Dr. Jack Shere, a DVM with USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, is concerned about the increasing prevalence of Senecavirus A (SVA) in the U.S. swine herd. SVA is a disease that mimics Foot and Mouth disease (FMD). This is why producers need to be more vigilant than ever when they see signs of blisters or lesions on pigs’ skin . Source: Pork, December 8, … [Read more...]
Elevating the role of veterinary nurses
It is important for animal health pros to understand the Veterinary Nurse Initiative and its empowerment for this work force. It aims to standardize the profession’s educational requirements, scope of practice, requirements to maintain the credential, and title protection, and to rename the role from veterinary technician to veterinary nurse. Source: Veterinary Team Brief, … [Read more...]
BarkBox continues upward sales clip (includes video)
BarkBox is a phenomenon in the consumer pet market. It has 500,000 delivery service subscribers and more than 4 million fans on Facebook and Instagram. BarkBox’s social media team creates original video content and shares relatable memes with its followers to remind them of the emotional connection humans have with their furry friends. In other words, the content that gets … [Read more...]
Not all dogs need cute winter coats
Winter coats for dogs are cute, but they likely aren’t needed? Carol Bryant discusses which dog breeds should wear coats in the winter and how to choose one. This is good information for pet owners that can be deliver via social media, newsletters and have available in-house. Source: Dogster, December 5, 2017. Bryant shares the following on canine couture: Fiction: All … [Read more...]
To get support for your CX vision, Just ASK!
Customer experience (CX) is a mainstay of business strategies. It is not a new concept, it is just that with the digital experiences added to it, CX can now occur much of the time without humans being directly involved. Krista Sheridan writes about changing the question from one of making people do things to letting people do things. In other words, asking for help. Source: … [Read more...]
Cat kisses send real messages
The cat kiss is much different from anything humans do, says Denise LeBeau. But, cat owners know their feline friends show their affection toward us, and each other, quite often. LeBeau explores cat kisses, whether real or perceived. Source: Catster, November 22, 2017. The best way to show your cat how much you love him is to not plop a big kiss on his face. It’s best to … [Read more...]
AQHA; Winter horse care
Horses are built to weather winter with or without a barn if they are prepared for it. Constantly changing temperatures and frequent changes in wind velocity exacerbate the challenges of caring for them. This article shares perspectives for horse owners in South Dakota and covers barns, shelter, feed and of course, water. Some variations of these methods are applicable across … [Read more...]
Squirm-worthy communications?
Author Sarah Hiner watched grown men squirm recently when they wanted to pay a compliment to a woman, but were afraid that it would be misconstrued as inappropriate. Have we gotten so politically correct that we can’t offer and receive simple, gracious words of acknowledgment? Hiner discusses the political and social media restraints and possible consequences. Source: Bottom … [Read more...]
5 tips to protect dogs during the holidays
There can never be too many reminders about pet safety during the holidays. Our friends at IDEXX have assembled five common-sense tips to protect our canines from the holiday hubbub. It’s perfect material for blogs, social media posts, newsletters and counter handouts. Source: IDEXX Pet Health Network, November, 2017. Chocolates are potentially toxic to dogs, particularly … [Read more...]
Opinion – California raccoon distemper cases expose risks (includes video)
Cases of infected wildlife are not unusual. But, the human population encroachment into wildlife habitats has forced raccoons, skunks, coyotes and opossums to adapt to city living. In some areas, garbage cans, pet food dishes and potted gardens provide a more sustainable food supply than previous habitats. The result is an abundant, unbalanced critter population that inevitably … [Read more...]
Why dogs snack in cat litter boxes
A litter box is bad enough without having Muffy decide to go there for snacks. The reason for cat litter box treats is one of three topics in this edition of Fear Free Happy Homes. How Much Protein Does Your Cat Really Need? and Fear Reactions: Fight, Flight, and Freeze bookend the litter box phenomena. Source: Fear Free Happy Homes, December 5, 2017. Handouts for … [Read more...]
Prevent holiday diarrhea in dogs
The last thing you need is a dog with explosive diarrhea when friends and family are gathered for the holidays. Unfortunately, many dogs experience gastric upsets around the holidays. Jackie Brown outlines some causes and some home remedies that will treat mild cases of dog diarrhea. Source: Dogster, November 29, 2017. The bottom line about holiday diarrhea in dogs: … [Read more...]
Shoppers spend more money, less time and other retail trends
Animal health pros often shy away from selling, but we are all managing transactions at some level. The industry is unsettled by significant demographic, economic, and technological shakeups. But there’s more at play as consumers, including us, are shaking things up. Our perceptions, expectations, and ultimately, behaviors are giving way to new shopping trends that retailers … [Read more...]
Vaper Wake dogs, canine detectives
Vapor Wake dogs are a new breed of dog that is scientifically bred for superior scenting ability, intelligence, physical soundness and a high desire or drive to search and hunt. Auburn University’s Canine Performance Sciences has developed a proprietary training regime for Vapor Wake dogs, including a patented name and process for training dogs to detect and to identify the … [Read more...]
PEDV, PDCoV have taught hard lessons
Aaron Lower, DVM, reminds us that the swine industry is embarking on its fifth winter of managing porcine epidemic diarrhea virus and porcine deltacoronavirus. As we enter the seasonal epidemic, it is important to review the key exclusion and management principles learned over the past five years. Source: National Hog Farmer, November 22, 2017. Sit down with your production … [Read more...]
The right and wrong ways to pet a dog
Yes, there is a right and wrong way to pet a dog, shares Jessica Pineda. Unfortunately, many of us just dive right into petting dogs we just met or don’t even know. Or, we fail to read our own dogs’ body language when they’re telling us, “please stop.” With holiday gatherings and guests eminent, share this article with animal owners to help avoid pet stress or potential … [Read more...]
Marketers, the future looks whack-a-mole
The number of consumer touch points is growing exponentially. Mike Herrick believes that for brands to keep up, they should rethink their marketing technology stacks. He cautions assumptions that mobile is a template for the post-mobile age. It’s not. Source: Martech Today, November 29, 2017. The truth, says Herrick, is that post-mobile computing will be an infinitely … [Read more...]
What the duck?!
Erika Eigenbrod, DVM, shares an emergency experience with Twizzler, a Pekin duck. As more chickens and ducks move into suburban areas, veterinarians will likely receive more calls like this one. Thanks for sharing your egg-perience Dr. Eigenbrod. Source: Vetted, November 23, 2017. Being a doctor of veterinary medicine, your career, patients and situations will never happen … [Read more...]
Top urinary tract and prostate antibiotics
Articles like this one make great staff training and discussion tools. Seasoned veterinarians can help newer colleagues by sharing experiences while younger, less experienced DVMs bring new perspectives from their education or discussions with classmates. Encourage a trusted sales representative to help facilitate the discussions at a scheduled meeting. Source: Clinician’s … [Read more...]
Pick the right dog collar for safety and specialty
“Punishment gets compliance; reinforcement gets cooperation.” Animal health pros are frequently asked about dog collars. Each situation is different. Pat Miller offers collar advice from her force-free perspective. She says, “There are some types of collars we wholeheartedly endorse, some we support with caution and some that we regard as unnecessary and risky.” Source: … [Read more...]
Managing the skinny, older horse
Impending winter weather and loss of good pasture should make all owners of thin senior horses anxious. An underweight horse is a concern regardless of age, but seniors have additional considerations. Eleanor Kellon, VMD, shares perspectives on dentistry and nutrition. Source: Horse Network, November 23, 2017. Problems such as heart failure, kidney failure, liver disease or … [Read more...]
Feed bees so they survive the winter
The implementation of the VFD has increased animal health pros’ apiary concerns. Angi Schneider writes about feeding bees in winter to help them survive. Unlike other insects, bees do not hibernate during the winter or lay eggs that overwinter and emerge in spring. They stay active all winter long. Source: Countryside Daily, November 24, 2017. Once temperatures reach about … [Read more...]
Producers learning to live with VFD
Those in the swine business discovered in the last year that the VFD process is more than just having a veterinarian’s signature on a piece of paper. Because there is no allowance for using feed-grade medications in an off-label manner, veterinarians completing the VFDs have had to pay extreme attention to every detail on the label, including the dose, duration of feeding, … [Read more...]
How to disagree with a client
We’ve all been in this scenario—you try to talk to a customer about using a certain management system or therapy and they insist on doing something different. The challenge here is to guide the customer to understand your recommendation without further offending them. Working through this requires taking three steps: Active listening Explanation while getting feedback … [Read more...]
A conversation with Jim Cleary, AmeriSourceBergen (MWI Veterinary)
Pharmaceutical Commerce sat down with Jim Cleary to find out what’s happening at AmerisourceBergen. Cleary was President of MWI when AmerisourceBergen acquired it in 2014. He is now the head of the Global Commercialization Services & Animal Health unit. This is a must-read for all animal health pros. The marriage of human and animal care approaches is evident. … [Read more...]
Sit Ubu, sit – good dog! (includes video)
At the end of every episode of Family Ties and other UBU productions, Gary Goldberg’s black lab was flashed along with the famous phrase, “Sit Ubu, Sit!.” Pet owners want their dogs to be like Ubu. Mikkel Becker shares a mat training method to help get the sit behavior going. Her video includes comments from Gary Landsberg, DVM. Source: Firstline, November 14, 2017. What we … [Read more...]
Make winter calf care a priority
Don’t let calf care take a back seat, writes Karen Anderson. Her article addresses feeding and housing concerns for those who raise pre-wean calves during winter. Just because animal health pros have been through these considerations many times is no excuse for avoiding the topic during farm visits. A key point Anderson makes is to consider each calf individually. Her tips … [Read more...]
Reduce holiday threats to pets
Safety risks for pets abound during the holiday season. As animal health pros, we must proactively communicate them to animal owners. Despite ongoing warnings, pet owners need frequent reminders to help keep their pets safe. Samantha Johnson reminds us that it is important to maintain good routines for pets. Adding travel or large gatherings to a pet’s day requires planning … [Read more...]
Help your clients value preventive healthcare with these free videos
Research shows that pet owners are willing to embrace preventive healthcare, but do not completely understand its importance. Partners for Healthy Pets is focused on preventive care. They offer a free, downloadable series of videos to help your team to make your communication with clients more effective and make sure everyone is involved in the conversation. Source: AAHA … [Read more...]
375 kittens help identify obesity risks
A prospective study attempted to identify early life risk factors for cats to become overweight or obese. Results largely agreed with previously reported investigations of obesity risk factors. At two years of age, 25.3 percent of the study population was overweight or obese according to owners. The proportion was 36.8 percent when body condition score was measured by a … [Read more...]