There is heightened vigilance now on infection control, including sterilization of instruments in veterinary settings. Dan McGinley reviews some of the dos and donts about surgical instruments veterinary teams need to consider. Source: Veterinary Practice News, April 2020, page 32. Link. Also see: How often do you clean your stethoscope, Virox Animal Health. Link. Note … [Read more...]
Veterinary practice in a pandemic: 6 experiences
Brendan Howard shares a close-up look at how Covid-19 is affecting U.S. clinic finances and operations. The article underscores the diverse nature of veterinary practices, even during ordinary times. Source: VIN News Service, May 1, 2020. Link. INSIGHTS: It is good to see Brendan Howard’s byline again. … [Read more...]
BISSELL Pet Foundation cancels Blocktail Party, launches Walktail initiative
Sensitive to social distancing efforts, BISSELL Pet Foundation (BPF) has cancelled its annual Blocktail Party, its biggest fundraiser. This year, BPF is launching the Walktail Walkathon initiative in its place. With a partner network of 5,000 shelters and rescues in all 50 states, BPF has helped more than 260,000 pets through adoption, spay/neuter, microchipping and … [Read more...]
Monkey see. Monkey do: the effects of social cues on biosecurity compliance
To the detriment of animal health, humans do not always follow biosecurity protocols. Human behavioral factors have been shown to influence willingness to follow biosecurity protocols. Research from the University of Vermont underscores the importance of peer-to-peer demonstration of biosecurity measures to improve biosecurity compliance and can be simply summarized as monkey … [Read more...]
Coronavirus sweeping rural America
Animal health pros working in rural areas understand the steps needed to slow the spread of coronavirus as well as their urban colleagues. That doesn’t mean the risk of exposure to it is diminished. This article explains the merciless speed at which the virus is spreading in rural America. Source: New York Times, April 8, 2020. Link. In some places, the virus has rushed in … [Read more...]
How and where marketers are spending
About 50 percent of companies now spend 10 percent of their budgets on B2B marketing. A report from Sagefrog Marketing Group shows the marketing mix trends from a recent industry cross-section survey. Digital marketing, website development, and trade shows and events dominate budget allocations. The author noted stagnancy represented by doing what was done in the past three … [Read more...]
Opinion – Valentine’s Day spending to increase by $6.7 billion overall
In our industry that has misgivings about charging for elements of pet health care, Valentine’s Day spending may give animal health pros a different perspective. A record 27 percent of people will buy Valentine’s gifts for their pets, the highest figure in the history of the National Retail Federation survey. Each pet gift buyer will spend $12.21 on pets shares Kimberly Amadeo. … [Read more...]
Recovering from losing our cool at work
It doesn’t matter where the stress comes from. But when it builds to a blow-up at work it is time to approach the situation with humility and intention. Beginning with self assessment, Patricia Thompson offers steps to recover from the incident and repairing your reputation. . . . negative experiences are processed more thoroughly than good ones, and negative impressions are … [Read more...]
New interactive rabies law map available
Rabies laws vary by state and change often. With more pets traveling and being relocated, animal health pros can use the new rabies law map to view what the laws are in the 50 U.S. states and District of Columbia. Source: Policy Surveillance Program. Link. The map includes data on state-level pre-exposure rabies vaccination laws for domestic dogs, cats, and ferrets … [Read more...]
My dog’s smarter than yours . . . maybe
Recent crowd-sourced research suggests that bigger dogs with larger brains perform better than smaller dogs on certain measures of intelligence. In particular, bigger dogs have better short-term memory and self-control than smaller ones – Animal Cognition Source: BARK, February 2019. Link. < The study’s findings mirror what has previously been found true in … [Read more...]
Ceva adds MilbeGuard™ (milbemycin oxime) to heartworm prevention options
AHD Sponsor, Ceva Animal Health has launched MilbeGuard™ (milbemycin oxime) Flavored Tablets, the first FDA-approved generic milbemycin oxime in the U.S. MilbeGuard is a monthly, beef-flavored tablet that prevents heartworm disease and treats and controls whipworms (in dogs only), hookworms and roundworms. Every dog and cat should be protected against heartworm disease. Cost … [Read more...]
When an argument gets too heated, here’s what to say
Productive conflict is a hallmark of high-performing teams. Some teams struggle to communicate dissenting opinions without triggering resistance and defensiveness, writes Liane Davey. They fall into unproductive conflict by invalidating one another as they argue. IF you can validate your teammate’s perspective, expertise, and feelings, you will keep the conflict focused on … [Read more...]
Can veterinary insurance could save the veterinary technician?
Tiffany Bartlett, LVT, BAS, reviews research on the value of veterinary insurance to determine if it could help make the sustainable career choice for veterinary technicians. She discusses potential confusion between hospital wellness plans and pet insurance and exposes educational needs for veterinary technicians and hospital staff members. Source: NAVTA Journal, … [Read more...]
Older people who feel younger have fewer signs of brain aging
A study published in Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience <link> is the first to find a link between subjective age and brain aging. We found that people who feel younger have the structural characteristics of a younger brain,” said Dr. Jeanyung Chey. “Importantly, this difference remains robust even when other possible factors, including personality, subjective health, … [Read more...]
When, how and why to use a crate for dogs
Embrace the crate. It can be the best thing for a relationship with a dog, writes Laura Vorreyer. She reminds us that proper crating is not cruel and to avoid using the crate as punishment. This information is valuable to any dog owner. Source: Modern Dog. Link. The crate should be big enough for your dog to turn around in but NOT big enough for them to think the back … [Read more...]
Record attendance supports inaugural VMX (includes video)
Congratulations to the NAVC team for its success with its first VMX. The attendee summary shows solid improvement in the ratio of exhibitors to conference attendees. The theme, Your Education. Your Experience. Your Conference. is apparent in the VMX video which offers a flavor of the event. For veterinary team members, the educational opportunity was further enhanced by the … [Read more...]
New AVMA Congressional Advocacy Network helps you speak
The AVMA Congressional Advocacy Network is an upgraded action center featuring new tools to help you speak up on issues impacting the veterinary profession. The site will harness the power of a community made up of more than 30,000 veterinarians, veterinary students and friends of veterinary medicine who are committed to protecting the profession. Source: AVMA, November 6, … [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...]
Sponsored Content – World’s first commercial Moraxella bovoculi vaccine now available
Addison Biological Laboratory, Inc. announces the approval of the world’s first commercial Moraxella bovoculi vaccine for the prevention of pinkeye in cattle. This USDA-conditionally licensed product is the first of its kind. The product features eight specifically different Moraxella bovoculi isolates and an easily syringeable adjuvant. Source: Addison Biological … [Read more...]
Focused on felines
Roxanne Hawn investigates the challenges and opportunities of being a Cat Friendly Practice. In addition to a mindset adjustment, making changes to discussions with clients and the human behaviors while with feline patients are critical components. Source: AAHA Trends, July 2016. It’s going to take practice-wide, profession-wide efforts to get the quality of feline visits … [Read more...]
Cargill receives Secretary of State’s 2015 Award for Corporate Excellence
The transition from traditional corporate social responsibility to a shared-value framework, sustainability, brand identity and the challenges of consumer perceptions are discussed in this Q and A piece. We often are unaware of the commitment a corporation may make to long-term improvement of our industry and allied industries. Congratulations to Cargill and the other award … [Read more...]
New rules of travel rewards program
For many travelers, the current crop of award schemes are at best a distraction and at worst a false promise. With the lackluster earning rates and high-priced awards, it will be years before average travelers accumulate enough miles to book an award trip. Learn the changes and see possible alternatives in this article. Source: USA Today, February 25, 2015. With the … [Read more...]
Write like a third grader
If you want people to reply to your emails, write like a third grader. According to the makers of the Boomerang mail plug-in, this reading level is about the right complexity for the average message. Source: Washington Post, February 16, 2016. To get replies, the company suggests using shorter, simpler sentences – hence the third-grade level. Writing this way generally gets … [Read more...]
Weather looks good
Art Douglas, PhD, professor emeritus, Creighton University, presented his annual analysis of the U.S. weather outlook for the coming growing season. It looks pretty good. He’s presented his long-term forecasts during the CattleFax Conference for 40 years. This quick read will help you be ready for the next discussion at the local gathering spot. Source: Drovers … [Read more...]
Winter storms’ impact
The devastating effect of winter storms Goliath and Jonah will hurt livestock producers for months. The former killed more than 50,000 dairy and beef cattle. The latter’s effect on dairy, swine and poultry won’t be known for weeks. An untold number of veterinary hospital visits that were scheduled before the storms will likely never be rescheduled. Keeping those businesses … [Read more...]