Animal Health Digest

Curating useful content for animal health professionals

Why dogs bark at nothing

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For dog owners it may seem like their dog can see ghosts, but there’s a logical reason for the commotion writes Stephanie Gibeault, MSc, CPDT. Dogs don’t experience the world the same way humans do, she says. Because you can’t hear or see anything in the environment to explain your dog’s barking, that doesn’t mean there isn’t something going on. New and experienced dog … [Read more...]

The best flea treatments for cats and dogs

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Staff writer Kaitlyn Wells rounded up the most effective vet-recommended flea and tick treatments for her readers. We’re sharing this unique resource for consumers for animal health pro review. Wirecutter, now a New York Times brand, strives to be the most trusted product recommendation service on the internet. Nothing appears on the site as a recommendation unless our … [Read more...]

New AAD funding to expand rapid, rugged POC platform in livestock, humans

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    Complimentary Commercial Content Advanced Animal Diagnostics’ announcement that a $7 million investment will support commercial expansion of livestock tests and 510(k) submission to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for human blood tests. “We’re uniquely positioned in animal and human testing to fight the rising threat of infectious disease,” said Joy … [Read more...]

May is National Beef Month

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Fire up the grill! May is National Beef Month. It’s a month when U.S. Beef Checkoff promotional dollars highlight the benefits of beef. Checkoff funds will also provide coupons in grocery stores across the country, partner with food and restaurant brands for promotions and host beef cooking demonstrations at multiple locations. Keep the grill hot, because May 28 is National … [Read more...]

Telemedicine policy advancements

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Two states have joined adopters of new and progressive telemedicine reforms across the U.S.. Mark Cushing, JD, shares the good news from Michigan and New Jersey while comparing how these states made regulatory changes that allowed a telemedicine VCPR to be established. Source: VVCA, Mark Five series, May 3, 2021. Link. INSIGHTS: Changing telemedicine regulations is a … [Read more...]

Ensure patient safety when outsourcing prescriptions

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Guest Contributor – Elaine Blyth, PharmD We occasionally hear about prescription errors and miscommunication when a third-party pharmacy fills a veterinary prescription. As third-party fulfillment continues growing, veterinary team members can proactively help reduce errors. Elaine Blyth, PharmD, offers worthwhile action items in this bulleted guide. Source: Elaine Blyth, … [Read more...]

How Petco is increasingly a stealthy competitor to clinics

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Opinion In this article written for pet retailers, Mark Kalaygian offers a comprehensive look at how the company has improved and how it is expected to continue to do so. His review was prompted by Petco publishing its 2020 annual report on May 4, 2021. Animal health professionals, especially veterinary teams, need to look at these trends as many of Petco’s customers are … [Read more...]

PI calves: A devastating threat you might not even see

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Complimentary Commercial Content from Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health Despite 70 years of information and education on bovine viral diarrhea virus, the disease continues to tear at herd health and profits. Persistently infected calves are one of the greatest threats facing the cattle industry, yet many producers don’t know they’re in the herd. A PI calf is an animal that … [Read more...]

Worth a Glance – May 6, 2021

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      Last week’s top post Beyond wellness plans, bundling can work Source: Animal Health Digest. April 20, 2021. Link.   Tractor Supply, over 5 million chickens sold to new customers in 2020 Source: Morning Brew, April 28, 2021. Link. TSC credits strong Q1 earnings to millennials moving to suburban and rural areas.   There’s a name … [Read more...]

Trichomoniasis prevention: Improving herd health increases ROI

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Unexpected open or short-bred cows are often an unfortunate sign of a Trichomoniasis, or trich, problem. It is a reproductive disease caused by a protozoan called Tritrichomonas foetus. Bulls are asymptomatic carriers of the disease, writes Rosslyn Biggs, DVM, but play the major role in trichomoniasis transmission. Positive bulls must be removed from the herd and either … [Read more...]

Eating less meat won’t save the planet. Here’s why.

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If you are concerned about climate change, water use or greenhouse gases, listening to this program is a must. The presentation addresses many of the disparaging environmental messages about beef and dairy production. As is often the case, the short answer is not the true answer. Source: Brilliant.org, YouTube, April 25, 2021. Link. Listening time is 24 minutes. INSIGHTS: … [Read more...]

Equine nutrition 101

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Without the proper nutrients, horses are also likely to experience depleted energy, behavioral problems, a weakened immune system – and the list goes on. Laura Boynton dug into the vital nutrients horses need to thrive. Source: Equine Wellness, April 23, 2021. Link. “Common errors include feeding the wrong type of feed for the type of horse,” says Kathleen Crandell, PhD. … [Read more...]

Flavored water may help horses drink more

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Concerns that hospitalized horses that did not consume enough water and could develop colic led to testing different water flavors often used in veterinary settings. The winner of the taste test was sweet-feed flavored water, which the test group horses significantly preferred over plain water. If you're going to try flavoring a horse's water to try to get them to drink … [Read more...]

Discuss canine behavior problems in the clinic

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Since behavior problems are the number-one reason dogs are relinquished, John J. Ciribassi, DVM, DACVB, shares study results recommending behavior be discussed during visits at the clinic. Problems identified in the study included excessive activity, fearfulness, destructiveness, roaming, house soiling, excessive barking, coprophagy, withdrawal, mounting/humping and aggression … [Read more...]

Dogs and cats do see in color

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Debunking common thoughts that cats and dogs only have black-and-white eyesight, veterinary experts share the animals see in color just like us. However, the structure of their eyes limit all the hues they can see. Source: Martha Stewart, April 27, 2021. Link. "Dogs and cats can see in color; however, it is with a decreased spectrum of colors," Jennifer Freeman, DVM … [Read more...]

Jealousy in dogs

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New research from New Zealand shows dogs appear to be one of the few species that might display jealous behaviors like how a human child shows jealousy when their mother gives affection to another child. In humans, jealousy is linked with self-awareness, the reason animal-cognition researchers are so interested in studying jealousy and other secondary emotions in … [Read more...]

Comprehensive review of bacteriuria, UTIs

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As pet owners return to work, the schedules for many pets will change dramatically, including longer periods between trips outside for relieving themselves. One consequence of “holding it longer” can be the development or redevelopment of UTIs. In a two-part series, Juliette Bouillon, DMV, MVetSc, DACVIM, provided a review of the current literature and guidelines for the … [Read more...]

Emerging Salmonella serotype gains attention, concerns

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Includes Sponsored Content Salmonella 1,4,[5],12:i:-, an emerging serotype in swine, has become one of the most identified serotypes in pigs, pork, and humans worldwide. Responding to the industry’s needs, Swine Health Information Center posted a new fact sheet that contains valuable information on the serotype, its nomenclature, as well as resistance. Pigs often carry … [Read more...]

What workers’ attire communicates to customers

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Research found that shoppers were almost twice as likely to interact with a formally dressed employee as one who was informally dressed, believing that the more formally dressed employees had more expertise than their casually dressed peers. This raised their expectations of getting better service. Dust off the lab coats and sport jackets.” Source: Harvard Business Review, … [Read more...]

Learning from curbside care

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Dan Holland shares curbside care tips that are standing the test of time. He says for most clients, patients and veterinarians, this new treatment model has been a win-win-win. It also forced veterinary practices to rethink certain areas of their workflow to accommodate curbside care appointments. He shares recommendations for practices in the crucial areas of communication, … [Read more...]

The effects of incivility on people

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In this science-backed talk, Christine Borath shares surprising insights about the costs of rudeness and shows how little acts of respect can boost your professional success and your company's bottom line. She shares the main reason incivility exists is stress. People feel overwhelmed. An additional reason is skepticism about appearing too nice. Incivility is a contagious bug. … [Read more...]

Refocus: 6 growing issues

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The first trimester of 2021 is now behind us. Our industry continues to feel more complicated and changing at break-neck speed. In December 2020, Karen E. Felsted, DVM, CPA, MS, CVPM, CVA, and Peter Weinstein, DVM, MBA, reviewed Pew Research Center’s “Future Directions for Veterinary Medicine” (1989), and KPMG’s “The Current and Future Market for Veterinarians and Veterinary … [Read more...]

Worth a Glance – April 29, 2021

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      20 Vacation Ideas for You and Your Dog Source: Daily Paws, April 5, 2021. Link. Top dog-friendly vacation destinations, a guide to exploring the world with your furry companion.   Limping puppy: What should I do if my dog is limping? Source: Revival Animal Health, April 21, 2021. Link. Marty Greer, DVM, JD tips on what you should … [Read more...]

Cows aren’t to blame for most mastitis

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Considering all factors that contribute to mastitis risk, cow factors only account for 20 percent of cases. The other 80 percent of infections are caused by humans, and more specifically, how the farm is managed. About 100 organisms can cause infections in the udders of dairy cows. When we have mastitis issues, we can’t really blame the cow. We have to look at ourselves … [Read more...]

Down cow dos and don’ts

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Shaw Perrin, DVM, offers advice on how to best assist down cows, along with some practices to avoid. His dos and don’ts list provides a good outline for educating dairy teams on farm or sharing on social media or in newsletters. Down cows require immediate attention with assistance from a trained rescue team. Source: Dairy Herd Management, April 5, 2021. Link. … [Read more...]

Help horses handle vaccination well

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Most vaccine labels read, “For the vaccination of healthy horses . . .” Not all horses that seem well are healthy enough to mount immune responses. Stress, chronic lameness, age and poor nutrition can impact immunity. Madalyn Ward, DVM, shares steps horse owners can take to help their horse experience the best response to vaccinations with the fewest negative … [Read more...]

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Animal Health Digest, LLC is a content curation and aggregation service for animal health professionals. We continuously read and review more than 150 publications that produce articles, studies, reviews, white papers and other material for veterinarians, veterinary professionals, veterinary support staff, companion animal owners and livestock owners. Learn more.

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