Small ruminants are susceptible to a long list of diseases. Holly Neaton, DVM, offers some practical tips for keeping diseases off of dairy goat operations. As she points out, getting rid of a disease is harder and more expensive than preventing it. Source: Progressive Dairyman, June 12, 2017, page 50. Try to avoid purchasing pregnant animals when you have pregnant animals … [Read more...]
Treating a dog with a severe spinal injury
Most of us enjoy a story about passionate pet owners and their efforts to return an ill or injured pet as close to normal as possible. It takes heart, collaboration and effort from the pet owner, the veterinary staff and others. Enjoy this heartwarming story of Chuckie and those who have improved his quality of life. Source: Washington Post, June 13, 2017. Chuckie … [Read more...]
Millenials need to use the phone – to talk
It is commonly perceived that most millennials have mastered function on today’s smartphones, except for one. Using these phones to have a conversation seems like a foreign concept to many. Today’s communication technology offers several ways to bypass having conversations – conversations that could strengthen business relationships. Millenials or not – proper phone use is a … [Read more...]
Canine Influenza Virus questions in 2017
The million-dollar question about the current H3N2 outbreak is whether it will worsen or fizzle out — and how many dogs will be affected. Steve Dale discusses the challenges in the dog show world and beyond. Source: Veterinary Practice News, June 7, 2017. The H3N2 virus exhibits extremely high mobility and low mortality, and an estimated 3 to 5 percent of dogs infected die. … [Read more...]
When you get outsold by a competitor, learn from it
Paul Reilly writes from a field sales perspective, but his discussion applies to veterinary teams, retailers, telesales teams and field sales forces. Losing a customer or sale is normal. Frequently, salespeople will lose business and later justify that price was the cause. Blaming a loss on price is easy, less personal and lets the salesperson off the hook. But the fundamental … [Read more...]
Focus on feline health from AVMA
Sometimes the job of curation is already done for us. Multiple aspects of feline health are featured in this AVMA Animal Health SmartBrief. Topics include: Poll results on preventative care New health record system for pets Negative pressure therapy for healing Rabies in Tampa Update on whisker fatigue Source: AVMA Animal Health SmartBrief, June 14, 2017. … [Read more...]
Prevent reverse delegation
Reverse delegation happens when delegated tasks end up back in your bucket. Dan Rockwell offers 12 sentences to prevent this. Source: Leadership Freak, March 27, 2017. Why reverse delegation happens: You want to be helpful. Over-helpful leaders end up doing other people’s work for them. You don’t see it. Some employees are skillful at delegating work to their … [Read more...]
Kids and pigs at World Pork Expo (photo gallery)
Many expo attendees never see this side of the World Pork Expo. If you’ve never been in a hog barn at the expo, a state or local fair, this is a good way to experience some of the sights. The senses for sounds and smells are left out, but the action is truly a testament to the next generation of hog producers. We dare you not to smile! Source: National Hog Farmer, June … [Read more...]
Yuk! 5 vile veterinary dermatological conditions (photo gallery)
Whew! I’ve always had a great deal of respect for the livestock veterinarians who routinely stand in the stuff and reach in the things. Animal health pros working in veterinary dermatology may never need a new rotator cuff. Still, Dr. Melissa Hall’s description and graphic photos of five of the most cringeworthy dermatologic conditions she has encountered garners a new … [Read more...]
Meet Willie Nelson, the horseman (videos included)
Music icon Willie Nelson shares the story behind his song, “A Horse Called Music.” The story couldn’t be simpler. Enjoy the music video! It also includes clips of a couple of Nelson’s heroes, Gene Autry and Roy Rogers, and their horses Champion and Trigger, as well as some of his favorite scenes from his 1986 film, Red Headed Stranger. Source: Horse Network, June 8, … [Read more...]
Find the word that’s on the tip of your tongue
That term you’re searching for might be on the tip of your tongue, but most of the time, all you can do about it is stew until you either: a) have an epiphany, or b) use some nonsense word like whatchamacallit and move on. Source: Science of Us, June 12, 2017. Researchers refer to this “tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon” indicating it’s not quite as simple as just blanking out. … [Read more...]
Opinion – Virus detection reinforces sanitation
There’s a lesson here for all animal health pros. Diseases are easily spread. Consider how many times we forget that one of the more important roles of veterinary medicine and animal husbandry prevention processes is population control. Congratulations to this multi-disciplined team of researchers whose persistence has identified potential for disease contamination in trucks … [Read more...]
Rural broadband expansion continues
Animal health pros often site restrictions to broadband access as a modern pain point in rural areas. As we become more dependent on point-of-contact records and software, the addition of nearly 1,000 miles of fiber in rural California, Illinois, Iowa and Texas will help. Source: AgWeb, June 13, 2017. USDA announced it is awarding $43.6 million in loans with the intent to … [Read more...]
Recognize the signs of pain in pets (includes video)
Janice Huntingford, DVM, believes pet owners and veterinarians can work together to identify pain in dogs and cats. The pet owner is likely to be the first to notice that their pet is in pain if they know what to look for. Source: Veterinary Medicine, May 30, 2017. Watch the video to learn how Dr. Huntingford describes often-overlooked signs of pain to pet owners, or read … [Read more...]
Mitigate the costs of care in small animal practice
Access to veterinary care and, unfortunately, economic euthanasia, are problems we can no longer afford to ignore, shares Barry Kipperman, DVM, DACVIM. He notes that 30 years into his career, our profession has made significant technological advances, but negotiating with clients over the costs of patient care remains unchanged. Source: Veterinary Medicine, June 8, … [Read more...]
Learn how each team member likes to work
As a manager, it helps to spend time up front connecting and creating a common language with your team. As members of the team change or current team members’ lives change, this exercise applies to seasoned managers, as well as new managers. Source: Harvard Business Review, May 30, 2017. When your team knows how you like to work and how you plan to manage them, they’re able … [Read more...]
Exercise versus caffeine: Which fights fatigue better?
Multiple research studies have shown that sleep deprivation has the same effect on our cognition and coordination as a few alcoholic beverages. Animal health pros tend to work hard, long, demanding hours. Learn how both caffeine and exercise can benefit your periods of fatigue. Source: Harvard Health Publications, June 8, 2017. The take-home message? Caffeine can provide a … [Read more...]
Help employees be accountable
Almost every day the news brings us another story of some personal indiscretion that is ultimately blamed on someone else. “The dog ate my homework,” and “she hit me first,” are two childish examples. Yet, we now have adults abdicating responsibility for their own misadventures. Unfortunately, this lack of accountability is becoming more prevalent in our workplaces. Managing it … [Read more...]
11 things you should know about dogs and fireworks
Independence Day celebrations are a couple weeks away. The time to prepare for the anxiety dogs experience from the sounds of fireworks is now, not then. Our friends at Purina developed 11 common-sense tips that are useful fodder for websites, blogs and newsletter. Hurry and share. July 4th is almost here. Source: Purina. Before July 4th rolls around, here are eleven things … [Read more...]
Whisker fatigue isn’t funny
While it may be a beneficial term for cat food makers and cat food bowl manufacturers, whisker fatigue appears to be an actual diagnosis. When cats must eat from deep bowls and their whiskers rub against the sides, it can be a stressful experience. In turn, they may paw their food to the floor or become irritable during mealtimes. Source: New York Times, June 5, 2017 … [Read more...]
A traumatic experience can reshape your microbiome
With so much effort to find alternatives to antibiotics, we wanted to share this article describing the brain-gut connection. A team of researchers recently found that our guts may harbor evidence of difficult life experiences many years after the fact, changing everything from how we digest food to how we process stress. Source: Science of US, June 1, 2017. Even more than … [Read more...]
7 “what if” questions every rancher should ask
Burt Teichert offers challenging questions for producers to consider as they evaluate the profitability of their operations. Veterinarians and sales representatives can use these questions to work with producers to increase their cow herd values. Source: Beef, June 12, 2017. Here’s a sample of the seven questions Teichert offers: What if every replacement heifer was … [Read more...]
Antibody vs antigen. Tests: review the differences
Effect versus affect; blew versus blue; principle versus principal are among the terms that get confused at times. Add to that list antibody versus antigen for animal health pros. Claire L. Fellman, DVM, and Todd Archer, DVM, MS, DACVIM, Mississippi State University, answer the question, “What are the differences between antibody and antigen tests, and which test should I … [Read more...]
Views of U.S. moral values slip to 7-year lows
Gallup began surveying U.S. moral values in 2002. The views have slipped to their lowest point in the last seven years. Highlights from respondents include: 81% say state of moral values is "only fair" or "poor" 77% say the state of moral values is getting worse Views have been consistently negative, at least since 2002 Source: Gallup, May 22, 2017. No majority … [Read more...]
The biting facts about fleas
A recent study found flea and tick preventive compliance was as low as 16 percent. Flea infestations can cause much more than itching. Flea bite dermatitis or flea allergy dermatitis (FAD) is the most common dermatologic condition in dogs and cats. Plus, fleas are intermediate hosts for other diseases or parasites. Source: Veterinary Team Brief, May 2017. All veterinary … [Read more...]
Proper wound drain placement important (photos included)
Eric R. Pope, DVM, MS, DACVS, with Ross University, discusses the dos and don'ts of wound drainage. The photos that accompany his piece are informative. Source: Clinician’s Brief, February 2017. Drains are sometimes necessary for managing fluid accumulations or prophylactically when postoperative fluid accumulation is likely due to dead space or wounds in high-motion areas. … [Read more...]
How content reaches a constantly connected audience [Infographic]
Mobile brings a constantly connected mindset, and it's driving changes in the way our customers and us consume content and interact with brands, from voice search to chatbots, and from digital assistants to the Internet of Things (IoT). DNN Software created an infographic that shows stats and figures related to this phenomenon. Information like helps explain the challenges of … [Read more...]
Help pets get through thunderstorm phobia
Thunderstorm phobia is a panic disorder commonly seen in adult dogs which is generally triggered by a storm. The panic lasts the duration of the storm and often continues from 30 minutes to days. Dogs often anticipate the storm before it hits. Source: Firstline, May/June 2017, page 32. Dr. E’Lise Christensen, DACVB, offers at-home behavior modification strategies … [Read more...]
Fungal disease threatens wild and captive snakes
More than a dozen species of captive and wild snakes in at least 15 states have been affected by what’s being called snake fungal disease (SFD). Researchers are exploring the disease, including its epidemiology, how it grows, how it is transmitted, how to treat it and even which disinfectants work or don't work against the primary fungus associated with it, Ophidiomyces … [Read more...]
Texas A&M researchers model illness onset in cattle
Respiratory disease causes 60 to 90 percent of the morbidity or sickness in feedlot cattle, Dr. Bill Pinchak says. Diagnosis is a challenge and primarily relies on visual appraisal to determine illness. This can vary by degrees of individual experience in diagnosing. “Typically, the accuracy is about 60 percent. So there are a lot of animals that are not diagnosed and end up … [Read more...]