Bringing a feral, or community cat, into a home involves committing to a gradual socialization process, writes Sally Bahner. It’s important to understand that there’s no guarantee you’ll end up with a cuddly lap cat. Bahner shares six steps for making friends with a stray. Source: Animal Wellness, May 4, 2020. Link. In many cases, feral cats can be socialized and transformed … [Read more...]
Pet insurance acceptance growing
Pet insurance fits younger pet owners’ lifestyles as they learn about the modern costs of pet ownership, writes Rachael Zimlich, BSN, RN. It is evolving toward wellness from its beginnings as accident and emergency protection. The trends favoring subscription services also favors the pet insurance benefits of complete care, one month at a time. Source: DVM 360, March 16, … [Read more...]
Sunscreen protection for dogs
Dogs are just as prone as humans are to sunburn and related health conditions, such as skin cancers. Dogs should NOT wear human sunscreen, writes Sally Jones. They need to use a sunscreen specially formulated for dogs, especially considering how much they like to lick themselves. Common ingredients found in human sunscreens, such as zinc oxide or para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA), … [Read more...]
Morris Animal Foundation launches Stop Cancer Furever campaign
The Morris Animal Foundation launched its seventh annual pet cancer campaign, Stop Cancer Furever, on May 1 < link >. The two-month campaign raises awareness of, and funds for, research leading to new understandings about how to prevent, diagnose and treat animal cancers. The campaign will provide pet owners and animal lovers free downloadable cancer prevention … [Read more...]
AAHA releases employee handbook guidelines, including Covid-19 resources
The AAHA Guide to Creating an Employee Handbook is now available with new and updated sample policies covering the most recent developments in federal law and human resource management. It includes up to date information on the best employment policies for your practice, from scheduling and pay periods to workplace safety and care of facility to vacations and leave. Access … [Read more...]
Virtual dog training is an option
With pet adoptions at an all-time high during this Covid-19 pandemic, concerns of pet rescue groups are being realized. Some families adopting pets are not qualified owners. New dog owners will need help teaching their new friends to learn the rules of the house and the neighborhood. Virtual training, phone calls and text lessons from professional trainers may save the day for … [Read more...]
Temple Grandin: Big is not bad. It is fragile.
Temple Grandin, Colorado State University animal science professor and autism advocate, weighs in on the current state of meat processing, the overwhelmed supply chain and possible animal welfare effects. Big operations are extremely cost efficient. That’s why they’ve been built this way, she says. The downside is the fragility of the supply chains, as Covid-19 proves. This … [Read more...]
Habits: good, bad and useful
The important thing about committing to anything longer than 30 to 40 days is that it establishes a habit. A rule of thumb I have always observed is that it takes three weeks to turn practice into habit, intentionally or not. Source: Georgiapol.com, April 28, 2020. Link. It is a bit harder if it is something you do not want to do. I do not like to exercise, but I do … [Read more...]
Change or transformation?
The world will look radically different in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic. Our survival and success in the new world will depend on understanding the difference between change and transformation. Source: Purpose Unlimited. Link. Most businesses fail because they are merely reacting to change that has already taken place. Futurist Daniel Burrus describes it like … [Read more...]
Interactive Covid-19 maps to help with practice decisions
FASCINATING! The AVMA is providing interactive maps to present different lenses to view the Covid-19 outbreak and its impact on veterinary medicine and veterinary professionals. The maps allow users to zoom in and out and hide or show specific data layers when more than one variable is shown. It is especially important to communicate proactively with clients about various … [Read more...]
Veterinarian: my career prepared me for the Covid-19 pandemic
Kimberly Pope-Robinson, DVM, speaker, author and coach, recently shared how learning resiliency to cope with her professional life helped her navigate through emotional roller coaster challenges, including the current pandemic. Source: 1 Life Connected, April 27, 2020. Link. Pope-Robinson shared four key areas that are helping her now and that can apply to anyone, not just … [Read more...]
VCPR limits vet care during pandemic
The Veterinary Innovation Podcast hosted a frank discussion May 5th about difficulties vets face when navigating unclear, inconsistent, and rapidly changing VCPR regulations in the face of a global pandemic. Covid-19 has been the impetus for a temporary relaxation of current VCPR laws in some states. Those changes have been the catalyst for some heated conversations about … [Read more...]
From surviving to thriving: Reimagining the post-COVID-19 return
The authors suggest that to come back stronger than they were before, companies should reimagine their business model as they return to full speed. There are four strategic areas on which to focus: recovering revenue, rebuilding operations, rethinking the organization and accelerating the adoption of digital solutions. Source: McKinsey and Company, May 2020. Link. The … [Read more...]
Stop the imposter syndrome
Rhonda Brooks shares perspective about and solutions to offset impostor syndrome experiences. Seventy percent of people are affected at some point in their lives, notes Amy Ruple, DVM. The percentage may be higher among high-achieving veterinarians. The article includes 10 steps to help learn to think like a non-impostor from Valerie Young, EdD. Source: Bovine … [Read more...]
Move forward and live
Disney’s popular movie, The Rookie (2002), starred Dennis Quaid who plays Jim Morris, the oldest player in professional baseball. Morris shared the experience of getting there with AgriTalk in the context of the current pandemic recovery. He talks about meeting challenges head-on, perseverance and the value of surrounding yourself with the best people to be the best you can … [Read more...]
Robert Hummel, DVM, receives Industry Leadership Award
The Cattle Feeders Hall of Fame has honored veterinarian and entrepreneur Robert Hummel with its 2020 Industry Leadership Award. He graduated from Ohio State University in 1961 and worked as an veterinarian for the American Cyanamid Company until he bought a small distribution company in 1967 that became Great Plains Chemical. Today, Hummel is most known for leading and … [Read more...]
“I already know that” kills communication
In a conversation, whenever the listener responds with, "I already know that," it is highly likely that the speaker will feel dismissed, diminished, dissed, interrupted, unheard, misinterpreted or judged. These kinds of reactions don't bode well for any one-on-one communication, writes Mitch Ditkoff. He shares five of the most common reasons this happens between two … [Read more...]
17 video meeting mistakes to avoid
Like it or not, video meetings are part of work and personal life for the foreseeable future. These meetings come with their own set of rules. Here are 17 things to avoid to keep your professional image intact. Source: Ladders, April 22, 2020. Link. Your video is turned off. You think Zoom is always a necessity. You don’t turn on mute, ever. INSIGHTS: This is a … [Read more...]
The pandemic beard quest explained
Growing a beard while homebound and avoiding coronavirus may seem like a silly choice, but it is an act that has powerful psychological and social effects. In both history and Hollywood, beards stand for toughness, strength, adventurousness and even aggression writes Jacqueline Detwiler. Source: Forge, March 31, 2020. Link. Men grow quest beards as a way to mark a period of … [Read more...]
Equations for a happy life, even during a pandemic
The involuntary new pace of Covid-19’s social distancing has slowed lives and allows us an opportunity to think a little more deeply about life, writes Arthur C. Brooks, Ph.D. In our go-go-go world, we rarely get the chance to stop and consider the big drivers of our happiness and our sense of purpose. Brooks shares three equations for well-being to start managing your … [Read more...]
Herd immunity in pigs: A case study for getting America back to work
Swine vets are working with medical doctors to apply the principles of her immunity practiced on farm to populations of workers in packing plants. Herd immunity is everyday language for swine veterinarians and managers. The synergies with the current Covid-19 pandemic are evident and algorithms from swine production provide strong skeletons for building human herd immunity … [Read more...]
Reasons pets may act weirdly during quarantine
Pet owners worldwide are reporting some of their pets are acting weird while under quarantine. They’re getting clingy, running on countertops and shooting evil stares at humans. It’s not known if the quarantine is causing pet anxieties, but displacement behaviors, the tics pets develop to cope with new stressors, may be the result. Source: Vox, April 24, 2020. Link. In dogs … [Read more...]
The perfect place
The news is filled with stories of the suffering and death caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. We want things to be normal again. In a perfect world, no one would suffer or struggle — but that’s not normal. Source: Purpose Unlimited: Link. Perfect can be defined as being entirely without fault or defect. When used as a verb, perfect (emphasis on the second syllable) means … [Read more...]
Reframing fears during the Covid-19 uncertainties
Brian Pennie reprises the circle tool from Steven Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People for us. Here are a few of his statements from the article. Every situation can be divided into two circles: the circle of concern, which consists of factors we have little or no influence over, and the circle of influence, which is made up of things we can control. Covey’s idea … [Read more...]
Disease detection technology developing in the toilet
Say what? Tests for number 1 and number 2 are being developed and tested to use in smart toilet technology for humans. A paper describing the bathroom device research was recently published in Nature Biomedical Engineering. The smart toilet automatically sends data extracted from any sample to a secure, cloud-based system for safekeeping. The flush lever uses a … [Read more...]
Biosecurity for horse farms, stables and horse people
Biosecurity strategies are part of waging a war on equine infectious disease, not just on farm, but also around the country. While these efforts might seem labor-intensive, herd health is critical. Simple biosecurity steps can save horses and horse people great difficulty, expense and intensive labor. Source: US Rider, April 23, 2020. Link. The objective of good biosecurity … [Read more...]
Good guidance on equine supplements
Supplements are designed to help support the normal structure and function of a horse’s body rather than correct an abnormal condition or disease. Today’s horse owners find they benefit from taking supplements personally and want their equine companions to experience these benefits, too. But, they need a careful eye to identify supplements from suppliers that disregard … [Read more...]
Uncover hidden opportunities to save time and money in dairy operations
Pauly Paul shares the benefits of taking time to work alongside dairy workers. He says he routinely finds five areas where he commonly uncovers opportunities for saving time and money: Herd checks Breeding Hoof trimming Foot bathing Fresh and treated cow pens Source: Progressive Dairy, April 3, 2020. Link. Spending time working alongside employees can help … [Read more...]
BQA training specific to dairies is now online 24/7
Some packers now require BQA (or equivalent, FARM 4.0 or higher version) certification as a condition of their purchase of beef animals, including cull dairy cows and dairy beef steers. The Beef Quality Assurance program’s Dairy Animal Care and Quality Assurance (DACQA) and Dairy Cattle Care modules now are available online. The training units provide an excellent, virtual … [Read more...]
Parasite control strategies
Parasite resistance has taken root in most regions, writes John Maday. Ever-increasing scrutiny of antibiotic use and regulatory action has encouraged producers to focus more on prevention rather than treatment. Prevention mindedness is good news. Yet, both external and internal parasites have developed some resistance to treatment chemistries. Source: Drovers, March 2020, … [Read more...]