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‘Summer is coming’ for fish sales
Kevin Plazak Pet CareThe Stark family, from the TV show "Game of Thrones", has a popular saying: "Winter is coming." It means that times will be hard and lean for a while. When it comes to fish sales, the opposite is true for pet stores: "Summer is coming." The challenge of summer sunshine and good weather is that it really slows the sales of fish. People are busy outside rather than looking at their fish tank. There are options to improve your summer sales.
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Measuring pet urine output can be done a variety of ways
Megan Brashear Pet CareLet's talk urine. More specifically, let's talk measuring urine output. Are you doing it? And on which patients? If you are measuring urine output, are you interpreting the results to be meaningful to your patient? Urine output measurement is an important part of patient monitoring and can alert you to major problems that you may not catch on physical exam.
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Simple ways to get more daily energy and include your pet
Janine Berger-Gillet Pet CareFor many of us who are running our own business, working too hard with long hours, we look forward to plopping down on the couch and watching some TV to unwind and relax. That may get your mind off your day, but it won't help reduce the damaging effects of stress. To effectively decrease stress and become more relaxed and clear-minded, we need to increase our energy or "qi" in Chinese medicine.
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How to hire a veterinarian
Monica Maxwell Pet CareWhen I tell people I work at a veterinary clinic, their response has led me to conclude that they think I spend my day playing with puppies and kittens. While singing. After having bluebirds help me get dressed in the morning.
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From sky to sea, creative pet funeral services emerging
Lisa Smith-Putnam Pet CareDeath is a saddening part of life that every human must undergo. In this life, some people have adopted pets and end up caring for them as though they are part of the family. In some instances, people have included these pets in their final wills, enabling them have access to vast estates.
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NAVC Conference offers plenty to pet industry
Andrea Fischetti Pet CareThis year's North American Veterinary Community (NAVC) Conference held Jan. 17-21 in Orlando, Florida, proved to be another success. The event was spread out across two hotels with a well-orchestrated shuttle system to ferry the 16,000-plus attendees back and forth all day.
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K-9 duty death statistics highlight need for official reporting system
Mark Bond Law Enforcement, Defense & SecurityIn 2014, there were 20 law enforcement K-9 duty deaths reported to the Officer Down Memorial Page. It's difficult to say how accurate that number is, because the statistics on K-9 duty deaths are difficult to track.
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Why you should carry spiders at your pet store
Kevin Plazak Pet CareRecently, I was asked to stock and sell tarantulas. In my mind, this translated to "pay money for spiders." Big, hairy spiders. Things that get my wife jumping on furniture to get away from them while screaming for me to kill them. I didn’t take the request all that seriously and ignored it. But the requests kept coming in — rose hair tarantulas and pinktoe tarantulas. Every other store wanted them. My customers asked…and I needed to figure it out.
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Weight management for pets: A key ingredient for a long, healthy life
Jennifer Adolphe, Ph.D. Pet CareDid you know that an estimated 22-44 percent of pets are substantially heavier than their ideal body weight? One of the most important things we can do to protect the long-term health of our pets, and something that we can largely control, is helping them maintain a healthy weight.
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Pet stores: The smell of success
Kevin Plazak Pet CareHave you ever had a small child walk into your store and say, "This store stinks," to his/her parent? If you haven't, congratulations! You are among the few. For most pet stores, the nature of the business is dog food sales, live animals and a lot of other interesting fragrances. This leads to noticeable smells — unfamiliar smells that are not comforting to your customers.
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