“Controlling parasites is a proven practice to improve performance in all stages of cattle production while also giving a significant return on investment,” says Boehringer Ingelheim’s Joe Gillespie, DVM. He reinforces the importance of understanding parasite life cycles and strategic treatment to improve cattle performance in all stages of production. Source: Feedstuffs, … [Read more...]
How-to videos educate dairy personnel
A series of how-to videos from Dairy Herd Management is available to help educate dairy personnel about key practices. Titles include: Culture to achieve a bacteriological cure Identify cows with mastitis Protect the cow after milking Properly attach milking units Prepare a cow for milking Get anovular cows pregnant Pay attention to injection … [Read more...]
Handle MLVs with care (includes video)
Modified-live vaccines must be handled and stored properly if they are to be efficacious. This article and a YouTube video cover basics that are helpful for newbies and old hands alike. Source: Bovine Veterinarian, July 3, 2019. Link. Incorrect storage, exposure to sunlight and delayed administration all can reduce or even eliminate the effectiveness of an MLV, cautioned New … [Read more...]
Opinion – Transforming business; what and why
Animal health businesses have traditionally grown with a more-better-faster mindset. We’ve integrated computer, telephone and internet advancements to extend existing brick and mortar platforms. Now, a new generation of boundary-breaking entrepreneurs are following disruptive models that turn the way we traditionally ran businesses on its head, writes Rebecca Livesey. They … [Read more...]
Beyond heartworm treatment fundamentals
The American Heartworm Society offers heartworm disease treatment guidelines that consist of combination therapy with melarsomine, doxycycline and a macrocyclic lactone. Brian Herrin, DVM, PhD, recently shared treatment tactics recommended by veterinary experts and gave an overview of less extensive and less expensive alternatives. Source: Veterinary Medicine, July 26, 2019. … [Read more...]
3 economic trends affecting veterinary clinics (video)
Matt Salois, AVMA chief economist, reviews economic issues that challenge the veterinary profession. He offers perspective on three trends for veterinary hospitals, teams and owners: • Increasing demand for veterinary services • More pets, higher prices, but fewer visits • Increases in debt to future income ratios for graduating veterinarians Source: NAVC SPARK, August … [Read more...]
The power of thought
From the moment we awake until we fall sleep, we’re bombarded with a chatter inside our head that permeates our waking life. It’s the voice inside, the internal narrator that, if you pay attention, never really stops talking. Source: The Turknett Leadership Group, August 15, 2019. Link. The research here is robust: those who are happiest are not those with the most money, … [Read more...]
From “suits” to Luddites – the demise of office attire
Most any attire goes in some offices. This author attributes this to the rise of young founders commandeering successful tech companies, an increase in both remote work and flexible hours and the freelance economy. A recent study found that nearly half of managers said they were concerned employees dressed too casually, while 32% of supervisors named “too much skin” as one of … [Read more...]
National park data helps determine best times to visit
Some animal health pros may make plans to cross national park locations off their bucket lists of places to visit before year-end. Jordan Vincent’s new infographic uses visitor data from 54 national parks between 2013 and 2019 to show the peak visiting times for people using different types of lodging < link >. Source: Fast Company, August 12, 2019. Link. One way to … [Read more...]
Time savers that can add hours to a week
The headline is misleading. We actually have only 168 hours in any given week. There are only 120 hours if we try to get seven hours of sleep nightly. Kristen Granero asked experts to share ways they shave time in their weeks. Source: NBC Better, August 12, 2019. Link. Here are a few tips that caught our attention: Set a strict start time Do a brain dump every Monday … [Read more...]
Largest dairy locations shown in 2017 Ag Census
Serving the dairy industry is a big undertaking for animal health pros. The 2017 USDA Ag Census reported data on scores of ag statistics, including dairy cow inventory by county. For the first time, it included data on dairies with more than 5,000 cows. California and Idaho are tied with the most dairies with more than 5,000 cows. Texas has 25. Wisconsin and Minnesota rank … [Read more...]
Hot topics in bovine veterinary medicine
Citing constant changes in bovine medicine, Brittany Bowman assembled past article on topics worthy of sharing again: Coccidiosis affecting young calves, Bovine Veterinarian, June 7, 2017. Link. Cattle rabies is no laughing matter, Bovine Veterinarian, November 12, 2018. Link. Prime the pump, Bovine Veterinarian, April 22, 2019. Link. “Purple gut” in calves can … [Read more...]
Kitten Lady launches book, promotes kitten fostering
Hannah Shaw’s passion for fostering kittens spawned ongoing and time-saving video projects that caught the attention of kitten lovers on the internet. She added an Instagram profile and a YouTube page for potential kitten adopters, then discoveredthere was little information about fostering kittens available. Shaw realized that the animal advocacy world was missing a champion … [Read more...]
A step-by-step guide to pet CPR
Pet owners need to know how to perform pet CPR. Only a few of them have taken a pet first aid class, writes Allison Faulkner. Her guide to performing CPR includes a video link from Pets America < link >. Faulkner’s guide is one of many videos about pet CPR. Consider using these resources in social media, newsletters and clinic websites. . . . emergencies like natural … [Read more...]
The Bridge Club continues community engagement
Bridge Club founders Brenda Andreson and Catherine Haskins have found a niche in building value from adding a visual dimension to a conference call setting. By combining live events at industry conferences with live video conferencing, The Bridge Club is growing in reach and participation, creating a virtual community for learning and sharing animal health pro experiences and … [Read more...]
Commercial content from AAHA NEWStat
We captured recent commercially sponsored content below as featured in the newly reformatted AAHA NEWStat. Source: AAHA NEWStat. Link. Pet diabetes and the role of insulin pens, Merck Animal Health, 8/1/2019. Link. The evolution of pain management in pets brings better options for relief, CareCredit, 8/1/2019. Link. Pet owner compliance a barrier to heartworm … [Read more...]
IPPC report does not say, “eat less meat” (includes video)
Recent media buzz (see second source below) claimed the newest Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPPC) suggested consumers eat less meat in order to curb climate change. The report < link > focused on land use and land use change, it didn’t tell consumers to eat less meat. Frank Mitloehner, UC Davis, says by focusing on eating less meat, consumers are being … [Read more...]
Teach aseptic technique in the kitchen, reduce salmonellosis
“The most formidable challenges of my veterinary career in food safety can be boiled down to the two primary foodborne pathogens of poultry: Salmonella and Campylobacter. I consider them my professional nemeses,” writes Foster Farms’ Robert O’Connor, DVM, MAM. He explains his approach to avoiding these pathogens in the kitchen. O’Connor reminds us that while chicken and other … [Read more...]
Consumers not coming through with animal welfare cash
Consumers often say they are willing to pay more for meat from animals raised with heightened welfare standards. Reality proves otherwise. This was one key finding during the 12th Expert Forum on Animal Well-Being, sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim. Participants also noted the likelihood that farm assurance programs did not meet consumers’ expectations for animal … [Read more...]
The importance of county fairs
It is fair season. County fairs are a part of the livestock industry history. For some kids, the county fair may be the only show they participate in all summer. For others, it might be a stepping stone to state level contests or more. The common threads fair participants all share are lessons learned that include hard work, perseverance, sportsmanship, public speaking, animal … [Read more...]
Change or transformation?
Futurist Daniel Burrus describes the difference between change and transformation like this, “Change comes from the outside in, forcing us to react and manage crises. Transformation, on the other hand, whether it is business or personal, always comes from the inside out. This and that gives us far more positive control while allowing us to actively shape the future.” Being … [Read more...]
Aging workforce seen as problematic by younger workers
Younger employees are far more likely than older workers to have a negative view of the aging American workforce. This is according to a poll, of 1,400 adult workers conducted by the Associated Press and NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Respondents were asked whether they thought people staying in the workforce longer was mostly a good thing or a bad thing for … [Read more...]
Make a decision already!
Here are four methods to get decisions made and made right. They work! Source: HBR Ascend. Link. In order to decide when your choice needs to be made, you have to think about how important it is, how urgent it is, and whether you can use some organizational decision-making approaches to make it more accurate and like to be correct. Decisions of little consequence should not … [Read more...]
3 reasons we procrastinate. How to deal with, “I don’t want to go to work.” (infographic)
Author Heidi Grant boils down procrastination and shares ideas that help us move infographic. Yes, we might screw up, get bored doing repetitive things and sometimes just don’t feel like it. Source: HBR Ascend. Link. The single most critical factor in determining how long a decision should take is how important it is. … [Read more...]
Select chicken breeds that work best for city backyards
Persons wanting to keep chickens in urban backyards should consider breeds that can tolerate a more controlled existence. Keeping a rooster may be out of the picture, writes Pam Freeman. She discusses the benefits of sex-link chickens and shares information about bantam breeds that are preferred for smaller spaces. Source: Backyard Poultry, August 5, 2019. Link. Regardless … [Read more...]
You can prevent Salmonella spread in horses
There is NO vaccine to protect horses against Salmonella. Thus, environmental and equipment disinfection, isolation of sick or new horses, good hand hygiene, and education are critical to an infection prevention program, writes Lucas Pantaleon, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM. He says it is easy for horses to make contact with the insidious bacteria as they move from venue to venue. Pantaleon … [Read more...]
Top 5 methods for assessing tooth vitality (with slideshow photography)
Clinicians must be able to identify nonvital teeth to recommend appropriate treatment, writes Kendall Taney, DVM, DAVDC, FAVD. He shares his top 5 methods for assessing tooth vitality: Visual inspection of the crown of the tooth Sensibility and vitality testing Dental radiography Direct examination of the pulp Histopathic evaluation Source: Clinician’s … [Read more...]
New technology holds promise for monitoring sows
Advancements in technologies are sometimes blamed for taking jobs. But in the U.S. swine market, monitoring sow health prior to farrowing is a 24/7 business that often doesn’t get done. Now, new technologies in precision livestock farming may help by monitoring sows’ individual behavior. Source: National Hog Farmer, August 6, 2019. Link. Technology in the farrowing room will … [Read more...]
Zoetis, CSU launch Incubator Research Lab targeting biotherapeutics for cattle
Zoetis and Colorado State University have agreed to establish a research lab that will be used to help develop alternatiives to antibiotics for food-producing animals. Ray Goodrich, professor and executive director of the Infectious Disease Research Center says, “Our agreement with Zoetis represents the beginning of an era of collaboration, cooperation and innovation between … [Read more...]
Beyond Lyme, more tick-borne worries
The order Rickettsiales contain species Anaplasmataceae and Rickettsiaceae)that infect dogs, according to Brian Herrin, DVM. These intracellular bacteria pathogens are transmitted by a variety of tick vectors, maintained in wildlife and domestic reservoirs. They can cause clinical disease in humans, dogs and other domestic animals. Herrin discusses basic epidemiology, clinical … [Read more...]