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...]
The 10 different types of horse owners (includes video)
Just for fun, check out Maria Watcher’s review of different horse owners. Most animal health pros have met someone who fits these descriptions. The Know-it-All, Miss Horse Poor and Frugal Fred were most familiar to our AHD team. Source: Horse Network, December 2014. INSIGHTS: Sales reps can use the video to get a group loosened-up ahead of a presentation. … [Read more...]
You gotta see this year’s comedy wildlife photo finalists
You’ve gotta look! The 2017 finalists for The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards have been announced. And, they’re great. Take a few minutes for some fun. Source: The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards, November 2017. You can see four years’ worth of fun photos. INSIGHTS: Great blog and social media ideas here. … [Read more...]
Opinion – Immune response and nutrient metabolism swine research evolving rapidly
This research information should interest to any animal health pro as whose focus is on prevention and managing disease. The immunes system has high biological priority. When pathogens are detected, the immune response becomes the animal’s energetic priority and changes how dietary nutrients and calories are utilized. Source: National Hog Farmer, October 2017. Any energy … [Read more...]
Opinion – What B2B can learn from B2C
Most animal health pros will recognize someone they’ve worked with as they consider the perspectives in this article. The best sales reps have been personalizing their messages for years to decision maker(s). Karen Olson says we can learn a lot from savvy B2C marketers. Customize your messages for your audience. Give me a reason to switch. Reward me for choosing … [Read more...]
Neglect allegations force dog blood bank closing
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...]
Opinion – Unlearn toxic masculinity
There is no doubt the Harvey Weinstein revelations have pulled discussions of sexual assault and harassment to the front of water cooler discussions. These stories emphasize the negative consequences of what some call toxic masculinity. Left without context that is presented this article, mindsets are cemented and generalizations get perpetuated. Source: The Cut, October 23, … [Read more...]
Its fall in mountain cattle country (photo essay)
With photos that look like slides from a cowboy movie, Shipping at the Basin Ranch is a modern day look at gathering and shipping cattle on the mountain ranch outside of Elk Mountain, Wyoming. The ranch is part of the Wyoming Stock Growers Land Trust. The group is dedicated to conserving Wyoming’s working family ranches and farms and the wide-open spaces, natural habitats and … [Read more...]
Thanks for the feedback
Thank you so much for the feedback and messages last week when we celebrated our two-year milestone and 2000 posts. It is truly a pleasure to curate from 200-plus media sources to bring animal health professionals content that is relevant and actionable. Please share AHD freely with colleagues! Receiving the kudos and positive reinforcement makes our work even more … [Read more...]
X-ray contest 2017 – winners and runners-up
Animal health pros across all segments of the market enjoy seeing the images and frequent absurdity of what animals eat. Bones, necklaces, hair bands, charms, drain plugs and foam bullets are few of the items found in this year’s contest photos and images. Source: Veterinary Practice News, September 29, 2017. The 2017 annual X-ray contest didn’t fail to deliver on the most … [Read more...]
My pet is left-pawed (includes video)
Just for fun! Like humans, many animals tend to use one side of the body more than the other. This innate handedness (or footedness) is called behavioral or motor laterality. Use this video to test your own pets. Source: The Conversation, September 24, 2017. Determining laterality – or which side of the brain dominates the other – could change the way domestic animals are … [Read more...]
Wildlife Photographer of the Year showcases best in nature photography
Take a break from puppy and kitten photos and look at what else nature offers. The Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition attracted nearly 50,000 entries from 92 countries. Source: The Atlantic, September 14, 2017. The Wildlife Photographer of the year competition, founded in 1965, is an annual showcase of the best in nature photography. Wildlife Photographer of the … [Read more...]
Sponsored Content – Fall equine wellness (includes video)
Zoetis has provided the American Quarter Horse Association with material about preparing horses for the risks of fall season. Annual spring vaccinations help offer disease protection and can activate an immune response. Now that it’s almost fall, the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) vaccination guidelines recommend at-risk horses be vaccinated for equine … [Read more...]
Riding Japan’s Cat Café train
The Japanese have made stationery cat cafes popular and successful. Now a collaboration has the put the concept on the move via a train. The main difference is the train was full of rescue kittens rather than sedentary cats in the cafes. Read about Bill Adler’s experience and consider the possibilities. Source: Atlas Obscura, September 11, 2017. The cat train was a … [Read more...]
AAHA calls for photos
Need a break from the everyday race? Consider a photo shoot in your practice showing your team using AAHA Press products. Then submit them for consideration in the AAHA Press Catalog. Source: AAHA Red, September 8, 2017. Get creative! Ask one of your favorite reps to help you. The deadline for submissions is September 21, 2017. … [Read more...]
Opinion: Help for aging animal health pros
I offer this article on turning back time and dealing with our perceptions of aging in this industry. I found persons in their 30s eager to engage and discuss our industry at the recent CVC Kansas City. Instead of thinking “been there, done that” I found myself asking questions of these young pros to see how their todays resembled some of my yesterdays. The results were about … [Read more...]
“1” can change everything; KC Animal Health Corridor
Global Animal Health Week kicked off in the Kansas City area Friday, August 25. Supported by the commitments to the KC Animal Health Corridor, a series of events garnered record participation from around the world. Check out the “goings on” at #KCAnimalHealth Source: KC Animal Health Corridor. Events included: 1st “Women in Animal Health” panel discussion Market … [Read more...]
AHD Bulletin, shorter this week
We’ve spent the last five days engaged with animal health colleagues during the Global Animal Health week, KC Animal Health Corridor Homecoming and CVC Kansas City convention. Obviously, such activities reduce the time to curate materials for animal health pros. Our AHD Bulletin is shorter than usual this week. Many of the posts will be about the challenges of human … [Read more...]
Pig transformation changing with the times
In a fun and informative retrospective, Pork’s JoAnn Alumbaugh reviews the history of pig confirmation and the societal influences that shape a hog as we know them today. Source: Pork, August 10, 2017. Genetics, diet, marketing trends and once more, consumer tastes, continue to evolve so the composition of modern pigs evolves as well. Pig farmers now consider all of the … [Read more...]
National Relaxation Day; did you know?
Who knew? Sean Moeller founded National Relaxation Day in 1985 as a fourth-grader. In an interview with Valerie Monson in The Des Moines Register, he suggested people shouldn’t do anything of real value. Cleaning and real work are not part of relaxation. This series of articles will give you ideas for relaxing. Source: Bottom Line Insider, August 14, 2017. Here are some … [Read more...]
18th century racehorse champion born during solar eclipse
The world is buzzing about the coming solar eclipse. So, we share this story of a temperamental, spirited, fast steed that changed horse racing forever. The greatest racehorse of the 18th century was allegedly born during the 1764 solar eclipse, which tracked from Iberia to Scandinavia, at noon on April Fool’s Day. He was named, appropriately, Eclipse. Seventeen months later he … [Read more...]
A brief history of horses in music videos (videos)
Just for fun! Marjorie Wilkinson walks us through an interesting history of horses in videos, including a highly prolific period between 1929 and 1939. Source: Horse Network, July 17, 2017. Enjoy the video clips! … [Read more...]
Opinion – Tufts studies patient-therapy animal risk
This topic has taken a long time to surface. Personally, I’ve often wondered about zoonotic risks from taking therapy animals into hospitals and nursing homes. While human patients receive many benefits from animal visits, the reality is that facilities are not monitoring or managing the risks. Guidelines for safety, health and monitoring do exist, with one set from the AVMA … [Read more...]
New wolf pups captured on trail camera
Just for fun! Northern California has three new wolf pups. They were caught playing in front of a trail camera. Source: Atlas Obscura, July 7, 2017. Wolves are listed as endangered at the federal level and in California, but have been delisted in Oregon. About 110 wolves live in the state, while California’s population remains small—but growing. … [Read more...]
Audubon photo winners announced
Winners of the eighth annual Audubon Photography Awards were recently announced. You’ll find great foul photos at the links below. View them at full screen for maximum effect. Source: The Atlantic, July 11, 2017. Photographers entered images in three categories: professional, amateur, and youth. More than 5,500 images depicting birdlife from 49 states and eight Canadian … [Read more...]
No. Goats are not taking away human jobs
Western Michigan University rented a crew of 20 goats to clear brush and weeds this summer. This was met with a grievance from a chapter of the American Federal of State County and Municipal Employees. It stated the goats are taking jobs away from laid-off union workers. Christopher Ingraham’s analysis, albeit back of the envelope, says it’s not so. Source: The Washington … [Read more...]
1894 Edison video, feline boxing
Thomas Edison was a connoisseur of strange short films, in addition to inventing the light bulb. The footage—one of Edison’s firsts—is considered the first cat video ever recorded. Source: Atlas Obscura, June 19, 2017. After inventing the kinetoscope, an early version of the film camera, Edison began to test the technology by recording a series of bizarre … [Read more...]
Sponsored Content: Addison Biological Laboratory featured
Congratulations to AHD sponsor, Addison Biological Laboratory, for being selected as a featured manufacturer for Spring 2017 by MWI Animal Health. The story featured Addison’s development of the first USDA conditional license for a commercial Moraxella Bovoculi Bacterin in early 2017. Moraxella bovoculi is frequently referred to as winter pinkeye. Source: Addison Biological … [Read more...]
The Kennel Club announces dog photographer of the year
You can’t resist looking at the photos in the 2017 United Kingdom-based Kennel Club Dog Photographer of the Year Contest. Source: The Kennel Club Dog Photographer of the Year, June 2017. No words needed. Simply enjoy the photos. INSIGHTS: Consider using this in social media posts. … [Read more...]
Couple saves baby kangaroos orphaned on Australian highway
This piece will elicit innumerable “awes,” especially from those interested in animal rescue. Josephine and Terry Brenna-Kuss have run an orphanage for joeys on the lonely South Australian section of the long Stuart Highway since 2008. Most come from females that were struck by cars or trucks. The video clips will bring smiles, too. Source: New York Times, June 26, 2017 … [Read more...]