A team of international scientists has unveiled an alternative class of potent antimicrobial compounds that could be used to combat multidrug-resistant bacteria that cause bovine mastitis in a recent study. Not yet commercialized, this approach to mastitis will be one to watch. Source: Feedstuffs, October 14, 2025. Link. Novel compounds called oligoimidazolium carbon acids … [Read more...]
Worth a Glance – October 23, 2025
Last week’s AHD Bulletin – Animal Health Digest Bulletin, October 16, 2025. Link. Most read posts from October 16, 2025 AHD Bulletin – Make the call and Just ASK. Link. Bad advice. Link. Cats can get dementia, too. Link. What’s covered and what’s not in veterinary clinic cyber insurance. Link. Pork, ultimate muscle-building protein/National Pork … [Read more...]
Worth a Glance – October 16, 2025
Last week’s AHD Bulletin – Animal Health Digest Bulletin, October 9, 2025. Link. Most read posts from October 9, 2025 AHD Bulletin – Ways to help cats and their caregivers prepare for veterinary visits. Link. Understanding the rise of career dysmorphia; what to do about it. Link. Competitive rivalries. Link. 4 giants dominate consumer pet food market … [Read more...]
Pork is the ultimate muscle-building protein per National Pork Board-funded study
Ongoing human nutrition research continues to complement the Taste What Pork Can Do campaign, positioning pork as a nutrient-dense and versatile protein. Source: The Farmer, October 14, 2025. Link. Taste What Pork Can Do!” … [Read more...]
Make the call and Just ASK
Commentary The call from a local but unrecognized number seemed random. Still, I answered it. It was from my dog’s veterinary clinic. Sharing her name and the clinic’s, the vet tech was calling to check on my dog, noting I hadn’t responded to two wellness visit emails. Yes, I remembered one of the emails but did not act on it at the moment, nor did I act on one text message … [Read more...]
Soft skills matter more now than ever
In an age when technical expertise can become irrelevant in just a few years, foundational skills matter more than ever. Abilities like collaboration, problem-solving and a solid grounding in math transfer across jobs and help teams adapt to new challenges. Source: Harvard Business Review, August 26, 2025. Link. Foundational skills (like reading comprehension, basic math, … [Read more...]
AI writing hasn’t overwhelmed the web yet
New, online articles generated by AI are now roughly equal to those written by humans, according to a recent report from SEO firm Graphite, writes Megan Morrone. She notes that distinguishing between machine and human-written content is increasingly hard. Commentary As curators, we can spot AI-written content fairly easily. We suspect some of the poor writing is due to a … [Read more...]
Beware the newer pet supplements
Sharing the potential fatal effects of pet supplements during the recent AAHA Convention, Renee Schmid, DVM, DABT, DABVT, indicated the Pet Poison Helpline has experienced more calls about toxic effects from the supplements now being marketed. She also shared details about what to look for in pets that ingest these supplements. Source: AVMA, October 8, 2025. Link. It's … [Read more...]
Considerations when talking about pet insurance
We recently introduced a non-commercial Pet Insurance Guide to help animal health pros easily share the “who, what, when, where and why” of choosing pet insurance policies. Confused pet owners considering pet insurance and those with existing policies they don’t understand often seek advice from veterinary teams. The guide is designed as a conversation aid to help discuss pet … [Read more...]
Direct-to-consumer genetic tests can be problematic, require education
Faced with a genetic test report from a direct-to-consumer company, veterinary teams may be challenged to interpret or use the report to a client’s or pet’s benefit. Genetic testing has gone direct-to-consumer, so veterinarians must understand the types of genetic tests available, as well as how to use and interpret them properly, said Jerrod Bell, DVM, in a related article … [Read more...]
Let’s review: Prevalence of GI ulcers in dogs treated with long-term NSAIDs
The author summarizes a prospective study that sought to determine the prevalence of GI mucosal erosions in client-owned medium- and large-breed dogs treated with an NSAID for ≥30 days. The article offers veterinary teams an opportunity to update their team approach to client education and review the clinic materials to be shared with clients. Source: Clinician’s Brief, … [Read more...]
Vaccinating calves early pays off later
Despite producer pushback on the economics of strategic vaccination, preconditioned calves are table stakes, especially with the current market conditions. Timed vaccination can also support reduced antibiotic use. Vaccines against BRD pathogens (such as IBR, BVD, PI3, BRSV, Mannheimia haemolytica and Pasteurella multocida) are widely available. Still, their effectiveness … [Read more...]
Bluetongue in the Midwest
Vince Collison, DVM, shares recent experiences with Bluetongue virus infections in northwest Iowa in this article. He reviews the virus, how it is transmitted and how it affects animals who contract the disease. In the U.S., the biting midge Culicoides sonorensis is the primary vector of the virus that most frequently infects sheep and whitetail deer. Source: The Stockman, … [Read more...]
Don’t overlook heifer fertility
Commentary Acquiring, raising and developing heifers is one of the highest expenses of milk production. Managing them intentionally and separately provides an opportunity for veterinary teams to educate dairy teams about heifer development and improve herd performance. In many cases, heifer care, feeding and reproductive programs are not held to the same standards and … [Read more...]
Honoring and celebrating veterinary technicians
Call them veterinary technicians, veterinary nurses or even “you there,” but call them and involve them fully in veterinary practice services. There’s a clear link between practice revenue, veterinarian satisfaction and the work of veterinary technicians. When deployed to the full extent of their knowledge and skills, clients’ experiences are enhanced and veterinary … [Read more...]
RECOVER Initiative releases first-of-its-kind newborn resuscitation guidelines
The RECOVER Initiative recently released its ‘Newborn Resuscitation Guidelines for Puppies and Kittens.’ This first-of-its-kind resource for veterinary professionals addresses ways to help puppies and kittens survive during the critical post-birth period. In the guidelines, veterinary professionals can find everything from appropriate warming and drying techniques, positive … [Read more...]
4 consumer packaged goods giants dominate pet food market share across price points
The pet food segment is noisy as the continued evolution of pet owner preferences toward premium, science-backed and fresh offerings creates opportunities for emerging brands. Still, Nestlé, Mars, General Mills and Colgate-Palmolive dominate the pet food industry, having captured significant market share in nearly every category of pet food. These CPG companies outperform … [Read more...]
Ways to help cats and their caregivers prepare for veterinary visits
We continue our collaboration with Gina Fortunato and Kristin Wuhrman to share actionable insights from Catalyst Council research to support growth in the feline care segment. Thank you for reading the first edition posted September 23rd <Link>. Feline care is a current industry growth segment. However, barriers, especially stress and uncertainty, still suppress … [Read more...]
Competitive rivalries
Nursing a rivalry, whether it's with a colleague, friend or sibling can sound stressful, but the right kind of competition can be a powerful motivator and push us to be better. Source: AXIOS, September 10, 2025. Link. Warning - people may be more likely to be unethical or cutthroat when competing against a rival because they really want to win.” INSIGHTS: Constant … [Read more...]
The science of defiance: Why we comply; plus how to resist successfully
Commentary This article is appropriate for this time in our industry and society. Dr. Sah’s perspectives are worth considering as we are asked to act, accept and adopt at what often seems like warp speed. Her framework is based on behavioral science research that defines ways to act intentionally, effectively and true to your values. She shares her simple, actionable guide … [Read more...]
IBPSA Fast Bites – October 6, 2025
Congratulations and welcome to the 25 new members who joined the association in Q3. Check the list for these members in your area and consider giving them a call. Two upcoming webinars available: How to Hold Staff Accountable with Love. Wednesday, October 15th at 1:00 p.m. Central Time <Register here> Tofu litter: A clean, green kennel solution. October 29, … [Read more...]
Best practices for safe, efficient body temperature in cats, dogs during veterinary procedures
Sharing current recommendations about warming and cooling in dogs and cats during anesthesia and surgery, Walter L. Brown, RVTg VTS (ECC), provides a review of updated methods from new research and techniques. He shares how to implement them correctly. Source: AAHA Trends, October 6, 2025. Link. Even with techniques and devices considered to be safe and efficient, frequent … [Read more...]
The best dog exercises for canine conditioning
Exercise is an important component to weight and obesity management. But rarely do we hear that exercising a dog is more than a walk around the block. Debby McMullen, CDBC, shares ways to physically condition dogs in this article. She advocates activities that cover cardio, stretching, balancing and strengthening to benefit a dog’s conditioning and stimulate them … [Read more...]
Practical guide to equine body condition scoring
Equine body condition scoring is an assessment of external body fat and not muscle development, writes Sarah Nelson in this informative article. She shares tips for monitoring equine body condition along with a horse owner-friendly scoring guide. Consider sharing this article with horse owners as a pre-visit activity and prepare them for a more comprehensive discussion of … [Read more...]
Feeding by-products advances dairy productivity and sustainability
Feeding by-products are no longer just useful; they’re essential. By-products, including soybean meal, corn distillers grains, canola meal, beet pulp, soy hulls and citrus pulp, are often the result of food and industrial processing. While these ingredients are undesirable for people, they’re rich in nutrients that cows can digest and convert into high-quality … [Read more...]
First-of-its-kind system eradicates residual dairy barn methane
The large-scale field trial of the Methane Eradication Photochemical System represents the first real-world validation of a scalable technology capable of eradicating methane emissions from livestock barn air. The prototype MEPS unit, housed in a standard 40-foot shipping container, processed air samples from a 250-cow, open-sided dairy barn on a dairy farm in … [Read more...]
October is National Pork Month
National Pork Month is celebrated every October and is often referred to as Porktober. It is a time to honor the hard work of pork producers and the delicious, versatile meat they provide. Dennis Smith shares his insights into the pork market and opportunities to promote pork as beef prices continue to rise. Source: National Hog Farmer, October 6, 2025. Link. Also see: … [Read more...]
Unreturned phone calls can cost you more than $50,000 a year
Commentary Unreturned calls are far from harmless. They’re lost revenue. When you don’t respond, you signal “not now” to a client or prospect who may never call again. Plus, if an existing client referred the caller, you lost the opportunity and embarrassed your promoter. In a time of declining vet visits and new clients <Link>, Teri Leggett reminds us of the … [Read more...]
Meeting Gen Zs where they learn
As our industry looks to 2026 and allocating budgets for educational programs, Michelle Westfort’s perspectives on providing learning opportunities for Gen Z employees are worth considering. This generation embraces non-traditional educational paths while still valuing formal education. She highlights: a) short-term, stackable and flexible learning options; b) the value of … [Read more...]
Merck Animal Health: more than 7 million rabies vaccines donated through Afya program
Complimentary Content Merck Animal Health remains committed to helping eliminate the deadly threat of rabies through its global non-profit initiative, the Afya Program, by donating NOBIVAC® rabies vaccines to support canine vaccination efforts in areas where rabies is endemic. More than seven million NOBIVAC® rabies vaccines have been donated. Combating rabies and … [Read more...]