The context shared in this Hobby Farms article is the testing of show chickens. However, the information is relevant as animal health pros monitor avian flu risk and incidence. Birds whose rapid whole-blood plate tests yield positive results are called reactors and are subject to quarantine, including the whole flock. Even if a chicken looks perfectly healthy, it still … [Read more...]
Avian flu on the move, discovered in 3 new states
HPAI has now hit nearly 1.9 million chickens and turkeys across the country. New reports in South Dakota, Missouri and Maryland elevate the numbers of birds effected by avian flu. HPAI has now been confirmed in all North American flyways <Link> The USDA is encouraging consumers to fully cook poultry and eggs to 165˚F to kill bacteria and viruses. . . No human HPAI cases … [Read more...]
A curious case of equine compound odontoma; too many teeth
Sharing a rare occurrence, Katie Navarra offers details of a gelding with a swollen jaw and 288 disorganized tooth roots. Source: The Horse, February 15, 2022. Link. … [Read more...]
From fat to fit; help for overweight cats
Encouraging cats to exercise is a two-pronged approach. First, schedule in mini sessions of active play in the morning and the evening. Keep exercise sessions short and sweet, about five to 10 minutes at a time, several times a day. . . . to really accelerate a cat’s weight loss, you need to add in some exercise.” Source: Catster, February 25, 2022. Link. Also see: Apps … [Read more...]
Exercise guide for dogs
There’s more to making sure dogs get exercise than Just Do It. Audrey Pavia shares ideas, options and warnings for dog owners as they set out to get their dogs more exercise. Source: Dogster, January 10, 2022. Link. INSIGHTS: This is a good resource for social media and newsletters especially as the weather warms up. … [Read more...]
Pets afflicted with pandemic pounds just like us
Veterinarians blame extra treats and table scraps given to pets since the coronavirus pandemic began as the primary reason for a whopping increase of pet obesity. Banfield Pet Hospital found nearly 40 percent of cats and almost 35 percent of dogs were diagnosed as overweight in 2020, up from less than 20 percent a decade ago. Source: The New York Times, March 4, 2022. Link. … [Read more...]
Better cat care, includes inside-outside cat perspectives
Includes Commercial Content The Chatfields visit with Margie Scherk, DVM, DABVP (Feline), about benefits and risks of indoor-only versus outdoor-access cat care and stewardship. The discussion challenges the indoor-only advocacy now prevalent in the U.S. . . . indoor only cat behavior resembles human cabin fever. . . “ Source: Chats with the Chatfields, You Tube, February … [Read more...]
Evaluating grief in dogs
Italian researchers have increased our understanding of grief in dogs. Whether the changes are behavioral or actual grief are not clear, but the research indicates dogs are affected by the loss of a canine companion in multi-dog homes. Knowing that dogs likely experience changes due to grief can help both researchers and pet owners. Source: Treehugger, March 2, 2022. Link. … [Read more...]
The Bridge Club awards veterinary medicine’s brightest minds
The Bridge Club honored the profession’s Brightest Minds during the 2022 WVC Convention in Las Vegas, recently. More than 20,000 veterinary professionals nominated and voted on the industry’s brightest minds in three categories. The winners and respective categories were: Game changer: 1 Life Connected, Kimberly Pope-Robinson, DVM, CCFP, pictured Paradigm shifter: … [Read more...]
Dealing with the top 5 deadliest bugs in veterinary practices
Sponsored Content Animal health pros routinely deal with zoonotic diseases and risks. New cheat sheets that break down the best practices for preventing the transmission of these pathogens were developed by Virox in collaboration with Jenifer Chatfield, DVM, Dipl. ACZM, Dipl. ACVPM. Source: Virox® Technologies Inc., February 14, 2022. Link. Cheat sheets are available … [Read more...]
How mosquitoes avoid pesticides designed to kill them
Scent memories could make mosquito populations trickier to manage.” Source: Science, February 23, 2022. Link. Researchers exposed hundreds of mosquitoes to five common pesticides at doses strong enough to knock them down but not kill them. After one day of recovery, the experienced mosquitoes didn’t enter pesticide-laced areas even when tempted with food. INSIGHTS: Will … [Read more...]
Top 25 pet retailers in North America
17 retailers on this year’s list have added at least one store since March 2021, including 12 chains that grew by three or more locations during that period. The number of stores represented by the Top 25 list finally increased by 106 stores after two consecutive years of declines. Source: Pet Business, March 1, 2022. Link. Total # of stores as of March 1, 2022: … [Read more...]
IBPSA Fast Bites – March 7, 2022
IBPSA’s education module updated, pets and our mental health, celebrity brand range expansions, researching sporting dog routines, women in the pet community and more. . . Source: IBPSA Fast Bites, March 7, 2022. Link. … [Read more...]
Talks for when you feel like no one appreciates you
TED shares a playlist for those times when you feel underappreciated or unrecognized. Source: TED. Link. … [Read more...]
Toxicologists debunk common myths about pet poisons
The internet, word of mouth and possibly breed correlations spread inaccurate information about toxins says Renee Schmid, DVM, DABVT, DABT. Pet proofing helps. Safety checks of homes and garages needs to be done every year to remain pet friendly. Schmid recommends veterinary professionals let clients know where they can find reliable information, like the poisons list … [Read more...]
Balancing performance and compassion
In a recent worldwide survey of 300 senior business leaders across industries ranging from hospitality to automotive to biotech, 61 percent reported they’re struggling to balance employees’ need for support with their company’s drive for high performance. Source: Harvard Business Review, February 16, 2022. Link. Leaders need to find out what employees really care about … [Read more...]
Gen Z wants this more than flexibility at work
There are four generations in the workplace and each has its own idea of the ideal job situation; winning the lottery aside of course. Ryan Jenkins discusses the generational dynamics of the last two or more years, and that virtual work may not be the best option for Gen Z. They ranked four items higher than remote work and three of them are in-person activities. Source: … [Read more...]
2022 CAPC annual pet parasite forecast
Confirming many concerns about disease discovery in new areas, CAPC says ticks and mosquitoes remain the principal transmitters of pet and human vector-borne diseases. The 2022 CAPC forecast warns that vector-borne diseases will all pose higher-than-average risks across much of the country this year. CAPC’s 30-day Pet Parasite Forecast Maps complement the annual forecast and … [Read more...]
CVPM turns 30
This year, the Certified Veterinary Practice Manager program marks 30 years of credentialing the knowledge and experience of veterinary management professionals. Congratulations to the original visionaries, the VHMA and all those who went the extra mile to advance the business side of veterinary medicine. In the three decades since this program was created, the CVPM credential … [Read more...]
Worth a Glance – March 3, 2021
Last week’s most read post Alert! Highly pathogenic avian influenza now identified in 13 states and counting. Link. Last week’s AHD Bulletin Animal Health Digest Bulletin, Thursday, February 24, 2022. Link. =================================== Fake meat is bleeding money Source: PORK, February 23, 2022. Link. “Beyond Meat has been lauded as a disruptor … [Read more...]
Adding value to heifer calves
Black and white is tough to beat when it comes to logic and commercial cattle, writes Wes Ishmael. He shares how Hereford bulls build and fill increasing demand for black baldy replacements in cow/calf herds and the benefits producers are realizing from crossbreeding. Most are buying baldy females because they wean heavier calves, have a nicer disposition and because … [Read more...]
Listeriosis often found in silage fed in winter
Listeriosis is caused by the bacteria Listeria monocytogenes. The bacteria is present everywhere in the environment and survives well in moist soil for about one year. In domestic animals the disease is most important in ruminants and most seen during winter months when they are being fed silage. As winter conditions persist, cattle producers often find themselves scraping … [Read more...]
New report: drivers of U.S. dairy productivity and efficiency
Dairy veterinary teams, marketing personnel and sales representatives servicing dairy producers understand some of the national trends causing consolidation of dairy operations into larger and fewer farms. Still, milk production for the domestic market continues to increase steadily. A new report by Eric Njuki with USDA’s Economic Research Service presents the substantial … [Read more...]
3 Ways telemedicine improves veterinary care for livestock
Opinion It is no secret livestock owners, farmers and ranchers have challenges accessing qualified veterinary care. The Veterinary Feed Directive put added requirements on available food animal veterinarians. Many equine and livestock veterinarians have used the telephone effectively for years. Now, new digital tools offer potentially more efficiency and effectiveness for … [Read more...]
FAQ: California EHV-1 Outbreak
Despite prevention efforts, disease outbreaks occur. The transfer of animals across geographies and in and out of facilities adds to the risks, regardless of compliance to protocols. Competitive horse events frequently mix horses from a variety of origins. Eighteen horses have been confirmed positive for EHV-1 in southern California’s Riverside County. Some of these horses … [Read more...]
Dr Jen the Vet talks rabies, ticks and horses for THJ Season 2 premiere
The Horsemanship Journey is a monthly video series that streams on demand through the THJ website. Launched in 2021, a new episode is released each month. Episodes are about one hour long and are advertising free. Every episode has 3 parts: Part 1 features an amazing story about horses and people. Part 2 is the informational segment with top equine professionals and … [Read more...]
Study predicts marijuana toxicity will overtake chocolate toxicity by 2023
BluePearl recently released its 2021 Pet Health Trends Report. One key takeaway from it is that marijuana toxicity cases have quickly risen to be the second leading cause of animal toxicity, behind chocolate. Marijuana toxicity cases remain constant as more states move toward legalization and/or decriminalization. We have a responsibility to utilize our medical data for the … [Read more...]
Bite inhibition matters
Though using their mouths on our hands, arms, legs, hair and clothes is natural behavior for dogs, they must learn to interact in ways that are appropriate in our world. Karen B. London, PhD The degree to which dogs learn not to use the full force of their mouths on people and other dogs is called “bite inhibition,” and it is the most important part of a dog’s … [Read more...]
Benefits of multi-cat households hard to prove
Conducting an appraisal of published literature, researchers sought to assess evidence of the impact of cat group size on cat well-being in domestic homes. The appraisal results highlight the complex, multifactorial relationships between cat well-being and various social and environmental factors. These may be as important than the numbers of cats living in a … [Read more...]
Special days coming in March
Savvy animal health pros will find reasons to conduct outreach, have themes in house or start conversations using one of these featured day or week designations. Source: National Today. Link Here’s what we found for the first part of March 2022. National If Pets Had Thumbs Day – March 3, 2022 National Professional Pet Sitters Week – March 6-12, 2022 National K9 … [Read more...]