Pet Food in the U.S., 13th Edition states that about 88 percent of dog owners and 93 percent of cat owners admit to buying food for their pets from a store within the last 12 months. One demographic most comfortable with non-traditional purchasing options is millennials. This group was more likely than any other to buy items through a website or app for home delivery or … [Read more...]
The neuroscience of storytelling will make you rethink how you create
Storytelling makes for effective communication. Yet, it feels like the more evidence we have that our brains are hardwired for relational and analogical reasoning, the more instructors recite bulleted data points without context, despite the vast amount of resources and technology at our fingertips. Every animal health pro shares information or recommendations. While we are … [Read more...]
Bosses – Don’t phub it up!
The phenomenon of “phubbing,” is when a supervisor snubs an employee in favor of his mobile phone when they are in a meeting. Two Baylor professors have verified that this behavior undermines trust and engagement in the workplace. In fact, their study, “Put down your phone and listen to me: How boss phubbing undermines the psychological conditions necessary for employee … [Read more...]
Perception is not always reality
I care about people and consider myself to be warm and friendly. At least that is what I thought. So, it came as a shock to discover that others often saw me as intimidating, cold and aloof. After recovering from the shock, I learned that what I perceived as leadership, others perceived as intimidation. What I thought was just being logical was perceived as being cold and … [Read more...]
Enrich the lives of older pets. Don’t ignore them.
The cold that has enveloped most of the U.S. lately has no doubt exacerbated some aging symptoms in older pets. Older animals may suffer from osteoarthritis or neurologic conditions that limit physical activity. Beyond physical activities, cognitive issues increase, sensory capabilities decline and anxiety may follow as older pets often become ignored. Source: Clinician’s … [Read more...]
Tilapia-skin bandage used to treat mountain lion’s burns
After over 30-plus years in this business, it is still exciting to see what we come up with next. In this case, a mountain lion cub burned in the recent California wildfires is the benefactor of a human burn treatment protocol derived from tilapia. Source: edhat, December 30, 2017 via AVMA Smart Brief. A 5-month-old mountain lion whose paws were burned in a wildfire is … [Read more...]
Stop Googling; call the equine DVM (includes video)
It can be a challenge for horse owners to know when to handle a problem themselves or when to call in the veterinarian. Natalie Voss provides symptoms and situations arranged as red flag emergencies, orange flag potentially important and yellow flag cautionary potential for a health issue. The article also includes a link to a video featuring Emily Dean, DVM who discusses “when … [Read more...]
Handling work when your child is sick
The United States has 25.8 percent of its children living with just a mother or a father. Today, almost half of households with kids in the U.S. have parents who both work full-time. Working parenthood alone presents a massive logistical and emotional challenge, but when your child is ill, that challenge ramps way up. Daisy Dowling shares a few strategies to help get through … [Read more...]
Paralanguage; critical non-verbal communication skills
There is one non-verbal communication type that powerful impact--it's called paralanguage. Paralanguage does not have anything to do with body language. Paralanguage is how you speak: The rate, tone/pitch, and volume/inflection of your speech, and the dreaded use of filler words. Mastering paralanguage allows you to have impact. Its power and benefits are many, and they are … [Read more...]
Top 10 from Petfood Industry.com
Four posts topped the list of most read. The number of page views per article recorded by Google Analytics determined the rankings: 11 pet food trends industry experts forecast for 2017 Prescription dog, cat foods face anti-trust lawsuit Blue Buffalo faces lawsuit over alleged lead in dog food Infographic: Most of world owns pets; Dogs are tops Source: Petfood … [Read more...]
Med school trend looking like veterinary medicine
For the first time, more women than men are going to med school, according to new data from the Association of American Medical Colleges. Enrollment trends overall suggest there may well be more women in the medical field than men in the future. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, the current ratio is 55 percent female to 45 percent male in the … [Read more...]
Made in America
Made in Japan no longer means what it did two generations ago. With the help of quality guru W. Edward Deming in post-war Japan, “cheap, low-value” was changed to, “high-value, expensive” and led to Japan developing a burgeoning export business. Today, we are challenged to know where our animal health products are made. Three company representatives discussed their products, … [Read more...]
What to know about bathing cats
Bathing a cat sends chills to most cat owners and veterinary teams alike. Still cats sometimes truly need a good bath. JaneA Kelly looks at five times you should wash your cat and how to make cat baths as stress free as possible. Source: Catster, December 26, 2017. In some cases, you can just clean your cat using unscented, hypoallergenic wipes or dry shampoos rather than … [Read more...]
Google exec: 5 mega trends shape technology (includes video)
Ed Parsons, Google’s geospatial technologist, outlined five megatrends driving technology during his keynote at the Farm Journal AgTech Expo: The world is becoming more urban, not suburban. Digital natives have formed a new type of consumer. Big data is still in its early days, but platforms are providing a massive difference in the shape of business. … [Read more...]
Cabin fever affects horses, too
Natural horsemanship reminds me to look at every situation as if I were a horse, shares Tim Hayes. He relates how cabin fever can affect both horse and rider. Spending 20 or 30 minutes, three to five times a week connecting with our horses is mentally and emotionally meaningful to him. Source: Horse Network, December 2017. If I can’t ride, I can still visit, says Hays. I … [Read more...]
Organic pet food tops interest level across ethnic boundaries
Understanding pet ownership is important to implement sound business strategies and to understand customer preferences. Branded surveyed 14,755 U.S. residents and found that nearly 66 percent of respondents own at least one pet. However, pet ownership differed by self-reported ethnicity. Source: Petfood Industry, December 22, 2017. In a related survey, Branded analysts … [Read more...]
1st NAVTA Animal Health Bi-Weekly for 2018
The veterinary technician/nurse role development is rapidly being expanded and professionally recognized. Two posts from their bi-weekly e-mail will interest most animal health pros: The importance of veterinary social work Top veterinary dentistry tips for 2017 Source: Animal Health Bi-Weekly, January 2, 2018. INSIGHTS: Like human prevention, animal dentistry … [Read more...]
Reframe your purpose to find meaning at work
It’s not unusual to hear an animal health pro say, “been there, done that.” Some deliver that comment with tones of frustration or contempt. John Coleman offers perspectives on the value of reframing purpose to reinvigorate meaning in your job. Source: Harvard Business Review, December 28, 2017. Working with a sense of purpose day-in and day-out is an act of will that takes … [Read more...]
Employee engagement more important than contentment
Employee satisfaction surveys are helpful tools in running a successful business. However sometimes the sense of contentment can be a sign of apathy and indifference rather than effectiveness. Engaged employees are essential. Measuring this engagement is well beyond the purview of satisfaction surveys. Source: Gallup News, April 12, 2017. Business or work units that score … [Read more...]
Get ready for National Pet Dental Health Month
Next month is National Pet Dental Health Month, as recognized by AVMA. The organization is ready to help members promote this important period with a free Pet Dental Health toolkit. Regularly brushing pets’ teeth is the single most effective thing pet owners can do to keep their teeth healthy between dental cleanings, and may reduce the frequency or even eliminate the need … [Read more...]
Clicks matter
We are excited to capture the content and ideas that shape our daily conversations and objectives in the animal health industry for an exciting new year. Thanks to cooperation from our Founder’s Circle companies and sponsors, we now read and analyze material for an audience of more than 20,000 animal health professionals. For AHD, an animal health professional is any employed … [Read more...]
5 workplace issues anticipated in 2018
Here is a look at significant topics that will likely dominate work conversations in 2018: Unequal pay Advertising Generation inclusion Flexible, remote and freelance work Robots and AI Source: Fast Company, December 18, 2017. … [Read more...]
Get ready for 2018
If you are working, you belong on LinkedIn. It is an absolute must for everyone engaged in the business community. While it can be the link to your next promotion or your next job, I have found it to be a great continuous learning source and an outstanding networking tool. Once there, it is important to keep your profile current and the end of the year is a great time to add … [Read more...]
Zoonotic knowledge poor in MDs and population
Sixty percent of all diseases are zoonotic as are 75 percent of emerging diseases. Sarah Wooten, DVM, shares the metrics surrounding the human medical profession and population related to understanding the risks from animal-human contact. Share this article routinely with local doctors and on websites, social media posts and newsletters. Be sure your own staff is familiar with … [Read more...]
Editor’s Viewpoint
There is clarity as AHD begins its third year. This lucidity that is there is an equal, enthusiastic desire for solid industry information by entry level clinic clerks to extended-career executives. You tell us this when you click on posts, read articles and send us emails. Your ongoing readership helps guide the media sources we review for you. You’ve encouraged us to … [Read more...]
Getting along with others: popular posts with animal health pros
After peppering some human-to human-interaction posts in the AHD BULLETIN early 2017, we learned that animal health pros are just as interested in getting along with each other and clients as they are with keeping animals healthy. In fact, this reality added more than 20 media sources for our team to scour routinely. Source: Animal Health Digest, July-December 2017. Facing … [Read more...]
Most popular posts: animal topics and issues
AHD was founded to support animal health pros with content in the context of how they interact with animals and animal owners. Articles posted in this genre’ remain the most opened posts of all categories. Seven posts topped the opened metrics in the last two quarters of 2017. Topics like these become support materials during sales calls with representatives as well as topics … [Read more...]
Pat Malone’s posts: highly favored
Posts written by AHD’s weekly contributor, Pat Malone, are consistently opened at a high rate. He writes about leadership and productive communication. We all thank Mr. Malone for sharing his expertise, leadership and training experiences. Most of all we appreciate his support and friendship. Source: Animal Health Digest, July-December 2017. We captured the eight most-opened … [Read more...]
Test your equine dental knowledge
Test your knowledge of horses’ teeth. Consider sharing the quiz in posts, emails and newsletters. Source: AQHA, December 14, 2017. Horses have a unique dental structure. According to the American Association of Equine Practitioners, horses' teeth are divided into two major sections: the incisors, which are the teeth seen in the front of the horse's mouth, and the cheek … [Read more...]
Extreme weather requires preparation
Caring for horses often presents challenges when rain, drought or snow dominate the headlines. The Equus team discusses ways to prepare for abnormal extremes. This is good content for social media posts, websites and to use in training sessions with horse owners. Source: Equus, November 2014. For horse people, the weather is a constantly changing variable that has a direct … [Read more...]