The National Pork Board and South Dakota State University (SDSU) are collaborating to show consumers how pigs are raised. Speakers who are part of the pork checkoff’s Operation Main Street can include a live-streaming video tour of the SDSU Swine Education and Research Center in presentations to civic groups, culinary, pre-vet students, chefs and others. Source: … [Read more...]
U.S. pork essentially free of veterinary residues
It’s official. Veterinary drug residues in pork do not pose a health concern to U.S. consumers. Results from a survey recently published by an Agricultural Research Service scientist, found almost no veterinary drug residues, and none at levels that approached U.S. regulatory limits. The survey included more than 1,000 pork kidney samples. Source: Feedstuffs, March 21, … [Read more...]
Gaming helps employees understand biosecurity risks
Researchers sought to discover how human risk attitude affects the adoption of biosecurity and the ability to control disease spread. Using video games called digital field experiences, a team from the University of Vermont discovered the weakest biosecurity point in swine operations is the personnel. The findings will likely apply to other production scenarios as well as in … [Read more...]
Opinion – Animal well-being IS as people problem
Taking care of animals is more challenging today because we know more about their needs and behaviors. Still, day to day management often falls into the category of chores. It should instead rise to the category of opportunity. With consumer and ecological pressures rising, we’ve been seeing a variety of changes in how we care for animals. Yet, one common denominator to … [Read more...]
Easy equine fitness plan (includes video)
Equine veterinarian Melinda Freckleton, DVM, helps a reader with divided time develop a schedule to exercise her out-of-shape horses. Her guidance is worthy of social media posts and inclusion in e-newsletters. Before you embark on any fitness program, make sure that each of your horses is sound and ready to ride. Is he healthy? Is he shod or trimmed … [Read more...]
DVM develops scale to help determine the right time to say goodbye
Alice Villalobos, DVM, is an oncology veterinarian in Hermosa Beach, CA. She has dedicated much of her career to helping pet owners manage end-of-life issues for their pets. In fact, she created an animal hospice program she named “pawspice,” which focuses on extending a pet’s quality of life. To help owners make these tough decisions, Villalobos created a decision tool based … [Read more...]
Opinion – AVMA shares regional stories
Several regional stories get covered by the AVMA SmartBrief. Cancelled equine events, Lyme disease incidences, infection and parasite prevention and itchy pets all received recent media coverage from local sources. Last week we highlighted two stories published by mainstream media sources: TIME about anti-vaxxers <link> and USA Today about pet obesity … [Read more...]
Explaining cat behavior problems and how to handle them
Cats, like us, have their good days and not-so-good days. Cat behavior problems almost always have an underlying cause, writes Angela Lutz. She identifies frequently seen cat behavior problems and offers ideas to handle them. Aggression toward humans or other cats Litter box problems Excessive vocalization Urine marking Source: Catster, March 13, 2019. … [Read more...]
Anesthesia-related challenges heightened in rabbits
The number of house rabbits in the U.S. continues to grow. One 2014 source estimated there could be 7 million pet rabbits at that time with steady increases in numbers since. Rabbits have a higher risk for anesthesia-related mortality and GI complications as compared with cats and dogs due to certain anatomic, physiologic and behavioral features. David Eshar, DVM, DABVP (ECM), … [Read more...]
8 tips for year-round dog paw health
Mother Nature designed dog paws to take a licking and keep on ticking, but they can still get cuts, scrapes, burns and frostbite, writes Marty Becker, DVM. He shares tips for optimal dog paw health year-round. Do a weekly dog paw check Watch out for burrs Do regular dog paw trims Keep dog paws dry Treat painful dog paw cracks Ban the burn Salt on dog paws also … [Read more...]
Labrador retriever most popular dog for 28th year
The American Kennel Club (AKC®) has announced that the loveable Lab remains the most popular breed in the United States. Additionally, AKC registration continues to expand for the sixth consecutive year. The dogs in the top 10 remained the same in positions one through eight. Yorkies and German Shorthaired Pointers flip-flopped their 2017 ranking in 2018. Source: … [Read more...]
Millennials fuel growing market for posh pet items
Millennials are fueling a growing market for luxury pet items as they put raising children on hold or chose to be childless. One example is street-inspired clothing for dogs with price tags that reach $202 each. Millennials are also dropping cash on pricey foods and day care for their pets. Many are treating their pets as if they were kids and devoting a growing share … [Read more...]
New strain of canine distemper virus arrives in North America
The Asia-1 strain of canine distemper virus (CDV), which had never before been reported in North America, most likely entered the continent last fall with a dog rescued from a Korean dog meat farm. Dogs that are already immunized against CDV likely are not at risk from the Asian strain. But if the virus comes into contact with wildlife, it may take a serious toll on … [Read more...]
Data breaches are inevitable – protect yourself
There are some simple ways to protect your personal data that can still be effective, say W. D. Salisbury and Rusty Baldwin. They involve changing how you think about your own information security: specifically, assuming you are a target and thinking defensively about how you can protect yourself. In terms of online data, the most important information to protect is … [Read more...]
Media literacy needed at home and the office
Sarah Gretter makes a solid case for teaching children to watch commercials with their eyes wide open. She backs up her reasoning with study results. Media literacy is being able analyze and evaluate the messages we see in different media platforms. . . . 80 percent of middle school students believed that web ads were real news stories. The same study found that more than 80 … [Read more...]
Commentary – Manage cattle pain for their benefit and yours
Cattle pain management is at long last a viable topic when it comes to taking care of beef and dairy cattle. Two commentaries in Bovine Veterinarian are worth reading. The first, by editor John Maday, calls on veterinarians to advocate for animal welfare and consumer preferences, even though clients may resist. The second was written by Brandon Treichler, DVM and quality … [Read more...]
Don’t believe what China says about ASF
Betsy Freese, executive editor of Successful Farming, recently spent a week in China on a market study tour with U.S. farmers, swine and beef producers and other agricultural business people. She focuses on four points about African swine fever (AFS) shared, seven items a U.S.-based company she was not allowed to name stated and nine statements Chinese officials put … [Read more...]
Feds seize 1 million pounds of pork from China
Agents with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) seized about 1 million pounds of pork imported from China last week at the Port Newark-Elizabeth Marine Terminal in New York . There are fears the products could contain African swine fever. CBP and USDA authorities are still investigating. No charges had been filed as of last Friday. Sources: The Hill, March 16, 2019. … [Read more...]
Learn how to manage the gut
Prebiotics and probiotics are frequent considerations for multimodal therapies in monogastrics, regardless of species It can be difficult to remain objective about their benefits, but the growing body of work indicates that considering the microbiome will become more prevalent in managing disease risk and potential treatments. We gathered several references for … [Read more...]
Is this fish sick? (image gallery)
Colin McDermott, VMD, offers a visual guide to recognizing several types of fish diseases. Veterinary care is often complicated by owners missing early signs of illness and seeking veterinary care later in the course of disease. Many diseases of fish are subtle until the infection or pathologic process is more advanced. Source: Clinician’s Brief, December 2018. … [Read more...]
Reexamining the early spay-neuter paradigm in dogs
Veterinarians must always be open minded and ready to challenge the status quo when new information challenges how we practice, writes Mark Goldstein, DVM. Goldstein and Michael Petty, DVM, CVPP, CVMA, CCRT, CAAPM, respectfully discuss their disagreements about the medical and societal need for early spays and neuters in America's pets. In the end, it really falls on the … [Read more...]
Will the dairy industry follow swine industry maturation?
Maggie Seiler shares consolidation metrics and insights from Bill Evan, National Pork Board CEO, to determine if swine industry changes might play out in the dairy segment. . . . swine is the only livestock industry that has consolidated faster than dairy with a growth rate of the midpoint swine farm of 3,233 percent from 1987 to 2012. Dairy’s midpoint farm during that time … [Read more...]
JAVMA: Defining antimicrobial use; paradigms shifting in behavioral medicine
There’s something for everyone in most issues of JAVMA. We’re highlighting the abstracts of two papers representing changes in our industry. Evidence-based paradigm shifts in veterinary behavioral medicine. LinkThe AVMA's definitions of antimicrobial uses for prevention, control, and treatment of disease. Link. Source: JAVMA, April 1, 2019. Link. Review the table of … [Read more...]
AQHA launches microchip pilot project (includes video)
While more than 20,000 horses in the AQHA database have microchip IDs on their records, this represents only about half of one percent of the live population of American Quarter Horses. Microchipping allows for permanent identification of horses in commercial and sporting environments, as well as in lost animal recoveries during natural disasters and theft. Source: AQHA, … [Read more...]
Shark Tank’s Mark Cuban just invested $550,000 in a vegan dog treats company
Vegan pet food brand Wild Earth secured a $550,000 investment from Mark Cuban during a March 18 Shark Tank TV show appearance. He made the investment for two reasons: his belief in technological solutions to modernity’s challenges, and his concerns for environmental sustainability. Ryan Bethencourt, the CEO and co-founder of Wild Earth, said they are prototyping the dog food … [Read more...]
Some anti-vaxxers don’t vaccinate pets, creating danger
Anti-vaccine proponents are increasingly making the same unfounded claims about pets and vaccines they have been repeating about children and vaccines for the past 20 years: that vaccines are unnecessary, dangerous and that they can cause diseases. According a TIME magazine article, the negative attention on vaccines is growing globally. Looking at the circulation demographics, … [Read more...]
USA Today – Obesity in dogs and cats
It is common knowledge have too many overweight cats and dogs; 59.5 percent of cats and 55.8 percent of dogs. What is increasing is the percentage of obese pets according to new research from the Association of Pet Obesity Prevention. In 2018, 18.9 percent of dogs and 33.8 percent of cats were obese compared to 2013 where 16.7 percent of dogs and 27.4 percent of cats … [Read more...]
CAPC initiative aims to spread heartworm awareness, action
The Companion Animal Parasite Council (CAPC) now offers the Top 10 Cities Heartworm Report, a monthly compilation of the U.S. metropolitan areas that have experienced the highest percent increases in positive heartworm tests that month. The group <link> expects this new report, in conjunction with its monthly parasite forecast maps < link >, will spark conversations in … [Read more...]
Swine vets highly valued, need more diagnostics
It may be a sign of swine producers’ growing expectations of technology, but fewer than 45 percent rated their vet as “excellent” at diagnosing problems in a study conducted by CF Grass Consulting. With high scores overall, the diagnostic metric reveals the continual need to educate producers on preventative production practices and to develop better diagnostic tools. … [Read more...]
Myths and facts about strangles, Strep equii
Many horse owners don’t understand strangles, says Reese Hand, DVM. Strangles is an infection of the upper respiratory tract caused by the bacteria Streptococcus equi, and spreads predominately by nose-to-nose contact. It is sometimes known as equine distemper. Source: Western Horseman, September 2014. Link. While strangles is easily treatable and rarely fatal, … [Read more...]