Addressing questions from owners about whether a food is safe and meets their pet’s needs can be challenging and time-consuming, as there is a significant amount of misinformation available, writes Deborah E. Linder, DVM, MS, DACVN. She shares examples of the criteria and questions from the WSAVA Global Nutrition Committee’s nutrition toolkit to determine high-quality pet … [Read more...]
Grain-free? Grain-ful? The Chatfields discuss pet food choices.
Complimentary* Dr. Jen the vet and Dr. Jason Chatfield discuss the confusing pet food ingredients marketplace with Dr. Joseph Wakshlag, a veterinarian board-certified in nutrition and sports and rehabilitation medicine. They pragmatically differentiate what is marketing and what is nutrition. They also effectively addresses the differences between what dogs need and what … [Read more...]
The Bridge Club to discuss online pharmacies
Complimentary Join the live discussion with a panel of experts who discusses the future of pharmacies. They’ll talk about the good, the bad and how to be competitive. Source: The Bridge Club. Link. Live event: The state of online pharmacies October 21, 2021: 6 pm CDT/7 pm EDT Register here: Link … [Read more...]
Hannah Lau, DVM next on VVCA Lunch and Learn
Complimentary The VVCA Lunch and Learn series continues Wednesday, October 27 at 12:30 p.m. EDT. Hannah Lau, DVM, will share telehealth cases from her practice. She has been practicing veterinary telemedicine and telehealth fulltime since 2019, along with a small team of remote veterinary technicians and assistants. Although living in southwest Virginia, Lau practices … [Read more...]
New resources to discuss the cost of care from ASPCA® Pet Health Insurance now available
Sponsored Content Discussions with clients about the cost of veterinary care are often avoided until services are needed. This is a missed opportunity to help pet owners understand and prepare for their pets’ future health care needs, and how to pay for them. The ASPCA® Pet Health Insurance’s “Cost of Care Wheel” tool makes it quick and easy to have these conversations … [Read more...]
Additional disaster preparedness resources
Our August disaster planning post prompted Leslie Brooks DVM, MPH to share disaster safety guidelines created by the team at betterpet.com with us. Their guidelines are worth sharing with you. The best way to prepare for an emergency is to have a disaster plan in place ahead of time. Some extra preparation (even if it seems a little excessive) can go a long way in protecting … [Read more...]
October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month
Halloween goblins are nothing compared to the scare a security breach can bring. October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month and from ransomware to email hacks to scams, the risks are real. The cybersecurity pros at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and National Cyber Security Alliance have assembled resources anyone can use including social media posts, … [Read more...]
IBPSA’s Fast Bites – October 11th edition
What BarkBox teaches us about subscription services and personalization, survey shares pet care considerations when pet owners are hospitalized, a guide to airport pet boarding facilities and more. Source: IBPSA FastBites, October 11, 2021. Link. INSIGHTS: IBPSA offers members an online education center for easy to access species-specific educational materials and … [Read more...]
Much ado about nothing
Addicted to busyness and productivity, people are seeking ways to chill out and escape their running wheel lives. It is estimated that a $121 million industry has risen to address sleep, self-improvement and meditation. Leath Tonino, a self-proclaimed overachiever shares how doing nothing may be the newest antidote to doing too much. You can’t hurry your way to slowness or buy … [Read more...]
When is your Green Zone?
Your Green Zones are the times of the day when your energy is at its peak, according to author Carey Nieuwhof. SmartBrief surveyed readers to arrive at the chart shown here. Overall, cooperating with your energy levels produces far greater productivity than competing with them.” - Carey Nieuwhof Source: SmartBrief on Careers, October 8, 2021. Link. Nieuwhof discusses the … [Read more...]
Attrition or attraction? You choose.
More than 15 million workers – and counting – have quit their jobs since April 2021, a record pace disrupting businesses everywhere. Source: McKinsey & Company, September 8, 2021. Link. Employees want a renewed and revised sense of purpose in their work. Employees want social and interpersonal connections with their colleagues and managers. Employees want to feel a sense … [Read more...]
First, do good. Dr. Bellows on beneficence versus maleficence and oral care
The veterinary oath does not contain any language about doing no harm, shares Jan Bellows, DVM, DAVDC, DABVP. It is a basic principle errantly drilled into veterinary students and practitioners, he says. Nowhere in the veterinary oath is the mention of doing no harm, otherwise known as nonmaleficence.” - Jan Bellows, DVM, DAVDC, DABVP Bellows shares information about the … [Read more...]
Worth a Glance – October 7, 2021
Last week’s. . . . . . most read post Highlights from the 31st Carthage Swine Conference. Link. . . . AHD Bulletin Animal Health Digest Bulletin - Sept 30, 2021. Link. Goodbye Google: 7 privacy-first search engines everyone should try Source: Fast Company, September 29, 2021. Link. Jared Newman offers search engine options that remove the … [Read more...]
USDA vaccine candidate successful in blocking ASF
One of the USDA African swine flu vaccine candidates has been shown to prevent and effectively protect both European and Asian bred swine against the current circulating African strain of the virus. Source: Feedstuffs, September 30, 2021. Link. A major step for science and agriculture, a commercial vaccine for ASF virus will be an important part of controlling ASF in … [Read more...]
LED technology helps locate cows needing attention
Complimentary Commercial Content Allflex Livestock Intelligence, a livestock portfolio of digital products within Merck Animal Health, introduced new ear tag technology featuring a light-emitting diode last week. The AllFlex V2 monitoring ear tag allows for precision cow management in the pen. Different LED light patterns indicate individual cow needs based on critical data … [Read more...]
Beef up your momma cows
Feeding pregnant cows with a balanced ration will yield calves with more muscle mass. The nutrition part of gestation is critical! It matters the entire time due to fetal changes throughout gestation.” - Ruel "Buzz" Iliff, DVM Source: BEEF, October 5, 2021. Link. Cows can’t handle fetal development entirely on their own. They need a balanced ration for the entire gestation to … [Read more...]
Caring for molting chickens
Molting starts with the head and works its way down to the tailfeathers, says Marissa King. During a molt, the flock is working hard making sure new feathers will offer just as much warmth and protection as old ones. She offers some tricks to help a flock’s molt go smoothly. Molting can be a very painful and stressful time for your chickens.” Source: Hobby Farms, September … [Read more...]
Scratches, bacteria contribute to EPD
The search for the cause of equine pastern dermatitis continues adding new research results regarding bacteria. We really can’t conclude that any bacteria cause EPD. At this point we can only show that it’s associated with it.” - Sarah Kaiser-Thom, DVM, PhD Source: The Horse, October 5, 2021. Link. EPD is common, and people have this empirical knowledge about it, like it … [Read more...]
Halloween safety tips for cats
A new infographic from the AAFP will help cat owners take precautions for their feline friends during Halloween activities. The tip list appeared with the announcement of the newly redesigned Cat Friendly website which is now organized by categories like Behavior, Veterinary Care, and Being a Cat Friendly Caregiver. Source: Cat Friendly … [Read more...]
Dogster’s 2021 top dog Halloween costumes and accessories
While many dogs get really spooked this time of year, others tolerate Halloween costumes. The tricks’ part? Who knows? The treats? Just keep the calories down. 😉 Source: Dogster, October 5, 2021. Link. … [Read more...]
5 supplements dogs need or don’t
NOTE: The word SHOULD in this article is strong and potentially dangerous language for pet owners. There is also a link to “top” supplements to help with everything from anxiety, digestion and joint health to dental and immune support. Ugghh! Turmeric, coconut oil, probiotics, glucosamine and fish oil are supplements Jennifer Yau says dog owners SHOULD give their dogs. At … [Read more...]
Them’s the Rules: Bio containment? Viral escapes? What?
Complimentary* Bio-containment expert Lisa Kercher, PhD, discusses virus research, bio attacks and what type of regulations exist in the US to prevent catastrophes including viral mishaps! Source: Chats with the Chatfields, You Tube, September 16, 2021. Link. “How to work with animals in containment was the longest amount of training I had,” shared Kercher. The scariest … [Read more...]
IBPSA’s Fast Bites – October 4th edition
IBBY excellence award winners from the 9th 2021 IBPSA Business Conference, SNL’s Keenen Thompson’s effort to inspire students to become DVMs, Penn Vet’s new coalition for pet care, how pet lodging businesses are competing to provide “pet-cations” and more. Source: IBPSA Fast Bites, October 4, 2021. Link. … [Read more...]
Preparing for the holiday rush
Ho! Ho! Ho! Thanksgiving is seven weeks away. Christmas is 11 weeks away. Jonathan David talks about pacing yourself from a groomer’s perspective as the holidays approach. Source: Groomer to Groomer, pages 6-9, October 2021. Link. … [Read more...]
Petco to expand PupBoxes, include private label products
Opinion PupBox, a monthly subscription service for dogs, will expand to offer boxes across four life stages: puppy, young pup, grown pup and senior pup. The boxes each contain five to seven hand-picked items items designed for a dog's specific needs at each stage of life. This expansion follows the one of Petco’s mental health pet programs, which also feature the … [Read more...]
Good consumer marketing is like dating
The goal of dating is to get someone to like you, to take a chance on you and to, hopefully, give you a second date. That’s exactly what we want when we’re trying to bring somebody into our brand, store (clinic) or service.” - Michael Johnson Source: Petfood Industry, September 29, 2021. Link. The things that most pet consumers have in common is that they are value-minded, … [Read more...]
Use time blocking for better time management
Time blocking is the practice of planning your schedule for the day in advance by blocking every hour of your day for specific tasks and responsibilities. Thomas Griffin explains how to start time blocking and its benefits. Source: Forbes, September 15, 2021. Link. The reason why time blocking works so well is that, unlike an open-ended to-do list, here, it helps you focus … [Read more...]
7 symptoms of a nervous breakdown (includes video)
"Nervous breakdown" isn't a clinical term and it's not considered a mental illness, says Erin Engle, PsyD. It is more of a catchall term that references multiple psychological ailments in situations where a person cannot function normally because of overwhelming stress. Engle shares a few common signs that someone is feeling overwhelmed and not having an entirely healthy … [Read more...]
Yin and yang
In ancient Chinese philosophy, yin and yang is a conceptualization of dualism, describing how obviously opposite or contrary forces may be complementary. So it is with your strengths and weaknesses. Source: Inc., September 19, 2021. Link. No matter how good you get at understanding and managing emotions, you'll still make mistakes.” INSIGHTS: Learn from your mistakes while … [Read more...]
Stalkerware apps are stealing personal data from smartphones, maybe yours
Stalkerware is the term for rapidly expanding group of smartphone apps that may look like useful calculator or calendar apps. Instead, they record every keystroke users make and gather personal data, including location, passwords and photos. They lurk in the Apple App store and Google Play. Source: New York Times, September 29, 2021. Link. It’s extremely invasive, it’s a … [Read more...]