Commentary The time spent by doctors looking at computer screens rather than making eye contact with patients is the subject of this study. For veterinary professionals, the results are worth considering. Source: Science Direct, July 2022. Link. Patients respond differently to various types of gaze shifts. How physicians handle gaze shifts can therefore have different … [Read more...]
If humans acted like #dogs at the vet
When was the last time you had a good belly shaking, tear-jerking, snot-producing laugh? Today might be the day. Dare ya! And just for fun, sidle up to a colleague and share it! Source: Idaho Animal Rescue Network, Facebook, April 18, 2023. Link. Credit: https://www.tiktok.com/@watreallyhappensatthevet … [Read more...]
Worth a Glance – April 27, 2023
Last week’s AHD Bulletin – Animal Health Digest Bulletin, April 20th, 2023. Link. Most read post(s) from April 20th AHD Bulletin – Enhancing your customers’ experiences. Link. Place keeper: 2023 Veterinary Conferences provided by Galaxy Vets. Link. Study says U.S. unprepared for dangers posed by zoonotic diseases Source: Vet Candy, February 13, 2023. … [Read more...]
2023 CATTLE U event moves to Manhattan, KS
If you service cattle producers in the 300-mile radius of Manhattan, Kansas ,this is an opportunity for them to listen to industry experts and network with other producers. High Plains Journal's CATTLE U is a free, educational event now in its fifth year. It will take place at the Hilton Garden Inn in Manhattan, Kansas, on July 11th. The event includes a full day of … [Read more...]
Ramey: Which vaccinations are worth a shot for your horse?
Don't fall for all of the negative stuff that some people say about vaccines, says David Ramey, DVM. They aren't 100 percent effective at preventing disease, but they don't cause widespread harm, either. There are a lot of dopey things said about vaccines. Ramey shares information about individual vaccines and how likely they are to prevent the disease they are supposed to … [Read more...]
Advances in equine infectious disease detection
Commentary Articles like this help set the expectations horse owners have of their veterinarians. For practices that derive 10 or more percent of their income from horse clients, sharing this article and discussing aspects of testing, vaccination and prevention needs to be considered with annual exams or visits. Proactive discussions lead to better prepared horse owners, … [Read more...]
Administering clindamycin
Tips like this are good reminders for new associate DVMs, technicians and for representatives to share. Source: Clinician’s Brief, April 17, 2023. Link. … [Read more...]
Positive Pet Care Guide seeks to define, strengthen the veterinary team-client partnership
Commentary Setting expectations for team members and animal owners is basic to positive experiences and better animal health. The tenets of this new guide are relevant and appropriate for this period in our animal health industry. The key will be for veterinary teams of alll species to adopt and sustain the discussion of expectations internally and externally with animal … [Read more...]
Fowl Play: veterinarians talk biosecurity and backyard chickens
Complimentary Sponsored Content Attention animal health pros! Consider investing an hour of your time to learn from this timely discussion. Karen Grogan, DVM, MAM, ACPV, joins the Chatfields for an informative and realistic discussion of backyard chickens, biosecurity and the threat of high path avian influenza. After you’ve held them and they’re cute please go wash your … [Read more...]
11 everyday habits that put dogs in danger
Includes Sponsored Content Pet owners often do things that can be harmful to their pets, writes Diana Kelly Levey. She identifies smoking around them, errors in bathing and nail trim, overfeeding and poor oral care as potentially harmful. Source: Reader’s Digest, July 27, 2021. Link. INSIGHTS: The Addison Biological Laboratory's MAXI/GUARD® family of oral care wipes, … [Read more...]
IBPSA Fast Bites – April 17, 2023
Influencer dogs with their own LLC, pet food label modernization, creating an inbound marketing strategy, affiliate marketing in pet industry, pet parents grappling with pet expenses and more . . . Source: IBPSA Fast Bites, April 17, 2023. Link. … [Read more...]
Morning routines that improve productivity
A good morning routine can make a positive difference in your days. It provices structure, stability and improves focus on the most important tasks. Taking the time each morning to do things that help nourish the body, clear your mind, and make progress on goals can create a productive routine that sets you up to have an efficient day. Source: The Outdoor Wear, March 17, … [Read more...]
Enhancing your customers’ experiences
Customer experience is a key strategy for companies to differentiate their products and services from close competitors. Source: ASCM, October 2022. Link. Customer experience passion must be part of company culture, meaning that employees should never be satisfied with what they are doing for customers today. INSIGHTS: First, someone needs to own the customer experience. … [Read more...]
NAVC seeks input on veterinary community issues needing advocacy
Veterinarian voices matter! NAVC’s Embrace, a grassroots advocacy initiative, zeroes in on issues that are important to the profession and the pet community and enables veterinary professionals to know and provide input on issues important to the profession. Source: Today’s Veterinary Practice, April 14, 2023. Link. Visit navc.com/embrace to sign up to receive advocacy … [Read more...]
Burnout at work isn’t just about exhaustion. It is also about loneliness.
Months before the pandemic and Galaxy Vet’s insightful investigations into our industry’s burnout, Emma Seppälä and Marissa King wrote about burnout and the accompanying loneliness felt by those dealing with individual challenges. Source: Harvard Business Review, June 29, 2017. Link. Burnout’s link to loneliness suggests that greater human connection at work may also be key … [Read more...]
Pause to say, “Good Job” to veterinary teams
Commentary – Complimentary Content While already into 2-Q-2023, the most recent Vet Watch Monthly Insight report shows veterinary teams have stayed the course to meet the demands of pet owners and rebalance some of the previous negative trends. Vet Watch numbers remain consistent down to a regional level. Individual practices are advised to look at their own practice results … [Read more...]
How to ask customers for online reviews
Asking for an online review just after the service or purchase is usually the best time, writes Austin Andrukaitis. He says the review process should be an integral part of your brand experience to help reinforce customer relationships, build brand loyalty and encourage people to tell others about your brand. Over 93 percent of consumers use online reviews to help make … [Read more...]
Why Americans care about work so much
Commentary Derek Thompson challenges us to consider the importance of work and how we got there. Currently, he says the history of work takes only six words: from jobs to careers to callings. It’s what comes next that intrigues him, including anticipating the fourth revolution in work. Today, work and workism are facing a double-barreled revolution—the remote-work … [Read more...]
Interest in miniature cattle continues to surge
Demand for miniature cattle is strong. They are the result of generations of selective breeding and choosing selected genetics to reduce size, while promoting the best breed qualities, conformation and temperament. They are 1⁄2 to 1⁄3 the size of full-size cattle and require less space than regular-size cattle. Two or three miniatures can be kept in an area normally required … [Read more...]
Do opossum feces guarantee EPM transmission?
Equine protozoal myeloencephalitiscan can spread to horses who eat hay, feed or drink water that is contaminated with opossum feces. EPM is a rare disease. Studies suggest that about one third of opossums are infected in Missouri compared to one tenth of opossums infected in Michigan. Not every horse that eats contaminated feed develops EPM and not every opossum is infected … [Read more...]
Animal slaughter is not the same as suffering
Maddy Butcher, author of “Beasts of Being: Partnerships Unburdened” and director of The Best Horse Practice Summit, wrote an opinion column that equine enthusiasts will appreciate. She also shares the realities of owning all kinds of animals. She wishes people with strong feelings about horse slaughter understood farm animals’ lives better, from birth to death. With no horse … [Read more...]
Dewclaws. Leave ‘em or remove ‘em?
Eileen Fatcheric, DVM, says the best answer to the dewclaw question is, “sometimes.” She shares the anatomy, pros, cons and the general opinions of breeders and dog owners based on the activities the dog will be expected to perform. Source: Whole Dog Journal, February 1, 2023. Link. All dogs are born with front dewclaws while hind dewclaws are absent in most dogs. The … [Read more...]
Keep the cat, manage the allergens
Cats are thought to be the third most common cause of indoor allergies, yet over 80 percent of cat owners ignore advice to give up their cat to help manage allergies. So, animal health pros often get questioned about reducing allergens, albeit not that directly. This article explains allergen sources and several ways to reduce their effect on the cat owner and family. Note … [Read more...]
Vector-borne disease screening critical to pet health
To help veterinarians stay ahead of the curve and provide the best care to their patients, this article explores why comprehensive screening is critical to pet health. It includes key insights into a lesser-known tick-borne disease that has become more frequently detected than Lyme. “Anaplasma is becoming the most common vector-borne infection they’re seeing dogs are exposed … [Read more...]
Vet pharmacist. Marijuana intoxication in dogs (video).
Complimentary Content Marijuana intoxication in dogs doesn’t make them high, it makes them incredibly ill. Keep all of those products up and out of the reach of our favorite pets.” – Elaine Blythe, Source: Veterinary Pharmacy Education, Instagram, April 10, 2023. Link. (2:00) Also available on Facebook. Link. Marijuana is toxic to dogs, cats and horses. There is no antidote … [Read more...]
Professional Animal Care Certification
Commentary There’s no doubt animal training improves care and stewardship while helping to increase the quality of life for our pets. It seems every week we see another person or organization launching some level of training. While imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, duplication has its own challenges. Third-party training is available for pet care personnel … [Read more...]
Certified Veterinary Assistant Program summer session starts May 15
For some interested in working in veterinary medicine there is a stigma around the education requirements to become a veterinary technician or veterinarian. The Certified Veterinary Assistant Program is an excellent way for such a person to get started intentionally with entry level skills that benefit the practice and confirm the interests of the student. The Certified … [Read more...]
IBPSA Fast Bites – April 10, 2023
2022 pet industry sales and trends, pet industry’s hottest small businesses, trends from the 2023 Global Pet Expo, Apple Pay support for small business, compliance to laws and regulations while bootstrapping, elevating small business appeal and more . . . Source: IBPSA Fast Bites – April 10, 2023. Link. … [Read more...]
Suicide attempt survivor writes “How Not to Kill Yourself”
Clancy Martin tried dying by suicide more than a dozen times. Using what he learned from those attempts, the philosophy professor with the University of Missouri-Kansas City wrote a new book, How Not to Kill Yourself, A Portrait of the Suicidal Mind. It can be helpful for anyone, but given the high rate of suicide in the veterinary profession, the book can be a lifesaver for … [Read more...]
A 2-minute burn out check up
Burnout is the result of chronic stress and, at work, that stress tends to accumulate around your experiences of workload, values, reward, control, fairness and community. Chris Bailey’s short assessment can help you gauge whether you’re on the path to burnout, and where you should focus your attention to make beneficial changes. Source: Harvard Business Review, April 9, … [Read more...]