Last week’s most read post Gen Z wants this more than flexibility at work. Link. Last week’s AHD Bulletin Animal Health Digest Bulletin, Thursday, March 10, 2022. Link. =================================== Delta variant of COVID-19 found in cat Source: My Vet Candy, March 11, 2022. Link. This apparent interspecies transmission is the first published example … [Read more...]
Search Results for: covid-19
A coronavirus variant once helped the global pork industry. Could one protect us?
In 1946 veterinary researchers at Purdue University reported that something invading the guts of young pigs was causing diarrhea, vomiting and weight loss, ultimately killing most of them. The culprit was a coronavirus we know as transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV). TGEV has never harmed a human, and its relationship to SARS-CoV-2, the driver of COVID-19, is … [Read more...]
Pandemic hankering: How consumers have changed their desires and behaviors
Things may never return to what they were prior to Covid-19, according to Top 10 Global Consumer Trends in a study released by research company Euromonitor International. The study identified 10 trends. Here are four that best apply to animal health efforts: Backup planners Digital seniors The great life refresh The Metaverse movement Source: MediaPost, January … [Read more...]
Mechanical engineer explains the science of masks after 2 years of lab testing
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has changed its guidelines about masks and respirators often over the past two years. The most recent update on January 14 states that cloth face coverings offer the least protection from the coronavirus compared with surgical masks or N95-style masks. The CDC’s updated guidelines clearly lay out the hierarchy of … [Read more...]
2021 year in Review: Animal disease awareness
“Storm clouds on the horizon” might best summarize this overview and it’s not all about bugs or viruses. Covid-19 isn’t the only disease creating problems for the global meat and poultry industry. Major reportable animal diseases made industry news headlines throughout 2021. African swine fever and avian influenza continued to spread, and atypical and classical bovine … [Read more...]
Science editors’ favorite news stories of 2021
Giant diamonds and deep earthquakes, potty training cows, wombat poop cubes, ice age dire wolves may not have been wolves at all and more . . . Source: Science, December 17, 2021. Link. … [Read more...]
National Geographic’s 12 most intriguing animal discoveries of 2021
‘Virgin births’ in a rare bird, Covid-19 found in wild deer, other animals, cloning a black ferret, elephant evolving to lose tusks, wild horses and donkeys digging desert wells, ants that shrink and regrow their brains and more. . . Source: National Geographic, December 8, 2021. Link. … [Read more...]
Most read Animal Health Digest posts of 2021
As 2021 ends, our team celebrates six years of curating, selecting and then supplying actionable content for animal health professionals. To date, about 6,500 posts are stored in our AHD website. What you read helps determine where we seek content that can be applied to how you work and interact with customers and stakeholders. We’ve assembled the most read posts of 2021 in … [Read more...]
Managing intellectual diversity
Most workforces are equally divided into thirds among conservatives, moderates and liberals when it comes to social issues. Forty-one percent strongly favor their employer requiring Covid-19 vaccinations to enter the workplace, while 31 percent strongly oppose. The list of differences goes on, so these three suggestions are essential to getting the work done. Source: Gallup, … [Read more...]
Top 4 workplace trends for 2022
The undercurrent of 2022 will be a hot jobs market, and that has implications for every decision that employers make, employers need to be responsive to what employees want.” - Daniel Zhao, Glassdoor Source: Employee Benefit News, December 8, 2021. Link. Glassdoor predicted four trends they expect to emerge next year: Hiring will get harder Remote work will increase … [Read more...]
Pen-side BRD test may save industry millions, reduce antibiotic use
Researchers at Purdue University have developed an on-site bovine respiratory disease test that give results within an hour. BRD causes half the cattle deaths in North American and costs the beef industry $900 million a year. Current testing takes several days, so farmers must treat before knowing what pathogen caused the disease which can lead to ineffective or overuse of … [Read more...]
Curbside check-in. A new standard in veterinary medicine?
Effective communication techniques, efficient clinic workflows and virtual platforms that streamline client services help define a new level of service for animal owners at veterinary practices. Mary Lopez, MSOL, shares how commitment to curbside service as a new standard of care can positively impact operations, workflows, speed, convenience and safety regulations at … [Read more...]
The history of the Kansas City Stockyards
Kansas City once housed the second-largest meat packing industry in the nation, just behind Chicago, known as the Kansas City Stockyards. The last cattle auction took place in September 1991. The stockyards then closed because of rising costs and changing agricultural marketing patterns. Meat processing challenges have been discussed routinely in 2020 and 2021 as the … [Read more...]
Time to FOCUS on biosecurity
Opinion The theme for the Kate Dion’s discussion of the biosecurity research currently in progress could be begin with the end in mind. She describes current work at Iowa State University to understand the rate of disease transmission in growing pigs and associate the timing of disease introduction with <location> biosecurity characteristics or events that could cause … [Read more...]
Move forward by going back
The adage “two steps forward one step back” fits the theme of DVM Wendy Hauser’s article about creating and improving a culture of preventive care. The Covid-19 pandemic and new pet demands put some veterinary teams into a Dragnet-like “just the facts ma’am” triage mode. This created significant variability in how preventive care was discussed, if at all. Many veterinary … [Read more...]
Worth a Glance – September 30, 2021
Last week’s. . . . . . most read post More effective communications. Link. . . . AHD Bulletin Animal Health Digest Bulletin, Sept 23, 2021. Link. But for a genetic parasite, humans might have tails Source: New Scientist, September 24, 2021. Link. Bo Xia’s tail bone injury led to a genetic investigation of why apes, and therefore humans, do not … [Read more...]
Ditch your pandemic diet habits once and for all (includes video)
A recent report found 61 percent of Americans are trying to break unhealthy habits they created during the pandemic. University of Minnesota Medical School researchers looked at the associations between stress, psychological distress, financial difficulties and changes in eating behaviors during Covid-19. They found six key themes of eating behavior changes: Mindless … [Read more...]
Worth a Glance – September 2, 2021
Last week’s most read post Communicating without words, Link. Last week’s Animal Health Digest Bulletin, August 26, 2021. Link. On my worst mental health days, my 3 dogs get me out of bed Source: The Lily, June 27, 2021. Link. Gemma Correll shares a pictorial story of how her dogs help to improve her mental and physical health every … [Read more...]
“Other” pet market growing
In the wake of Covid-19, according to a new Packaged Facts report on Fish, Small Mammal, Herptile and Bird Products, 12.2 percent of all U.S. households own one or more type of pet other than dogs and cats, up from 10.8 percent five years ago. This was one of the pet population reset trends Packaged Facts’ David Sprinkle discussed during the Veterinary Innovation Summit + … [Read more...]
New SARS-CoV-2 variants changing pandemic. What will the virus do next?
Note: We’re sharing verbatim snippets from Kai Kupferschmidt’s article. Even beyond the SARS-Co-V-2 context, the discussion of viral evolution and variant origins is valuable as animal health pros work to prevent other diseases, such as ASF, PRRS and FMD. The evolution of virulence has proven to be quicksand for evolutionary biologists. It’s not a simple thing.” – Edward … [Read more...]
Why working women need a ‘culture of inclusion’ right now
A study by McKinsey at the height of the pandemic found that one in three mothers were considering leaving the workforce or downshifting their careers to better handle childcare responsibilities resulting from the Covid-19 crisis. Now the Delta variant challenges the return to school for millions of children and their working mothers, and indeed all parents, writes Rebecca … [Read more...]
40 percent of U.S. wild deer have coronavirus antibodies: study
Scientists have found that 40 percent of wild deer in parts of the U.S. had neutralizing antibodies for the coronavirus, suggesting Covid-19 spread from humans in what is reportedly the first documentation of widespread exposure to the virus in free-roaming animals. Source: Washington Times, August 4, 2021. Link. This is not just an occasional one-off infection. This is … [Read more...]
The rise of the eco-friendly consumer. . . our employees
Opinion For decades, our industry focused on animals while feeling forced to deal with people. Harsh? Probably, but true. In the current companion animal context, we’re seeing a growing focus on the animal owner as part of the pet care community. Additionally, the animal health pros we employ come from five generations, all of whom have their own opinions and … [Read more...]
Society ignores low-probability events that have far-reaching consequences
Vaccines are still beating the variants, but the unvaccinated world is being pummeled. Ed Yong shares three simple rules that underscore the danger of Delta, the name for the B.1.617.2. variant, a SARS-CoV-2 mutation <Link>. Source: The Atlantic, July 1, 2021. Link. Even highly vaccinated nations should continue investing in other measures that can control COVID-19 but … [Read more...]
Pets can catch Covid from owner, cats more susceptible than dogs
The more time a cat spent with its owner, the higher the risk of infection, new research finds.” Source: NBC News, June 30, 2021. Link. The researchers also found that the amount of time a pet owner spent with their dog did not have an effect on the pet’s chance of getting Covid-19, but that was not the case for cats. The more time cats spent with their human companions, the … [Read more...]
Dr. Jen the Vet at VMX
Complimentary Content Eugene “Gene” O'Neill, CEO, and Dr. Dana Varble, chief veterinary officer at the North American Veterinary Community, were guests on Chats with the Chatfields during the recent VMX industry conference. They and Jen Chatfield, DVM, discussed current innovations in veterinary medicine, NAVC’s support of innovative companies and the industry landscape … [Read more...]
Fighting brain fog with food: Tips from a psychiatrist (with videos)
Brain fog has emerged as one of the most frustrating effects of long Covid-19. It can linger for months after the first symptoms of the coronavirus have passed. Uma Naidoo, MD, nutritionist, chef, author, prescribing psychiatrist, addresses the challenges of brain fog and how specific foods activate the gut-brain connection to help return to normal. The gut and the brain are … [Read more...]
Recalibrate your leadership style to match needs the pandemic created
The Covid-19 pandemic has radically altered the business landscape. Many companies experienced anywhere from a 20 to 60 percent loss in revenue in 2020, and more than 14 million Americans either temporarily or permanently lost their jobs. Source: Chieflearningofficer.com, March 11, 2021. Link. We know that effective leaders must be in tune with the emotions of those around … [Read more...]
Dogs are really good at sniffing out coronavirus
A proof-of-concept investigation published in PLOS ONE suggests that specially trained detection dogs can sniff out COVID-19-positive samples with 96 percent accuracy. Source: Vet Practice, April 20, 2021. Link. “Dogs have to be specific about detecting the odor of the infection, but they also have to generalize across the background odors of different people: men and women, … [Read more...]
World Veterinary Day is April 24
World Veterinary Day is this Saturday! This year’s theme is The Veterinarian Response to the Covid-19 Crisis. Thrown into the pandemic, veterinarians worldwide stepped up to receive animals differently and still treat them according to proven protocols. Click the link below and you’ll find nine ways to celebrate World Veterinary Day. Source: World Veterinary Day 2021. Link. … [Read more...]