Complimentary Commercial Content Galaxy Vets, an employee-owned veterinary healthcare system in the U.S. launched this week. Dr. Ivan Zak, founder of Smartflow and Veterinary Integrated Solutions will lead the company. It will use VIS methodology and technology to combat veterinary burnout by addressing why veterinarians leave the … [Read more...]
Pet food draws big-name investment, private equity focus
The pet food and pet care markets have been attracting outside investment interest for well over a decade, writes Debbie Donaldson-Phillips. She says you know an industry has seized the spotlight when it earns the attention of a large and well-known investment firm like Morgan Stanley. Morgan Stanley recently released a report on the pet industry, predicting the U.S. market to … [Read more...]
Email marketing; Why it’s so important (Infographic)
Email remains a key element of any effective digital marketing strategy. It provides a direct connection between you and your target audience and facilitates a range of engagement benefits. A new overview of essential email usage stats and tips are worth noting: Personalized emails, which include customers' names, can have a positive effect on open rates The right … [Read more...]
The life stages of a veterinarian’s career varies
Opinion A 2020 study of career satisfaction sponsored by Merck sheds light on career challenges, changes and progress for veterinarians. Reviewing the study results, Jessica Vogelsang, DVM, commented it was like reading about life stages for pets. The findings show things start to improve after five years. Whether it’s finally finding the right footing or surrounding … [Read more...]
Survey says U.S. producers are split over nationwide traceability system
Farm Journal conducted a survey to glean U.S. livestock producers’ thoughts about animal traceability. The top reason producers would participate in a traceability program is to track disease outbreaks. For those opposed, the second-highest reason would be to qualify for a premium or branded program. Traceability has two fronts: one to track diseases and one to address … [Read more...]
Pointers for pinkeye
Commercial Content Moraxella bovis is a commensal organism of the bovine eye meaning that it can be found on the eyes and periocular tissues of healthy animals nearly all the time, writes Tim Parks, DVM, and Lowell T. Midla, VMD, MS. The veterinarians explain Moraxella bovis generally does not cause infectious bovine keratoconjunctivitis, also known as pinkeye, unless there … [Read more...]
Innovative BRD control-decision making tool for cattle introduced
Complimentary Commercial Content WHISPER® ON ARRIVAL, a breakthrough technology that predicts which feedyard animals will benefit from treatment on arrival for the control of bovine respiratory disease was introduced this week by Merck Animal Health and Allflex Livestock Intelligence. Made with a new sound collection device and a predictive algorithm, the system shows how … [Read more...]
What is free-range chicken?
When individuals see free-range chicken at the supermarket, the assumptions include envisioning chickens free to roam grassy pastures. This is not always reality. This author attempts to explain the term and the difference between conventionally raised and free-range poultry. Source: The Outdoor Wear, July 29, 2021. Link. INSIGHTS: We’re sharing this after visiting … [Read more...]
Summer skin issues affect pets
Complimentary Content Just when it is time to buy school clothes and start fall sports practices, the cumulative effects of spring and summer activities routinely show up in pets’ skin. Although dermatological issues can be yearlong, pet parents may discover specific problems in the summer. Whether caused by allergies, swimming, fleas and mosquitoes, or sunburn, … [Read more...]
AAFP Cat Friendly Certificate Program wins the VMAE 2021 Best in Business Award
The Best in Business Award from Veterinary Medical Association Executives adds further credibility to the value of the Cat Friendly Certificate Program, which was awarded the 2021 Gold Circle Award from the American Society of Association Executives. The Cat Friendly Certificate Program consists of three uniquely designed certificates for each person in the practice: … [Read more...]
VIS Leading with Purpose series to present partnership models
Ivan Zak, DVM, invited Dr. Beth Davidow and Dr. Karen E. Felsted to talk about partnership models and discuss what changes in conversations must take place between independent practice owners and consolidators when it comes to selling businesses. They will address how to make it a win for both practices and associates at noon EDT, Tuesday, August 17. Source: Veterinary … [Read more...]
Thank You
In the best teams, the best leaders, the best cultures, there was always this thread of gratitude. So, it is very apparent that saying, “thank you” isn’t a nice-to-have, it is an absolute must-have. Source: Chief Executive, July 21, 2021. Link. It must come from the heart to be sincere, which sometimes is a difficult thing to teach someone.” INSIGHTS: Too often praise is … [Read more...]
Micro-fulfillment centers. New idea or blast from the past?
Opinion Maximizing fulfillment capabilities in smaller spaces has become big business, writes Kim Hart. What she describes is not new or innovative. It was a business practice common in the 1960s and 1970s. Retailers with catalog divisions like Sears, Montgomery Ward and J.C. Penny placed small stores with backroom, mini warehouses in selected geographies where retail … [Read more...]
VetWatch commentary could raise questions
OPINION Capturing the amount of source data about product sales and client transactions, then assembling it consistently takes much time and commitment. The efforts and vision over the last decade-plus have allowed Animalytix to lead the development of VetWatchSM. THANK YOU! The sustained overall growth bodes well for the industry in the near term. However, it is … [Read more...]
Worth a Glance – July 29, 2021
Last week’s most read post 5 ways your workplace isn’t accommodating to fat people Source: Animal Health Digest, July 20, 2021. Link. Obstacle course training for a puppy. LOL, what a hoot! Source: IBPSA Fast Bites, You Tube, July 21, 2021. Link. Puppy does a flop during obstacle course training. Dogs can tell if you’re lying more than … [Read more...]
Too big, too small or not at all? The future of dairy consolidation.
Consolidation is not a new phenomenon in the dairy industry. But, in the interest of what is most desirable, this author looks at dairy farms from the perspective of size. He notes the number of cattle is not getting smaller even as the number of farms is dropping dramatically. Dairy farms in the U.S. are consolidating at a faster rate today than any other agricultural … [Read more...]
Concerns over loosening of biosecurity in U.S. pork industry
Heightened biosecurity efforts done to prevent ASF may be waning, according to Cassandra Jones. She raises concerns that the industry is slipping back into some of the old habits, thereby leaving biosecurity gaps for ASF or PRRS to sneak into herds. . . . biosecurity under the premise of PRRS prevention, or under the premise of ASF prevention, is the same darned thing.” – … [Read more...]
Listeriosis in goats, moldy hay and zoonoses
Listeriosis, also known as circling disease or silage sickness, is a life-threatening disease primarily caused by the bacteria Listeria monocytogenes. It is commonly associated with feeding moldy hay but can be found in the feces of infected birds, animals, fish and insects, as well as sewage. It can contaminate water, milk and food. Listeria is a zoonotic disease. Source: … [Read more...]
Dealing with the equine gut
There’s a lot to consider when dealing with the equine gut. The staff at The Horse compiled 10 articles about gut functions and issues from nose to tail. An unhealthy gut can cause poor performance, behavioral issues, malabsorption of nutrients and even colic.” Source: The Horse, July 27, 2021. Link. INSIGHTS: Confidently share this resource to help orientate equine … [Read more...]
NSAIDs, cats, and anesthesia. Are the kidneys at risk?
Although NSAIDs can alleviate postoperative pain in healthy cats, potential adverse effects on kidney perfusion often discourage use of them in analgesic protocols. Berit Fischer, DVM, DACVAA, CCRP, shares results of a study that examined the effects of preoperative NSAIDs on renal function. Source: Clinician’s Brief, April/May 2021. Link. The study authors concluded that … [Read more...]
Tick cases on the rise. Lyme vaccines omitted, questioned.
Entomologists have noted the tick population has climbed 15 percent since last year, making Lyme disease more prevalent this year according to CNet’s associate writer Katie Teague. She shares tick information for consumers, including information specific to Ehrlichiosis and Lyme disease. NOTE Teague's article does not identify Lyme vaccines as an option for dogs. She does … [Read more...]
Rabid puppy exposes dozens in Georgia and South Carolina
Opinion If you’ve not read this recent account of rabies exposures, please do so. We still have gaps in rabies management and prevention. . . . only 39 states mandate rabies vaccination for dogs; 11 states have no statewide legal requirement for rabies vaccination of any species. Feline rabies vaccination is required in 34 states, and vaccination of ferrets is required in … [Read more...]
Communication is key
Remote, in-person or some combination of both, the pandemic has taught us a valuable lesson about the importance of timely, honest, and effective communication. Source: Gallup, June 28, 2021. Link. The Gallup study on the effect of communication in organizations also found that employees who work in an environment where communication is open, timely and accurate are more … [Read more...]
People aren’t just quitting their jobs, they are redefining success
Millions of people are coming out of the pandemic more anxious and depressed than before, according to a global study in the journal, “Frontiers in Medicine.” Instead of chasing an antidote to burnout, we need to incorporate well-being and recharging practices into our work and our lives, writes Arianna Huffington. There’s a global phenomenon in which a record number of people … [Read more...]
Employees blamed for a problem created by employers
Peter Cappelli asserts it is time for a sharp realization by the human resources profession. He says employers are trying to hire a lot of people to fill their earlier layoffs, and they struggle to hire the people with the skills and experience they want fast enough at the wages they want to pay. That is not a labor shortage. Cappelli believes there are just under 22 million … [Read more...]
Back to school, but with unprecedented challenges (podcast)
LaVerne Evans Srinivasan joins Mohamed Younis to discuss the barriers students and parents face when going back to school and the resources they can seek. Despite differences in the quality of educational opportunities, this is a unique moment where this disruption hit everyone. Pandemic recovery challenges will affect students in employee and client families alike." Source: … [Read more...]
Flies: Nature’s nuisance, costly pests
Just 200 horn flies start to hurt cattle production. It is not unusual to find 3,000 flies per cow, writes Curt Arens. Fly prevention is one of the basic animal stewardship practices. Horn flies can suck as much as a gallon of blood per month per cow. Face flies feed on proteins from the eyes often becoming vectors for pinkeye. Stable flies are just a plain nuisance. They feed … [Read more...]
PRRS defense from the gut
Last week we shared a status update on porcine circovirus type 2 commonly considered to be subclinical. It is also seen as a co-infection with porcine respiratory and reproductive syndrome. For both viruses, first and second line defense strategies are the same; biosecurity and vaccination. Researchers are now investigating how to influence the microbiome as a new defense … [Read more...]
Decision: Creep feed calves or not?
Discussing benefits versus the returns from creep feeding calves, David Lalman, PhD, says in most cases, the value of added weight gain will not cover the added feed, labor and equipment costs. Calf weaning weights can be increased anywhere from about 20 to 80 pounds by creep feeding, but for the most part don’t generate additional returns. Lalman also shared creep feeding … [Read more...]
Think before raking the stalls
Longtime equestrians know lung health is crucial to a horse's athletic performance, but Susan J. Holcombe, VMD, MS, PhD, DACVS, DACVECC, presents some interesting numbers about the prevalence of airway disease and impact of reduced oxygen flow. She shares how bedding, raking, sweeping and even feedstuffs create dusty conditions that challenge horses’ and peoples’ … [Read more...]