Bob Suh offers plenty of insight and recommendations for fixing a sales teams’ ability to forecast. In my experiences, forecasting is also an issue for veterinary clinics and retailers, second only to the lack of inventory management disciplines. The root causes of most inaccuracies are not faulty algorithms but all-too-human behavior, writes Suh. He identifies these five most … [Read more...]
Media literacy needed at home and the office
Sarah Gretter makes a solid case for teaching children to watch commercials with their eyes wide open. She backs up her reasoning with study results. Media literacy is being able analyze and evaluate the messages we see in different media platforms. . . . 80 percent of middle school students believed that web ads were real news stories. The same study found that more than 80 … [Read more...]
Don’t believe what China says about ASF
Betsy Freese, executive editor of Successful Farming, recently spent a week in China on a market study tour with U.S. farmers, swine and beef producers and other agricultural business people. She focuses on four points about African swine fever (AFS) shared, seven items a U.S.-based company she was not allowed to name stated and nine statements Chinese officials put … [Read more...]
Learn how to manage the gut
Prebiotics and probiotics are frequent considerations for multimodal therapies in monogastrics, regardless of species It can be difficult to remain objective about their benefits, but the growing body of work indicates that considering the microbiome will become more prevalent in managing disease risk and potential treatments. We gathered several references for … [Read more...]
In #Metoo backlash, men retreat from mentoring women
Wendy Murphy shares that many senior male managers are reportedly responding to the #Metoo movement with a better-safe-than-sorry attitude and are pulling back from mentoring women. This reaction is both biased and shortsighted she says. Repercussions of depriving female employees of the counseling, developmental opportunities, exposure, and visibility that come from … [Read more...]
A bully or just tough?
The presumption that bullying bosses get results — and fast — compared with gentler leaders is widespread, and rooted partly in the published life stories of successful CEOs Source: New York Times, February 26, 2019. Link. Bullying bosses tend to undermine their own teams. Morale and company loyalty plunge, tardiness increase, and sick days are more frequent. INSIGHTS: … [Read more...]
Will the dairy industry follow swine industry maturation?
Maggie Seiler shares consolidation metrics and insights from Bill Evan, National Pork Board CEO, to determine if swine industry changes might play out in the dairy segment. . . . swine is the only livestock industry that has consolidated faster than dairy with a growth rate of the midpoint swine farm of 3,233 percent from 1987 to 2012. Dairy’s midpoint farm during that time … [Read more...]
JAVMA: Defining antimicrobial use; paradigms shifting in behavioral medicine
There’s something for everyone in most issues of JAVMA. We’re highlighting the abstracts of two papers representing changes in our industry. Evidence-based paradigm shifts in veterinary behavioral medicine. LinkThe AVMA's definitions of antimicrobial uses for prevention, control, and treatment of disease. Link. Source: JAVMA, April 1, 2019. Link. Review the table of … [Read more...]
Groups eye Santa Anita Park horse track fatalities (video)
The deaths of 22 horses since Dec. 26, 2018 at Santa Anita Park in Southern California has the attention of several groups and investigation teams trying to figure out why the horses died. A new set of regulations, including a plan to impose a to restrict the use of Lasix on race days has the track closed. The Lasix plan has to first be approved by the Thoroughbred Owners of … [Read more...]
Shark Tank’s Mark Cuban just invested $550,000 in a vegan dog treats company
Vegan pet food brand Wild Earth secured a $550,000 investment from Mark Cuban during a March 18 Shark Tank TV show appearance. He made the investment for two reasons: his belief in technological solutions to modernity’s challenges, and his concerns for environmental sustainability. Ryan Bethencourt, the CEO and co-founder of Wild Earth, said they are prototyping the dog food … [Read more...]
Some anti-vaxxers don’t vaccinate pets, creating danger
Anti-vaccine proponents are increasingly making the same unfounded claims about pets and vaccines they have been repeating about children and vaccines for the past 20 years: that vaccines are unnecessary, dangerous and that they can cause diseases. According a TIME magazine article, the negative attention on vaccines is growing globally. Looking at the circulation demographics, … [Read more...]
Understand the Family and Medical Leave Act
Getting sandwiched between a growing family and aging parents is a challenge for all generations. The Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) is an employment law that allows employees to take job-protected, unpaid leave for specific family and medical reasons. This is important, because most of us are considered at-will employees. There are some criteria that need to be met for FMLA … [Read more...]
Upcoming events at The Bridge Club
Taking advantage of internet video tools, The Bridge Club virtual community continues to engage professionals in conversations. Co-founder Brenda Andresen references the learning experiences and professional nuggets she and founding partner Catherine Haskins capture with each live event. The Bridge Club was featured in a recent article in Vet Advantage as the team prepared for … [Read more...]
Swine vets highly valued, need more diagnostics
It may be a sign of swine producers’ growing expectations of technology, but fewer than 45 percent rated their vet as “excellent” at diagnosing problems in a study conducted by CF Grass Consulting. With high scores overall, the diagnostic metric reveals the continual need to educate producers on preventative production practices and to develop better diagnostic tools. … [Read more...]
Myths and facts about strangles, Strep equii
Many horse owners don’t understand strangles, says Reese Hand, DVM. Strangles is an infection of the upper respiratory tract caused by the bacteria Streptococcus equi, and spreads predominately by nose-to-nose contact. It is sometimes known as equine distemper. Source: Western Horseman, September 2014. Link. While strangles is easily treatable and rarely fatal, … [Read more...]
Genetics could reduce bovine respiratory disease
Genetic selection could be a new tool to thwart bovine respiratory disease (BRD) in cattle, according to research at University of Wisconsin-Madison. Focused on the genetic analysis of BRD and lung consolidation in dairy calves. BRD incidence has not changed in the past 20 years, despite producers’ proactive calf management processes. BRD has only short-term effects on … [Read more...]
Opinion – Amazon to fight counterfeiting with brand registry
In a move to avoid counterfeiting Amazon is promoting a brand registry after abruptly cancelling routine merchandise orders from thousands of its long-time suppliers in early March. The cleaner the marketplace, the better the sales integrity and product integrity.” - Ryan Craver, CEO of Amazon’s Commerce Canal Amazon’s business platform operates similar to animal … [Read more...]
Why dogs smell each other’s butts
Butt sniffing is how dogs gather information about each other. It is normal and a necessary ritual that dogs do during greetings, writes Jill Breitner. She describes the 3-second dog greeting rule can keep everyone safe and happy in the event a dog goes overboard in its zeal for getting to know another dog. … [Read more...]
Time to focus on heartworm
Spring is six days away. With it the mosquito populations will build as will heartworm disease risks for pets. DVM 360 gathered a selection of articles, tips, tools and resources to help renew heartworm knowledge with team members. Consider these resources as you educate dog and cat owners on the importance of year-round heartworm prevention. Source: DVM 360, March 2, 2019. … [Read more...]
Texas Tech vet school effort reveals challenges
A recent ad we received reveals the critical shortage of veterinarians serving small, rural communities throughout Texas. We’re sharing it to help animal health pros gain knowledge and perspective about the challenges of serving animal owners in rural areas of the United States. Texas employs the second most veterinarians in the U.S., but more than 30 percent are 60 years … [Read more...]
The importance of elevating veterinary technicians
Dan Aja, DVM, sees the important work veterinary technicians do to support delivery of high-quality care for pets, engage clients and help hospitals run smoothly. Meanwhile, the veterinary industry still faces challenges developing a consistent model for veterinary technicians, despite multiyear educational, training, and certification requirements. Aja compares the roles of … [Read more...]
Loyal employees = loyal customers
Loyalty, in general use, is a devotion and faithfulness to a nation, cause, philosophy, company, group or person. According to research by Gallup, fewer than 30 percent of employees say they are loyal to their company. Frequent turnover has a negative impact on employee morale, productivity and company revenue. Source: LinkedIn Pulse, June 18, 2018. Link. The reality is that … [Read more...]
What keeps HR leaders up at night?
Ensuring employees remain engaged and productive continues to reign supreme in the minds of HR managers. According to a recent survey, 32 percent of the HR leaders cited employee engagement and productivity as their top challenges, compared to 29 percent a year earlier. Retaining key talent in today’s economy was cited by 32 percent as their top concern. . . . over half of … [Read more...]
Building trust and compliance
Christine Shupe writes about client trust, compliance and The Opportunity, a tool from Partners for Healthy Pets, to help with animal owner engagement. She reminds us that gaining trust requires effort and follow-through. At the core of any client/professional relationship is trust. As staff works to establish trust, the probability that the client trusts and listen to what … [Read more...]
Comparing meat and poultry cash prices
If your grocery expenses seem to be increasing, a current year compared to last year cash price review may be enlightening. Perhaps packaged goods are hitting your budgets harder than food animal products. Source: Feedstuffs, February 28, 2019. Link. … [Read more...]
Call it welfare or well-being, it’s about proper husbandry
Portia Stewart tackles semantics that help non-ag persons comprehend the challenges of raising meat and being good animal stewards. Young consumers want to learn a lot more about their food. One of the problems we have today is a lot of young consumers are totally removed from the world of the practical.” - Temple Grandin, DVM. Source: PORK, February 28, 2019. … [Read more...]
Coyotes going metro
The coyote (Canis latrans) is one of nature’s most adaptable wild animals. More and more cities are being invaded by these daring and crafty canids. As omnivores, coyotes enjoy a veritable smorgasbord in suburban areas. A study by the Urban Coyote Research Program analyzed over 1,400 scat samples from urban coyotes and discovered the most common food items were small … [Read more...]
Top 5 diseases of domestic ferrets
Ferrets are popular as pets again. Kvin Lertpiriyapong, DVM, reviews specific diseases and conditions that are common in ferrets: Adrenal gland hyperplasia or neoplasiaPancreatic islet β-cell tumorForeign bodiesDental diseaseDiarrhea Source: Clinician’s Brief, February 2017. Link. Because of their curious nature, unique biology, and increased average lifespan due to … [Read more...]
Sponsored content from AAHA Red and AAHA NEWStat
Here is actionable, sponsored content from recent issues of NEWStat and Red you’ll find helpful: Cats take enough risks on their own. Why add adjuvanted vaccines to the list? January 21, 2019. Link. Content provided by Boehringer Ingelheim. Pet insurance 101 for veterinary hospital teams, December 21, 2018. Link. Content offered by Petplan. The itchy dog: short … [Read more...]
Dogs and their owners tend to act alike, including anxiousness
Whether through conscious training or day to day interactions, humans shape dog behavior—and they change as we change. "Our lifestyle changes trickle down," says William J. Chopik, a social psychologist at Michigan State University. He led a recent study that found that dogs resemble their owners in an entirely different way: their personalities tend to be similar. Source: … [Read more...]