In a presentation at a recent convention, Karen Felsted, CPA, MS, DVM, CVPM, and Barden Greenfield, DVM, DAVDC, warned against serving up lame, lukewarm dental and wellness recommendations. She modeled better language by offering a do-this-not-that approach when talking about dental care and infections. Source: DVM 360, October 28, 2016. Don't say: "Looking at Linus’ … [Read more...]
Mobile, tablets conquer desktops, laptops
And, that just happened. Last month was the first time more web pages were viewed on mobile and tablet devices than laptop and desktop machines. Source: Quartz, November 1, 2016. And, while the global smartphone market is slowing, manufacturers are still shipping about as many smartphones in a quarter as computer makers send out desktops and laptops in a year, and it’s … [Read more...]
My dog’s poop – your trash can
Just for fun! Should you use a neighbor’s trash can to dispose of bagged dog poop when out with your dog? Perhaps. This topic makes a good icebreaker or can lead to a more productive discussion. It is interesting to note that bagging dog poop is considered a standard practice in this article. Source: Dogster, October 21, 2016. There are two types of people in the world: … [Read more...]
The evolving role of practice manager
Christine Shupe, executive director of the Veterinary Hospital Managers Association, shares her organization’s predictions of how the top trends in veterinary medicine influence the evolving role of practice manager. Source: Firstline, October 28, 2016. The VMHA surveyed industry leaders to gain insight into industry trends that influence the roles managers will play. Three … [Read more...]
Elks shop at strip mall
Just for fun! Wildlife and human interactions are more common each day. With rut season approaching full swing, this bull elk followed his harem through a strip mall recently in Estes Park, Colorado. Source: United Press International, October 21, 2016. Shocked shoppers can be seen stopping to gawk and take photos as the animals calmly walk past the stores and pause to peek … [Read more...]
Editorial – Managing stress as a team
In the past week, your AHD team reviewed 12 articles related to professional stress, performance anxiety and the suicide rate of veterinary team members. In this edition of AHD BULLETIN, we included information from Susan David, Ph.D., and others about with emotions management. We’ve included this article because it deals with stress as a team problem beyond personal … [Read more...]
Sales increase when using real-time customer data
Forrester Research, Inc., reported findings from a new, summarized in a report titled How B2B Sellers Win in the Age of the Customer. Sellers using what the study calls an evolved selling model had better results, which the report attributed to four key factors. They are: the ability to assemble and present content from various online sources on the fly the seller’s … [Read more...]
Managing with the new overtime pay laws
A new federal requirement effective December 1, 2016 raises the minimum salary needed to exempt most employees to $47,476 per year. Beyond the doubling of the current level, there are specific job categories or exemptions where overtime rights are considerations. Source: Veterinary Practice News, November 2016. Cover page, continued on page 28. It is important to review the … [Read more...]
Workplace mood management starts early
Paying attention to the morning moods of your employees can pay dividends, according to Nancy Rothbard, Professor of Management at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. A recent research effort showed employees who started out each day happy or calm usually stayed that way throughout the day. Interacting with customers tended to further enhance their mood. Source: … [Read more...]
Modify canine humping behaviors
Non-sexual mounting in pre-adolescent and neutered dogs is generally a byproduct of physiologic arousal – an inappropriate response triggered by sensory stimuli, motor activity and/or emotional reactivity. The longer a dog practices his mounting behavior, the harder it is to change, shares Pat Miller. Source: Whole Dog Daily, October 30, 2016. Recommendations to address … [Read more...]
Curbing cribbing in horses
Cribbing is a compulsive behavioral disorder in which a horse habitually bites down on a horizontal surface with its incisors and sucks in air, often making a grunting or gulping noise. Interventions address concerns that cribbing wears down the incisors and is linked to issues of unthriftiness, poor performance, dental issues, gas colic and strangulating lesions such as … [Read more...]
Emotional agility can help you at work and in life
Emotional agility is the ability to be with yourself in a way that is courageous and curious and compassionate, says Susan David, PhD. But in a fast-paced world, we often get derailed or stuck. She says the things that we are upset about or angry about often contain information of what’s of value. People will often push these emotions and, with them, the learning … [Read more...]
High times for pets a-comin’
Pets in states where marijuana use has become legal are getting high. Accidental consumption is generating some pretty lofty veterinary bills, too. Plus, veterinarians are increasingly concerned about the potency of today’s edibles, many of which contain highly concentrated tetrahydrocannabinol. Source: Washington Post, October 28, 2016. In the year after pot became legal … [Read more...]
Livestock aren’t destroying the planet
We hear it and read it all the time – that agriculture and livestock production are destroying the planet because of all the greenhouses gases they produce. This is simply not true. Michelle Miller, aka Farm Babe, puts livestock production in perspective in this post. Source: AGDAILY, October 25, 2016. When you compare the 8 percent greenhouse gas figure of agriculture to … [Read more...]
Pigs infect humans, says CDC
Pigs are responsible for infecting children with a type of swine flu not previously seen in humans, according to a report published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. None of the 18 persons infected from the variant virus infections were severely ill. The positive message here is that the CDC’s surveillance methods are working and we have “eyes” on variant … [Read more...]
Being nice wins
The nastiness of this year’s Presidential campaign is often excused by observing that “politics is a contact sport.” Plus, reality shows with the highest ratings seem to involve the nastiest people. Despite society’s current love affair with verbal thuggery, research proves you can win while being nice and you can disagree without being disagreeable. Source: Wall Street … [Read more...]
Holistic veterinarians say congestive heart failure is sometimes reversible
Congestive heart failure in dogs, as in humans, can be classified in four functional phases. Combining conventional treatments with complementary approaches may improve whatever underlying imbalances or deficiencies the dog may be experiencing, which can help to slow or stop the progression of disease. Source: Whole Dog Journal, October 23, 2016. (via Whole Dog Daily … [Read more...]
Understand why cats puke so much
An excerpt from a book by Justine A. Lee, DVM, challenges the reality that cat owners often just tolerate how much their cats vomit. The guidance suggests that if there is no hair in the vomit there may be a reason to take the cat to a veterinarian. Source: Tufts Cat Talk, October 24, 2016. Chest and abdominal x-rays, some basic blood work, and a sterile lung fluid wash … [Read more...]
TNR works to control feral cats
Challenges with feral cats spans centuries. Estimates on their numbers range from about half as many as there are owned-cats to one and a half times as many owned cats. With 74 million owned-cats, there could be 32 million to 106 million feral cats. Feral cats are both beneficial and problematic. Historically, they were tied to superstitions in medieval Europe when the Great … [Read more...]
More controversy over dog kisses
Mouth to mouth dog kisses may feel like the ultimate display of affection, but when it comes to such kisses, several experts caution: beware of dogs. Source: New York Times, October 21, 2016. Dr. Nandi, University of Pennsylvania, says a dog’s saliva has proteins that may help cleanse or heal its own wounds, but in a paragraph titled “Why Not to Make Out With Your Pet,” he … [Read more...]
Being helpful at work can make you worse at your job
The title seems to fly in the face of logic. But University of Florida business professor Klodiana Lanaj recently outlined a major downside to this approach. Helping your colleagues is exhausting. In two recently published studies she and her colleagues discovered that helpfulness at work is something of a tightrope walk: It can boost your energy, but it can also leave you … [Read more...]
Top 5 reasons veterinary nurses are essential
Veterinary nurses, or veterinary technicians, bring special skills and attributes to a practice. Few persons have a longer job description. Practices that learn to use them to their full potential realize increases in efficiency and improvements in client service and patient care. Veterinary nurses, with all their special skills, knowledge and attributes, are the gears that … [Read more...]
Being bold and making tough decisions
LaRae Quy was an FBI undercover and counterintelligence agent for 24 years. She is the author of “Secrets of a Strong Mind” and “Mental Toughness for Women Leaders: 52 Tips To Recognize and Utilize Your Greatest Strengths.” She says, “It’s no secret that business and life are not as simple as they were, either. Executives, business owners and entrepreneurs need to take a bold … [Read more...]
Research helps identify quitting behaviors
The basic tenet of managing turnover is that everyone eventually leaves. But the “when” can feel like a mystery. Recent research shouldn’t be considered the only way to identify an employee on the verge of quitting, but it does point to a set of behaviors that, taken together, can provide a clue—and it discounts behaviors that have mistakenly been seen as tells. Source: … [Read more...]
Stallions with steady jobs behave better
Jim Brinkman, owner of Pitzer Ranch in Ericson, Nebraska, and equine behaviorist Sue McDonnell, Ph.D., with the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, share their experiences about helping a stallion behave well. Source: AQHA Daily, October 19, 2016. Give him a job. “A stallion is a lot like an 18-year-old-boy. If he’s got a steady job, and he’s a little … [Read more...]
AAHA transitioning to accredited-only hospital membership model
AAHA is bolstering its strategy to clarify and support the accredited AAHA practices with membership changes. Over the next two years, it will transition to an accredited-only hospital membership model. The transition will be completed by June 30, 2018. Non-accredited practices have until July 1, 2017 to enter into an agreement to become AAHA accredited. Any non-accredited … [Read more...]
How to recommend pet foods
Fritz Wood, CPA, CFP, often reminds his audiences that 100 percent of the dogs and cats that visit a veterinary practice EAT. The same is true of shoppers’ pets seen by retail associates. With this in mind, the free VetFolio web conference will be valuable to veterinary teams and reps who serve them. Consider attending this free web conference as a team. After the … [Read more...]
Speaking up to supervisors is a two-way street
Corporate leaders often say they want employees to speak up and offer new ideas, challenge processes and call out unethical behavior. However, research shows that those same leaders generally react negatively to employees who challenge them, even when done constructively. Source: Harvard Business Review, October 18, 2016. Building speaking up cultures is, on the whole, a … [Read more...]
Providing corrective feedback correctly
Providing corrective feedback is challenging but it becomes more difficult when it gets emotional. Defensiveness, crying or yelling create an environment that most would rather avoid. However, it is part of the real world. So, tips on handling these types of situations are helpful. Source: LinkedIn Pulse, September 22, 2016. Remember the “why.” Focus on all the good reasons … [Read more...]
7 tips to keep pets safe this Halloween
Halloween is Monday, October 31. The American Veterinary Medical Association offers seven, common-sense tips to keeps pets safe during this ghoulish time. It also offers a free client handout to AVMA members here. Source: American Veterinary Medical Association. Don’t feed your pets Halloween candy Make sure your pet is properly identified (microchip, collar and ID … [Read more...]