Last week’s AHD Bulletin – Animal Health Digest Bulletin, January 15, 2024. Link. Most read post(s) from the January 25th AHD Bulletin – Develop an opportunity mindset. Link. How dogs understand time. Link. An update on multi-drug-resistant parasites in horses. Link. ============================================ 8 Pet supply, service businesses on … [Read more...]
Studies: Early social housing helps dairy calves thrive
Dairy cows are social creatures so they seek contact with fellow calves after birth. Their eventual social status within herds can play a role in their access to water and food. Research results increase our understanding of paired housing in the critical newborn and pre-weaned stages of dairy calf lives. . . . housing designed to facilitate early socialization can build … [Read more...]
Ready or not, here they come
Oklahoma State University shares ways to get ready for calving season. The article is a good resource to send in newsletters or post on social media to help producers prepare for calving. Yes, they probably know most of this . . . but have they acted on it? Give them a nudge to save a middle-of-the-night emergency during a storm. Source: The Cattle Site, January 23, 2024. … [Read more...]
How to read cattle mineral tags
Pet food labels are not the only confusing product labels animal owners must read and decipher. Understanding how to choose the correct mineral for cattle can be challenging. This article from Penn State University provides an overview of how to read mineral tags. Source: The Cattle Site, January 24, 2024. Link. INSIGHTS: Consider this article as a resource when working … [Read more...]
Cattle industry and animal health pros gather for NCBA CattleCon
CattleCon24 provides education, networking, business ideas, advocacy and fun for those who work in the cattle industry. It’s happening in Orlando January 31 through February 2. Not going? Never been? Follow posts here: #cattlecon24 Source: NCBA. Link. See the floor plan and exhibitor list here <Link>. … [Read more...]
Without the farrier, early laminitis infection may go undetected
When a farrier sees the symptoms of endocrinopathic laminitis, it’s essential that the owner immediately be informed and encouraged to seek veterinary assistance. The veterinarian needs to check the fasting level of insulin in the horse and plan an exercise, diet and/or medication program to reduce insulin levels. If the owner and vet both do their part, the foot should return … [Read more...]
Episode 3, Zoetis’ Born of the Bond
Complimentary Sponsored Content The health of an operation depends on the health of its herd. This episode of The Born of the Bond Series documents the story of the Schuler Red Angus Operation. By being proactive in vaccinating their cattle, the Schulers have helped their operation avoid any serious health issues for more than two decades. The Born of the Bond series … [Read more...]
Bad career advice women should ignore
Everyone has advice these days, especially for women moving into the workplace or seeking to advance their career position. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, PhD, and Cindy Gallop, MA, provide a list of popular suggestions they believe are best ignored. Source: HBR Ascend, April 15, 2021. Link. … [Read more...]
Do it NOW!
Speed has a force-multiplying effect. It eliminates festering problems faster and accelerates vital progress on important to-dos. Source: AXIOS, January 18, 2024. Link. Get it out of the way and you have freed up bandwidth . . . INSIGHTS: Per the old time management tip . . . handle it once. Also see: The Two-Minute Tool, GTD®, May 19, 2020. Link. David Allen explains … [Read more...]
A plan is not a strategy
A comprehensive plan with goals, initiatives, and budgets is comforting, BUT starting with a plan is a terrible way to make strategy, says Roger Martin, MBA, author and Thinkers50 Number One Management Thinker in 2017. Martin’s YouTube video, A Plan Is Not a Strategy, was the most watched in 2023. What most strategic planning is in the world of business has nothing to do with … [Read more...]
Combatting lack of adherence to heartworm preventatives
Animal health pros need to share images like this one over and over. We recently featured disturbing data on noncompliance <Link> and called for more realistic imagery in that post. Kudos to AHS for this image of heartworm. What will you do with it? Source: American Heartworm Society, X, January 18, 2024. Link. … [Read more...]
Biosecurity methods update, learning across segments
Driven by African swine fever, avian influenza, PRRS, the realistic risk of hoof and mouth disease, more livestock producers are paying more attention to how to protect our domestic food production animals and in the process protect human populations from zoonoses. We’re sharing two articles as animal health pros interact and work with animal owners. The devil remains in … [Read more...]
Don’t let dairy cows get lost in transition
One of the bigger threats to overall transition cow health is a reduction in dry matter intake while her energy requirements increase to support milk production. Mindy Ward gathered dairy management practices to help improve overall transition cow performance for this article. The transition cow is milking, producing more milk and not consuming enough calories to cover that . … [Read more...]
Dairy cattle genomics quietly improving sustainability
Since genomic testing became commercially available in 2008, more than 8 million U.S. dairy animals have been genotyped for dozens of key genetic traits related to milk production and quality, feed efficiency, reproductive viability and cow health. By optimizing genetics within their herds, dairy producers have successfully bred new generations of cows to produce more milk, … [Read more...]
Marketing might benefit from some cynicism
Commentary We put Hannah O’Rourke’s article calling for more realistic messaging in this section acknowledging veterinarians serving producers are providing services and products in B2B settings focused on optimizing revenue in addition to animal health. She lends a dose of realism given how frequently products are presented as the Holy Grail with no room for business owners … [Read more...]
Ventilation required despite cold for backyard chickens
When temperatures fall below 35°F, supplemental heating is needed to keep backyard chickens from cold stress and frostbite. However ventilation is important to remove excess moisture and avoid a build-up of ammonia. Mary Hightower’s article provides several wintertime tips for backyard poultry raisers worthy of sharing on social media or in newsletters. Source: Farm Talk, … [Read more...]
Horses are built for cold weather, but need support
The educational infographic shared by the AAEP is a good reminder for horse owners, especially those who may be struggling to care for their horses in winter. This, along with information from the AHD archives are good resources to support educational communications on social media or in newsletters. Source: AAEP, Facebook, January 19, 2024. Link. Source: Search results … [Read more...]
Skippy named Farm Bureau’s 2024 Farm Dog of the Year
Skippy, a 4-year-old Border Collie, Australian Shepherd and Catahoula Hound mix, is the grand prize winner of the 2024 Farm Bureau Farm Dog of the Year Award. Owned by Georgians Laura and Donald Adams, Skippy helps herd cattle, get rid of predators and helps Donald through his paralysis caused by a 2019 farm injury. The Adams received Skippy from P.H.A.R.M. Dog USA, an … [Read more...]
How cold is too cold?
Depending on a dog's breed, body condition, size, hair coat and whether they have pre-existing conditions, 20°F is when dog owners and caretakers need to provide protection and limit outdoor sessions to under 15 minutes, shares Christopher Brito. Source: CBS News, January 19, 2024. Link. Also see: How cold is too cold for your dog?, PetMD, January 2, 2024. Link. Jennifer … [Read more...]
Are cross-selling and personalization now the same?
We are in the midst of a software revolution, writes Armondo Roggio. He shares perspectives on the rapid changes in e-commerce marketing approaches fueled by ever-evolving AI which is blurring the lines between personalization and cross-selling. He warns marketers to avoid putting merchandising on auto-pilot and allow an AI to take over. The better AI becomes, the more blurry … [Read more...]
Social media calendars help plan clinic outreach
Consistency, relevance and authenticity are key to fostering lasting relationships with your audience in the digital landscape, writes Adam Christman, DVM, MBA. His article is good guidance for veterinary clinic teams to help them avoid knee-jerk posting. A content calendar serves as a road map, enabling veterinary hospitals to plan their social media content systematically.” … [Read more...]
Worth a Glance – January 18, 2024
Last week’s AHD Bulletin – Animal Health Digest Bulletin, January 11, 2024. Link. Most read post(s) from the January 11th AHD Bulletin – Understanding active listening and distractions. Link. The pros and cons of servant leadership. Link. 22 team-building activities and games for 2024. Link. ============================================ Study: Antibiotics … [Read more...]
Bottle beats the bucket at providing water in winter
Delivering free-choice water to calves in frigid temperatures is easier said than done. Simply feeding milk or milk replacer isn’t enough to optimize the growth needs of calves. The rumen needs a separate source of pure water to feed the fermentation process that promotes rumen development. Provimi dairy calf research results created advice for bottle-feeding water in cold … [Read more...]
There’s the beef
Winter conditions challenge producers every year. With the snow too deep for foraging and nearly too deep to reach the cattle to feed them, Gill Red Angus brought their cows closer to home, feed and shelter. Safe in our warm homes or vehicles, the beef protein we enjoy seems a long ways from conditions like this near Timber Lake, SD. Source: The Cattle Business Weekly, … [Read more...]
Swine herd biosecurity can reduce the incidence risk of PRRS
The industry can keep PRRS at bay, says Scott Dee, DVM, MS, PhD. The results of a two-year retrospective study provide confidence that improvements in swine herd biosecurity can reduce the incidence risk of PRRS. He shares the importance of next-level biosecurity and relates it to all group housed animal settings. Biosecurity is a people business. If people don’t follow the … [Read more...]
Practices that push cow-calf profitability
Spending money with veterinarians was listed as a top investment producers can make to grow cattle profits in 2024 <Link>. Winter weather stresses producer resources while the ensuing tax season gets pencils sharpened. It is a good time for veterinarians to collaborate on best practices that generate profit gains while ensuring optimal herd health. A University of … [Read more...]
Dual-sexed chickens; half male, half female
Roughly one in every 10,000 chickens is a gynandromorph or dual-sexed chicken. Gynandromorphism has been reported in insects, birds and crustaceans, but not in other species. Although uncommon, in chickens isn't extremely rare. Source: Backyard Poultry, March 2019. Link. The current prevailing theory is that bilateral gynandromorphism starts at the very beginning of cell … [Read more...]
Disposing of dead poultry
Ann Accetta-Scott shares the importance of biosecurity when disposing of birds that have died due to disease or illness. Acknowledging geographic differences in laws, she describes burying, burning, off-site incineration, landfill and composting methods of disposal. This topic is especially relevant with the current prevalence of avian influenza infections. . . . proper dead … [Read more...]
Increased risk of histomoniasis outbreaks in turkeys when chickens are close
A study published in The Journal of Applied Poultry Research and led by scientists at North Carolina State University suggests that having a broiler-breeder chicken farm within one mile of a turkey farm increases histomoniasis risk significantly. The protozoan Histomonas meleagridis, causes histomoniasis which is also known as blackhead disease. The risk of disease … [Read more...]
6 things to know about pet-safe ice melts
Contains Commercial References All ice melts pose some kind of risk to our pets. Those considered pet-safe contain urea or magnesium chloride are considered slightly safer but may still cause gastrointestinal upset such as vomiting or diarrhea and may not be as effective in melting ice and snow. Rock salt, sodium chloride, is one of the least pet-friendly ice … [Read more...]