Janet Garman sorts through a variety of choices for feeding backyard chickens. Between types and stages of chickens and a multitude of brands, buying chicken feed is not a simple choice. Source: Countryside Daily, January 4, 2017. Chickens need protein, carbohydrates, and fats, along with the appropriate vitamins and minerals. Most starter and grower rations will have 18% … [Read more...]
Stockers, the shock absorbers for the beef industry
It is easy to argue the stocker sector serves as the fulcrum that makes current beef industry efficiency possible. Stocker operators warehouse cattle, spread seasonal surpluses and deficiencies into a balanced mix of volume. They assemble and sort cattle into more homogenous groups—weight, sex, type and such. Along the way, stocker producers straighten out the high-health-risk … [Read more...]
Prevent zoonoses on dairies
An outbreak of multi-drug resistant Salmonella has been associated with dairy calves across the U.S. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that the outbreak affected 54 people in 15 states. One third of the affected required hospitalization. Situations like this remind us that we should always keep zoonotic diseases in mind. Source: Dairy Herd Management, … [Read more...]
Cat flehmen response or cat stinky face is highly scientific
The cat stinky face isn’t necessarily a snooty sneer. It’s way more scientific than that. “The flehmen response is a type of sniffing, but instead of using their nostrils, cats inhale the air through their open mouths,” Dr. Sasha Gibbons says. “Cats use the flehmen response to detect chemical stimuli, such as pheromones, that are present in urine and feces, or areas that cats … [Read more...]
Editor’s Choice Awards, Pet Product News
Each year, Pet Product News seeks to honor innovative products that strengthen the relationship between pets and people. If your role is in the non-OTC categories, knowing about these products may help you address concerns from a pet owner or even rationalize your own inventory choices in advance of mass merchandising pressures. Source: Pet Product News, January 2018, page … [Read more...]
Pet owners prefer to buy from brick-and-mortar stores
Pet Food in the U.S., 13th Edition states that about 88 percent of dog owners and 93 percent of cat owners admit to buying food for their pets from a store within the last 12 months. One demographic most comfortable with non-traditional purchasing options is millennials. This group was more likely than any other to buy items through a website or app for home delivery or … [Read more...]
The neuroscience of storytelling will make you rethink how you create
Storytelling makes for effective communication. Yet, it feels like the more evidence we have that our brains are hardwired for relational and analogical reasoning, the more instructors recite bulleted data points without context, despite the vast amount of resources and technology at our fingertips. Every animal health pro shares information or recommendations. While we are … [Read more...]
Human capital an issue for hog industry
Human capital has long been a challenge for the protein sector overall, but has recently become a real concern for the swine business within industry and academia, said Maynard Hogberg, Iowa State University. He noted the pressing issue for both is that of the increasing need for scientifically trained personnel. This comes at a time when there are fewer swine faculty within … [Read more...]
Products bring solutions to livestock handling (slideshow)
Livestock handling continues to evolve. Handling animals without stressing them is still one of the biggest challenges livestock producers face. Several new chute and animal-handling systems were among the products Farm Progress editors uncovered at recent farm shows. Source: Beef, November 28, 2017. The last decade has brought a move forward in understanding how animals … [Read more...]
Low stress handling yields benefits
Stockmanship practices are important to prevent physical defects such as bruising and stress-related injuries on beef tenderness and grade. These practices also influence public perceptions, as consumers increasingly expect producers adhere to animal-welfare standards as a necessary component in their perception of beef quality. Source: Drovers, November/December 2017, page … [Read more...]
Calving starts in fewer than 50 days
March 1 is often a target calving date. The third trimester is a critical time for beef cows who are not only growing a calf, but also trying to maintain their own condition, in spite of cold weather. Sandy Johnson shares insights into the critical third trimester. Source: Drovers, November 9, 2017. Producers need to take note of the start of the third trimester because … [Read more...]
Bosses – Don’t phub it up!
The phenomenon of “phubbing,” is when a supervisor snubs an employee in favor of his mobile phone when they are in a meeting. Two Baylor professors have verified that this behavior undermines trust and engagement in the workplace. In fact, their study, “Put down your phone and listen to me: How boss phubbing undermines the psychological conditions necessary for employee … [Read more...]
Perception is not always reality
I care about people and consider myself to be warm and friendly. At least that is what I thought. So, it came as a shock to discover that others often saw me as intimidating, cold and aloof. After recovering from the shock, I learned that what I perceived as leadership, others perceived as intimidation. What I thought was just being logical was perceived as being cold and … [Read more...]
2017 swine research reviewed
Sow space, boar pheromones, sow barn energy consumption, cool sows and flu’s cyclical nature are part of topics reviewed in this research-specific issue of National Hog Farmer. Flipping through the pages exposes a picture of the intensity of maintaining swine health while improving production conditions with the pigs in mind. Source: National Hog Farmer, December … [Read more...]
Enrich the lives of older pets. Don’t ignore them.
The cold that has enveloped most of the U.S. lately has no doubt exacerbated some aging symptoms in older pets. Older animals may suffer from osteoarthritis or neurologic conditions that limit physical activity. Beyond physical activities, cognitive issues increase, sensory capabilities decline and anxiety may follow as older pets often become ignored. Source: Clinician’s … [Read more...]
Tilapia-skin bandage used to treat mountain lion’s burns
After over 30-plus years in this business, it is still exciting to see what we come up with next. In this case, a mountain lion cub burned in the recent California wildfires is the benefactor of a human burn treatment protocol derived from tilapia. Source: edhat, December 30, 2017 via AVMA Smart Brief. A 5-month-old mountain lion whose paws were burned in a wildfire is … [Read more...]
Stop Googling; call the equine DVM (includes video)
It can be a challenge for horse owners to know when to handle a problem themselves or when to call in the veterinarian. Natalie Voss provides symptoms and situations arranged as red flag emergencies, orange flag potentially important and yellow flag cautionary potential for a health issue. The article also includes a link to a video featuring Emily Dean, DVM who discusses “when … [Read more...]
Handling work when your child is sick
The United States has 25.8 percent of its children living with just a mother or a father. Today, almost half of households with kids in the U.S. have parents who both work full-time. Working parenthood alone presents a massive logistical and emotional challenge, but when your child is ill, that challenge ramps way up. Daisy Dowling shares a few strategies to help get through … [Read more...]
Paralanguage; critical non-verbal communication skills
There is one non-verbal communication type that powerful impact--it's called paralanguage. Paralanguage does not have anything to do with body language. Paralanguage is how you speak: The rate, tone/pitch, and volume/inflection of your speech, and the dreaded use of filler words. Mastering paralanguage allows you to have impact. Its power and benefits are many, and they are … [Read more...]
Feedstuffs: Top 10 stories of 2017 (slideshow)
As 2017 closed, the editors of Feedstuffs revisited identified these top news stories of 2017. Source: Feedstuffs, January 1, 2018. It was a year marked by destructive wildfires, a meat industry scandal in Brazil, a new U.S. agriculture secretary, several significant acquisitions with industry-changing implications and, of course, regulatory changes. This photo gallery … [Read more...]
Hoof lesions require forethought, prevention in dairies
About 25 percent of cows suffer from lameness, largely because of hoof lesions caused by digital dermatitis, sole ulcers or white line disease. Dr. Nigel Cook of the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine discussed methods to correct the conditions that lead to hoof lesions, as well as claw corkscrew deformity during a webinar for dairy … [Read more...]
Top 10 from Petfood Industry.com
Four posts topped the list of most read. The number of page views per article recorded by Google Analytics determined the rankings: 11 pet food trends industry experts forecast for 2017 Prescription dog, cat foods face anti-trust lawsuit Blue Buffalo faces lawsuit over alleged lead in dog food Infographic: Most of world owns pets; Dogs are tops Source: Petfood … [Read more...]
Med school trend looking like veterinary medicine
For the first time, more women than men are going to med school, according to new data from the Association of American Medical Colleges. Enrollment trends overall suggest there may well be more women in the medical field than men in the future. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, the current ratio is 55 percent female to 45 percent male in the … [Read more...]
Made in America
Made in Japan no longer means what it did two generations ago. With the help of quality guru W. Edward Deming in post-war Japan, “cheap, low-value” was changed to, “high-value, expensive” and led to Japan developing a burgeoning export business. Today, we are challenged to know where our animal health products are made. Three company representatives discussed their products, … [Read more...]
What to know about bathing cats
Bathing a cat sends chills to most cat owners and veterinary teams alike. Still cats sometimes truly need a good bath. JaneA Kelly looks at five times you should wash your cat and how to make cat baths as stress free as possible. Source: Catster, December 26, 2017. In some cases, you can just clean your cat using unscented, hypoallergenic wipes or dry shampoos rather than … [Read more...]
Google exec: 5 mega trends shape technology (includes video)
Ed Parsons, Google’s geospatial technologist, outlined five megatrends driving technology during his keynote at the Farm Journal AgTech Expo: The world is becoming more urban, not suburban. Digital natives have formed a new type of consumer. Big data is still in its early days, but platforms are providing a massive difference in the shape of business. … [Read more...]
Cabin fever affects horses, too
Natural horsemanship reminds me to look at every situation as if I were a horse, shares Tim Hayes. He relates how cabin fever can affect both horse and rider. Spending 20 or 30 minutes, three to five times a week connecting with our horses is mentally and emotionally meaningful to him. Source: Horse Network, December 2017. If I can’t ride, I can still visit, says Hays. I … [Read more...]
Organic pet food tops interest level across ethnic boundaries
Understanding pet ownership is important to implement sound business strategies and to understand customer preferences. Branded surveyed 14,755 U.S. residents and found that nearly 66 percent of respondents own at least one pet. However, pet ownership differed by self-reported ethnicity. Source: Petfood Industry, December 22, 2017. In a related survey, Branded analysts … [Read more...]
1st NAVTA Animal Health Bi-Weekly for 2018
The veterinary technician/nurse role development is rapidly being expanded and professionally recognized. Two posts from their bi-weekly e-mail will interest most animal health pros: The importance of veterinary social work Top veterinary dentistry tips for 2017 Source: Animal Health Bi-Weekly, January 2, 2018. INSIGHTS: Like human prevention, animal dentistry … [Read more...]
Reframe your purpose to find meaning at work
It’s not unusual to hear an animal health pro say, “been there, done that.” Some deliver that comment with tones of frustration or contempt. John Coleman offers perspectives on the value of reframing purpose to reinvigorate meaning in your job. Source: Harvard Business Review, December 28, 2017. Working with a sense of purpose day-in and day-out is an act of will that takes … [Read more...]