Polish researchers concluded that horseshoes may have a negative impact on blood circulation in the hoof and noted that different types of shoes may result in different median temperature differences of the heel and toe portions of hooves. Source: Paulick Report, December 24, 2021. Link. … [Read more...]
Building an equine colic toolkit
Chris White, DVM, shares how horse owners can prepare for a colic episode, considerations to make, and things to keep in mind after surgery. In some horses and situations colic can be impossible to prevent. So, having a toolkit that includes an active VCPR will help owners best handle colic when it happens. White reminds horse owners to avoid handling colic episodes alone. … [Read more...]
Canadian researchers trying to develop vaccine for IBDV in poultry
Infectious bursal disease virus is costly and deadly to poultry. It targets and destroys most of the antibody-producing cells in a chicken’s immune system. Susantha Gomis, veterinary pathologist at Western College of Veterinary Medicine in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, likens IBDV in chickens to HIV in humans. Once the birds are infected with IBDV, they’re more susceptible … [Read more...]
Cat obesity up more than 100 percent in 10 years
Citing Banfield Pet Hospitals’ electronic veterinary health records, Jackie Brown shares some disturbing findings: 114 percent increase in cats diagnosed as overweight in the last 10 years Dog obesity also rose 108 percent in the same period A survey of 1,000 owners of overweight or obese pets discovered: 93 percent said they faced hurdles in maintaining a … [Read more...]
Cleaning up after feline messes
While cats are often considered fastidious, they can be untidy creatures. They leave a unique assortment of stains and messes around homes that require constant cleaning. Kate Benjamin shares how to keep things nice and neat when living with cats. New and seasoned cat owners will appreciate Benjamin’s tips. Share them on social media and in newsletters. Source: Catster, … [Read more...]
Mountain lion breaks into family home trying to eat the family’s pet dog
Incidents like this mountain lion attack are reported more frequently now as ranges expand and population numbers increase. Fires and residential expansion also put the cats on the move to find a new range. Consider using this story to remind pet owners about the risks to pets and family members from wildlife in their yards. Bobcats and coyotes are also prone to consider … [Read more...]
Land area twice the size of the UK needed to feed the world’s pets
With increasing demand for pets comes increasing demand for pet food. In fact, an area twice the size of the UK is used to produce dry cat and dog food each year, according to a recent study published in the journal Global Environmental Change. Researchers analyzed data on primary ingredients in more than 280 types of dry food in the U.S. and Europe, which account for two … [Read more...]
Considerations before switching a pet’s food
Questions about pet food are among the most frequent queries made by pet owners. One size fits all doesn’t work when it comes to pet food, says Anthony Bennie. He shares signs that could signal the need for a food source change and factors that could influence pets’ acceptance of their pet food. Source: Animal Wellness Report, December 2021. Link. While changes in your dog … [Read more...]
One person, many needs: How customer centricity has changed
Say goodbye to one-size-fits-all approaches. Realizing and reacting to the full range of needs within each customer is a big challenge. If businesses really want to build loyalty and lasting value, they must figure out the different needs within a single customer. While the Four Ps are still relevant, they aren’t the only way to capture customer value because they don’t … [Read more...]
IBPSA Fast Bites – January 3, 2022
Dog and cat facial expressions, why pet therapy works, small business trends, insurance and planning, longest living dog breeds and more . . . Source: IBPSA Fast Bites, January 3, 2022. Link. … [Read more...]
New science shows how exercise affects nearly every cell in the body (video)
New Year’s resolutions frequently include exercise and weight loss. While those are good objectives, research now shows exercise is something vital for good overall health, not just our hearts and muscles, but it also positively affects all the other organs, as well. Researchers have found that exercise basically improves health outcomes largely independent of weight loss.” - … [Read more...]
The future of work is a 60-year career
Retirement as we know it didn’t exist in the 19th century, writes Joe Pinsker. The norm then was to work until you could no longer physically do the job. Now with age expectancy increasing to 100 years experts project the 20th century model of forty-year careers will need to be expanded to 60 years. He shares several concepts about how employment strategies will need to change … [Read more...]
Why large-animal vets are in short supply
Referencing farm size shifts, geographic expansion of hobby farms, gender demographics and food safety job competition, Jalee Wondercheck writes about the large-animal veterinary shortage in Indiana. It is a story common across the U.S. Source: Farm Progress, December 20, 2021. Link. … [Read more...]
To hug or not. Tools to solve the conundrum.
Gift article from The New York Times Convention season is upon us. For many, the challenge of reengagement includes whether to offer a hug, fist bump or just a of wave hello. Emma Goldberg shares how colored wristbands and buttons are being used to help people know each other’s sensitivities. Source: The New York Times, January 4, 2022. Link. Optional PDF. Link. Everyone … [Read more...]
Workplace bullying, a growing concern for HR departments
Workplace bullying can cause employees physical injuries and mental anguish, high absenteeism and turnover, low productivity and morale, and damage to a company’s reputation. Bullying can include verbal abuse, offensive conduct, intimidation or assault. As many as 75% of employees report that they have been a target of or have witnessed bullying at work, which has affected an … [Read more...]
Science editors’ favorite news stories of 2021
Giant diamonds and deep earthquakes, potty training cows, wombat poop cubes, ice age dire wolves may not have been wolves at all and more . . . Source: Science, December 17, 2021. Link. … [Read more...]
Pet Product News 2021 merger and acquisition list
M&A stories are often the most popular on petproductnews.com. 2021 was no exception. Lindsey Grant shares the 10 most read M&A stories along with a list of top M&A news from January 2021 to now. Source: Pet Product News, December 21, 2021. Link. … [Read more...]
Must-read 2021 social media stories from PR News
PR News is a source for communications intelligence. We’re sharing some stories its editors deemed important for 2021. Animal health pros using social media, conducting marketing or working with customer experience efforts will find good tips in this collection. Source: PR News. Link. AP Style Updates: Social Media PR NEWS looks at social media terminology to ensure … [Read more...]
National Geographic’s 12 most intriguing animal discoveries of 2021
‘Virgin births’ in a rare bird, Covid-19 found in wild deer, other animals, cloning a black ferret, elephant evolving to lose tusks, wild horses and donkeys digging desert wells, ants that shrink and regrow their brains and more. . . Source: National Geographic, December 8, 2021. Link. … [Read more...]
Veterinary Practice News top 10 news and features stories in 2021
It has been another wild year and we covered a lot of ground, say the editors at VPN. They provide a look back at what was being read throughout the year. They list the top 10 in news and feature stories respectively. Source: Veterinary Practice News, December 15, 2021. Link. … [Read more...]
Drs Chatfield share their top 5 animal stories
There’s always a laugh, something to learn and some sibling banter when Dr. Jen the Vet and twin brother, Jason Chatfield, DVM, get together for an episode of Chat’s with the Chatfields. The latest episode covers their top 5 animal stories and more. Source: Chat’s with the Chatfields, YouTube, December 16, 2021. Link. … [Read more...]
2021’s top 10 VIP episodes
Shawn Wilkie and Dr. Ivan Zak have produced 84 podcasts in the last two years providing animal health pros a unique opportunity to learn about innovations in our marketplace. VIP provided a list of the most-listened to podcasts for us to share with you. Seven new podcasts are already planned for 2022. Source: Veterinary Innovation Podcast, December 24, 2021. … [Read more...]
Most read Animal Health Digest posts of 2021
As 2021 ends, our team celebrates six years of curating, selecting and then supplying actionable content for animal health professionals. To date, about 6,500 posts are stored in our AHD website. What you read helps determine where we seek content that can be applied to how you work and interact with customers and stakeholders. We’ve assembled the most read posts of 2021 in … [Read more...]
Worth a Glance – December 23, 2021
Last week’s most read post The difference between disinfecting and sanitizing, according to the CDC. Link. Last week’s AHD Bulletin Animal Health Digest Bulletin, December 16, 2021. Link. = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Working with a difficult direct report Source: Crucial Learning, September 8, 2021. Link. It only takes one difficult direct report to make … [Read more...]
3 keys to handling injectables when it is below freezing
Shannon Williams reminds us to keep injectables at the proper temperature. It is vitally important to maintain their effectiveness. She shares three key practices to keep your injectables from being too cold. Setting your injectables on the defroster or under the heater in the pickup is NOT the solution. . . you could end up “cooking” it and damaging the product. . . … [Read more...]
Prepare for calving time
Calving seasons is nearly here. David Rethorst, DVM with Production Animal Consultation, presents sound reasoning to prepare for the time and how sound animal stewardship makes the best use of resources, puts more quality beef on consumers’ tables and creates value for the industry. Source: Protein Producers, winter 2021-2022, pages 23 – 27. Link. The key for these changes … [Read more...]
Beef cattle: the ultimate upcyclers
Complimentary Sponsored Content As consumers continue to push for more sustainable food production, the beef industry, by way of cattle's natural ability as upcyclers, is primed to deliver. If we think about upcycling in the context of cattle, what they're doing every single day is taking mostly human inedible plants and making a higher value product [beef] with regard to … [Read more...]
Plastic net wrap on forage bales can harm cattle
In a series of experiments, the North Dakota research first showed that neither plastic net wrap nor biodegradable twine get digested by rumen microbes. Cows are more at risk than feedlot animals. Remove as much twine, especially plastic twine, as can be removed easily from bales before feeding. Source: Nebraska Farmer, December 14, 2021. Link. CLIP THE WRAP! It is best to … [Read more...]
Winter, chickens and predators: tips to keep flocks safe
Weather fluctuations can create a shortage of food for some wild animals. This makes predation of chicken flocks more likely to occur. Extreme weather can change things from a time of scarcity to a season of starving. The author shares techniques to prevent attracting predators and to help if predators are already there. . . . chickens, their eggs and chicks are vulnerable to … [Read more...]
How DVMs choose stem cells or PRP for equine tendon and ligament injuries
Tremendous interest exists to understand how to use regenerative therapies (orthobiologics) such as platelet-rich plasma and mesenchymal stem cells to treat tendon and ligament injuries in horses. Some tendon and ligament injuries have a better chance of benefiting from orthobiologics than others. Roger Smith, MA, VetMB, PhD, DEO, FHEA, LAAssocECVDI, Dipl. ECVSMR, ECVS, … [Read more...]