Hairballs are disgusting, especially when you step on one with a bare foot. Dr. Eric Barchas discusses hairball myths and fallacies. This article would make good content for a website, newsletter, social media or blog post. Source: Catster, April 23, 2013. Swallowing hair in and of itself is not what causes hairballs. They’re occurring because the gastrointestinal tract … [Read more...]
Don’t overlook pain management for gastrointestinal conditions
Gastrointestinal conditions are common, but associated pain management in these patients is often overlooked. Refresh your memory about treatment options with this article. Consider using it as a team exercise at an upcoming staff meeting. Source: Clinician’s Brief, September 2015. The clinical manifestations of abdominal pain in dogs and cats can be subtle and easily … [Read more...]
Rabbits, ferrets, sugar-gliders, hamsters and ? – oh my!
I often wonder how veterinarians serve animals considered in exotic. The relatively few encounters has to be a limiting factor. But, my eyes were opened by this article about preparing a practice specifically for the exotic companion mammal sub-group. The numbers of alternative pet types is growing and with it a new specialty from the Association of Exotic Mammal … [Read more...]
$580 million of pet food supplements sold in 2016
Dog owners purchase the majority of pet supplements, buying three times as much as cat owners. Packaged Facts identified these five trends as factors shaping the pet supplements market beyond what we already know: Joint health, digestive health and condition-specific supplements have opportunity to compete with formulated pet foods and treats Supplement marketers … [Read more...]
Don’t wait to be asked: Lead
Leadership skills are needed at all levels of interactions inside companies as well as with customer engagement. It is easy to point a finger at what is wrong or needs improvement. The real solutions to problems come when the finger-pointers start offering solutions. Professor Harry Kramer says leadership doesn’t require direct reports or a long tenure at an organization. You … [Read more...]
What’s in the latest JAVMA
Here’s a quick look at the May 1, 2017 JAVMA. Our AHD team found the article titled Bovine colostral cells—the often forgotten component of colostrum interesting from the perspective of the DVM, the producer and sales representatives. Source: JAVMA, May 2017. Although the role of colostral antibodies in the protection of neonates against disease has been well documented, … [Read more...]
Carprofen: fast facts
The history of carprofen dates back to January 1997 when Pfizer Pharmaceuticals first introduced Rimadyl® (Carprofen) to veterinarians. The generic for Rimadyl, Carprofen, was marketed much later. Consider the number of veterinarians, vet technicians and staff persons in your location that graduated after 2007. Then share this information and your experiences with them at a … [Read more...]
Steaks and burgers make inexpensive grilling
Animal health pros and their customers who enjoy grilling beef will benefit from increased beef production this summer. This surge in output means the U.S. is headed for a meat bonanza. Steaks and burgers will likely rival prices of pork and chicken this summer. Source: AgWeb, April 17, 2017. Ground beef in grocery stores has dropped about 9 percent from a year ago, the … [Read more...]
The equine vaccination guide
Horse owners can vaccinate their horses against a variety of infectious diseases. Unfortunately, they’re also confronted with a mix of advice from a plethora of sources — most of them sound and somewhat persuasive. David W. Ramey, DVM, writes about vaccination options for horses. Source: Horse Channel, April 7, 2017. ‘Core vaccinations’ is a term that the American … [Read more...]
10 inventory myths and mistakes
Phil Zeltman, DVM, tackles 10 myths and mistakes about inventory. Of his 10, these are true in almost every practice or inventory dependent business: Being reactive rather than proactive I know how much of each product we need Not having someone in charge Source: Veterinary Practice News, March 27, 2017. Having more inventory than needed costs your veterinary … [Read more...]
Train dogs to drop it
“Drop it,” can be one of the most useful things we can teach dogs to do. It can save them from illness or injury if they grabs something harmful. At minimum, dog owners will be happy if they can reduce the sometimes endless keep-a-way games. Source: Petcha, April 18, 2017. Most dogs learn early that the best way to gain attention is to take things they shouldn’t have. It is … [Read more...]
Lilies are toxic to cats
Spring brings lily season inside and out and with it dangers for cats. Every part of the plant is toxic. A cat who walks through lily pollen and then grooms his paws is at risk. The toxin (or toxins — there may be more than one) is unknown. Share this with clients. Source: Catster, April 11, 2017. The lily’s toxin(s) appear to be rapidly absorbed, so affected cats might … [Read more...]
Dealing with canine zoomies
Did zoomies catch your eye? It did ours. The picture it paints is recognizable to most dog people. Also known as "frapping," or frenetic random activity periods, zoomies are not limited to puppy energy, nor to the most energetic dogs. Dogs need play time, and they'll get it one way or another! Source: The Bark, April 11, 2017. Canine behavior specialists and trainers have … [Read more...]
Stop apologizing for delayed email responses
“With email, we treat everything as if we’re in a hurry,” behavioral economist Dan Ariely explained. “There’s a huge difference between important and urgent.” Source: Science of US, April 18, 2017. How many people who email you are truly expecting an instant reply? Sometimes people make this clear, explicitly noting that they need an answer by the end of the day, or week, … [Read more...]
Timing euthanasia and hospice (includes videos)
Mary Gardner, DVM, discusses the educational needs for pet owners as pets reach the time for hospice or euthanasia. “You have to make sure you educate the owner about the disease the pet is facing and the progress that the disease is going to present to the family and to the pet,” she says. Source: Firstline, April 12, 2017. Remember clients are experiencing an emotional, … [Read more...]
Leaders also follow
The roles of leader and follower are interchangeable and depend entirely on the situation at hand. In most successful practices, the person closest to an issue at hand regularly provides the leadership when it falls into their area of expertise. In other situations, that same person is the follower. Effectiveness at both disciplines is one of the keys to a practice’s overall … [Read more...]
Dogs, kids and the hygiene hypothesis
A new study by Anita Kozyrskyj a pediatric epidemiologist of the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada, found further evidence of the dog-human linkage and how this lessens the development of everything from asthma to obesity. Source: The Bark, April 11, 2017. What they found was that within the households with pets, the children had a higher diversity of microbes in … [Read more...]
Dispose of powdered gloves now
The FDA ban on powdered gloves went into effect on January 18, 2017. This means that any powdered surgical gloves, powdered patient exam gloves and absorbable powder for lubricating surgical gloves sold and in possession of veterinary clinics and animal surgical centers fall under the ban and should be disposed of. Source: Veterinary Practice News, April 3, 2017. According … [Read more...]
Pet insurance is a win for vets and pets
When veterinarians invest in learning about and recommending pet insurance, the result is a win-win-win — for pets, clients and the veterinary hospital. Source: Veterinary Practice News, March 28, 2017. The topic of pet insurance is confusing for many pet owners, so they often ask their veterinarian for help. When clients ask for advice, here are key things to convey: … [Read more...]
Easter is bad for bunnies
Widespread misunderstanding of domestic rabbits has made them the third most abandoned pets in the United States. As well, they are the third most popular pet in America, after cats and dogs, according to the Humane Society of the United States. Source: National Geographic, April 12, 2017. With proper care, rabbits live 10 to 12 years. Because many people think they’re … [Read more...]
WVC honors 6 educators
WVC participants voted for these exemplary educators to receive the 2017 Continuing Educators of the Year honored distinction: Avian & Exotics: Douglas Mader, MS, DVM, DAVBP (C/F, R/A), DECZM (Herpetology) Equine: Anne Wooldridge, DVM, MS, PhD, DACVIM (LAIM) Food Animal: Robert Sager, DVM, MS, PhD, DABVP (Beef Cattle) Practice Management: Karen Felsted, CPA, … [Read more...]
A short lesson on AVMA policy
Dr. Mark Helfat, chair of the AVMA board of directors, recently answered questions about what AVMA policies are, how they’re created and why they’re important. The association has 250 policies that span issues from animal welfare to food safety to antimicrobials to general practice. Source: JAVMA, April 12, 2017. AVMA policies exist in three primary categories and are … [Read more...]
NAVTA launches bi-weekly service
The National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America recently launched a service tool named Animal Health Bi-Weekly for its members. The familiar format seeks to provide NAVTA members with a sampling of some of the more recent news stories that affect the profession and veterinary community. Source: NAVTA, April 11, 2017. INSIGHTS: NAVTA provides multiple … [Read more...]
New posts from Is My Practice Healthy?
Drs. Blach and Clark provide an interactive and educational venue to improve veterinary practice management. Many of their posts also relate to servicing clients as a representative or retail associate. Here are some recent posts we found valuable: Make sure your marketing fits your target market Focus on the customer Is this good for them or for you? Source: … [Read more...]
An overview of rabbits’ teeth
This series of articles provide a good overview of rabbit teeth. Rabbits use their incisors to slice food, while the molars grind it down. Rabbits have 28 teeth. The ones we see most often are the four incisors in the front of the mouth. Behind the top incisors are two smaller incisors known as peg teeth. The 22 remaining teeth are molars and premolars and are known as cheek … [Read more...]
Top 5 client pet peeves
Jessica Goodman Lee, CVPM, shares her perspective on how clients view practices and the annoyances that work against client satisfaction. Source: Veterinary Team Brief, April 2017, page 33. Lee’s top 5 client pet peeves: Lack of information Lack of education Failure to provide documentation Lack of caring Failure to delegate INSIGHTS: Note the take … [Read more...]
Is a rabbit the right choice? (includes video)
Too often, parents purchase a rabbit for a child. Easter is the most common time for this to happen. The child is excited, the rabbit is terrified, the child loses interest, the rabbit is ignored and the parents become disappointed and resentful. Consider sharing the information in this reference site on websites, blogs and in newsletters. Rabbits, families and children will … [Read more...]
Pigs – a hobby farmer’s view
Every breed is unique, but producers should know what they’re getting when raising pigs for market pork. Rodney Wilson shares how he learned this all-important first lesson in our lifelong education about feed conversion efficiency: pigs can loosely be lumped into two classes, bacon pigs and lard pigs. Source: Hobby Farms, March 20, 2017. Today’s new and prospective hog … [Read more...]
Update your LinkedIn profile
How to update your LinkedIn profile based on what you've done and where you want to go. Source: The Muse, March 2017. Figuring out what story to tell at different points in your career can be a challenge. But, you need more than keywords to impress on LinkedIn. Get creative as you update your profile and capture your “So what?” factor using elements that others tend to … [Read more...]
Changing pet owner perceptions of veterinary hospitals
AAHA Chief Executive Officer Michael Cavanaugh, DVM, DABVP (Emeritus), presented new research data during the opening session at the AAHA yearly conference. Pet owner perceptions of veterinary hospitals are declining, while awareness of veterinary hospital accreditation has increased. Source: AAHA Press Room, March 30, 2017. While the news of overall pet owner perception of … [Read more...]