Millennials with pets finding challenges, Chewy opening physical spaces, industry experts seeking more oversight of pet food, FabFitFun acquires PetCo’s PupBox, Veterinary surgeon appeals to breeders of brachycephalic dogs and more . . . Source: IBPSA Fast Bites, April 1, 2024. Link. Adam Christman, DVM, MBA has been selected as the keynote speaker for the 2024 IBPSA Flow … [Read more...]
Results from workforce needs and gaps survey
U.S. employers report challenges in finding suitable job candidates with work-ready skills to fill open roles, according to an AgCareers.com survey. Problem-solving and decision-making were identified as the areas with the most significant gaps for current employees and new graduate hires. Organization and planning skills, as well as teamwork, were also identified as … [Read more...]
Responding to an unfair job review
It happens. Sometimes we get an employment review that seems unfair. Johnny C. Taylor Jr., shares how to respond. He says to start by reviewing your company’s handbook or HR policies to see if there’s a procedure for employees to review their performance appraisals and provide feedback. Source: USA Today, March 29, 2024. Link. During the meeting stay focused on finding … [Read more...]
Finding joy
Kids are uniquely good at living in the present, being curious and making the most of their surroundings. They look for reasons to do things while many adults often look for reasons not to act. Source: AXIOS, March 19, 2024. Link. Our kids’ unique skills can help us solve problems and find happiness even as adults.” INSIGHTS: Be curious. … [Read more...]
Let’s stop calling them soft skills. They’re interpersonal skills. Leadership skills.
American author and former dot com business executive Seth Godin, says organizations pay less attention to soft skills when hiring because we’ve persuaded ourselves that vocational skills are impersonal and easier to measure. He asserts we stop referring to soft skills and use real skills instead. Godin says real skills can’t replace vocational skills but what they can do is … [Read more...]
Lines between retail stores and veterinary practices becoming more blurry
Gathering comments from several brands, Kathleen Sturgeon shares perspectives on the impact of new big-box retailers entering the veterinary services market. Source: Pet Business, April 2024. Link. … [Read more...]
Tips for building strong rapport with customers
Rapport goes beyond routine customer service; it’s about making a genuine connection with the person you’re helping, by showing interest and understanding their needs. Source: CSM, March 2024. Link. Good rapport is not just about resolving the immediate issue at hand . . . with patience, attentiveness, and sincerity, you can turn even challenging service interactions into … [Read more...]
Humans pass more viruses to animals than we catch from them
In a paper published in Nature Ecology & Evolution, researchers reported that roughly twice as many host jumps were inferred to be from humans to other animals, anthroponotic, rather than the other way around. Anthroponosis is the opposite of zoonoses. The pattern was consistent throughout most viral families considered. They also found even more animal-to-animal host … [Read more...]
Teacup Javelinas and Wyoming’s first kangaroo release top April Fools’ Day spoofs
Maybe because it followed a weekend, this year’s April Fools’ Day brought out the jokers. Of the dozens of spoofs we received these two took our top honors. Sources: Teacup Javelinas, Texas’ adorable and feisty new trend, Texas Monthly. Link. First 90 Kangaroos released in Wyoming, BUCKRAIL. Link. … [Read more...]
Horse remains found near Buckingham Palace reveal birthplace of jousting steeds
An analysis of dozens of medieval horses buried in an open field between the Thames River and Westminster Abbey reveals a far-flung European horse trading network according to research reported in Science Advances. Procuring high-quality horses for labor, war, travel and tournaments was of paramount importance in the Middle Ages. The forensic study revealed that half of the … [Read more...]
Worth a Glance – March 28, 2024
Last week’s AHD Bulletin – Animal Health Digest Bulletin, March 21, 2024. Link. Most read post(s) from the March 21st AHD Bulletin – AAFP updates position statements on the responsible breeding and indoor/outdoor lifestyle of cats. Link. Silent communication. Link. No excuses to skip prevention with cash cattle markets nearing historic highs. Link. … [Read more...]
AAHA’s free webinar schedule for 2-Q-2024
AAHA Learning is providing free access to these courses for animal health pros. RACE continuing education credits are available with registration. Membership is not required. Feline diabetes and choosing SGLT2 inhibitors: May 27th recording may be available Fostering cultural competency in veterinary medicine Stay, please: The path to improved retention in veterinary … [Read more...]
Covetrus® adds next-generation, online prescription management solution to VetSuite
According to a recent Covetrus study, practices can double revenue and profitability by offering clients the convenience of in-clinic plus online pharmacies. This capability is important as consumers increasingly expect convenient ways to buy pet medicines and products. Covetrus vRxPro™ represents an evolution of the company’s current prescription management offering. It is … [Read more...]
ACVIM, MentorVet and Chewy Health to launch mentorship program for new diplomats
MentorVet Lead is the result of collaboration between The American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine, Chewy Health and MentorVet, an organization that uses evidence-based approaches to empower veterinary professionals. Source: BusinessWire, March 25, 2024. Link. The program is tailored to meet the specific needs of new ACVIM Diplomates and was initially developed to … [Read more...]
Claws and effect: MARS research on global pet homelessness
Commercial Content Loïc Moutault, global president, MARS Petcare, shares discoveries from the State of Pet Homelessness Project which yielded common themes that may contribute to this problem. These include housing limitations, owners struggling with pet behavior, difficulties in accessing veterinary care and negative perceptions of strays. Keeping pets in homes is the … [Read more...]
ABC Intelligence launches next-generation market intelligence platform
ABC is introducing MarketGenus, a next-generation market intelligence platform into its VetGenus suite of products. MarketGenus matches products and services to patients that would benefit most from the product and service offerings is enabled by ABC’s proprietary DataGenus technology. Source: ABC Intelligence, March 25, 2024. Link. MarketGenus, can be used in the … [Read more...]
Properly prepared beef is safe to eat; HPAI is not a food safety threat
“According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and USDA food safety experts, properly prepared beef is safe to eat,” said Meat Institute’s Julie Anna Potts. Source: Drovers, March 25, 2024. Link. HPAI cannot be transmitted to humans by eating <properly prepared> meat or poultry products.” … [Read more...]
HPAI confirmed in Texas, Kansas dairy cows
Unpasteurized, clinical samples of milk from sick cattle collected from two dairy farms in Kansas and one in Texas, as well as an oropharyngeal swab from another dairy in Texas, have tested positive for a strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza. The USDA said that affected dairy cows do not appear to be transmitting the virus to other cattle within the same herd. Source: … [Read more...]
The anti-meat discussion returns to rapid emissions reduction
Commentary The next big climate deadline is for meat and dairy, writes Kenny Torella sharing information from the December 2023 United Nations Climate Change conference. He quotes Harvard’s Helen Harwatt who says, “We need to see major changes in livestock production and consumption . . . really deep and rapid changes over the next decade.” Beyond the obvious reduction in … [Read more...]
Poll: Reading horse feed tags
A recent poll asked readers about their confidence when reading and interpreting the nutritional information on a horse feed tag. While only 221 persons participated, about 26 percent indicated they were not very confident or not at all confident. A majority of 42.5 percent said they were somewhat confident. The article reminded us of Austin Davis’ article on demystifying … [Read more...]
Study: Even a short round of common antibiotics can change the equine gut microbiome
A new study from the Gluck Equine Research Center at the University of Kentucky showed the effect of antimicrobials on equine gut microbes. The study begins addressing the growing recognition of the susceptibility of the equine gut microbiota to antibiotic-induced disturbances, which can lead to adverse, and occasionally severe, consequences. Source: Equine Science Update, … [Read more...]
A majority of horse owners feel some sort of anxiety about horse expenditures
A Synchrony/Care Credit study published in April 2023 estimated the lifetime cost of horse ownership ranges from $300,000 to $924,000 <Link>. The lifetime costs of owning a horse can be four times higher than expected <Link> and calculating costs can be complicated. Pat Raia shared ways to budget and learn about the cost of owning a horse in August 2023 … [Read more...]
A closer look into cryptococcal fungal infections in pets
Cryptococcal fungi are most naturally found in warm and humid environments, particularly where soil, decaying organic material, such as wood, leaf litter, compost and bird droppings are present. Dogs and cats can develop serious, even life-threatening, cryptococcal infections when they inhale the spores of the fungi, writes Sara Lawhon, DVM, PhD, DACVM. Infections are more … [Read more...]
To crate or not? It’s complicated.
Dogs aren’t wired to instinctively love their crates. Kelly Conaboy shares advice from experts about helping them adjust and why some never will. Source: The Washington Post, March 20, 2024. Link. “<Crate> benefits are contingent on the crate being introduced correctly, and whether the dog truly feels calm and comfortable when inside.” - Kate Anderson, DVM, … [Read more...]
Ernie Ward, DVM, talks pet obesity and prevention
The increasing number of overweight and obese pets is far more complex than people offering too much table food and the effects on life quality, longevity and health. Ernie Ward, president of The Association for Pet Obesity Prevention, and Steve Dale, program host, discuss treating obesity as a disease, spay/neuter timing and the efforts addressing body conditioning. The … [Read more...]
New pet products earn top honors at Global Pet Expo
Global Pet Expo’s Best in Show awards were awarded across 13 product categories, including aquatic, bird, boutique, cat, dog, dog food/treats, natural, reptile, small animal, pet sustainability, pet tech innovation, point of purchase and the modern pet. Source: Pet Product News, March 2024. Link. … [Read more...]
Emerging cicadas shouldn’t be a problem for most pets
Billions of cicadas from two broods will emerge from the ground weeks after the April total solar eclipse across large swaths of the U.S. Chances are good pets will run into the bugs. It will be the first time in 221 years that both broods are above ground simultaneously. The AVMA’s Rena Carlson, DVM, addressed potential pet concerns with the likely cicada … [Read more...]
9 types of difficult colleagues, how to handle them
It takes extra effort to deal with the dynamics of situations involving difficult people. Sharing nine types of difficult colleagues or clients, Nick Robinson explains simple, direct strategies to deal with them. Among them were these three: The worrier The dark strategist The people pleaser Source: Fast Company, March 20, 2024. Link. “The best way to deal with a … [Read more...]
Practicing with care for the emotional well-being of animals
Slick floors, padding for exam tables and seeing posters from an animal’s perspective were among topics when Temple Grandin, PhD, MS and Fear Free’s Marty Becker, DVM addressed Fetch dvm360 conference attendees recently. Not everyone gets to attend these events, so we’re sharing an overview from Kristen Coppock, MA. Source: DVM 360, March 17, 2024. Link. “Creating and … [Read more...]
5 key pet industry trends to watch from 2024 to 2028
Sharing takeaways from an in-depth Packaged Facts webinar titled, “US Pet Market Outlook 2024: Opportunities in a Mixed Growth Landscape, Sarah Schmidt offers a summary of key trends: Impact of inflation on pet owner spending Economic challenges facing younger pet owners Shift to lower-cost products and services Decline in the dog population Continued pet … [Read more...]