Dog owners are constantly searching for safe chew items that satisfy their dogs’ instincts, keep their homes and possessions safe, and last longer than five minutes. That can be a tough order, especially with big dogs. The number of chew choices today are mind boggling—and not all of them are safe Source: Dogster, June 6, 2018. Link. There are no 100 percent totally safe dog … [Read more...]
Sponsored content from AAHA Red, AAHA NEWStat
We’re sharing sponsored content from recent AAHA Red and AAHA NEWStat issues, two media offerings available from AAHA Press, the publishing arm of the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA). Stress less with the needle-less Bordetella protection, AAHA Red, October 22, 2018. Link. Forty percent of cat owners find veterinary visits personally stressful, AAHA Red, … [Read more...]
Assertively address the issue of fat cats
Felines are faring worse than their canine counterparts, with more than a 169 percent increase in overweight cats over the past 10 years, writes Rachel Beck, referencing 2016 Banfield data. She provides a body score card, tips and tricks for talking with cat owners about their cat’s weight. Source: Today’s Veterinary Nurse, Spring 2018. Link. Prevention, demonstration, … [Read more...]
Know what to expect when a cat is expecting
Whether it’s a deliberate mating or an accidental encounter, a cat guardian needs to know what to expect when their cat’s expecting. Mother Nature dictates the kittens will put in an appearance once they’re ready and not before, usually in 63 to 68 days. Cat-owning clients will appreciate this week-by-week view of feline pregnancy. Consider it for social media posts, … [Read more...]
VetFolio – Feline vaccination certificate course
VetFolio and Boehringer Ingelheim have teamed up to provide a certificate course open now for free access from November 7 - 28, 2018. This course reviews past vaccination guidelines, their purpose and how to continue creating better care for felines. The speaker covers an analysis of scientific results from prior vaccinations studies and looks at progressive solutions for … [Read more...]
Winterize for pet safety
Falling leaves remind us that winter is coming. Krista Carothers shares tips from veterinarians to help keep pets safe as the temperature drops: Limit their time outside Know when winter gear is necessary Monitor working and older dogs Don’t assume your outdoor cat can cope in the cold Make sure indoor cats stay indoors Prepare your pooch for long hikes … [Read more...]
47,000 ticks on a moose and that’s an average
According to Dr. Peter J. Pekins’ research, warmer winter months increase the ability of ticks to acquire a moose host and survive winter months. While large numbers of ticks aren’t great for adult moose, they’re especially bad for moose calves, which can die from the onslaught. Source: New York Times, October 18, 2018. Link. The abundance of moose enables the ticks to … [Read more...]
Praise: the magic elixir
There is absolutely nothing wrong with enjoying the experience of a compliment. Do we need to be able to receive praise well? Not in the same way that we need air to breathe or a roof over our heads, but it certainly makes for a better experience at work (or life in genera!) when you're able to receive and appreciate the value of a compliment. Source: forbes.com, October 23, … [Read more...]
VHMA blogs enlighten
For some animal health pros, the roles and responsibilities of veterinary hospital managers are not well known. Each month, the Veterinary Hospital Managers Association posts on two blogs and researches a topic. We’re linking to the most recent editions of The Champion’s Corner and Practice Pulse which contains the VHMA’s Insiders’ Insight Report. Source: VHMA, October 2018. … [Read more...]
Technology trend: Teledentistry expands preventive care
This article is thought-provoking given the new efforts in veterinary telemedicine. Minnesota’s dental industry is returning to a high-tech solution known as teledentistry, which allows dental hygienists to provide preventive care at low cost while supervised electronically by dentists at a different location. The trend comes as dental hygienists are taking on a greater share … [Read more...]
Spending 5 hours a week learning can create amazing ROI
Why do the world’s smartest and busiest people find one hour a day for deliberate learning, while others make excuses about how busy they are? The answer is simple: Learning is the single best investment of our time that we can make. Or as Benjamin Franklin said, “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.” The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who … [Read more...]
Employee safety, animal welfare drive invention of first robotic cattle driver
Cargill, with the help of renowned animal behavior specialist Temple Grandin and other experts, has created the industry’s first robotic cattle mover that improves animal welfare and employee safety. The robots move cattle from holding pens to harvest areas and reduce stress by limiting animal interaction with humans. Employees operate the robots from catwalks above the holding … [Read more...]
4 buzzwords we need to ban
Buzzwords – we all use them from time to time. They’re still meaningless, according to author and CNBC contributor Suzy Welch. She recommends immediately getting rid of: Let’s take this offline. Empower Ownership Bandwidth Source: CNBC, October 16, 2018. Link. But according to bestselling management author and CNBC contributor Suzy Welch, this indirect and … [Read more...]
Philosophy professor questions ethics of some pet spending
Sandra Woien, philosophy lecturer at Arizona State University, speaks out on elements of the millions of dollars spent on pets. Citing the philosophy of effective altruism, she suggests if the money spent of pets was instead donated to a good cause, more good or utility could be produced. According to one estimate, about $440 million of pet spending in the U.S. was on … [Read more...]
Coffee breaks don’t boost productivity after all
Citing the results of her own research on productivity at work, Charlotte Fritz says the findings on microbreaks is counterintuitive but real. Nearly across the board, microbreaks that were not job-related, such as getting a glass of water, calling a relative, or going to the bathroom, didn’t seem to have any significant relationship to people’s reported energy (what we called … [Read more...]
The top 10 risks your employees bring to your organization
Human resources leaders stand to benefit from seeing how their peers are overcoming challenges. HRE asked experts to weigh in on some of the biggest issues facing today’s HR leaders and consider solutions to these obstacles. We identified information from research done by Aon Risk Solutions that applies to businesses in our industry whether small or large. Your employees are … [Read more...]
4 ways busy people sabotage themselves
Self-sabotaging patterns maintain a cycle of always having too much to do, or at least feeling like that’s the case, writes Alice Boyes. She examines the problems and proposes solutions. You’ve left an important task undone for weeks. It’s hanging over you, causing daily anxiety. And yet instead of actually doing it, you do a hundred other tasks instead. Source: Harvard … [Read more...]
Sorry for the delayed response
You will find this satirical look at our communication challenges amusing. Whether purposefully or accidentally, the challenges of delayed responses will remain. You’ll recognize some of Susanna Wolff’s examples. After reading this, review previous posts and consider options to improve email and text communications. Source: The New Yorker, March 16, 2017. Link. Also see: … [Read more...]
Stop doing 7 things found in the worst managers
Animal health pros often lead projects, work in groups and work as managers. Marcel Schwantes reviews counterproductive behaviors that destroy team morale and performance. His perspective is focused on new hires. However, these examples are equally consistent with team and group performance. Source: Inc., September 18, 2018. Link. These behaviors are recognized as toxic: … [Read more...]
Vet professionals more likely to be hurt on the job than firefighters
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, people in the veterinary services profession were the second most likely to have nonfatal injuries in 2016, behind nursing and residential care workers and ahead of truss makers, police officers, and firefighters. About 12 percent of people in the veterinary services profession reported work-related injuries or illnesses—four times … [Read more...]
Go from good to great
There are a lot of bad bosses out there—that's no surprise. In fact, 65% of Americans (link) would choose to fire their boss over getting a pay raise. But what gets lost amid trying to stop an awful lot of bad behaviors is the fact that there are a fair number of good bosses out there as well. Source: Forbes, October 18, 2018. Link. Great bosses take it a step further - … [Read more...]
Moral distress is widespread among veterinarians
Sixty nine percent of veterinarians recently surveyed felt moderate to severe distress about not being able to give animals what they believe to be the right care. Nearly two-thirds were bothered by inappropriate requests for euthanasia. These were but two of the findings of a study published October 15 in the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine. Link. Study authors believe … [Read more...]
AHD – focused on you for three years
We’ve been honored to bring actionable information to animal health pros for three years. Using your feedback, we added resources that help us get along with each other and develop our own interpersonal skills. This edition of the AHD Bulletin focuses on challenges animal health pros experience in day-to-day interactions with human beings. We define animal health … [Read more...]
6 most read posts from the last 6 months
Providing you a way to quickly sift through industry media is the main objective of Animal Health Digest. We believe informed animal health pros create more opportunities when you’re up to speed on what’s out there. With reading in decline, readers have a comparative advantage in today’s business, Michael Hyatt. Link. We’ve captured a few of the most read posts from Q1 and 2Q … [Read more...]
New resources can help handle negative conversations
Three resources about dealing with negative interactions from HBR caught our attention. It’s not easy to stay cool and engaged when things get heated in meetings, negotiations, or difficult conversations. We’ve all been there. Consider using these three quick reads at a team meeting before the holiday season heats up and tensions rise. Source: Ascend from Harvard Business … [Read more...]
Refine receiving protocols to assess morbidity risk
At the recent Academy of Veterinary Consultants conference, John Richeson, Ph.D., discussed how the use of new chute-side diagnostic tools have potential to help cattle feeders assess morbidity risk for individual cattle upon arrival. This could potentially reduce antibiotic use in mass treatments while improving health outcomes. Citing Kansas State University research, … [Read more...]
Beef industry is based on discounts more than anything
Discount risk avoidance is a compelling way to consider the economics of the beef industry and its value programs. Jared Wareham shares a perspective that can help veterinarians and salespersons maintain preventative programs while helping producers avoid costly discounts. Value-added programs don’t necessarily add value to a set baseline price. Rather, they begin by removing … [Read more...]
Fall leaves can be toxic to horses
As fall colors paint the countryside, remember that falling leaves can pose a potentially deadly threat to horses. Dr. Tania Cubitt reviews trees whose leaves are dangerous in this article sponsored by Standlee Forage. Source: Horse Network, October 10, 2018. Link. Do not dispose of your raked leaves into your pasture Also see: Red maple leaves dangerous for horses, Animal … [Read more...]
Cool stuff seen at World Dairy Expo 2018
The 52nd World Dairy Expo ended October 5. By all accounts, it was successful and full of promise. The Progressive Dairyman team assembled a collection of cool stuff from their experiences there. Some of these advancements may interest dairy clients and veterinary teams that service dairies. Source: Progressive Dairyman, October 9, 2018. Link. … [Read more...]
Learning from the Leman conference
The annual Leman conference has consistently been a place of discovery, sharing and a focus on improving swine management and pork protein production. Jennifer Shike and JoAnn Alumbaugh share an overview from this year’s conference. Source: PORK, October 2018. Link. INSIGHTS: Last year’s theme of co-opetition, the balance between cooperation and competition, is evident in … [Read more...]