It’s easy to get caught up financially analyzing an equipment buy for a veterinary hospital. Brendan Howard summarizes guidance from Karen Felstad, DVM, about various rationales for purchases. For salespersons, Felstad’s nine questions to ask before an equipment purchase reads like a pre-call planner for items to discuss or defend. Source: Veterinary Economics, May 17, … [Read more...]
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Brucella canis confirmed in Iowa commercial breeding facility
Canine brucellosis is considered zoonotic and is highly contagious among dogs. It causes severe reproductive problems. Iowa's State Veterinarian Jeff Kaisand, confirmed several cases of "canine Brucellosis" coming from a commercial small-dog breeding facility in Marion County southeast of Des Moines. When spread to humans, a rare occurrence, B. canis produces flu-like … [Read more...]
Expand your social reach with Facebook stories
It seems like Facebook changes every day. At least it gives us the courtesy of telling us the direction in which it’s moving. Its recent focus has been expanding Facebook Stories. How can you make best use of Stories to grow your business? Facebook offers these suggestions: Create ads that leverage speed to keep readers' attention. Stories with sound lead to better … [Read more...]
Fighting decision fatigue at home and work
Beckie Mossor, RVT, shares information about our growing understanding of decision fatigue. It is the worst when we have too many decision to make in a short amount of time, she writes. Decision fatigue affects individuals differently, and factors like sleep, nutrition and stress also help determine our mental stamina. She shares simple steps we can take to decrease the … [Read more...]
Managing persistently infected calves key to BVD prevention
It’s a story we have been told over and over. Yet, we still see BVD sneak into herds. One of the most common ways it spreads is with persistently infected (PI) calves. Chris Chase, DVM, says the biggest issue with BVD is in herds that haven’t been testing calves with an ear-notch program and where biosecurity is not great. Monitoring for BVD is very important because when the … [Read more...]
Hoof issues identified in dairy heifers
We haven’t worried about hoof issues in heifers, until now. Corkscrew claw syndrome is an emerging heifer hoof issue and common rearing practices may be to blame. The syndrome was most prevalent in heifers housed in freestall barns. “What’s good for cows, and how we have learned to manage cows, isn’t necessarily good for heifers,”Nigel Cook, MRCVS. Source: … [Read more...]
DVM develops scale to help determine the right time to say goodbye
Alice Villalobos, DVM, is an oncology veterinarian in Hermosa Beach, CA. She has dedicated much of her career to helping pet owners manage end-of-life issues for their pets. In fact, she created an animal hospice program she named “pawspice,” which focuses on extending a pet’s quality of life. To help owners make these tough decisions, Villalobos created a decision tool based … [Read more...]
New strain of canine distemper virus arrives in North America
The Asia-1 strain of canine distemper virus (CDV), which had never before been reported in North America, most likely entered the continent last fall with a dog rescued from a Korean dog meat farm. Dogs that are already immunized against CDV likely are not at risk from the Asian strain. But if the virus comes into contact with wildlife, it may take a serious toll on … [Read more...]
Find value in every customer (includes podcast)
Customer centricity is the current thinking about seeing customer value beyond their revenue potential. There are high-value customers, low-value one, and plenty who fall in the middle. But they all matter for businesses that want to make the most out of them say Wharton's Peter Fader and Sarah Toms. The authors discuss their new book, The Customer Centricity Playbook < link … [Read more...]
Revenue growth may be wishful thinking – re-post
Editor’s note: Oops! We had the wrong byline on Patrick Malone’s post last week, so we’re re-running it here. Please accept our apologies. According to a recent healthcare survey conducted by TD Bank, 87 percent of veterinarians surveyed expected to grow revenue in the next two years. Given the continuing onslaught on pharmacy revenue from 800 Pet Meds, Chewy and others, I … [Read more...]
Trick cows to calve in the daylight
Few cattle producers like to get out of bed to check the cows at 2:00 a.m. It’s cold and dark then. When late-day feeding is implemented, field studies and researchers all report 80 percent or more of cows calve in the daytime. . . . to have more cows and heifers calve in daylight hour, try to delay putting out hay and cubes until late in the day. . . The class of … [Read more...]
Manage flu in swine and you
Whether it’s the neighbor’s pot-bellied pig, the large swine operation nearby or your family, flu season is here, and we all need to pay attention. Since the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, research has been conducted to better understand human and pig influenza. Because flu viruses can be transmitted between pigs and people, biosecurity is important to prevent the spread of influenza from … [Read more...]
Revenue growth may be wishful thinking
According to a recent healthcare survey conducted by TD Bank, 87 percent of veterinarians surveyed expect to grow revenue in the next two years. Given the continuing onslaught on pharmacy revenue from 800 Pet Meds, Chewy and others, I sense this is more wishful thinking rather than a realistic expectation. When you’re ready to acknowledge the threat and act, read on. Source: … [Read more...]
Video calls becoming as popular as voice calls
Live video calling has reached near-universal adoption for social use. It's quickly growing as the preferred method for consumers to connect with businesses, according to the results of the Vonage Video Chatterbox Nation Study. The study notes that video calling is on track to become the main form of consumer to business communication. Source: BusinessWire, January 17, … [Read more...]
Farm animal welfare, a growing trend
Consumers care. Packaged Facts survey data from February through March 2017 shows that 58 percent of U.S. consumers are more concerned about food animal welfare than they were just a few years ago. The demand for transparency around where their food comes from has most consumer packaged-goods companies listening. For those partners already a part of the Global Animal … [Read more...]
BEEF blog’s top 10
Consider broadening your perspective as customer interactions begin this year. Top-read lists similar to this one offer insights into customer priorities and interests. Here are the 10 BEEF Daily blogs that received the most traffic in 2018: 1. Researchers conclude livestock have no detectable effect on climate 2. Hay bale kills ranch mom 3. Move over kale; steak is the … [Read more...]
Opinion – Healthcare disruption trends may impact animal health
The article referenced sheds insight on how human medicine development might play out in animal health. . . . technology and cost pressures are causing a“shift left” in health care... Technology is transforming how we do business at a remarkable pace and breadth of innovation, from vertical integration to virtual reality. A POLITICO working group brought together a group … [Read more...]
Double-check broodmares in early winter
Up to 15 percent of broodmares who were checked safe-in-foal at 45 to 60 days lose their pregnancies by late fall, says Thomas Lenz, DVM. It’s a good idea this time of year to recheck all of your mares by ultrasound or palpation to confirm that their pregnancy is progressing normally, he says. Too often, a mare owner doesn’t know a mare lost her pregnancy until she doesn’t … [Read more...]
Follow Animal Health Digest on LinkedIn
Our AHD team invites you to follow AHD on LinkedIn <link>. Each week we provide three posts featuring the current AHD Bulletin, the most-read current post and the most-read posts from the same week one and two years previously. It’s not our intent to overwhelm social media with myriad posts. Rather we strive to be judicious in providing current and historically relevant … [Read more...]
The driving force behind FarmHER
Marji Guyler-Alaniz’s photographic project turned into a voice for women in agriculture almost overnight. It now has grown to encompass events for women, FarmHer-branded merchandise, the 30-minute weekly RFD-TV show, the 60-minute Shining Bright by FarmHer SiriusXM radio show and podcast and ongoing social media to connect with her audience. These (ag) women work hard, for … [Read more...]
3 things all emails should include
You probably don’t put much thought into crafting an email. This means it’s likely you are making some potentially embarrassing mistakes. Most of us have not been trained on crafting good emails making them ripe for misuse. As communication tools like instant messaging are added to the workplace, the purpose and strength of email has started to shift, says Nick Morgan. ““Text … [Read more...]
Greenhouse gas is only part of the puzzle
Concern about the long-term sustainability of livestock production gets a lot of media attention. However, according to Al Rotz, there is fairly limited scientific information out there to support what is being said. When it comes to livestock and long-term impact, Rotz said, “I don’t see cattle being much of a contributor to global climate change.” . . . the greenhouse gas … [Read more...]
Equine fact, equine myth
Not all information is created equal. Crowdsourced internet answers are now available with a simple spoken question, “Alexa, will my horse get enough water by eating snow?” The most frequent horse care myth topics include nutrition, cold weather and colic, writes Natalie Voss. She turned to the University of Kentucky Extension service for this fact vs. myth article. Source: … [Read more...]
Spending 5 hours a week learning can create amazing ROI
Why do the world’s smartest and busiest people find one hour a day for deliberate learning, while others make excuses about how busy they are? The answer is simple: Learning is the single best investment of our time that we can make. Or as Benjamin Franklin said, “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.” The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who … [Read more...]
The top 10 risks your employees bring to your organization
Human resources leaders stand to benefit from seeing how their peers are overcoming challenges. HRE asked experts to weigh in on some of the biggest issues facing today’s HR leaders and consider solutions to these obstacles. We identified information from research done by Aon Risk Solutions that applies to businesses in our industry whether small or large. Your employees are … [Read more...]
Career peaks can happen at any time
If you think you may have peaked in your career or worry that you may already have, take heart. A recent study published in Nature shows that we can peak at any age. Researchers examined the careers of 30,000 scientists, artists and directors and found that almost everyone is likely to experience a hot streak, but its timing is completely unpredictable. Source: SLATE, … [Read more...]
Antibiotics and vaccines are critical to livestock production
Those of us in the U.S. are well-aware of efforts to vaccinate for disease prevention and use antibiotics judiciously. Some organic and antibiotic-free operations operate with them. Perspectives from other parts of the world offer insight into why antibiotics remain necessary for humane livestock production. Kenneth Wameyo, secretary of the Kenya Veterinary Association, shares … [Read more...]
FDA, Bad bacteria are kicking our butts! (includes videos)
The U.S. Food and Drug’s Administration’s (FDA) recently announced its 2019 Strategic Approach for Combatting AMR, or antibiotic resistance. Scott Gottlieb, FDA commissioner, said bacteria are rapidly developing new ways to evade our current weapons. He called for an all-hands-on-decked approach, citing revelations in the Pew Charitable Trust’s analysis of the antibiotic … [Read more...]
New thinking about cribbing
Most owners want to stop their horses from cribbing. This is easier said than done. Cribbing has been a challenge for centuries with no known reason for this behavior. The horse places his upper teeth firmly on a hard object---be it a fence, stall door, water trough, or anything he can reach---pulls back, arches his neck, and gulps air into the upper part of his esophagus with … [Read more...]
Survey shows digital-native Gen Z prefers in-person interaction with brands
Just when we thought we were catching up, research shows Gen-Z actually has a complex relationship with technology. And the lesson not to rely on generalities hold true. Some that marketers associate with millennials are not true for Gen-Zers. Research . . . reveals Gen Z’s paradoxical relationship with social media. As the latest survey shows, they don’t overshare and are … [Read more...]