Endemic or not in any geography is no longer easy to define. It seems the medical community is at odds with its approach to diagnosis and treatment. Parallel to the human discussion is the ongoing debate about vaccinating dogs. These two articles are helpful resources for making decisions about Lyme prevention, treatment as well as addressing animal owner questions. One thing … [Read more...]
Modern approach to developing farmer rapport can pay dividends
Telling farmers what to do and expecting them to “just do it” doesn’t always work. Sarah Tomlinson, veterinarian with Westpoint Farm Vets in Ashbourne, England, shares her approach as part of the farm team. A few keys are to let farmers talk first, explaining the “why and how” and motivational interviewing, which, if you never heard of it before, involves a little bit of … [Read more...]
Ongoing training essential to animal welfare
Good animal care must become a habit and part of the culture, writes Dave Sjeklocha, DVM. Training workers and family members on animal handling and care has never been more important. Documenting this training equally important. And we must continue to train, retrain and redocument, he says. Dr. Sjeklocha recently reviewed recent activities by animal rights groups. He … [Read more...]
How you say it matters more than what you say
Educating clients about programs, procedures and treatment is an important part of what animal health pros do. Helpful resources are available on the Partners for Healthy Pets website or veterinary teams < link >. For clinic teams, communication training is essential to alert individuals about verbal habits that may interfere with how their message is received. Source: … [Read more...]
Group calls for national CWD strategy
Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) strategies have historically been managed state by state. The fatal prion disease is now in 26 states and continues to spread. So far, fears it could cross species barriers to affect livestock or humans have not come to fruition. It has not been found in animals other than deer, elk and other cervids. Recently, a multidisciplininary team of … [Read more...]
Goats can’t safely eat everything
You may think goats can eat nearly everything. Katherine Drovdahl, MA, CA, CR, CEIT, DipHlr, QTP, tells us differently. Knowing what to feed goats involves education. Even good plants can develop into a dangerous toxic condition called enterotoxemia if goats overeat on any plant they are not used to. She shares a few common toxic plants and suggests consulting a local … [Read more...]
3 Vs drive U.S. chicken purchases
Versatility, value and variety are just a few of the categories that chicken ticks the box for in consumers’ eyes, according to new research presented at the 2019 Chicken Marketing Summit. Of course, taste is important for chicken and all meat buyers. However, it was less important to consumers of plant-based products. Lots of interesting protein stats, plus protein industry … [Read more...]
Boehringer Ingelheim introduces BVDVTracker.com
Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) is an ongoing challenge facing the cattle industry. The virus often goes undiagnosed and the consequences are severe. To help producers address the challenges BI launched BVDVTracker.com. The website’s mission is to support veterinarians, producers and industry professionals in the control of BVDV. Source: Drovers, July 16, 2019. Link. … [Read more...]
Lack of understanding of livestock production driving trends
According to market intelligence firm IRI, 57 percent of U.S. consumers are motivated to purchase products based on factors within social strategy and cultural alignment. Animal welfare certifications on packaging and companies that promote responsible production are moving rapidly to capitalize on the growing influence of millennial and Gen Z purchasing power. For … [Read more...]
Gen Z decoded
Leah Halverson, owner of Ten Acre Marketing, offers one of the more succinct descriptions of a Gen Zer in her latest blog entry. By living the power of her 14-year-old niece who DoorDashed a Wendy’s lemonade “because I wanted one,” Halverson’s astonishment and realization of the gutsiness of Gen Z offers a wakeup call to any of us serving this market segment. Source: 11th … [Read more...]
Teach new technology to older employees
Older workers shouldn’t be dismissed because they lack tech savvy. They need to be educated to become tech savvy which allows them to simultaneously exploit the knowledge of experiences and new skills. Baby boomers may be reluctant to dive into digital tools. But they should be encouraged, because they still have so much to offer.” Nick Candito Source: Entrepreneur, July 12, … [Read more...]
Context is everything!
If you are part of creating a transaction in any way, this post is for you. David Brock focuses on those with sales in their title, but each of us influences customer choices. He reminds us that each person’s hopes, fears, dreams and challenges are unique to them and the situation they face at a point in time. The magic of great sales people is their ability to connect, to … [Read more...]
How fireflies glow and why (includes video)
Professor Clyde Sorenson is an expert who does research on, and teaches about, the ecology and biology of insects. He and other entomologists have identified 170 or more species of the bioluminescent beetles commonly known as lightning bugs or fireflies. Fireflies produce light in special organs in their abdomens by combining a chemical called luciferin, enzymes called … [Read more...]
Decade-long study highlights the merits of 4-H for personal youth development
Amanda Radke summarizes key takeaways fom a 10-year study conducted by Tufts University evaluating the effectiveness of various youth programs. The study revealed that 4-H youth are: four times more likely to give back to their communities two times more likely to make healthier choices two times more likely to participate in STEM (science, technology, engineering … [Read more...]
Mares and the challenges of heat cycles
David Ramey, DVM offers two articles to address heat in mares. Part 1 describes how the heat cycle works. Part 2 discusses many of the different treatments that people use to try to keep their mare’s heat cycle under control. Folks try to keep mares from coming into heat in any number of ways, some of which work, and many of which don’t . . .but still get used. Source: Help! … [Read more...]
Activity monitors pay on dairy operation
Using neck collar activity monitors to measure individual cows’ activity plus rumination has paid for Hardscrabble Dairy in Wisconsin. Instead of blanket health or reproductive protocols for all cows, producers can treat and breed each cow at the best time for it. Dairies can find considerable savings in health costs and labor with payback in less than 24 months. Source: … [Read more...]
Go outside! not just a Mom’s dictate
“Okay, it is time for you to go outside and play,” might be a way for moms to get a break from child rearing during summer. She’s right. Researchers have studied outdoor time and found the benefits of spending two to three hours per week in nature were similar to the benefits of getting two to three hours of physical exercise a week. Nature enhances health by reducing people’s … [Read more...]
Perdue discusses chicken welfare and comfort in 2019 Animal Care Report
The recently released 2019 Animal Care Report from Perdue is a testament to the challenges faced to keep animals healthy and comfortable while changing production practices. We continue to study and better understand how to provide what chickens want as well as what they need. This year we learned a lot about how enrichments encourage activity, began measuring chicken comfort … [Read more...]
Preconditioning STILL pays
Too many cow-calf producers still ignore the benefits of preconditioning. For as long as I can remember discussing cattle production health topics, pre-conditioning has been near the top of the list of economic factors. As animal health pros, we believe we’ve told the benefits to producers dozens of times. But, as with vaccination compliance, preconditioning is still not … [Read more...]
Assessing fat in colostrum
Kudos to the lab researchers who are digging into all the benefits of colostrum instead of just valuing colostrum by the level of colostral immunoglobulins. By studying herd data and a small test group they have concluded that fat, not protein, represents the primary energy source the cow packages into colostrum for the calf. The term fat broadly encompasses related compounds … [Read more...]
Beef-on-dairy production rapidly evolving
The advancements in genomics and sexed semen is making significant changes in how dairy producers manage cows. There is still a need for milk cows to have calves but not all calves need to be returned to the milking herd. By breeding the lower quality milk cows to beef bulls, dairy producers are building potential to impact the beef industry in a big way. <the author> … [Read more...]
Is an African swine fever vaccine getting closer to completion?
With African swine fever (ASF) virus moving across the globe, the race is on to be the first to develop a vaccine against the economically devastating disease. The Pig Site spoke to Dr. Linda Dixon, head of the African swine fever (ASF) group at The Pirbright Institute, about their current research and development efforts for an ASF vaccine. The Pirbright research focuses … [Read more...]
Acronym helps educate horse owners about colic
R.E.A.C.T. is the hallmark of a marketing effort to reduce the instance of critical colic cases in horses. Sarah Freeman, BVetMed, PhD, DECVS, FHEA, FRCVS, collaborated with the British Horse Society. She presented her work, the campaign and various educational materials at the West Indies Veterinary Conference. The acronym represents these indicators: R estless or … [Read more...]
When cats get fat
We’re highlighting one abstract from a recent JAVMA. Veterinary teams will find the information valuable in developing visit and retention activities for feline patients and their owners. Investigation of relationships between body weight and age among domestic cats stratified by breed and sex. Link A low frequency of repeated BW measurements suggested a low frequency … [Read more...]
New discovery in Toxoplasma gondii research will save cat lives
Ed Yong provides a positive update on research findings that may save the use of cats in research laboratories. Of the many parasites known to control the mind of their host, none is more famous than Toxoplasma gondii—the single-celled organism known colloquially as Toxo. It can survive in a variety of animals, but it only reproduces sexually in cats. If it gets into mice or … [Read more...]
Opinion – Set the right expectations for puppy owners
In the last two decades, animal health pros have become increasingly aware of the number of puppies that get returned or surrendered. Most of these pets are returned because of normal behavior issues that new owners are not prepared to face. More than 1 million households give up their pets every year — and it’s not, by and large, because those animals aren’t loved or wanted.” … [Read more...]
New companion animal targeted GBS screening panels available from Thermo Fisher Scientific
Thermo Fisher Scientific launched three new AgriSeq targeted genotyping by sequencing (GBS) solutions that allow customers to genotype canines and felines while learning disease and parentage information about their pets. The ready-to-use panels achieve high call rates with reproducible genotyping results. Simple, high-throughput workflow on the Ion Torrent next-generation … [Read more...]
USDA scientists, researchers reveal 320 new inventions in 2018
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue recently discussed the latest Technology Transfer Report <Link >. He reported 320 new inventions from USDA laboratories in fiscal 2018, along with 471 licenses, 120 patent applications and 67 actual patents. Feedstuffs’ Jacqui Fatka shares the new developments and the potential economic impact. Source: Feedstuffs, July 3, 2019. Link. … [Read more...]
Don’t sweat the small talk
There are two kinds of people in this world, writes Dr. Pat Aitcheson. The first go by the Irish principle of strangers being friends they haven’t met yet. And the second live by Sartre’s principle that hell is other people. Unfortunately for the latter, they also have to socialise at least occasionally. Aitcheson offers tips for making conversation better: Assume … [Read more...]
Mess up . . . fess up. Avoid shifting blame.
In a recent SmartPulse poll, 32 percent of respondents admitted to blame shifting in the face of an error. The author offers advice about taking responsibility. None of us likes to make mistakes let alone claim responsibility for them. Source: SmartBrief, June 11, 2019. Link. Many mistakes have multiple parties contributing. No one wants to take the blame for someone else’s … [Read more...]