Clever app encourages you call your friends Source: Fast Company, February 4, 2021. Link. . . . one of the biggest regrets among people on their deathbeds was that they hadn’t kept in touch with their friends.” Data backup 101 for veterinary practice owners – Sponsored Content Source: Lucca Veterinary Data Services, February 1, 2021. Link. Data backups are important … [Read more...]
Why pigs don’t wear masks
Opinion Relating the challenges of pandemic mask wearing may be a reach, but swine veterinarians and producers have been fighting Porcine Respiratory and Reproductive Syndrome (PRRS) since the late 1980s. Most animal health pros realize the importance of pathogen reduction. Air filtering has become a primary method of reducing risks in swine units where herd density … [Read more...]
Animalytix senior executive forum: next Tuesday, February 16th
Complimentary Support the Animal Health Corridor’s Spirit of Service program by registering for this valuable industry forum. Few participants leave without learning something new or gaining new perspectives on our industry. This year’s program is especially promising. The 10th annual Animalytix Senior Executive Forum provides a detailed analysis of the critical market … [Read more...]
Cyberbullying in veterinary industry, a Bridge Club discussion
Complimentary content The Bridge Club is joining forces with Eric Garcia, founder of SimplyDone Tech Solutions, to provide real and tangible solutions to practices that address the growing challenge of cyberbullying in veterinary practices. It has become a common occurrence with an average of one in every five veterinary professionals experiencing it. There is no … [Read more...]
Vets share what people think they know about pets
BuzzFeed writer Alexa Lisitza shares what a Reddit user found when he asked veterinarians what they wish people knew about their pets. The result is something directly shareable with clients in practices and via social media. Source: BuzzFeed, February 1, 2021. Link. I wish people just even had a BASIC understanding of dog or cat body language. The number of videos posted on … [Read more...]
QR codes shaping Innovetive Pet Care services
Complimentary Commercial Content Adjusting pandemic-created constraints, Innovetive Petcare is using more touchless ways to position its veterinarians and animal practices for ongoing growth and success. They have introduced QR codes, online waitlist tools and the use of video in their recruiting, marketing and client-experience efforts. The approach resembles tactics used … [Read more...]
Banfield leaders discuss key pet health trends of 2020; top predictions for 2021
Complimentary Commercial Content Banfield Pet Hospital president Brian Garish and Chief Medical Officer Molly McAllister, DVM, share perspectives from trends supported by 2020 medical records data. They include: a strong increase in juvenile pets pet happiness skin issue treatments increases due to pet anxiety significant growth in telemedicine role of … [Read more...]
2021 AAHA/AVMA Telehealth Guidelines for Small-Animal Practice
These jointly produced guidelines are designed to support the AVMA’s Guidelines for the Use of Telehealth in Veterinary Practice. Developed by a joint task force the result is a how-to resource offering step-by-step, ready-to-implement recommendations to better integrate Connected Care (telehealth) into small-animal practice. Throughout, references are made to components of … [Read more...]
COWBEL aims to unify learning for veterinary professionals around the world
The Consortium on Workplace-Based Education and Learning launches to provide an effective veterinary clinical educational experience at locations around the world that are not on a campus, also known as distributed learning. Distributed learning in veterinary educational terminology is a term used to describe a method of clinical year instructional delivery at locations that … [Read more...]
Talkatoo CEO featured on Veterinary Viewfinder
Sponsored Content Shawn Wilkie, founder and CEO of Talkatoo, joined Dr. Ernie Ward and Beckie Mossor, RVT, to share how he entered the veterinary industry, the origins of Talkatoo and how veterinary professionals around the globe are saving time and effort with this innovative technology. Source: Veterinary Viewfinder Podcast, January 20, 2021. Link. … [Read more...]
Young vet gives tips, gets 1.4 million TikTok followers
Hunter Finn, DVM, may not be the most senior staffer at Richter Animal Hospital in Arlington, Texas, but he has the most TikTok followers on the hospital team. His posting on the social media platform began as a way to unwind from work. However, his unique ways of sharing basic information about pets has garnered him more than a million followers. Source: WFAA, January 27, … [Read more...]
Injured AHD editor kept going with Talkatoo
Commentary Animal Health Digest appreciates the support sponsors offer, especially when it goes beyond expectations. I recently compressed a nerve in my right arm, which greatly limited my typing ability. As one who thinks with his fingers and types for a living, this was a challenge. The good folks from Talkatoo kindly provided me full privileges to its voice-to-text … [Read more...]
Gene editing technology could soon be common practice for beef cattle industry
Jack Ward, executive vice president of the American Hereford Association, spoke about gene editing as one of the advanced technologies to enhance beef cattle during an interview broadcast on the Radio Oklahoma Ag Network < link >. He believes this technology will be good for animal agriculture and could soon be a common practice for the beef cattle seedstock … [Read more...]
7 online scams targeting veterinary practice owners
Sponsored Content “Digital technology is allowing the reinvention of decades-old con jobs as online scams. Fraudsters continue to tap the power of technology,” says Clint Latham, JD. Unfortunately, people are still falling for these updated versions of rip-offs resulting in loss of property, privacy and sometimes freedom. Common scams also target veterinary practice owners, … [Read more...]
To overcome vaccine hesitancy, we need a better patient experience
HBR’s summary led me to review this article first in the human context and again thinking about animal health vaccination experiences. By thinking of the vaccine as a consumer product, vaccination as a service, and a high NPS (net promoter score) as a goal, we can better design the end-to-end vaccination process and bring this pandemic to a close as quickly as … [Read more...]
The Bridge Club announces new platform, new format
Complimentary Commercial Content For some, the absence of traditional conventions creates a void in keeping up with industry colleagues, customers and meeting new persons in new roles. The Bridge Club’s networking event has been developed to virtually fill the gap that you would experience at a conference. To kick off the event, three influential organizations will … [Read more...]
Cyber security and data protection updates from Lucca Veterinary Data Security
Sponsored Content Clint Latham, JD, champions managing data security and cyber security for veterinary practices. As our society continues increase dependency on data and internet technology, staying informed and acting to increase security is critical. We’ve linked the most recent updates from the Lucca Vet blog. Source: Lucca Veterinary Data Security blog. Link. … [Read more...]
What eating in front of the TV does to your body
Eating in front of the TV is a great idea if you’re looking for a way to eat copious amounts of food without ever hearing the ‘I’ve had enough’ signal from your body.” - Lori Hammond, hypnotist Source: MEL, January 8, 2020. Link. Shows these days tend to be more suspenseful than ever. “Television today is riddled with faster-than-life scene changes,” says psychologist Glenn … [Read more...]
Talkatoo’s 7-day trial offer gaining popularity
Sponsored Commercial Content Voice-to-text has gotten easier for animal health pros whose previous experiences with off-the-shelf software fell short of expectations. Talkatoo has upped the game in voice-to-text technology. A free 7-day trial lets prospective users experience how well the program captures even veterinary medicine terms. Source: Talkatoo. Link. Try it … [Read more...]
Q-4-2020 Veterinary Innovation Podcasts now available
Here is the latest list of podcasts since our October 6, 2020 post. < link >. Shawn Wilkie and Ivan Zakharenkov, DVM, continue to provide animal health pros access to discussions with animal health innovators. Listening to podcasts is an excellent way to learn from progressive animal health who are inventing the next iterations of animal health. Wilkie and Zakharenkov … [Read more...]
NEW app for the puppies!
Complimentary Content from Purina Purina announced a new app for puppies, well, for their owners. 😉 The My Pup app promises to help pet owners train, learn and grow with their puppy, offering week‑to‑week guidance, articles, videos and expert tips. Source: Purina, December 21, 2020. Link. INSIGHTS: We’ve not yet reviewed this app. However, it may help to fill some of … [Read more...]
Training Industry’s top 10 magazine and web articles from 2020
Like skiers racing ahead of an avalanche, training industry professionals have progressively adjusted learning strategies to address goals and objectives to support WFH and remote learning. Agile learning strategies used creativity and innovation to close skills gaps and prepare employees for immediate continuity and for future roles. Source: Training Industry, December 20, … [Read more...]
Covid fatigue is winning at the worst possible moment
Covid-19 fatigue is manifesting in an alarming number of people shrugging off safety measures and consuming less news about the pandemic, according to a new Harris Poll conducted exclusively for Fast Company. 27 percent of Americans say they’re less likely to engage in certain safety precautions than they were six months ago, curtailing things like frequent handwashing, … [Read more...]
6 tips to identify calves susceptible to BRD
John Richeson typifies BRD as the most difficult mammalian diseases to manage in the world. He shared a more focused approach to managing feeder cattle risk and six things feeders can look for to identify high-risk calves. Targeted metaphylaxis is using certain metrics to try to predict whether an animal is going to be at greater risk for BRD, so we can make individual animal … [Read more...]
Chip your pet, dammit!
King, a Chihuahua mix, disappeared from his San Antonio, Texas, home in 2014. Owner Debi Vazquez searched high and low and found no trace of him. This October, she got a call from the Broward County Humane Society in in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Animal health pros there found King, thanks to his microchip. Source: New York Post, November 5, 2020. Link. “It took nearly 23 … [Read more...]
Lyme disease ticks produce antibiotic that protects them from human skin bacteria
Vet Candy shares new research findings that help answer some questions about Ixodes scapularis, the deer tick. Puzzled by the ticks’ immune system, which keeps them safe from contracting pathogens themselves, a research team led by Univerisity of California’s San Francisco's Seemay Chou identified a natural pathogen of ticks and established a mechanism for it. “Ticks pass … [Read more...]
Recent updates from Lucca Veterinary Data Security
Sponsored Content Clint Latham, JD works to help privately owned veterinary practices understand and protect their data from outside cybersecurity risks. We’ve linked his most recent updates from the Lucca Vet blog. Source: Lucca Veterinary Data Security blog. Link. 9 cyber threats facing veterinary hospitals, December 2, 2020. Link. 7 email risks that threaten … [Read more...]
2020 e-commerce surge carried pet food along for the ride
“One of the driving factors behind the e-commerce growth trends for pet food was the growth of millennial pet owners who were preconditioned to online shopping. The pandemic has taken this storyline and put it on steroids,” according to Tom Elliott citing a new report from Capstone Headwaters. In a related discussion, Fritz Wood, CPA and Vertical Vet's Dr. Ernie Ward … [Read more...]
VVCA unveils Veterinary Telemedicine Regulatory Map
Mark Cushing, JD, and Ali McIntyre, executive director of VVCA, share work done with the Animal Policy Group research team that helped create the most definitive, comprehensive and accurate state-by-state map of all laws and regulations, including COVID guidance from governors, about telemedicine or virtual care. <the map> is a living, breathing tool . . . not just for … [Read more...]
Telemedicine platforms expanding reach to animal owners
Complimentary Commercial Content The rush to meet pet owners in the cloud and expand veterinary virtual care has two new advances this week according to company press releases. whiskerDocs announced they will start telemedicine in four states beginning January 1. VCPR will be established virtually. FirstVet, brings on-demand telehealth to American animal owners’ … [Read more...]