Foxtail grass isn’t present only in California, but the state is definitely ground zero for this injurious plant. Its seeds can penetrate dogs anywhere on their bodies. The seeds are very hard and tipped with a sharp point that is capable of puncturing a dog’s skin and entering his body. Attached to the seed are long, fibrous awns, which are covered with microscopic bristles … [Read more...]
Refresh your Lyme knowledge
“We learned about that years ago,” is not uncommon to hear when visiting with animal health pros. BUT, consider when or if pet owners last received Lyme disease education. With tick-associated Lyme disease migrating westward, it is important to include Lyme disease education with recommendations for flea, tick and heartworm medications to reduce the potential for B. … [Read more...]
Precautions for reintegrating dogs in daycare post-WFH
Michelle Semanski discusses the likelihood of some dogs being different post-work-from-home than they were before. She recommends slow reintroduction of any individual dog to be sure it can get along with kids. . . . dogs who grew up in daycare may have lost their puppy innocence” Semanski says resource guarding, separation anxiety or high arousal are common behaviors that … [Read more...]
VVCA post-summit reminders
Nearly a month has passed since the successful VVCA Veterinary Virtual Care Summit. It is easy to return to daily tasks and forget to use resources offered during conferences. Here are two reminders. View the dynamic content summit sponsors made available in the Summit's virtual marketplace! It's open for registered participants until November 15,2020. Link. The VVCA … [Read more...]
Cushing’s Pet Nation is now available
Mark Cushing’s highly anticipated book, Pet Nation, is now available from a variety of sources. Cushing, heretofore best known for his work on animal policy as founder and managing partner of the Animal Policy Group, LLC, brings pets into new light and the big changes happening right in front of us NOW. Pet Nation shows us not only what our love of animals says about our pets, … [Read more...]
Differentiate your practice
One of the biggest challenges facing veterinary practices today is how to differentiate the practice from every other one in the marketplace. It is a challenge for everyone in the business-to-consumer category. Sometimes the answer lies in getting outside ourselves. Source: Vet-Advantage, August, 2020. Link I am going to suggest that you might further differentiate yourself … [Read more...]
The vet’s office; an economic bright spot in the U.S. health system
Animal hospitals appear to have pulled off something human hospitals have struggled to do: make patients feel comfortable seeking routine care, writes Sarah Kliff. Fueled by more comprehensive observation of pets while working from home and the massive wave of pet adoptions, volumes have taxed clinic teams nationwide. Source: New York Times, August 10, 2020. … [Read more...]
KCAHC Digital Animal Health Summit was successful and challenging
This year’s KC Animal Health Corridor Summit was forward-looking, thought-provoking and even disturbing at times, living up to its sound reputation. Congratulations to the KCAHC team and thank you for all those who contributed as presenters, panel members and participants. The overarching takeaway was that, to meet consumer demand for environmentally friendly protein and pet … [Read more...]
Habits of older persons that young people don’t understand
Prior to the pandemic, generational challenges in the workplace was a frequent topic. These authors describe some of the quirks of an older generation. We’re living in a societal time when four generations are working concurrently side by side. Accepting that 50 is the new 40, then those over 50 may not recognize their own quirks and those under 50 may simply shake their heads … [Read more...]
Traditional direct mail campaigns still effective
Kiely Kuligowski says direct mail marketing still works in the mix of marketing options. Physical marketing by mail gives customers a unique, personalized experience that can help your business stand out from the crowd. She shares rationales and best practices for using direct mail. Source: Business News Daily, August 21, 2020. Link. Kuligowski says there are several reasons … [Read more...]
Keys to Leave no Trace trail riding
Randy Rasmussen outlines ways for trail riding groups to be environmentally responsible, especially in shared-use areas. He lists the following: Plan before proceeding Respect the environment Manage your horse’s manure Source: EQUUS, July 8, 2020. Link. INSIGHTS: Consider the number of youth groups that need volunteer hours as possible resources for beginning … [Read more...]
Facial, voice recognition coming soon to a farm near you
With accurate facial recognition technology for humans in almost 630 million facial recognition cameras throughout China, Chinese entrepreneurs see opportunity in applying the technology to livestock operations. Alibaba, China’s tech giant, is developing voice recognition technology for pigs to detect if they are in pain. Another company is working on an artificial intelligence … [Read more...]
Milk alternatives are missing a lot
“There’s a lot of things you’re missing out on if you’re not drinking milk,” said Yvonne Greer, a registered dietitian who recently shared her views on alternative milk beverages. Source: Hoard’s Dairyman, August 24, 2020. Link. Coconut milk and almond milk . . . don’t have enough protein. So, if you’re substituting that to children, they’re not getting the same things they … [Read more...]
Check out the top 21 value-added beef programs
Value-added beef marketing programs can be divided into two categories, consumer-based programs and calf-based programs. Consumer programs provide animals that fit specific criteria while calf-based programs focus on procurement of specific value requirements. These programs help increase beef quality, while producers remain more engaged in the total marketing process. Jamie … [Read more...]
Microchips that monitor temperature work, but not yet ready for primetime
The dairy industry has anxiously awaited a day when calves would pass through a gateway where RFID-enabled readers would record health metrics by individual animal. The technology exists and works to record temperature passively, but according to recent research the temperatures recorded do not yet correlate to traditional rectal temps. Source: Journal of Dairy Science, … [Read more...]
Pet owners realizing cost of pet ownership
Commentary Read this article with a pet insurance or wellness program mindset. It’s past time for animal health pros to redouble our efforts to help pet owners understand the value of having a pet on an insurance plan. The amortization math is simple when put against normal costs of veterinary care before special needs. Thirty-three percent of Americans have or have … [Read more...]
Rising mobile use among women is a concern
Working parents have been some of the hardest hit by the Covid-19 pandemic. According to media reports, more than 50 percent of working parents are without childcare, and one in five said either they or their partner are considering leaving the workforce to care for their children. Women are reporting a 70 percent increase in mobile device usage compared to pre-pandemic and … [Read more...]
Growing during a pandemic
With social distancing and other safety measures in place, a virtual component to your business strategy is vital. Cost-effective and instantaneous, digital marketing can serve as a lifeline for business during these uncertain times. Source: LinkedIn Pulse, May 4, 2020. Link. Complementing the local outreach strategy, look for ways to inspire and champion your community. If … [Read more...]
Self-care tips for coping with crisis fatigue (includes video)
Nicole Spector shares seven ways to cope with crisis fatigue, which is an effect of unrelenting stress. “Crisis fatigue is when a stressful incident becomes enduring or chronic,” Eric Zillmer, clinical psychologist, says. “The reason for this is that humans are not equipped to deal with extensive periods of stress over long periods of time. Our defensive systems are designed to … [Read more...]
Mayo Clinic leader speaks out on effect of Covid-19
Human medicine and animal medicine approaches have become more amalgamated than ever before. Covid-19 restrictions have similar effects on any business that historically required customers to enter a brick and mortar location to be provided services. Gianrico Farrugia, president and CEO of the Mayo Clinic, discusses how Covid-19 spurred rapid transformation there and issues … [Read more...]
Updated Veterinary COVID Guidelines
Canada’s Ontario province has been very proactive and successful in managing changes to the practice of veterinary medicine in the face of Covid-19 risks. The Ontario Veterinary Medical Association recently released its stage 3 set of recommendations for Ontario veterinary clinics. Scott Weese, DVM, says much of it applies more broadly as veterinary teams seek to balance the … [Read more...]
6 survival items to keep in your car
It’s important to keep emergency tools in your vehicle. As more of us return to driving regularly, this list offers good reminders. Survival items are not just for winter. They can be important during intense weather of any kind. Source: The Outdoor Wear, November 2019. Link. … [Read more...]
USDA proposes new rules to combat organic fraud
While it is unlikely USDA will require labeling of any food containing carbon as organic, it has opened comments on a set of new organic rules. It hopes the rules will streamline operations, promote transparency and combat fraud, including the standardization of organic certificates. Source: Feed Strategy, August 9, 2020. Link. INSIGHTS – just for fun! Personally, I don’t … [Read more...]
Back to school time . . . maybe?
Commentary Historically, the end of August includes the rush to finish vacations, prep children for school, fall sports practices and moving young adults onto college campuses. Animal health pros often find themselves with extra time as Labor Day arrives and animal owners are focused on other things. This year? Who knows? One of the traditional activities to occupy this … [Read more...]
Research shows dogs understand words and intonation
We often hear, “I know Spot knows exactly what I am saying.” Dog owners spell out words like “walk,” “treat” or “ride” to avoid recognition by their dog. According to recent research, dogs not only understand the emotional tones of what we say, but also recognize and understand more words than previously known. <researchers>. . . demonstrated that dog brains can also … [Read more...]
Utah mink test positive for coronavirus. Plague reported in Lake Tahoe.
Once again reports of zoonoses are in the news. While the source to this mink infection is not known, it seems likely small rodents or their fleas were involved with the plague case. Source: Associated Press, August 17, 2020. Link. High mortality in two mink ranches prompted testing for Covid-19 virus. Five live mink tested positive. The Utah mink farms have also reported … [Read more...]
Veterinary tech associations’ role in public education
Christen Puckett-Smith, BS, RVT, and Kenichiro Yagi MS, RVT, VTS (ECC, SAIM), have it right when they write, “. . . as credentialed veterinary technicians, we are walking billboards.” Their article focuses on association activities that help educate the public about the role veterinary technicians play in veterinary practice. Source: Today’s Veterinary Nurse, Spring 2020. … [Read more...]
VVCA inaugural summit sets the stage for virtual care
Congratulations to the Veterinary Virtual Care Association team on their successful Virtual Care Summit, which took place August 18. Concurrent with the summit, the organization launched an updated website <link>. A substantial set of educational options were offered. They included compelling speakers and animal health pros experienced in hands-off virtual medical care … [Read more...]
Don’t skip that vacation
Rebecca Zucker reminds us of the reasons and benefits of taking time away from our daily work. The pandemic has changed many plans, but vacation benefits remain clear whatever you do: Improved productivity Lower Stress Better overall mental health Spurs greater creativity Source: Harvard Business Review, August 11, 2020. Link. Plans may look different than … [Read more...]
Work-life balance gives way to work-life integration
Companies all over the world are realizing that working from home is not only more efficient, but more suitable for the wants and needs of today’s workers, writes Matt Klassen. He shares two big changes we can expect to see in the future: Businesses will embrace flexibility Automation will be increasingly essential Source: Fast Company, August 16, 2020. Link. Company … [Read more...]