The U.S. Antibiotic Awareness Week (USAAW) is an annual observance that highlights steps everyone can take to improve antibiotic prescribing and use. The USAAW observance is November 18-24, 2019 and aligns with CDC’s educational effort, Be Antibiotics Aware: Smart Use, Best Care < link >, the year-round effort to improve antibiotic prescribing and use and combat … [Read more...]
KCAHC plays vital role in pet food industry
Lindsay Beaton shares the importance of the Kansas City Animal Health Corridor (KCAHC) < link > in the pet food industry. Gaining perspectives from various corridor manufacturers, she outlines benefits Kansas City area companies realize. Growing the pool of qualified laborers remains a challenge for corridor companies but progress is ongoing. More than 300 companies … [Read more...]
Drive: Do you have it?
What gets you up in the morning? Do you need someone else to set expectations for you? Or do you flinch at being presented with a schedule and a set of expectations? Source: Forbes.com, November 11, 2019. Link. Beyond pluck, grit, perseverance, and luck, business success takes one trait above all: drive. Drive is what gets you up in the morning . . . It’s what makes you … [Read more...]
Why does tipping still exist? (podcast)
Stephen J. Dubner’s podcast features economists who discuss tipping. Tipping is something that some people say they dislike, and yet they do it all the time. Some consider ita tax and others see it as a form of altruism. It’s estimated that tipping in America adds up to at least $40 billion a year. Source: Freakonomics Radio, November 6, 2019. Link. Tipping is an unfair way … [Read more...]
3 communication tips to implement today
Diana Peterson-Moore shares decisions each of us consciously or unconsciously makes to project ourselves and communicate who we are in the world and in the workplace. She recommends we adopt these three tips to improve our communications: Be strategic and tactical Use "I" statements and banish "you" statements Show gratitude to individual team members -- thank … [Read more...]
Making decisions about boarding
Jessica Finnegan presents considerations for boarding as part of veterinary hospital ancillary services. She reminds us that pet boarding and grooming is a hot business prospect, growing nearly double year over previous year. She challenges veterinary teams to look at boarding differently and to bolster veterinary practice revenue slowly being eaten away by online and big-box … [Read more...]
5 important questions when choosing supplements for cats and dogs
Bill Bookout reminds us that supplements are either nutritional or health-related. He recommends reading product labels for answers to these questions: Are the product claims too good to be true? Does the product have a lot number? Are ingredients and amounts clearly listed? Is there contact information if I have questions? Does the supplement have the NASC … [Read more...]
WARNING! Choose rodent poisons wisely
Rodents flock to buildings this time of year. Laura Haggarty shares her experiences with rodents, bait and pets. She shares a warning about Bromethalin, second generation rodenticides, that have NO ANTIDOTE. We added information from the EPA to support her article. Second generation anticoagulants tend to remain in animal tissues longer than do first-generation ones. These … [Read more...]
Mapping how food flows in the U.S.
Animal health pros will find this interesting. A team at the University of Illinois developed the first high-resolution map of the U.S. food supply chain. The map is a comprehensive snapshot of all food flows between counties in the U.S. Grains, fruits and vegetables, animal feed and processed food items compromise the foods represented. The results also show potential areas … [Read more...]
VIDEO: Ready to advance PRRS control? Time to target grow-finish
Montse Torremorell, with University of Minnesota, spoke to attendees at the North American PRRS Symposium about the need for research in grow-finish. She set the stage for the next speakers about why it’s the next step to advance PRRS control. Source: The Pig Site, November 4, 2019. Link. “We have evidence from other diseases, and even from PRRS itself, that what happens in … [Read more...]
Beef genetics not equal in dairies
Crossbreeding dairy cows with beef genetics is a growing practice. Between being able to predict calf gender and various processors refusing to buy dairy cows for meat, dairy producers are using beef bulls as a way to add value to bull calves and generate additional income. There is a misconception that all beef genetics are created equal in terms of usefulness in creating a … [Read more...]
USDA withdraws RFID requirement
Recent executive orders have highlighted the need for transparency and communication before placing new requirements on American farmers and ranchers. USDA-APHIS will not implement the requirement regarding types of identification devices that must be applied to cattle. We continue to believe that RFID devices will provide the cattle industry with the best protection against … [Read more...]
Found in AAHA NEWStat
We found several articles worthy of sharing in recent AAHA NEWStat posts. Some selections are sponsored while others are original and collaborative content. Post-surgical rechecks made simple with virtual care, sponsored content by BabelVet. AAHA NEWStat, November 1, 2019. Link. A logical, comprehensive staging tool for canine osteoarthritis, sponsored content by Elanco … [Read more...]
Help for introverts to thrive in the age of acceleration
Introverts can’t be on 100 percent of the time, period. Self-care is as important as self-promotion; behaviors that are often a struggle for introverts. Jane Finkle offers keys to survival and outlasting the speed of change: Adapt to change Bring innovative approaches and new ideas to the workplace Take calculated risks Think globally to keep on top of a changing … [Read more...]
BRSV still relevant and compromising
A good preventive care plan includes vaccinating both cows and calves for bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV) because it is endemic in the United States. While rarely fatal on its own, BRSV weakens the immune system, often allowing for a secondary bacterial infection that results in pneumonia. BRSV is a factor considered part of bovine respiratory disease (BRD). The … [Read more...]
Body condition score cows before the next winter storm
Harvest season is running behind for more than half of U.S. corn producers < link >. For those who run cows, the rain delays offer an opportunity to conduct body condition scores (BCS) on cows before turning them out on stalks. The best time for BCS work is concurrent with weaning calves. Use this information to understand BCS, manage input costs and urge producers to do … [Read more...]
24 years, 25 million cattle prove what affects prices
The biggest value-added protocol in calf health is weaning, not vaccination. This, according to 24 years of big data generated from 25,000 million cattle by Superior Livestock Auction. Ken Odde, Kansas State University animal science professor, revealed which calf health programs, premiums and genetic breeds have on prices during the recent National Red Angus Conference. . . . … [Read more...]
More farmers buying inputs online
Farm Journal shares research results about how farmers use e-commerce to buy crop inputs. While intentions and behaviors were out of synch, the information on online experiences and category selectivity are important considerations. Animal health sales and marketing personnel can use these data as a reference to their own research. For farmers . . . If e-commerce adoption … [Read more...]
Leptospirosis continuing education
Most mammals are susceptible to infection, writes Ashley DiPrete, RVT, VTS, (SAIM). As humans expand their environmental footprint, encroachment on wildlife becomes a greater issue, and people, pets and wild animal reservoir hosts cross one another’s paths more frequently. The importance of leptospirosis sp. is underscored by its status as the most prevalent zoonotic disease … [Read more...]
A horse’s leg is like a paperclip and other performance horse problems
With concerns surrounding horse deaths at Santa Anita Race Track < link >, horse owners will be ready to consider veterinarian David Ramey’s four biggest problems that affect performance horses. If they can avoid these things, the battle is at least half won, he says. They’re overtrained They’re bored and annoyed Owners assume that performance problems are … [Read more...]
The Bridge Club, November events start tonight
Tonight, Brenda and Catherine will join Animal Policy Group’s Mark Cushing, thought leader and animal care advocate Dr. David Haworth, and Idexx Laboratories’ Dr. Sherri Rigby to discuss data on the very real dog shortage in the U.S., its pet health and practice economics implications, and potential solutions. The conversation is live on-site at New York Vet. See other … [Read more...]
Opinion – Listening with the intent to reply
Do you hear or listen? One thing that frustrates me is how news anchors or sportscasters continuously speak over someone. It happens even when the person speaking over the other is getting an answer to the very question they just asked. Listening is NOT a competitive sport.” - Anonymous Source: Forbes, October 29, 2019. Link. Most people do not listen with the intent to … [Read more...]
Leading change
There are salespeople who seem programmed to think if they can overcome, handle or minimize a customer’s negative points of view, the customer will drop their resistance and the salesperson’s goals will be achieved. In other words, the belief seems to be, “If I prove my point, you will you drop yours.” Source: Vet-Advantage Magazine, October 2019. Link. Start by thinking of … [Read more...]
Avoid these 7 social selling mistakes
Social media is the new global marketplace and an opportunity to find new clients and make new sales. However, companies often mistakenly focus on selling and promotions and not on developing relationships. If your social media strategy is failing, a new Forrest report suggests it may be for one or more of seven reasons. They include treating social networks as promotional … [Read more...]
Should influencers tell audiences they’re getting paid?
How times change! The whole point of influencer market has traditionally been based on the perceived neutrality of influencers. However, new research suggests that the likelihood of viewing a brand positively following an influencer’s recommendation was roughly the same whether or not a relationship between the brand and the influencer had been disclosed. Source: HBR Ascend, … [Read more...]
Younger pet owners’ pet food and care decisions don’t rely on tradition
Younger consumers are independent, do-it-yourselfers, and less reliant on traditional authority figures and similar experts, writes Debbie Phillips- Donaldson. She describes factors that may explain changing influences on pet owner decision making. In the old paradigm, consumers trusted veterinarians and major brands backed by vets, as well as large pet specialty … [Read more...]
Blue jackets descend on Indy
Nearly 70,000 FFA members, advisers and supporters will attend the 92nd National FFA Convention & Expo October 31 through November 2 in Indianapolis. FFA members will celebrate their accomplishments and find inspiration for their next steps. In addition to coverage on the FFA convention website < link >, RFD-TV will be providing coverage on RFD-TV, on Country Club, … [Read more...]
Study demonstrates benefits of wintering dairy cows outdoors
Recent research from the Journal of Dairy Science < link > suggests that outdoor housing through the winter might be cleaner and healthier for the cows than indoor housing. The University of Minnesota study compared organic cows housed on an outdoor straw pack with wind protection to cows housed indoors on a compost-bedded pack barn. Source: Hoard’s Dairyman, October … [Read more...]
World Dairy Expo 2019, not all black and white (pictorial)
We often think of dairy cows as Holsteins, but this recap of the recent World Dairy Expo shows the variety of breeds that produce milk. Delilah became the second Brown Swiss ever to claim back-to-back World Dairy Expo Supreme Champion titles. Sixty-two thousand people from 94 countries attended the five-day event in Madison, Wisconsin. Visitors from Canada, Mexico, Italy, … [Read more...]
You can’t disinfect a turd, but disinfectants work
We can learn a lot from practical biosecurity protocols used by swine veterinarians and their clients. The approaches practiced in swine production apply across species as we expand our thinking about zoonoses and One Health. Biosecurity must be a mindset and lifestyle. . . it must be ingrained and adhered to, and we also need to trust all employees to do the right thing even … [Read more...]