Experts say mental health issues and stress were already on the rise among employees before the coronavirus pandemic, and they certainly won’t just disappear post-pandemic. The disaster finds more employees struggling and employers playing catch-up in the rush to help. Source: Human Resource Executive, May 11, 2020. Link. “The pandemic has forced us to make changes and to … [Read more...]
Don’t should on yourself (includes podcast)
Uncertainty rules this pandemic period, but the feeling of uncertainty is not unprecedented. People live through all kinds of scary things all the time. Sarah McCammon shares seven tips for dealing with uncertainty she learned from people who've been there. Source: NPR, May 4, 2020. Link Don't fast-forward and run the tape of doom and get sucked into that hole. Don't try to … [Read more...]
Guidance for expanding veterinary care during the pandemic
Ontario inadvertently became a laboratory for implementing telemedicine and adjusted VCPR practices during the pandemic < link >. Scott Weese, DVM, shares the Guide to reopening veterinary medicine in Ontario, as a resource for veterinary teams as they prepare to provide more veterinary services while still minimizing the risk of COVID-19 transmission. We’re going to … [Read more...]
Top posts from Patrick T Malone
Like clockwork, Patrick T Malone provides highly read content on a weekly basis. This week we are sharing his top 5 most read posts since the beginning of 2020. Thank you for contributing Pat! Source: Animal Health Digest, January through April 2020. Become an unforgettable boss, January 21, 2020. Link. A manager’s checklist, February 11, 2020. Link. … [Read more...]
HAPPENING TODAY: Veterinary Innovation Podcast guests to discuss virtual veterinary shows
TODAY, Julie Legred, CVT, and Beckie Mossor, RVT, will join the VIP hosts to discuss upcoming virtual veterinary shows. The podcast is tentatively scheduled for 4:00 p.m. ADT, 3:00 p.m. EDT, 2:00 p.m. CDT, 1:00 p.m. MDT and noon PDT. Check the VIP website to confirm the time at least two hours before current scheduled time. Source: Veterinary Innovation Podcasts, May 13, … [Read more...]
Goats get foot rot, too
All hoofed animals risk foot rot and related foot scald. The reason for hoof rot in goats is commonly wet, moist ground and damp weather, according to Janet Garman. Two organisms cause foot rot: Fusobacterium necrophorum and Bacteroides nodusus. Fusobacterium necrophorum lives in the soil and is anaerobic. That’s the situation in deep, muddy pastures or stalls. If F. … [Read more...]
Training and education available for backyard poultry raisers
With growing interest in backyard hens, and with some towns and cities allowing residents to raise chickens in their backyards, Alberta Farm Animal Care is hosting a Backyard Chicken webinar series for beginner poultry raisers. The series covers information on flock health, handling, costs, bylaws, breeds, coop design, diseases and more. Cassandra Kirkpatrick, Urban Hen … [Read more...]
Feral-to-friendly tips for transitioning a cat
Bringing a feral, or community cat, into a home involves committing to a gradual socialization process, writes Sally Bahner. It’s important to understand that there’s no guarantee you’ll end up with a cuddly lap cat. Bahner shares six steps for making friends with a stray. Source: Animal Wellness, May 4, 2020. Link. In many cases, feral cats can be socialized and transformed … [Read more...]
Pet insurance acceptance growing
Pet insurance fits younger pet owners’ lifestyles as they learn about the modern costs of pet ownership, writes Rachael Zimlich, BSN, RN. It is evolving toward wellness from its beginnings as accident and emergency protection. The trends favoring subscription services also favors the pet insurance benefits of complete care, one month at a time. Source: DVM 360, March 16, … [Read more...]
Morris Animal Foundation launches Stop Cancer Furever campaign
The Morris Animal Foundation launched its seventh annual pet cancer campaign, Stop Cancer Furever, on May 1 < link >. The two-month campaign raises awareness of, and funds for, research leading to new understandings about how to prevent, diagnose and treat animal cancers. The campaign will provide pet owners and animal lovers free downloadable cancer prevention … [Read more...]
Virtual dog training is an option
With pet adoptions at an all-time high during this Covid-19 pandemic, concerns of pet rescue groups are being realized. Some families adopting pets are not qualified owners. New dog owners will need help teaching their new friends to learn the rules of the house and the neighborhood. Virtual training, phone calls and text lessons from professional trainers may save the day for … [Read more...]
Temple Grandin: Big is not bad. It is fragile.
Temple Grandin, Colorado State University animal science professor and autism advocate, weighs in on the current state of meat processing, the overwhelmed supply chain and possible animal welfare effects. Big operations are extremely cost efficient. That’s why they’ve been built this way, she says. The downside is the fragility of the supply chains, as Covid-19 proves. This … [Read more...]
Veterinarian: my career prepared me for the Covid-19 pandemic
Kimberly Pope-Robinson, DVM, speaker, author and coach, recently shared how learning resiliency to cope with her professional life helped her navigate through emotional roller coaster challenges, including the current pandemic. Source: 1 Life Connected, April 27, 2020. Link. Pope-Robinson shared four key areas that are helping her now and that can apply to anyone, not just … [Read more...]
VCPR limits vet care during pandemic
The Veterinary Innovation Podcast hosted a frank discussion May 5th about difficulties vets face when navigating unclear, inconsistent, and rapidly changing VCPR regulations in the face of a global pandemic. Covid-19 has been the impetus for a temporary relaxation of current VCPR laws in some states. Those changes have been the catalyst for some heated conversations about … [Read more...]
From surviving to thriving: Reimagining the post-COVID-19 return
The authors suggest that to come back stronger than they were before, companies should reimagine their business model as they return to full speed. There are four strategic areas on which to focus: recovering revenue, rebuilding operations, rethinking the organization and accelerating the adoption of digital solutions. Source: McKinsey and Company, May 2020. Link. The … [Read more...]
Stop the imposter syndrome
Rhonda Brooks shares perspective about and solutions to offset impostor syndrome experiences. Seventy percent of people are affected at some point in their lives, notes Amy Ruple, DVM. The percentage may be higher among high-achieving veterinarians. The article includes 10 steps to help learn to think like a non-impostor from Valerie Young, EdD. Source: Bovine … [Read more...]
Robert Hummel, DVM, receives Industry Leadership Award
The Cattle Feeders Hall of Fame has honored veterinarian and entrepreneur Robert Hummel with its 2020 Industry Leadership Award. He graduated from Ohio State University in 1961 and worked as an veterinarian for the American Cyanamid Company until he bought a small distribution company in 1967 that became Great Plains Chemical. Today, Hummel is most known for leading and … [Read more...]
“I already know that” kills communication
In a conversation, whenever the listener responds with, "I already know that," it is highly likely that the speaker will feel dismissed, diminished, dissed, interrupted, unheard, misinterpreted or judged. These kinds of reactions don't bode well for any one-on-one communication, writes Mitch Ditkoff. He shares five of the most common reasons this happens between two … [Read more...]
17 video meeting mistakes to avoid
Like it or not, video meetings are part of work and personal life for the foreseeable future. These meetings come with their own set of rules. Here are 17 things to avoid to keep your professional image intact. Source: Ladders, April 22, 2020. Link. Your video is turned off. You think Zoom is always a necessity. You don’t turn on mute, ever. INSIGHTS: This is a … [Read more...]
Herd immunity in pigs: A case study for getting America back to work
Swine vets are working with medical doctors to apply the principles of her immunity practiced on farm to populations of workers in packing plants. Herd immunity is everyday language for swine veterinarians and managers. The synergies with the current Covid-19 pandemic are evident and algorithms from swine production provide strong skeletons for building human herd immunity … [Read more...]
Biosecurity for horse farms, stables and horse people
Biosecurity strategies are part of waging a war on equine infectious disease, not just on farm, but also around the country. While these efforts might seem labor-intensive, herd health is critical. Simple biosecurity steps can save horses and horse people great difficulty, expense and intensive labor. Source: US Rider, April 23, 2020. Link. The objective of good biosecurity … [Read more...]
BQA training specific to dairies is now online 24/7
Some packers now require BQA (or equivalent, FARM 4.0 or higher version) certification as a condition of their purchase of beef animals, including cull dairy cows and dairy beef steers. The Beef Quality Assurance program’s Dairy Animal Care and Quality Assurance (DACQA) and Dairy Cattle Care modules now are available online. The training units provide an excellent, virtual … [Read more...]
Parasite control strategies
Parasite resistance has taken root in most regions, writes John Maday. Ever-increasing scrutiny of antibiotic use and regulatory action has encouraged producers to focus more on prevention rather than treatment. Prevention mindedness is good news. Yet, both external and internal parasites have developed some resistance to treatment chemistries. Source: Drovers, March 2020, … [Read more...]
New program to train vet animal disease detectives
Explaining the objectives for a new program to be launched in 11 Southeast Asia countries Navneet Dhand BVSc&AH, MVSc, MANZCVSc, said, "If you want to prevent these diseases from happening in the future, you have to look beyond humans. You would have to look for these viruses in domestic animals, in wildlife populations; and to achieve that you need a trained animal health … [Read more...]
Veterinary Virtual Care Association formed
To help the profession navigate how to implement virtual care into practices, Veterinary Virtual Care Association, a new nonprofit organization has been formed. This global association is dedicated to developing best practices for delivering virtual care for animals, defining quality standards and protocols for practicing virtual care, sharing experiences among practice teams, … [Read more...]
16 ways to get your emails read
Do you consider yourself a designer when writing an email? Dan Pallotta thinks so. He says a design approach is necessary to get emails read. He shares ways to achieve this. Source: HBR Ascend, September 2019. Link. A good design gives you an edge. It’s the difference between getting read or getting ignored. . . . develop an eye for the difference between visual order and … [Read more...]
We ARE living the new normal – Part 3, biosecurity strategies ensure progress
COMMENTS Biosecurity is not new to animal health pros. It is central to successfully providing safe care for animals and their owners. Diseases such as rabies, distemper, parvovirus, hog cholera, bird flu, leptospirosis, PEDV, PRRS, salmonella and BVD have pushed us to focus on optimizing infection controls, using quarantine areas and hospital pens in concert with … [Read more...]
We ARE living the new normal – Part 2, communication strategies for moving forward
Comments Strategies are the how of moving forward. They are meaningless unless we know the why. Getting to why requires focus. The words of the veterinarian’s oath clearly identify the why. . . . I solemnly swear to use my scientific knowledge and skills for the benefit of society through the protection of animal health and welfare, the prevention and relief of animal … [Read more...]
We ARE living the new normal – Part 1, situation analysis
Comments Change management experts are returning to their themes of adaptability, including life and business always accepting change as a constant. In some ways it is refreshing. Yet the day-to-day strategy changes, coupled with statistical analysis have most people running in place awaiting what comes next. From what has been published in recent weeks related to … [Read more...]
Lead employees during a crisis
In times of crisis, there are two directions human nature can take us: fear, helplessness and victimization or, self-actualization and engagement. On the latter, if leaders have a clear way forward, human beings are amazingly resilient. There is a documented “rally effect.” Source: Gallup, March 23, 2020. Link. Research has found four universal needs that followers have of … [Read more...]