Complimentary Sponsored Content John Currin, DVM, and Jody Wade, DVM team up in this article to provide insight on best practices for vaccine administration. The practices they outline are good reminders as spring calves are born: Store, mix and handle vaccines according to label directions Choose an appropriate needle size Administer products according to labeled … [Read more...]
Lyme disease is getting skinked
Black-legged ticks in the southeast U.S. prefer to feed on lizards, particularly skinks. Skinks don’t transmit Lyme as easily as the white-footed mice in the northeast U.S. Jean Tsao, a disease ecologist, and her team found a clear divide in ticks’ preferred hosts and behavior south of Virginia, matching the pattern of both tick infections and Lyme disease. Source: Science, … [Read more...]
Justine Lee, DVM, discusses Leptospirosis sp. on Pet Life Radio
Complimentary In a recent episode of ER VET, Dr. Justine Lee, DACVECC, DABT, discussed canine leptospirosis. She says, “If your dog lives in the city and weighs ten pounds or more it is at risk. Tune in to learn about this deadly disease!” Resources like this are great for client education, social media posts and newsletters. Source: Pet Life Radio, ER Vet. Link. The … [Read more...]
Covid-19 vaccine trial participant shares story
Longtime industry pro Janice Keene shares her experience as a participant in the Covid-19 vaccine trials. Familiar with the process of developing livestock vaccines, she confidently joined the 44,000 people worldwide involved in the Pfizer/BioNTech trial. The best way to protect the people you love is to get the vaccination yourself.” – Janice Keene Source: Hoard’s Dairyman, … [Read more...]
CAPC urges clinics to reach out assertively
The Companion Animal Parasite Council recommends proactive veterinary client outreach in 2021. Starting now will help adjust for pandemic scheduling delays created last spring and will ensure all pets are tested and protected. Our concern is that the delayed veterinary visits in 2020 may cause difficulties in pets getting access to healthcare in 2021.” – Chris Carpenter, … [Read more...]
Employers can legally require COVID vaccines. But will they?
Should . . . and could . . . we make the vaccine mandatory for employees? The pros, cons and options get discussed surrounding this hot topic. Source: Human Resource Executive, December 21, 2020. Link. In guidance released December 16, 2020 < link >, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said employers can require that employees get vaccinated as a condition of … [Read more...]
Merck Animal Health launches intranasal BRD vaccine for calves at 1 week of age or older
Complimentary Commercial Content Merck Animal Health has announced that Bovilis® Nasalgen® 3-PMH is now available to veterinarians and cattle producers to protect cattle from five of the most common pneumonia causing viral and bacterial pathogens. Approved for use in dairy and beef cattle, this is the first intranasal vaccine effective in providing early, broad-spectrum … [Read more...]
To overcome vaccine hesitancy, we need a better patient experience
HBR’s summary led me to review this article first in the human context and again thinking about animal health vaccination experiences. By thinking of the vaccine as a consumer product, vaccination as a service, and a high NPS (net promoter score) as a goal, we can better design the end-to-end vaccination process and bring this pandemic to a close as quickly as … [Read more...]
Covid vaccines: fact versus fiction
University of Kentucky’s Vince Venditto, PhD, is busting myths about vaccines to help inform your decision to get vaccinated. I would personally get any of the approved vaccines, absolutely. I will also wait for my turn to ensure that those at highest risk can get vaccinated first. . .” - Vince Venditto, PhD, assistant professor in the University of Kentucky College of … [Read more...]
We’re underselling the Covid-19 vaccine
David Leonhardt explains why the vaccine news is better than you may think. He parallels the growing vaccine reluctance with the near mass confusion on mask-wearing. He admonishes the experts who don’t seem to trust the public to hear the full truth. . . . We should be greeting < the vaccines > with the same enthusiasm that greeted the polio vaccine.” - Paul Offit, … [Read more...]
SARS-CoV-2 virus drift and shift raises concerns
For animal health pros born before 1990, antigenic drift and antigenic shift are not mere terms. Rather, they have been part of life experiences. Canine coronavirus, bovine viral diarrhea and equine herpes virus are among viruses our industry has chased with vaccines and vaccine updates. Rapid advancements in genotyping and mass spectrum technologies have been helpful as we … [Read more...]
Vaccination in this pandemic time and before
Commentary Throughout this last year, we have seen more information on vaccines than ever. A plethora of it continues to be spewed on vaccine development, virus science and immunity. Much of it lacks the basic context for why vaccines work and why they are critical to disease management and population safety. Jenifer Chatfield, DVM, DACZM, DACVPM, wrote a revealing … [Read more...]
Titers and other vaccine considerations for horses
David Ramey, DVM, wishes discussions about equine vaccines were easy. Instead of being a simple linear vaccine equation, it has a lot of +/- variables in it. This makes discussions about vaccines fraught with all sorts of nuance and complications, he says. The result is that many throw up their hands rather than talk about them. Not simple, the horse vaccine equation looks … [Read more...]
Dr. Jen demystifies vaccinations
Jenifer Chatfield, DVM, Dipl. ACZM, Dipl. ACVPM, tackles myths about pet vaccines in the latest edition of Is This a Thing? My pet got all of its shots Cats don’t need vaccines The internet says lepto vaccine is not needed It’s better to titer first so vets don’t just give vaccines to make money My pet is so old it doesn’t need vaccines any … [Read more...]
Updating clinic materials yields a new book for pet owners
Complimentary Commercial Content Sometime last spring, Marty Greer, DVM, JD, shared she was working on updating her clinic materials for pet owners while her practice was closed during the early days of the pandemic. She offered the same Bridge Club networking group a welcome surprise in early December. Her materials updating work had expanded into a new book for puppy … [Read more...]
Barn cats need care, too
Sarah Peakheart, DVM, shares tips for caring for barn cats. Her recommendations are especially applicable to cats who are easily handled. Tips related to improving the cats’ environment and safety are also beneficial, even for cats that are more feral. Source: The Bullvine, November 16, 2020. Link. Make plenty of noise before starting up your vehicles or farm equipment, … [Read more...]
Dr. Jen discusses what to know about dog flu
Complimentary video content Jenifer Chatfield, DVM, Dipl. ACZM, Dipl. ACVPM, talks influenza in the latest video edition of Is This a Thing? With flu season upon us, she reviews all the influenzas, their origins, the interesting creatures that get flu and how they ALL fit together. Source: Dr. Jen the Vet, You Tube, November 25, 2020. Link. If your dog has not been … [Read more...]
Dog park etiquette
Harriet Meyers reminds us that not all dogs are ready for a dog park experience. She discusses the benefits and focuses on readiness including vaccination, safety, environmental concerns and socialization. Her article is a good one for social media and newsletters. Source: AKC, October 7, 2020. Link. Also see: How to safely greet a strange dog, AKC, November 6, 2020. … [Read more...]
Pandemics: Beyond “women and children first”
Jenifer Chatfield DVM, DACZM, DACVPM, outlines the factors involved in determining who will receive a vaccine. She discusses common questions as we wait for a Covid-19 vaccine: Who gets the vaccine first when it becomes available? Who gets it if the supply is limited? Who decides who is at the front of the line? Source: DVM 360, October 21, 2020. Link. Like … [Read more...]
Disease du jour: Eastern equine encephalitis
Disease Du Jour content is sponsored by Merck Animal Health EEE is one of the most dangerous diseases on the planet for both horses and people," said Maureen T. Long, DVM, PhD, DACVIM, of Eastern equine encephalitis during her Disease Du Jour webinar/podcast. She emphasizes the role of veterinarians in surveillance of EEE in protecting humans, including the importance of … [Read more...]
How to care for senior horses
By age 15, most horses have reached their senior years. They generally live longer than most domestic animals. Their use and lifestyle affects the way they age. A longer lifespan increases the need for enhanced animal health services and screenings as equine patients age to achieve animal health goals. . . “ Source: MWI Animal Health, October 16, 2020. Link. Here are a few of … [Read more...]
4 tips to encourage employees to get a flu vaccination
Chaz Hinkle reminds us of the importance of annual influenza vaccinations and the flu’s annual pressure on healthcare facilities and workers. The ongoing coronavirus challenge adds to the importance of getting everyone vaccinated. Source: Human Resource Executive, September 29, 2020. Link. Studies show that getting vaccinated can reduce flu illness, doctors’ visits, missed … [Read more...]
Decoding vaccine titers in companion animal practice
Sara E. Gonzalez, DVM, MS, provides a literature-based review of the limitations and benefits of this type of testing and guidance for interpreting results. In the summary comments she shares: The gold standard laboratory techniques for detecting circulating blood antibody titers against the core canine vaccine antigens and FPV are VN and HI. Core vaccine titer testing … [Read more...]
Warm beer = bad vaccine?
Monitoring the performance of refrigeration units is critical to vaccines and pharmaceuticals labeled for temperature control. Older units may develop inconsistent temperature zones with items freezing in one area and getting too warm in another. The context for the article is dairy, but almost any veterinary clinic or on-farm drug storage area can have the issues shared in … [Read more...]
AAHA/AAFP introduce new feline vaccination guidelines
Consensus is a challenging part of scientific work, let alone developing guidelines to cover all the possible needs of any animal. Working together, the AAHA and AAFP tackled the collective needs of felines by updating the feline vaccination guidelines to serve the cat population and account for individualized vaccination protocols. It’s no longer just indoor cats versus … [Read more...]
Client handout, Why vaccinate my pet?, is helpful
The key to compliance for vaccines, flea, tick and heartworm prevention, even osteoarthritis is continual education to support preventative products and processes. Vaccination is a hot topic during the 2020 pandemic period. With all the press comes increased awareness and scrutiny of vaccination in general. Efforts to support the World Rabies Day 2020 events on September … [Read more...]
Rabies laws: What you need to know
September 28th is the 14th World Rabies Day < link >. Meanwhile, laws surrounding rabies vaccination and exposure vary across the United States. Kate Boatright, VMD, shares what animal health pros need to know about rabies laws. SAY WHAT? . . . only 39 states mandate rabies vaccination for dogs; 11 states have no statewide legal requirement for rabies vaccination of … [Read more...]
Rabies response
We received a compliment about a recent post about rabies in cattle < link >. Rabies is a focus for this person’s company as part of their wildlife removal services. We’veve included rabies information from their website. It is worthy of sharing with animal owners via social media and newsletters. . . . even in 2020, there are some states that only require rabies … [Read more...]
Refresh your Lyme knowledge
“We learned about that years ago,” is not uncommon to hear when visiting with animal health pros. BUT, consider when or if pet owners last received Lyme disease education. With tick-associated Lyme disease migrating westward, it is important to include Lyme disease education with recommendations for flea, tick and heartworm medications to reduce the potential for B. … [Read more...]
Pet owners realizing cost of pet ownership
Commentary Read this article with a pet insurance or wellness program mindset. It’s past time for animal health pros to redouble our efforts to help pet owners understand the value of having a pet on an insurance plan. The amortization math is simple when put against normal costs of veterinary care before special needs. Thirty-three percent of Americans have or have … [Read more...]