“The microbiome is a collection of different microorganisms that we find in the intestinal tract of animals, and we know these microorganisms are essential to immune development,” says Christopher Chase, DVM. “Understanding how they interact with the gut, and particularly the epithelium of the gut, is really important.” In the last decade, research has shown the epithelial … [Read more...]
Goats are cute, but they aren’t easy pets
Brian Barth wonders if 2019 will be the year that goats join dogs, cats and parrots in the pantheon of animals that have gone from wild to domesticated. Barbara Jamison, owner of Puget Sound Goat Rescue, shares goat husbandry requirements about this farm animal trying to become a pet. They include: Most importantly, you must adopt at least two. Herd animals are profoundly … [Read more...]
Watch out for snakes! For you and Fido.
It is that time of year for exciting hikes and nature walks, but remember to watch for snakes. The number-one rule for hiking is for us and our dogs to stay on the trail, experts say. The snakes are waiting in the high grass where they’re harder to see. Rock climbers need to watch where they put their hands, too. Source: NPR Shots, May 12, 2019. Link. Like humans, dogs are … [Read more...]
Promote pet chipping this month
May is National Chip Your Pet Month and an excellent time to turn up attention to the benefits of placing microchips in pets. Once pets are chipped and registered in a national pet recovery database, services like the AAHA Universal Pet Microchip Lookup Tool < link > can reference the chip against hundreds of registries’ databases. Pets with microchips are up to 20 times … [Read more...]
Poisonous plants for cattle, horses, dogs, cats
Spring brings a flowery green up but, plants toxic t0 our critters may lurk among the blooms. We compiled some resources for cattle, horses, dogs and cats below. Use them on social media and to solve problems with animal owners. Source: Plants toxic to cats, ASPCA. Link. Source: Plants toxic to dogs, ASPCA. Link. Source: Poisonous plants that can kill cattle, BEEF, … [Read more...]
9 mosquito myths debunked
Jason Cameron and Amy Lawhorne tackle myths about mosquitoes and share ways to help protect you and your family. They share the 7 Ts of mosquito control. Tip Toss Turn Remove Tarps Take care Team up Treat Source: diy Network, link. INSIGHTS: This is good information for social media posts, e-newsletters and websites. Consider sharing it with … [Read more...]
Jan Pol, DVM on ‘What I Know Now’
At a young 76 years old, Jan Pol is the star of The Incredible Dr. Pol on Nat Geo Wild. The reality show is the channel’s number-one series and is now in its 14th season. Pol shares what he feels all creatures, even humans, need most. Source: AARP The Magazine, April/May 2019. Link. Nat Geo Wild has always been 100 percent dedicated to animals and the people who love them, … [Read more...]
May is National Arthritis Month; remember pets, too
May is recognized annually as National Arthritis Awareness Month. Arthritis affects more than 50 million Americans, making it the number-one cause of disability in the country. Osteoarthritis is a very common problem in small animals, as well. It has been estimated that around 20 percent of dogs and 40 percent of cats will be affected by osteoarthritis at some point in their … [Read more...]
Coprophagia, pica and the funny eating habits of horses
David Ramey, DVM, offers information about horses’ eating habits and the many things they ingest. In the wild, horses eat in 23 of 24 hours during the day. Eating like a horse, indeed. Source: Horse Network, February 2019. Link. Equine nutritionists . . . have found that horses really only seek out energy, water, salt, and fiber. INSIGHTS: Equine veterinary teams as well as … [Read more...]
Equine rabies often insidious and vague in horses
We often picture unnaturally aggressive skunks, raccoons or dogs foaming at the mouth when we think of rabies. Although it isn’t widely found among horses in the United States, veterinarians diagnose about 40 cases per year. Betsy Greene relates that the potential risk of human exposure from even one infected horse is concerning. Source: The Horse, April 2019. Link. Greene … [Read more...]
Depression among customers hurts us all
Production agriculture can be isolating. This tends to intensify feelings like grief, depression, anger, blame, resentment and a feeling of failure, writes Amanda Radke. She curated a series of articles on mental health issues with farmers and ranchers. Beyond our own issues with high veterinary suicide rates, some of our better customers are also hurting. Mental health issues … [Read more...]
Myths and truths of equine cribbing
Several factors that seem to contribute to acquiring a cribbing habit, says Tina Steward, DVM. Such as: Dietary lack of roughage Diet of sweetened feeds Long periods without feed Emotional and physical stress Genetic, heritable traits Lots of forage and friends are the best management tools for cribbers and cribbing prevention. Source: Dressage Today, … [Read more...]
Parasite education? There’s an APP for that
The Companion Animal Parasite Council (CAPC) has designed an app to help strengthen skills in the microscopic identification of fecal parasites in veterinary clinic settings and for individual study. The Veterinary Internal Parasite Flash Card App < link > includes approximately 100 veterinary internal parasites found in dogs, cats, small mammals, reptiles and … [Read more...]
5 reasons leaders fail
When leadership fails, it is often due to a successful characteristic morphing into its evil twin. Just as with the Force in Star Wars, there is a negative associated with every positive. Don’t let these pitfalls negatively impact your leadership. Source: Inc., February 11, 2013. Link. Leaders fail due to certain social-psychological blinders that inhibit their capacity to … [Read more...]
Time for equine soundness exams
Now is the time to make sure your horse is ready for the rigors of regular work, writes Christine Barakat. When scheduling horses’ spring shots, veterinarians need to schedule some time to evaluate horse soundness and joint health, as well. A soundness exam serves two purposes: it will identify any current soundness issues that need to be managed the exam will provide a … [Read more...]
USDA simplifying vaccine labels
Industry groups have pushed for a single-tiered system since 2002. Similar to the system FDA uses for human vaccines, the single-tiered system makes the approval process more efficient, while still providing producers and veterinarians the information they need to make vaccine decisions. USDA published a final rule in 2015. USDA released guidelines in 2018, and the … [Read more...]
Assessments help you succeed. Get a free one before April 30.
Purpose Unlimited is offering a free assessment to AHD subscribers until April 30. Assessments can help you identify what you need to know about yourself in order to be more successful. When you understand your natural behavior style, what drives your behavior and your level of emotional intelligence, then you can learn how to capitalize on your strengths and overcome your … [Read more...]
Treating Type One and Type Two equine wounds (includes video, photos)
Type One wounds, those that heal by first intention, are those that can be sewn up, says David Ramsey, DVM. Normally after a cut, there’s about six hours to reintroduce the edges of the skin to each other. Type Two wounds are healed by second intention because to close the skin granulation and epithelial, cell bridges must form. In the two articles referenced here, Ramsey … [Read more...]
Opinion – New TV program, Animal ER Live, demonstrates the complexity of veterinary care
The launch of Animal ER Live on Nat Geo WILD is a game-changer for animal owner perceptions of veterinary hospitals, veterinarians and veterinary staff members. Animal ER Live joins current family friendly veterinary programs featured on the network that include Secrets of the Zoo, Dr. K’s Exotic Animal ER, Dr. Oakley, Yukon Vet and the network’s number-1 series, The Incredible … [Read more...]
5 Ps of managing customer experience
Chad Storlie tackles the critical elements of managing customer experiences (CX). CX has come to the forefront in nearly every industry as companies seek to differentiate how they deliver their offerings to customers in a way that is unique to customer needs, fulfilling, immediate, low effort, information personalized, and a service that they would recommend and purchase … [Read more...]
Advancements improve long-term outcomes for navicular syndrome (includes video, fact sheets)
Navicular syndrome is an overly simple name for a complex condition that is most accurately described as podotrochlosis or podotrochleitis, says Tracy Turner, DVM. Veterinarians believe navicular is caused by mechanical stress and strain due to the constant pressure between the navicular bone and DDFT, which leads to the degeneration of those and other structures that make up … [Read more...]
Tick removal resources here in time for tick season (includes videos)
Tick season here. Resources are available to help pet owners deal with tick removal and media will cover this topic as spring lets us get outside with our pets, friends and families. These resources about tick removal work well for social media, in-clinic education and e-newsletters. Source: Pets-WebMD. Video: How to Remove a Tick From Your Pet. Link. Video: How … [Read more...]
Mr. Rodgers is still relevant
Tres Roeder, MBA, grew up watching Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood and says the lessons he learned shaped his attitudes and informed his business life. 2018 marked the 50th anniversary of Fred Rogers’ children’s show, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, which aired from 1968 to 2001. Then, as now, Fred Rogers modeled the best in all of us and reminded everyone of the good and … [Read more...]
Gaming helps employees understand biosecurity risks
Researchers sought to discover how human risk attitude affects the adoption of biosecurity and the ability to control disease spread. Using video games called digital field experiences, a team from the University of Vermont discovered the weakest biosecurity point in swine operations is the personnel. The findings will likely apply to other production scenarios as well as in … [Read more...]
Opinion – Animal well-being IS as people problem
Taking care of animals is more challenging today because we know more about their needs and behaviors. Still, day to day management often falls into the category of chores. It should instead rise to the category of opportunity. With consumer and ecological pressures rising, we’ve been seeing a variety of changes in how we care for animals. Yet, one common denominator to … [Read more...]
Easy equine fitness plan (includes video)
Equine veterinarian Melinda Freckleton, DVM, helps a reader with divided time develop a schedule to exercise her out-of-shape horses. Her guidance is worthy of social media posts and inclusion in e-newsletters. Before you embark on any fitness program, make sure that each of your horses is sound and ready to ride. Is he healthy? Is he shod or trimmed … [Read more...]
Opinion – AVMA shares regional stories
Several regional stories get covered by the AVMA SmartBrief. Cancelled equine events, Lyme disease incidences, infection and parasite prevention and itchy pets all received recent media coverage from local sources. Last week we highlighted two stories published by mainstream media sources: TIME about anti-vaxxers <link> and USA Today about pet obesity … [Read more...]
Data breaches are inevitable – protect yourself
There are some simple ways to protect your personal data that can still be effective, say W. D. Salisbury and Rusty Baldwin. They involve changing how you think about your own information security: specifically, assuming you are a target and thinking defensively about how you can protect yourself. In terms of online data, the most important information to protect is … [Read more...]
Media literacy needed at home and the office
Sarah Gretter makes a solid case for teaching children to watch commercials with their eyes wide open. She backs up her reasoning with study results. Media literacy is being able analyze and evaluate the messages we see in different media platforms. . . . 80 percent of middle school students believed that web ads were real news stories. The same study found that more than 80 … [Read more...]
Learn how to manage the gut
Prebiotics and probiotics are frequent considerations for multimodal therapies in monogastrics, regardless of species It can be difficult to remain objective about their benefits, but the growing body of work indicates that considering the microbiome will become more prevalent in managing disease risk and potential treatments. We gathered several references for … [Read more...]