Just for fun! Cat and dog lovers will laugh at these pet photobombs from Purina. Source: Purina Petcentric, December 2016. Now that dogs and cats have caught on to the trend, photobombing is funnier – and cuter – than ever. (See more) … [Read more...]
Take a deep breath through your nose
“Take a deep breath,” it seems, is a common piece of advice. Most of the time, a long, slow inhale-exhale is thought of as a tool for relaxation, a simple way to relax physically and psychologically. Researchers now believe the way you inhale and exhale may also influence the way you react to danger. Source: Science of Us, December 7, 2016. Together, the researchers argued, … [Read more...]
Plan now to maintain the pace as boomers retire
Boomers are leaving a legacy of long tenures and true grit that has made a permanent mark on generations to come. But, as thousands hit retirement age each day, business leaders must make sure their successors are well-trained and well-read. In addition to the basics of form and function, soft skills training are also required. Source: Human Resource Executive, December … [Read more...]
How to say thanks on a budget
Two things are at play this time of year: holiday gifting decisions and planning for the coming year. Each of these activities can stress budgets. In this article, rewards programs are presented as good ideas that work for rewards and may work for the holidays too. Source: Veterinary Team Brief, May/June 2013. Team members like to know they are doing a good job, so it is … [Read more...]
Keep pets safe from winter hazards
Sheila Fitzpatrick, DVM, submitted good guidance to her local newspaper readers. In Vail, Colorado, winter comes early, so her warnings are timely as the arctic front blankets the northern U.S. Consider submitting a similar story to your own local media with appropriate reminders for your area. Source: Vail Daily, December 2, 2016. There are many cold weather dangers to be … [Read more...]
Wild pigs still rock agriculture
Wild pigs cause $1.5 million in damage in the U.S. according to 2013 USDA estimates. Jack Mayer is currently working on a project for the agency to estimate overall wild pig numbers. He places the U.S. wild pig population at 6.3 million, with a possible range of 4 million to 11 million. Source: Pork Network, November 30, 2016. The cost of wild pig damage to the agriculture … [Read more...]
Here’s the best way to ask someone for a favor
Asking someone for a favor can be awkward. We tend to avoid direct contact by using an email or text. Unfortunately, impersonal contact is less likely to get you what you want. Source: Science of Us, December 9, 2016. Based on two experiments, it seems that asking for a favor is a choice between two situations, each with its own ups and downs: Make things comfortable and … [Read more...]
Cesar’s short guide to shopping with your dog
U.S. businesses are increasingly accommodating to our pets, especially dogs. Dog owners have responsibilities when taking dogs into businesses. They need to make sure that dogs are calm, well-behaved and always on a leash. Cesar Millan shares tips on preparing dogs for shopping and where to shop. Source: Cesar’s Way, December 2016. Shopping with dogs can be a bonding … [Read more...]
Ultimutt holiday gift guide 2016
Just for fun! What else can we say? Source: Modern Dog, December 2016. Holiday gift ideas and irresistible finds for dogs & dog lovers. INSIGHTS: Our team found a couple items from the 48 shown that might be valuable for one of the four dogs in our collective households. Check out the onesie in slide 11 and the automatic ball launcher in slide 19. Just for fun! … [Read more...]
Use a travel checklist to make horse transportation as easy as possible
Equo says this time of year is horse-hauling season with an estimated one million horses to be transported across the country. They offer a travel checklist for all items to consider for those cross-country jaunts. Source: Equo, November 14, 2016. Another ‘must-have’ for every trip is your documentation, make sure you contact your vet before your trip and ask him what … [Read more...]
Are you failing your patients in this major way?
Dawn Crandell, DVM, DVSC, DACVECC, calls for a shift in veterinary medicine. It isn’t about the medicine. It is about the way veterinary hospital teams view their patients. The shift, she says, is all about getting rid of dominance behavior. Source: Dr. Andy Roark, December 1, 2016. The pervasive silent influence of the dominance mindset is getting in the way of us doing … [Read more...]
Animal health pros positive about the future of veterinary medicine
Pointed questions were asked of veterinarians, practice managers and team members about the future of veterinary practices in the recent DVM 360 Future of Veterinary Medicine survey. The results show potential shifts in progress on the horizon. The results are presented in infographics that are easy to understand. Source: Firstline, November 29, 2016. Exclusive data points … [Read more...]
Social media is meant to be social
Using social media effectively means much more than having an online presence. It means choosing content wisely and actually engaging with clients to build their confidence and trust in the practice. Source: Veterinary Team Brief, November/December 2016. Team take-a-ways: Veterinarians: As practice owners, the ROI of paying team members to spend time online likely is … [Read more...]
Humans and cats have a strange, complicated history
Alice Robb writes the humans’ relationship with cats is rife with paradox. There are an estimated 100 million pet cats in the U.S. and their ranks are growing. Cat culture flourishes online. The cat-less can get their fix at cat cafés opening across Asia, Europe and North America. The article features a Q & A session with journalist Abigail Tucker, author of The Lion in … [Read more...]
Quench winter thirst
“Water is key. I think we underestimate the effect water plays on the metabolic systems of the horse,” says Britt Stubblefield, DVM, of Rocky Top Veterinary Service in Guffey, Colorado. He explains that access to water is especially important for horses when there are extreme changes in the environment, such as fluctuating temperatures fall turns into winter. Source: Western … [Read more...]
Top 5 feline genetic diseases
Genetic diseases should be recognized in practice because they must be treated as chronic illnesses — not episodic diseases. Source: Clinician’s Brief, December 2016. Insurance claims and centralized hospital databases monitor the most frequent disease presentations, which helps veterinarians understand the most frequent genetic diseases. The most frequent conditions are … [Read more...]
Quick-hitting thoughts from Drs. Blach and Clark
Dr. Blach shares intriguing thoughts on veterinarian accessibility in Don’t hide from your clients and reminds practice owners to fund education for staff in Educate your heavy lifters. Dr. Clark warns against some of the risks of year-end inventory deals in Year End “distributor or manufacturer buying” unintended consequences reminder. Source: Is My Practice Healthy?, … [Read more...]
17 days left to become VFD compliant
Despite tremendous educational efforts, many producers and veterinarians remain unclear on the details about using medicated feeds for prevention, control and treatment of disease in their herds effective January 1, 2017. Source: Bovine Veterinarian, December 5, 2016. FDA officials have indicated their enforcement activities will focus on education during the initial months … [Read more...]
Opinion – Antibiotics: man vs. animal
Staying neutral about the antibiotic resistance issue is difficult for those of us who have observed how slow adoption hurts the acceptance of proven animal health protocols. According to Rick Bergman, executive director for the Center for Consumer Freedom, physicians now frequently reach for “big gun or last resort” antibiotics, which likely contributes to antibiotic … [Read more...]
Pets help people manage mental illness
Anyone who owns a pet knows how it can help us weather rough times. This may be even more so for those with serious mental illness. A United Kingdom study found that some people with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder say pets help them manage their condition more than anything else. The study was published December 9 in the journal BMC Psychiatry. Source: NPR Shots, December … [Read more...]
Male champions foster gender parity, increased profitability
Though women make up 51.5 percent of all managers, fewer of them than men rise to the executive level. According to the Harvard Business Review, having a male sponsor helps level the playing field for women. These male champions have learned that gender inclusiveness means both men and women should advance women’s leadership. Plus, gender parity is associated with improved … [Read more...]
The agony of defeat
Nobody bats 1.000%. Nobody wins 162 games in a season. Every MLB team will win 54 games and lose 54 games. Champions are determined by how they play the other 54 games. In business, how you deal with your defeats will ultimately determine your level of success. Source: The Nice Guy Blog, June 15, 2015. If passion drives you, you will stay in the game as long as it takes to … [Read more...]
Malware got his hospital data. He fought back.
Veterinarian Phillips Raclyn is a hospital owner and self-described computer geek. His crew had backup after backup after backup. Then the thinkable happened. His system was hacked with ransomware. From individual machines, all the way to backups, including the external hard drive, every file had been encrypted. Fortunately, Raclyn was allowed to pay a negotiated ransom and got … [Read more...]
A picture is worth 1,000 words
National Geographic just released its 52 best images of the year. They’re worth seeing. Source: National Geographic, December 2016. Here’s a gallery of National Geographic’s 52 best images of the year . . . … [Read more...]
Blood test basics video
One of my best veterinary hospital experiences included the use of an educational video. In an AVMA video, Dr. Joyce Ashamalla covers the basics of why blood tests are needed and what they help find. Source: AVMA SmartBrief, December 1, 2016. … [Read more...]
Strengths, Women vs. Men
All people have a unique combination of talents, knowledge and skills – strengths – that they use every day to do their work, achieve their goals and interact with others. Gallup has been studying the science of strengths for five decades. It has accumulated data from more than 14 million individuals worldwide who have completed the Clifton Strengths assessment. Source: … [Read more...]
Office toxicity can overwhelm you
If you are always on the listening end of the venting during the ever-present office bitch sessions, these authors offer perspective. They speak to the emotional toil the toxic handlers experience and suggest reframing the discussion. Source: Science of Us, December 6, 2016. In a terribly unsurprising finding, their research suggests that people in these roles “frequently … [Read more...]
Talk about feline heartworm limited
Veterinary technicians don’t talk about preventive care as much as they could, says Ciera Miller, CVT, VTS. Feline heartworm has been diagnosed in all 50 states. It was important enough that the American Association of Feline Practitioners crafted an entire campaign about it. But reluctance remains strong. Source: Vetted, November 22, 2016. Many veterinary staff members are … [Read more...]
2.6 million goats have special needs
Goats have special nutrition and care needs, according to Purina scientists. Two of them from the company’s St. Louis, Missouri, research farm recently shared information about goat nutrition. Others shared insight about youngstock, production costs, organic trace minerals and financial tools during a Clarissa, Minnesota, goat workshop. We’re sharing this information because … [Read more...]
Make local search engines work for you
One of the more common website recommendations is to optimize your local search engines for veterinary clinics. Here are a few tips to avoid overlooking the obvious, ignored or deliberate search engine tweaks. Source: Search Engine Land, December 5, 2016. Columnist Wesley Young of the Local Search Association looks back at 2016 to find the top 10 insights that local search … [Read more...]