Jen Reeder recently spent a day shadowing a credentialed veterinary technician during National Veterinary Technician Week. “This was a simple assignment that turned into one of the most eye-opening experiences of my life,” she writes. Source: AAHA Pets Matter, September 20, 2015. 'It’s hard work, but at the end of the day, when I go home exhausted, I still want to come … [Read more...]
Editorial – Manage product deliveries efficiently
Amazon will soon deliver to businesses and homes. If we accept that a 2 full-time DVM equivalent veterinary hospital places 10 orders weekly to replenish its inventory, then it is likely that those orders will arrive in 20 to 25 different boxes. Some of these boxes come via UPS, FedEx, U.S. Postal Service and some from distributors or manufacturers. This can add up to three … [Read more...]
East meets West with cancer care acupuncture
Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) treatment modalities such as, acupuncture, massage techniques, nutritional counseling and dietary supplements are used in human medicine to complement conventional cancer care. They are commonly integrated into treatment plans to decrease pain, anxiety and fatigue and to combat side effects of chemoradiation therapy. As research … [Read more...]
Adventures in equine texting
Bo Brock, DVM, shares an experience with a misdirected text and pictures taken during an equine surgery. It is a comical reminder of what happens when texting goes wrong. Source: Equine 360, April 1, 2016. It turned out she was a really funny old lady. When she finally believed that I was a veterinarian sending pictures to a client, and looked close enough at the pictures … [Read more...]
Dr. Leah Dorman talks about antibiotics
Dr. Dorman shared a few insights on how producers can effectively talk with consumers about antibiotics ahead of the 6th Annual NIAA Antibiotics symposium. Her comments provide reasoning for handling antibiotic discussions. Source: NIAA, September 29, 2016. Dorman is the Director of Food Integrity and Consumer Engagement of Phibro Animal Health. In this role she provides … [Read more...]
AVMA Blood test video helps pet owners understand
Help pet owners understand the importance of blood work and dispel anxiety that can be associated with it. Dr. Joyce Ashamalla covers the basics of why blood tests are needed and what they help find in this AVMA TV video. Source: AVMA, September 12, 2016. Blood tests for pets. Even though the thought of your pet being stuck by a needle can be scary, blood work is an … [Read more...]
Microchip conundrum
Microchips are great for helping lost pets find their way home. But microchipping and ownership ethics present dilemmas to veterinary teams. Honoring the veterinarian-client confidential relationship trumps the chip record. This article discusses ethics, current laws or the lack thereof, and possible court cases. Source: Veterinary Team Brief, September 2016. No matter the … [Read more...]
Latest research from AJVR
We have linked to the table of contents in the latest issue of the American Journal of Veterinary Research. A broad spectrum of animal health research is presented. Source: American Journal of Veterinary Research, October 2016 (Vol 77; No. 10: pp. 1048-1174) … [Read more...]
Common VFD form format part of FDA final guidelines
FDA has issued final guidelines for veterinary feed directive (VFD) forms veterinarians will issue when authorizing the use of a medicated feed additive containing an antibiotic deemed medically important. The document provides examples that illustrate how a common VFD format might appear and how some of the information on the VFD may be pre-populated by an animal health … [Read more...]
It’s dog food revolution
A series of three articles addresses the abundance of new dog foods and claims that now proliferate the diets marketplace. Why human food trends are changing how your dog eats – it’s a revolution. Should you really feed it to your dog? – demystifying life stage dog food. We demystify the lingo on dog food packaging and labels – no this, not that! Source: Dogster, … [Read more...]
AAHA, State of Industry 2016
Michael Cavanaugh, DVM. CABVP and CEO, presented the 2016 State of the Industry Report that kicked off the March AAHA annual conference in Austin, Texas. The report contains a snapshot of the overall economy, research about the success factors of practices and features a new study from DU on culture and its impact in the veterinary practice. Ben Williams writes about key … [Read more...]
Prepare to be powder-free
It is inevitable that powdered gloves will join the dinosaurs of animal health SKUs, based on a pending FDA ruling. Whether it takes affect this year or is delayed into 2017, it is time to try out alternatives, writes Laura Thill. To see the FDA’s proposed ban, visit https://www.regulations.gov/document?D=FDA-2015-N-5017-0001. Source: Vet Advantage, August 2016, page … [Read more...]
Banfield’s Aja shares his big picture
Dan Aja, DVM, chief medical officer for Banfield Pet Hospital, moved from private practice into industry roles. He shares some perspective on the challenges of those situations and about our industry. Following the Aja story is a micro-review of The State of Pet Health® 2016 Report (page 38), created by Banfield’s research team. In summary, Banfield data shows diabetes and … [Read more...]
Editorial – Carrier rate hikes will affect cost of goods
Minimum orders used to be commonplace in the animal health business. Not so today. In general, we have swallowed the costs of delivery in animal health supply chains. This is not true for those shipping products ordered from websites. In fact, it is common to see charges for shipping and handling on internet orders. The current boom of internet sales affects shippers, … [Read more...]
Pet sitting generated $391 million in 2015
Pet Sitters International (PSI), the educational association for professional pet sitters, released its 2016 State of the Industry Survey. PSI’s member pet-sitting businesses performed more than 17 million pet-sitting assignments and generated more than $391 million in pet-sitting revenues last year. Source: Pet Product News, September 20, 2016. Survey results reveal that … [Read more...]
JAVMA, October issue now available
We have been linking to the table of contents for JAVMA for your convenience. It is also easy to access an abstract of one of the articles. Check the box next to the article Then at the bottom of the table of contents page – click this link: View highlighted abstracts on one page The abstracts matching your selections will be visible to you for your … [Read more...]
The latest from VetFolio can help connect reps with prospects, clients
VetFolio brings together the best educational material in the industry through the combined efforts of the North American Veterinary Community (NAVC) and the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA). They provide a one-stop resource platform for professional and personal advancement under a new way of learning—Continuous Education. Source: VetFolio, September 22, … [Read more...]
Antibiotics in feed: a brief history – Sponsored Content
Ask anyone who has worked in animal health for 10 years or more what the hottest topics are, antibiotic resistance will be one of their first answers. Our world is rapidly adapting our approaches to food production, animal wellness and human health to be less dependent on antibiotics. While viewing this video, I reflected on the how the scientific method* brought us to where … [Read more...]
Vet tech coming. Plan now.
Tony Bennett recorded “Who Can I Turn To” in 1964 when it hit the top five on the Adult Contemporary chart. Like Bennett’s recording, veterinary technicians are a hit practices worldwide. They are essential and the primary point of contact with clients. Without them, who would our industry turn to? National Veterinary Technician week is October 16th to 22nd. Plan time to … [Read more...]
Potential for ultrasound use with horses is almost unlimited
Ultrasound is commonly used to evaluate the female reproductive tract, as well as the, tendon and ligament a horse’s lower limb. The applications are not the limit, according to David Ramsey, DVM. Ultrasound is easily learned and can be used in less common situations, including colic. Ultrasound mechanics are straightforward. Ultrasonic waves are generated by a probe the … [Read more...]
Manage the pressure to discount
A longtime, good customer you cannot afford to lose suddenly asks, “Can you get me a better price?” Now what do you do. In our experience, price discussions are really about value. This customer doesn’t perceive the value equals the price you are asking, has forgotten the value he’s already getting or has read the latest book about negation. Source: Harvard Business … [Read more...]
Avoid email time traps
Email is not dead, according to Jocelyn K. Glei, but it does kill our productivity. Recent projections suggest that worldwide email usage will grow by 12 percent in the coming years. Let’s look at the numbers and then learn how to manage this invasive digital necessity productively. The average person checks their inbox 11 times per hour, processes 122 messages a day, and … [Read more...]
Let’s talk discounts
This topic parallels our editorial - Toot your own horn. A growing number of veterinary practices and independent dealers or retailers are using practice or business managers to monitor the delivery of services and their residual profits. Discussing discounting behaviors is challenging. Tanja Mimica, of ConsultMates, believes there are four key things that make discounting … [Read more...]
OUCH! Prevent needle sticks.
The Upper Midwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center says more than 80 percent of U.S. farmworkers have accidentally stuck themselves with a needle while vaccinating animals. A study in Australia published in 2009, showed around three quarters (75.3 percent) reported suffering at least one needle-stick injury (NSI) in the previous 12 months, while 58.9% reported suffering … [Read more...]
Pet foods questions need science-based answers
Pet owners sometimes blame pet food for causing an overweight pet. Pet obesity discussions generally follow one of two main themes: that many pet owners are in serious denial about their pets’ weight or that pet food may play a role in the pet’s obesity. Both lines of thinking originate because some pet owners don’t understand pet nutrition or the ingredients in pet food. … [Read more...]
Editorial – Some U.S. teens are hungry – literally
A majority of animal health pros are parents or grandparents. This article so compelling I wanted to share it with our readers. A recent small, exploratory study shines a light on how food insecurity affects teens (ages 13 to 18) and threatens their well-being. An estimated 6.8 million people ages 10 to 17 are food insecure, meaning they don’t have reliable access to enough … [Read more...]
Number of AAHA-accredited practices continues to rise
The AAHA Standards of Accreditation were created to help standardize and promote excellence in care in the veterinary profession and for veterinary practices. Since 1933, these standards have been updated to reflect evolving industry standards. The enhanced standards were developed to keep these practices at the forefront of advanced veterinary medicine. Standards are … [Read more...]
A wink is not just a wink
Not everyone can wink. Whether using an emoji or contorting your face to drop an eyelid, winks are one of the most wide-ranging, ambiguous behaviors there is. Bottom line, you can’t really control how your wink is interpreted. Source: Science of US, September 19, 2016. The most popular interpretations: The wink was meant as a way of communicating thanks, or it was a sign of … [Read more...]
New resource helps people understand expanded feed directive
Human and animal health experts agree that antibiotic resistance is a public health concern. This is why some agriculture groups, including the Animal Health Institute, National Pork Producers Council, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and the Animal Agriculture Alliance launched a new educational website, togetherABX. It offers information about how the Food and Drug … [Read more...]
Veterinary medicine, lynchpin for One Health
One Health Day is taking place November 3, 2016. The campaign is designed to engage as many individuals as possible from as many arenas as possible in One Health education and awareness events, and to generate an inspiring array of projects worldwide. Veterinary medicine is the only profession that routinely operates at the interface of the three main components of One … [Read more...]