Cases of infected wildlife are not unusual. But, the human population encroachment into wildlife habitats has forced raccoons, skunks, coyotes and opossums to adapt to city living. In some areas, garbage cans, pet food dishes and potted gardens provide a more sustainable food supply than previous habitats. The result is an abundant, unbalanced critter population that inevitably … [Read more...]
Editorial – Resist setting goals you don’t care about
Animal Health Digest was born out of my desire to serve the industry that has been my career home for more than 30 years. Frustrated that I never seemed to have enough time to read what was being published on animal health topics spawned this idea nearly two decades ago. Ms. Saunders explains why my passion to read for an industry gave birth to a key focus are that aligned with … [Read more...]
Editorial: Musings from WVC 2017
Returning home from the Western Veterinary Conference, I reflected that this year, the WVC was the comfortable veterinary conference. That is, comfortable compared to NAVC, which recently debuted in the vast Orange County Convention Center in Orlando. In past years, WVC seemed to tax our physical and time-management stamina. But, after the marathon hiking required during … [Read more...]
Editorial – Seeking truth among alternative facts
I present this as opinion because of political references in the content. The context of discerning the truth is the reason for posting it. Peter Peregrine presents compelling insights on the culmination of a long retreat from the scientific perspective on truth. “Because I said so,” is no longer simply a disciplining statement from a parent to a child it seems. Source: The … [Read more...]
Editorial – They say we don’t care
Critics and non-agricultural lobbyists often criticize animal health pros for not caring about the environment, odors or greenhouse gases. This article flies in the faces of such critics. Source: WATTAgNet, January 20, 2017. Perdue Farms has expanded its $68 million investment in nutrient recycling on the Delmarva Peninsula with the addition of a $12 million capital … [Read more...]
Editorial – Pet care goes to Mars
Mars will soon dominate corporate-owned pet hospitals with the purchase of the animal-hospital chain VCA Inc., that was announced Monday. Mars already owns Banfield Pet Hospital and BluePearl Veterinary Partners, as well as several pet food brands. Its combined marketplace clout is not expected to exceed 10 percent of the veterinary market after the merger. There will be a … [Read more...]
Opinion – Antibiotics: man vs. animal
Staying neutral about the antibiotic resistance issue is difficult for those of us who have observed how slow adoption hurts the acceptance of proven animal health protocols. According to Rick Bergman, executive director for the Center for Consumer Freedom, physicians now frequently reach for “big gun or last resort” antibiotics, which likely contributes to antibiotic … [Read more...]
Editorial – Assemble a top-notch crash cart
Maybe I spent too long in marketing, sales and sales leadership. For any distributor representative, this article provides an awesome opportunity to have a targeted discussion about being prepared with veterinary hospital team members. Source: Veterinary Team Brief, August 2016. Preparation is key to performing well in any emergency situation, and nowhere is preparation … [Read more...]
Editorial – Managing stress as a team
In the past week, your AHD team reviewed 12 articles related to professional stress, performance anxiety and the suicide rate of veterinary team members. In this edition of AHD BULLETIN, we included information from Susan David, Ph.D., and others about with emotions management. We’ve included this article because it deals with stress as a team problem beyond personal … [Read more...]
Editorial – Meeting the challenges of curation
Animal Health Digest is a curation service. One source defines a content curator as someone who continually finds, groups, organizes and shares the best and most relevant content on a specific issue online. That is what we do at AHD. We sift through more than 150 media sources on a day-by-day basis. While you do your jobs, we read for you, determine what content is most … [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...]
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...]
Editorial – Wild horse advocates respond to BLM advisory board
The wild horse debate continues. Clearly, the overpopulation of wild horses on public lands is a problem. The challenges are ecological, geological and economical, all compounded by weather patterns. From one perspective, wild horses never seem to be labeled as feral. It may be time to look at their management and control as we manage feral hogs, feral dogs, feral cats and … [Read more...]
Editorial – Toot your own horn
Every day in a large percentage of veterinary practices, product is “given away.” Depending on the practice, most of these products are not recorded as a “sale at no charge.” This behavior contributes significantly to inventory shrinkage. As important, the value of the free goods is not realized by the client or by hospital staff. Additionally, hospital owners give away … [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...]
Editorial – Keep the loop(s) closed
Multiple social media sources organize content for veterinary practices. The challenge is to keep the practice team up to date on what is being posted and the possible questions that could result from it. Knowing what practices are posting can also be a big help for sales representatives as they support their clinic customers. Similar dynamics exist for reps who service retail … [Read more...]
Editorial – Seek clarity before condemning meat
“Is meat good for you?” continues to be a significant part of nutritional research. While moms still promote eating vegetables, modern media personnel have forgotten how to read research reports in their entirety. The result is that meat frequently gets condemned. Dan Murphy, a veteran food-industry journalist and commentator exposes the fallacies in much of the reporting … [Read more...]
Editorial – Invest your energy wisely
I answered “busy” when asked about my schedule recently, but when asked if I was being productive, I hesitated and finally answered “hope so.” Many of us might respond the same way. Consider the five tenants of strategic energy application in this thought-provoking article where Peter Bregman suggests 89 percent of us are operating without much to spare. Source: Harvard … [Read more...]
Editorial – Questions are essential to successful workplaces
My grandfather often said, “the wisdom is in the question, not the answers.” He was not admonishing me for talking too much, rather, trying to get me to think more broadly and thoughtfully. Companies that view questions as a problem are missing out, writes Jay Steven Levin and Scott Mabry in these blog posts. Meaningful questions take time and consideration. They’re, intended … [Read more...]
Editorial – Re-examine your e-commerce strategy
"Digital channels have become the dominant medium for influencing decision-making and building a stronger relationship between the brand and the end user”, says a 2011 Oracle report. It is past time for veterinary hospitals to reassess and update their digital strategies to include product sales. While this article focuses on distribution, consider that for many consumer … [Read more...]
Editorial – Don’t ignore this take on canine health and wellness
The information on canine health and wellness in this issue falls short. Even the website references miss the basics of urban dog care. Published for specific cities, the articles do not cover basic vaccines, endo- or ecto-parasite control, dental tips or pain management. Information on the website is hardly a primer on canine wellness. Source: CityDog Magazine, Spring … [Read more...]
Editorial – The annual physical questioned
We are fortunate in animal health in that we don’t deal with third-party pay and actuarial oversight of preventative care, yet. Annual physicals are the most common reason that U.S. residents see a doctor. Apparently, not all agree with their necessity or value. This information about human care decisions may signal a cloud of opportunity for our markets. Conversely, it may … [Read more...]
Editorial – Home delivery still growing
Articles about opportunities in the pet retail business often make me scratch my head. How can retailers get so excited and veterinary hospitals remain blasé’. For nearly 15 years, veterinarians have been offered opportunities to use various home delivery platforms to auto-fulfill standing prescriptions, brand diversity in large categories and specialty products. Yet, these … [Read more...]
Editorial – Engage customers. Grow business.
Companies in the business-to-business (B2B) sector engage just 29 percent of customers, according to Gallup. In other words, we’re letting 71 percent go astray. This article calls all of us in the channel of influence to act. It means we must spend more time and resources to understand customers’ perspectives. This is true for veterinary teams and retail associates, as well as … [Read more...]
Editorial – Things that keep vets up at night
The results of dvm360’s triennial survey are out. The survey makes clear veterinarians are concerned. They feel the same changes we feel and more. Addressing their concerns with proper action remains a strong challenge. Enterprising reps will set aside the detail book and use these survey results to have solution-centered dialogues with their accounts. “B” accounts will … [Read more...]
Editorial – Generational overload
Media sources are full of information about boomers, gen Xers, millennials and recently the iGens, or Generation Z. Depending on which date ranges you use, I live with a boomer, a gen Xer, a millennial and an iGen. We’re all different, have different attitudes and approach communication, problem solving and planning differently. I’ve found that engaging in safe, open discussion … [Read more...]
Editorial – There are no food activists in blizzards
Jennifer Latzke occasionally sounds off in her editorials and blogs. This post is one of those. You’ll appreciate the pragmatic view she presents. Source: High Plains Journal, February 1, 2016. If photos of empty grocery shelves in towns up and down the East Coast are any proof, there must not be that many food activists in blizzards. Empty milk cases, naked produce … [Read more...]
Editorial – Understand the customer’s perspective
People often like to discover their own solutions. Technologies, processes and practices have tactically improved the business of people doing business with people. This doesn’t mean folks don’t want help at times. Too often, companies look at customers as cash machines that can satisfy shareholders and offer solutions without the customer in mind. When we approach business … [Read more...]
Editorial – Free range is not bug free
I have a small town rural background where chickens roaming free was common. We called it scratchin’ in the stuff and eatin’ the things. The free-range movement has been a growing concern of mine, especially for veterinary practices in urban or ruralpolitan areas. This story begs the question, “are small animal veterinarians or dealers ready to service Chicken Little and her … [Read more...]
Editorial – Millennials, here they come!
Millennials are those born between 1982 and 2004. They’re the focus of two recent articles. I initially thought, “Why are we going here again?” A better perspective is that the oldest millennials are now 32 to 33 and are part of the paying economy. It IS time to learn more about this generation. Source: Trends, January 2016, page 26. (direct link unavailable) This is the … [Read more...]