The Pet Blood Bank, a Cherokee, Texas, supplier of canine blood for veterinary transfusions has closed following allegations by an animal rights group that the company neglected about 150 greyhounds for which it was caring. The San Saba County Sheriff’s Office, along with the Texas Greyhound Association found no evidence of abuse or neglect. Source: Washington Post, October … [Read more...]
Sponsored Content – New product redirects destructive cat scratching
“Veterinarians now have a way to stop destructive scratching in the home without declawing procedures or ineffective alternatives,” said Dr. Valarie V. Tynes, DVM, Dipl. ACVB, Veterinary Services Specialist at Ceva Animal Health in a statement released November 1, 2017. FELISCRATCH by FELIWAYTM, is clinically proven to stop and prevent both vertical and horizontal destructive … [Read more...]
Don’t fear Dr. Google
In a recent study, Trone Brand Energy found only 31 percent of pet owners highly trust online information sources. This compared to 81 percent of pet owners who highly trust their veterinarians. Forty seven percent of them highly trust their family and friends, which was the second most trusted source of information. In a related study, pet owners who rank in the top 25 … [Read more...]
Cage-free eggs don’t hatch golden geese
We have tracked the cage-free egg movement since February 2016. Farmers stepped up to provide cage-free products based on commitments and demands from restaurant, food service and grocery chains. Yet, cage-free egg buyers haven’t materialized in numbers remotely close to the anticipated droves. The price gap between cage-free and conventionally raised eggs continues to … [Read more...]
Sustainably manage parasites in goats
Managing parasites in goats often loses effectiveness over time. Lisa Seger shares how to keep worm treatments effective with these three valuable tools: FAMACHA scoring, fecal flotations/eggs counts, and body condition scoring. Used alone, any one of these markers is inadequate for gauging parasites. Used together, however, they provide the best picture of what … [Read more...]
Composting pets now a reality
All dogs go to heaven when they die, of course, but they leave behind bodies. Rooted Pet, a startup in Seattle, Washington, intends to help with that. Composting carcasses is not unusual. Farms often use it to get rid of dead livestock and some states use it to manage roadkill. So, Paul Tschetter, a Seattle entrepreneur, helped create a process that he says is, “adding … [Read more...]
Cull the right cows without keeping records
What? no records? Cattlemen are often told to keep individual records on each cow and calf. Burt Teichert contradicts that and thinks that it is a waste of time. He says, you don’t really select cows. You eliminate or cull the ones you don’t want. You select bulls. Source: Beef, September 1, 2017. How do we cull the right cow without any paper or computerized records? It … [Read more...]
It is okay to NOT shoe horses
If you understand why people shoe their horses, you can help solve the problems, rather than criticize the solutions. Reasons include: nutrition, competition, traction, environment, health issues and genetics. Source: Horse Network, October 11, 2017. Nancy Rich-Gutierrez manages her husband’s farrier company. She shares 5 ways to encourage bare hooves on horses. … [Read more...]
Opinion – Vaccine refusals rising in many parts of the country
PLEASE, ignore the political bent. Please! Consider how human behaviors and standards are consistently presented to us as influencing pet care decisions. Then mull over the information on the vaccine refuser and vaccine hesitant groups of persons. Source: Vox, October 3, 2017. Most research shows that parents who reject some or all vaccines are more likely to be white, … [Read more...]
November 2017 JAVMA
The recent hurricanes and related flooding displaced many pets. Multiple canine parvovirus outbreaks have been reported. We note the paper linked below in this issue of JAVMA. It is a timely retrospective case series and case-control study. Evaluation of mortality rate and predictors of outcome in dogs receiving outpatient treatment for parvoviral enteritis. Source: … [Read more...]
Use the right measures of success
Real success is about who you are and how far you’ve come. If you worry that you’re not as successful as you should be, you may be evaluating yourself against the wrong criteria. Sometimes you just need a reminder as to what you’ve really accomplished. Source: Pulse, October 2, 2017. You’ve learned that the only people who never fail are those who don’t try. When you fail, … [Read more...]
Tell your company story better (includes videos)
With one click of the “About Us” link, anyone, anywhere can hear your company story. Countless organizations settle for a poorly written, poorly designed, dry-as-dust blurb. Boring! Bringing a company story to life and giving it impact and reach is one of the best ways to engage customers, the public and prospective employees. Source: Grossman Group, October 16, … [Read more...]
Vet Tech Week ends; the work continues (includes podcast)
The media coverage for National Vet Tech week was ramped up this year. Animal health pros across America celebrated the various contributions of this community of professionals. The lobby for changing their designation to veterinary nurse is well underway. We selected a group of articles on the subject of veterinary technicians or veterinary nurses. These include: The … [Read more...]
Learning from dentists
Dental and chiropractic medical practices are frequently referenced as similar to veterinary practices. Bob Lester shares ways the dental industry adapted to become a prevention business. In his analysis, team-based health care delivery is a win-win. We help more pets, our teams are empowered and we reap the financial rewards. Source: Today’s Veterinary Business, September … [Read more...]
WSAVA unveils first global veterinary dentistry guidelines, rejects anesthesia-free
We’ve known for decades that dentistry is important in small animal medicine. Recently, the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) launched global veterinary dentistry guidelines. A key theme is WSAVA’s rejection of anesthesia-free dentistry, which it describes as ineffective and a cause of unnecessary stress and suffering to patients. The guidelines seek to support … [Read more...]
Be part of the AHD team
A special thank you goes out to our contributors listed on the AHD site. Their ongoing work help keeps you informed and our offerings fresh. You can contribute to our weekly email once or on an ongoing basis. If you want us to look for specific topics, please email us from the “contact us” section of the site. Better yet, write up a short summary of an article or other media … [Read more...]
AHD subscriptions arrive at no cost to you
Our industry provides millions of dollars in advertising and content development in the media from which we curate. Your feedback tells us that providing this service to animal health pros at no charge helps you do your jobs better. Sponsors receive consideration for their brands and activities when published content relates to their portfolios. Source: Animal Health Digest, … [Read more...]
AHD website tools make content easy to use
For animal health pros who need to find a post for any reason, the AHD website has several tools to help find it: BULLETIN Archive, keeps the last 20 BULLETINs easy to find and reference “Search the site” on the upper right, uses familiar key word search methods to find a topic Sponsor and Founder’s Circle logos all link to the respective company’s … [Read more...]
AHD Sponsor and Founder’s Circle support recognized
Two sponsors have helped AHD from early in its development. We are grateful for the financial support from: Ceva Animal Health U.S. Addison Biological Laboratory, Inc. Our Founder’s Circle cooperators are pivotal to help grow the readership and reach of AHD. Many thanks to: American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) FORAYS, Inc. Innovetive Pet Care RPR … [Read more...]
2000 posts in 2 years: AHD celebrates anniversary
The Animal Health Digest teams offers a sincere “thank you” for your readership and support the past two years. Our mission to “read for the animal health industry” remains in place. Each week, we scour more than 200 print and digital media sources for information relevant to animal health professionals at all levels. Our selections are delivered Thursday mornings via email … [Read more...]
Antimicrobial stewardship guidelines now available
“Key Elements for Implementing Antimicrobial Stewardship Plans in Bovine Veterinary Practices Working with Beef and Dairy Operations” is the title of a new document recently created by AABP. It was compiled to help veterinarians with best practices for designing, implementing and monitoring antimicrobial stewardship programs with clients and to help beef and dairy operations … [Read more...]
The invisible emotional burden of caring for a sick pet
Researchers are discovering the dynamics of overlooked or minimized impacts on animal owners with sick animals. “I wouldn’t equate pet caregiving with human, and certainly don’t want to minimize what family caregivers go through,” said lead author Mary Beth Spitznagel, a clinical neuropsychologist at Kent State University, “but we are seeing similar patterns in terms of a … [Read more...]
While uncommon, owners may have Leptospirosis risk
We hear a lot about zoonotic risks where disease in animals can infect animal owners. George E. Moore, DVM, and Michael R. Lappin, DVM, have written clear instructions for animal owners and team members to help prevent zoonotic infection from Leptospirosis sp. Source: Clinician’s Brief, September 2017. Infection appears to be uncommon for owners of dogs with leptospirosis … [Read more...]
Sponsored Content – Protect horses from the five core diseases
Dr. Kevin Hankins, DVM of Zoetis technical services group, asserts the threats from deadly equine diseases like West Nile and rabies is closer than we think. Don’t leave horses exposed. Help protect them with annual vaccinations against the five core equine diseases: Eastern and Western Equine Encephalomyelitis Rabies Tetanus West Nile Source: AQHA, October 5, … [Read more...]
Fear Free resources for the home (videos included)
The Fear Free movement continues to gain momentum. We stumbled on to Fear Free Happy Homes on Twitter. Housed on this website are videos and information to help pet owners create their own fear free environment. Consider registering and using the videos in social media, on websites and as part of school educational programs. Source: Fear Free Happy Homes, October 7, … [Read more...]
Value-added calves are the result of good pre-conditioning
According to survey numbers, the value of pre-conditioning or back-grounding calves post-weaning is growing rapidly. Since its inception, the Beef Quality Assurance program has given beef producers a template on how to do things right. More than one-third of producers are BQA certified according to the survey results. Source: Beef, October 2017, page 22. Dan Thompson, DVM, … [Read more...]
Opinion – Anti-vaccine movement gaining traction
Animal health pros focus on issues of One Health, zoonosis and disease control. It is not unusual to find material that portrays animal owners spending more on their pets’ care than their own health. We are going through a continuum of vaccination rationalization discussions. Then we find articles like this about the anti-vaccine movement in human health. Be assured, AHD has … [Read more...]
Sponsored Content – Lifestyle vaccine podcast series
Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health has produced a series of podcasts with VetFolio® featuring three thought leaders presenting about key infectious diseases. They discuss facts that help determine a vaccination protocol that is right for individual animals, along with practical tips to optimize client education and compliance. The podcast topics are: Episode 1: Feline … [Read more...]
FDA video outlines drug resistance in parasites (includes video)
Dr. Aimee Phillippi-Taylor hosts this video and stresses the value of using fecal egg count reduction tests and recordkeeping to detect resistance in parasite populations. In addition to basic management, she encourages producers to work with their veterinarians to monitor the efficacy of deworming programs and adjust as needed. Source: Drovers CattleNetwork, October 5, … [Read more...]
Should you believe that article you just read?
Nicole Palumbo, DVM, speaks out about internet articles, their sources and whether they are believable. Addressing pet owners, she cautions, “When it comes to social media, we all have to be careful with what we share and what we believe is to be true.” She offers some guidelines to influence you on what is appropriate to share about reporting on veterinary medicine. Source: … [Read more...]