asks the question, “What if all of this technology . . . is leading us into a state where we might be at risk (as a species) to die one day of loneliness? Technological loneliness is set to increase. . . Loneliness is now agreed to be considered more dangerous than obesity, smoking, a sedentary lifestyle or working too much. Source: The Medium, January … [Read more...]
Employees don’t need another friend
When manager-employee relationships grow too close it can compromise a manager's ability to act as he or she might really want or need to. Source: Forbes.com, February 6, 2019 Link. When normal boundaries get blurred, when managers start getting "too close" or "too familiar," it can open the door for all kinds of awkwardness and unintended issues to seep in. In this … [Read more...]
The (dark) origins of Valentine’s Day
In its modern context, Valentine’s Day is mostly about romance, love, gifting and the celebrating of relationships. Yet, this holiday has much different origins. Searching for something meaningful and unique for a sweetheart often makes one question “why are we doing this valentine’s thing anyway?” With efforts by Chaucer and Shakespeare and most recently Hallmark, … [Read more...]
Petco to close Drs. Foster and Smith
Drs. Foster and Smith pet supply operations will close officially February 12 according to a press release from owner company Petco. “Taking into account the needs of modern pet parents, shifting consumer preferences and the ongoing evolution of the Petco brand, we believe this will enable us to streamline operations and better focus on our core business and … [Read more...]
Heart attack symptoms often subtle in women
As our industry embraces the contributions and needs of female animal health pros, we offer this reminder that heart disease is the number-one killer them, as well as men. Heart disease accounts for about one in four deaths in women in the U.S., according to the CDC. February is American Heart Month so now is the perfect time to review and share this information among the women … [Read more...]
These tips will help you protect against data breaches
Fighting the temptation to abandon our attempts at securing our data is not realistic. We need to adopt a defensive attitude for the inevitable breach of our data. Whether it is your personal or business account, the main change needed in our thinking is to assume that we are targets. The first step is to use a different username and password on each crucial site or … [Read more...]
Miniature goats create connections
Goats of all sizes, including miniature goats, to create connections with them and their owners. Smaller goats can be practical, affordable and affectionate. For some small-scale breeders, miniatures are the perfect starting point for raising goats. (Miniature goats) . . . can be kept in a small backyard, are easy to handle, and are the perfect size for young children to … [Read more...]
Frazzled? 4 steps to get ‘er done
Productivity experts John Zeratsky and Jake Knapp created a system to overcome the obstacles that prevent us from doing the things we really need to focus on. . . . there’s a default in our culture, in our work culture, and our everyday society of guilt . . . a lot of the tools that are out there are just designed to nag us . . . to make us feel more guilty.” Source: … [Read more...]
Learn from Herb Kelleher’s leadership legacy
The world lost a great leader when Southwest Airlines co-founder and longtime CEO Herb Kelleher passed away January 3. His legacy is one every leader should aspire to emulate. I experienced how his leadership impacted people even after he was no longer involved in the daily operations of the company. Source: Purpose Unlimited, January 17, 2019. Link. As evidence of the … [Read more...]
Texas Tech’s vet school given $10 million
Former Amarillo, Texas, Mayor Jerry Hodge and his wife, Margaret, presented the Texas Tech School of Veterinary Medicine a gift of $10 million this week. Hodge, founder of Maxor National Pharmacy Services Corporation is a well-recognized business leader in the Texas Panhandle.. Source: Drovers, February 4, 2018. Link. In August, the Texas Tech University System’s Board of … [Read more...]
No, cats cannot be vegan
A study of U.K. cat owners revealed one in five were not aware their pets were carnivores and required animal products in their diets to thrive. It is believed similar ignorance exists in U.S. cat owners. Veganism simply cannot be a lifestyle choice you make for your cat, even if you make it for yourself. Source: Tufts Catnip, February 2019. Link. It is not possible … [Read more...]
Second dog? Yes or No?
Dogs in isolation are not happy, says Stephanie Borns-Weil, DVM. She shares three rules for improving the pairing of dogs: Generally speaking, don’t shoot for female-to-female.Activity similarity is more important than breed similarity .Similar age doesn’t matter as much as similar health status. Source: Dogster, February 2019. Link. . . . the new pet does need to be … [Read more...]
7 sales trends to help you dominate in your industry
John Hall has seen more change in sales recently than ever. He says shifts like AI technology and a rapidly declining sense of trust have made it incredibly important to stay educated about best practices and evolution in the way prospects buy. . . . unless you can piece everything together to see the big-picture changes that are underway, you’re going to have a hard time … [Read more...]
Find value in every customer (includes podcast)
Customer centricity is the current thinking about seeing customer value beyond their revenue potential. There are high-value customers, low-value one, and plenty who fall in the middle. But they all matter for businesses that want to make the most out of them say Wharton's Peter Fader and Sarah Toms. The authors discuss their new book, The Customer Centricity Playbook < link … [Read more...]
Milo goes home
We reported last week about Milo, a coon hound-mix puppy that received corrective surgery for upside down paws at Oklahoma State University’s Center for Veterinary Health Sciences. Link. Good news comes quickly. Milo went home last Friday! Source: Oklahoma State University, February 1, 2018. Includes video. Link. “With this next phase of treatment, there is much work to do … [Read more...]
Pets, like us, continue to put on pounds
Despite veterinarians’ reports that nearly half the they see are overweight or obese, only 17 percent of their owners acknowledge it. Others may realize it, but don’t see the increased weight as a problem. It is a serious problem, according to pet health insurer Nationwide. It reports that obesity in dogs and cats has risen eight years in a row. Obesity related insurances … [Read more...]