We shared this story on our Facebook page earlier in the month, but I think it's worth posting the link once again.  Dr. Michael Watts is a veterinarian who provides columns to his local paper, the Star Exponent, in Virginia.  His articles on the costs of veterinary care are always well thought out and I particularly like this one as he directly compares a visit to his practice with his experience at his daughter's physician's office.  Although we all might wish that the media would stop its focus on the costs of owning pets, that is unlikely to happen and we need to be prepared.  If you are faced with a similar situation, don't forget that we have Message Points on the Costs of Veterinary Care available at MyVNN.com.

VNN Member, Dr. Krista Gibson has done a nice job of taking VNN resources and turning them into a very creative and personalized blog at her hospital's website.  In this case, Dr. Gibson used the April VNN story about obesity in pets and wrote a fun blog that will be sure to get lots of comments and shares.  Check out her story "OMG! Does This Food Bowl Make Me Look Fat?" and share your comments with her!

AAHA NewsStat is reporting that researchers at the University of Florida are suggesting that routine vaccinations for our feline patients should be given in the tail.  This story could create questions from your cat owning clients.  Have you given any thought to how you might insure that you and your staff is prepared to properly and effectively handle client concerns about feline vaccinations?

VNN member, Dr. Deb Eldredge shared this article with us during the past week.  We know that the terms "pet parents" and "guardians" are often used in marketing to pet owners, but is there a potential downside to this?  This is an "op-ed" type of article, but the author does provide some interesting discussion points.

In Huntsville, AL, the local Fox affililate published a story about the use of "high" levels of protein in pet foods and quoted Dr. Dan Aja from Hill's.  When stories like this start hitting the wire, you know that you can always dig into our archives and find great nutrition stories like "Looking for the Right Pet Food" or "Myths About Our Pets' Food".  These resources can help you respond if the media calls or give you ideas for posting something in your social network!

Yesterday, NPR ran a short story and interview about the use of antibiotics on the farm and how veterinarians are often placed in the middle of conflicting interests.  What do you think of this article?  I have started a discussion at our Linked In page if you care to share your thoughts!

Georgia based, Bailey's Choice Pet Treats, has issued a voluntary recall of their chicken jerky treats after two lots tested positive for Salmonella.  Although this recall and these treats are not related to the on-going FDA concerns about jerky type of treats from China, you can still use both our Chicken Jerky Treat message points and our Salmonella and Pets messaging to help create your media outreach for this story.