Alice Robb writes the humans’ relationship with cats is rife with paradox. There are an estimated 100 million pet cats in the U.S. and their ranks are growing. Cat culture flourishes online. The cat-less can get their fix at cat cafés opening across Asia, Europe and North America. The article features a Q & A session with journalist Abigail Tucker, author of The Lion in … [Read more...]
Top 5 feline genetic diseases
Genetic diseases should be recognized in practice because they must be treated as chronic illnesses — not episodic diseases. Source: Clinician’s Brief, December 2016. Insurance claims and centralized hospital databases monitor the most frequent disease presentations, which helps veterinarians understand the most frequent genetic diseases. The most frequent conditions are … [Read more...]
Bigger is not better
Larger dairy cows don’t necessarily mean they will feed efficiently. Size and yield in dairy cows are not genetically correlated, says Lou Armentano, a University of Wisconsin dairy nutritionist. Source: Dairy Herd Management, December 8, 2016. But we are currently selecting for big cows, reducing positive [genetic] pressure on yield while selecting against feed efficiency. … [Read more...]
Quick-hitting thoughts from Drs. Blach and Clark
Dr. Blach shares intriguing thoughts on veterinarian accessibility in Don’t hide from your clients and reminds practice owners to fund education for staff in Educate your heavy lifters. Dr. Clark warns against some of the risks of year-end inventory deals in Year End “distributor or manufacturer buying” unintended consequences reminder. Source: Is My Practice Healthy?, … [Read more...]
Verify clostridia before implementing prevention strategies
Sheila McGuirk, University of Wisconsin emeritus professor of veterinary medicine discussed clostridial disease during a recent Dairy Girl Network winter calf webinar. She explained that clostridial disease in calves almost always is caused by an overgrowth of Clostridium perfringens. She said calves sometimes die even before they develop diarrhea. If diarrhea does break, it … [Read more...]
Pets help people manage mental illness
Anyone who owns a pet knows how it can help us weather rough times. This may be even more so for those with serious mental illness. A United Kingdom study found that some people with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder say pets help them manage their condition more than anything else. The study was published December 9 in the journal BMC Psychiatry. Source: NPR Shots, December … [Read more...]
Male champions foster gender parity, increased profitability
Though women make up 51.5 percent of all managers, fewer of them than men rise to the executive level. According to the Harvard Business Review, having a male sponsor helps level the playing field for women. These male champions have learned that gender inclusiveness means both men and women should advance women’s leadership. Plus, gender parity is associated with improved … [Read more...]
The agony of defeat
Nobody bats 1.000%. Nobody wins 162 games in a season. Every MLB team will win 54 games and lose 54 games. Champions are determined by how they play the other 54 games. In business, how you deal with your defeats will ultimately determine your level of success. Source: The Nice Guy Blog, June 15, 2015. If passion drives you, you will stay in the game as long as it takes to … [Read more...]
Malware got his hospital data. He fought back.
Veterinarian Phillips Raclyn is a hospital owner and self-described computer geek. His crew had backup after backup after backup. Then the thinkable happened. His system was hacked with ransomware. From individual machines, all the way to backups, including the external hard drive, every file had been encrypted. Fortunately, Raclyn was allowed to pay a negotiated ransom and got … [Read more...]
Blood test basics video
One of my best veterinary hospital experiences included the use of an educational video. In an AVMA video, Dr. Joyce Ashamalla covers the basics of why blood tests are needed and what they help find. Source: AVMA SmartBrief, December 1, 2016. … [Read more...]
Talk about feline heartworm limited
Veterinary technicians don’t talk about preventive care as much as they could, says Ciera Miller, CVT, VTS. Feline heartworm has been diagnosed in all 50 states. It was important enough that the American Association of Feline Practitioners crafted an entire campaign about it. But reluctance remains strong. Source: Vetted, November 22, 2016. Many veterinary staff members are … [Read more...]
2.6 million goats have special needs
Goats have special nutrition and care needs, according to Purina scientists. Two of them from the company’s St. Louis, Missouri, research farm recently shared information about goat nutrition. Others shared insight about youngstock, production costs, organic trace minerals and financial tools during a Clarissa, Minnesota, goat workshop. We’re sharing this information because … [Read more...]
Dr. Little talks disruption
Your AHD team enjoys sharing Dr. Adam Little’s Exponential Vet posts. His focus about disruptive technologies and their impact on the future of veterinary medicine continues. He expresses concerns about the lack of flexibility in the veterinary hospital model. Source: Veterinary Advantage, November Digital, 2016, page 16. Practices need to be able to adapt and that requires … [Read more...]
B2B buyers want more than a discount
The mindset of B2C black Friday deals is pervasive. “This culture of cheap mindset also impacts the B2B world,” says Paul Reilly. “Buyers no longer request discounts, they demand them.” This culture-of-cheap mentality can make animal health pros believe they have little to no pricing control. They may believe that discounts are required to please customers. Source: … [Read more...]
The cost of convenience euthanasia
Your behavior could be costing you on many levels, writes Portia Stewart, editor of Vetted. About 10 percent of pet owners who relinquish their pets say it's because of behavior issues. Consider that 7.6 million pets end up in shelters each year and 2.7 million are euthanized, behavior is a high risk factor that can disrupt the human-animal bond. Source: Vetted, December 1, … [Read more...]
House soiling in senior pets
It is easy to assign “my pet’s showing his age” to soiling by a senior pet. But there are reasons beyond a break-down in the animal’s training. Adam Rudinsky, DVM, MS, DACVIM, reviews the top five reasons for fecal house soiling in senior pets: Behavioral disorders Colorectal and anorectal diseases Osteoarthritis Structural disease Neurological … [Read more...]
13 things the mentally strong DON’T do
Whether applying to your personal, volunteer or professional life, Amy Morin’s list of things not-to-do can help us unlock our full potential. She says, “…letting go of the bad habits helps you work smarter, not harder.” Source: Veterinary Practice News, December 2016, page 33. We all have the ability to build up our mental toughness. Here are 13 things mentally tough … [Read more...]
Call groups help after-hours conundrum
Employees today don't want to work as many hours as they used to, points out Kyle Palmer, CVT. He thoughtfully discusses a call-group solution to after-hours service requests in equine practices. Source: DVM 360, October 11, 2016. Equine practitioners are stuck with whatever comes their way: colic, dystocia, traumatic injury and more. They’re often knee-deep in disaster … [Read more...]
Direct talk about discounts
Hilal Dogan, BVSc, doesn’t mince words. She calls for veterinarians to let their charges reflect their real value and quit discounting to receive warm fuzzies. Her approach and reasoning is direct and hits hard at self-worth. Source: Vetted, November 9, 2016. As a young new vet coming into this working world, I still have respect for the way things were done and greatly … [Read more...]
New I-9 form required for all employees
A new Form I-9, Employee Information and Verification, is now available, according to the Society for Human Resource Management. It is required by law for employees to work in the United States. A new version of that form hopes to make this process more straightforward for practice owners and managers. Practices have until Jan. 21, 2017 to start using the new form. Previous … [Read more...]
Holiday pet safety tips
Marianne Lipanovich writes about the risks of holiday changes to pets in this article for pet owners. She reminds readers about the chewable risks and the effect of confusing human activities and guests that can stir up pets. Animal health pros can use this content in blogs, websites and newsletter ahead of the upcoming holiday celebrations in December. Source: The Bark, … [Read more...]
BQA injection guidelines reviewed
As the cattle industry scurries to get the paper trails in place for the upcoming VFD requirements, it is a good time to review the importance of proper injection site practices for vaccines, vitamins, minerals, injectable antibiotics and NSAIDs. This article will make good content for blogs, newsletters and websites. Source: Beef, November 2016. Be systematic about how you … [Read more...]
Build off-leash skills in dogs
Most dog owners would love to go leash-free when taking out their dogs. However, there is no way to guarantee the safety of a dog off-leash. Skills presented here can improve on the human-animal bond and reduce risk should a dog get loose. Source: Whole Dog Daily, November 13, 2016. Mardi Richmond from Santa Cruz, California offers tips and perspectives about off-leash … [Read more...]
14 new beef industry products to consider
Veterinarians, retail associates and sales representatives may find one of these new products worthy of sharing with producers rather than talking about the weather or election results. Source: Beef, October 27, 2016. Innovation drives the beef industry. Here are 14 new products to keep on your radar this fall. … [Read more...]
New End-of-Life Care Guidelines
AAHA teamed up with the International Association for Animal Hospice and Palliative Care (IAAHPC) to create the 2016 AAHA/IAAHPC End-of-Life Care Guidelines. A first for the veterinary profession, these groundbreaking guidelines provide practice teams with the framework and tools to develop a comprehensive, collaborative, end-of-life plan and better recognize the needs of … [Read more...]
Get Smart About Antibiotics Week
Four educational programs are available on VetFolio during the November 14-20, 2016 antibiotics week. An annual one-week observance promoted by the Centers for Disease Control, the objective is to raise awareness of the threat of antibiotic resistance and the importance of appropriate antibiotic prescribing and use. Source: VetFolio, November 12, 2016. Learn more about the … [Read more...]
New canine blood bank to serve DFW metroplex
When dogs undergo surgery or get hurt in accidents, they sometimes need emergency transfusions. Canine Blood Heroes is opening its first Texas location. It will operate from the Animal Emergency Hospital of North Texas in Grapevine. Once stocked, the facility will serve animal hospitals in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Source: pressreader, November 12, 2016 and Dallas Morning … [Read more...]
Editorial – Assemble a top-notch crash cart
Maybe I spent too long in marketing, sales and sales leadership. For any distributor representative, this article provides an awesome opportunity to have a targeted discussion about being prepared with veterinary hospital team members. Source: Veterinary Team Brief, August 2016. Preparation is key to performing well in any emergency situation, and nowhere is preparation … [Read more...]
Rising shipping costs coming
FTR, a transportation forecasting firm, believes that shipping rates will increase soon as available capacity will be negatively impacted by economic conditions while a new regulatory drag will affect the trucking industry in 2017. The firm predicts that current wave of new regulations will last at least through 2019, which could see the Shippers Conditions Index drop to new … [Read more...]
Vetted looks at tomorrow’s vet med
See the futurist views of veterinary industry specialists in these areas: The topic of cancer Critical care on another level A retrospective on the fantastic fate of feline medicine Dentistry The prominence of public health A vital future, with one caveat – student debt vs. salary potential Destiny of dermatology Source: Vetted, October 14, 2016. Stop … [Read more...]