In addition to a registered vet technician to draw the blood, you will need to have on hand to hold a clinic at your business:

• Small table for small dogs and cats to sit/stand on
• Large mat for large dogs to sit/stand on
• Towels to wrap cats
• Muzzles (if needed)
• Peanut butter and tongue depressors or lickimat to distcrat pets
• Alcohol
• Cotton swabs
• Bandage wrap
• Vacutainer tubes — serum blood collection
• Syringes – 5 to 6 cc
• Needles 18 to 23 gauge, 1 inch
• Labels for tubes
• Centrifuge
• Sharps container
• Bubble wrap and box to ship tubes

Youngblood says that getting started should only cost around $300.

To read more about Youngblood and her inspiration for offering titer testing clinics, read the Wellness Warriors feature from our Nov-Dec 2020 issue.

The post Video: How to Host a Titer Testing Clinic at Your Pet Business appeared first on PETSPLUSMAG.COM.

Nicci Cammack, owner of NorthPoint Pets & Company as well as Undogmatic Inc., an independent media and research agency, led the discussion with Dr. Brady about the book, which came out in December.

Watch the discussion:

To learn more about Dr. Conor Brady’s work, visit dogsfirst.ie. Cammack can be reached via northpointpets.com.

The post PETS+ Book Club: Watch Dr. Conor Brady Discuss “Feeding Dogs” appeared first on PETSPLUSMAG.COM.

This episode aired live on Dec. 5, 2020, in the PETS+ Community and PETS+ page on Facebook. New episodes air there every other Friday at 3 p.m. Eastern. Trace covers a wide variety of topics, including pet store operations, employee training, buying and merchandising. Each session offers downloadable supportive materials.

The post Video: Trace’s Store School: How to Build Community — and Grow Revenue — with Other Businesses appeared first on PETSPLUSMAG.COM.

This episode aired live on Nov. 12, 2020, in the PETS+ Community and PETS+ page on Facebook. New episodes air there every other Friday at 3 p.m. Eastern. Trace covers a wide variety of topics, including pet store operations, employee training, buying and merchandising. Each session offers downloadable supportive materials.

The post Video: Trace’s Store School: Get Ready for Black Friday and Small-Business Saturday appeared first on PETSPLUSMAG.COM.

This episode aired live on Oct. 30, 2020, in the PETS+ Community and PETS+ page on Facebook. New episodes air there every other Friday at 3 p.m. Eastern. Trace covers a wide variety of topics, including pet store operations, employee training, buying and merchandising. Each session offers downloadable supportive materials.

The post Video: Trace’s Store School Teaches You How to Start a Produce Co-Op for Pets appeared first on PETSPLUSMAG.COM.

Major chains that have taken such steps in at least some locations include Tiffany, Macy’s, Target and CVS, CNN reports.

Tiffany spokesman Nathan Strauss said, “While we intend to remain open where possible, out of an abundance of caution the windows of select stores in key cities will be boarded in anticipation of potential election related activity.”

Some retailers are making other preparations as well, including increasing their lighting and hiring security guards, according to CNN.

In New York City, even the Empire State Building has been boarded up on its ground floors, CBS News reports.

Watch the video:

The post Video: Some Retailers Board Up Due to Election Unrest Fears appeared first on PETSPLUSMAG.COM.

This episode aired live on Oct. 16, 2020, in the PETS+ Community and PETS+ page on Facebook. New episodes air there every other Friday at 3 p.m. Eastern. Trace covers a wide variety of topics, including pet store operations, employee training, buying and merchandising. Each session offers downloadable supportive materials.

The post Video: Trace’s Store School Covers Lessons Learned from COVID-19 appeared first on PETSPLUSMAG.COM.

This episode aired live on Sept. 18, 2020, in the PETS+ Community and PETS+ page on Facebook. New episodes air there on Fridays at 3 p.m. Eastern. Trace covers a wide variety of topics, including pet store operations, employee training, buying and merchandising. Each session offers downloadable supportive materials.

The post Video: Learn How to Do Holiday on a Budget at Trace’s Store School appeared first on PETSPLUSMAG.COM.

Some business owners stick to doing only one promotion at a time. But that’s not always the best approach, says marketing expert Jim Ackerman.

In today’s video, Ackerman talks about how to get creative with concurrent promotions.

Take a look:

The post Video: Don’t Be Afraid to Run Multiple Pet-Business Marketing Promotions at Once appeared first on PETSPLUSMAG.COM.

There are only three ways to grow a business, says Jim Ackerman: get more customers, increase your average transaction, and/or get existing customers to visit more often.

Pet businesses tend to focus their ad spending on attracting new customers, Ackerman says. But it’s smart to spread the budget out a bit.

Watch the video:

The post Video: How to Spend Your Pet-Business Advertising Budget the Right Way appeared first on PETSPLUSMAG.COM.

Download materials from this session: Trace’s Store School: Disaster Prep.

This episode aired live on Sept. 4, 2020, in the PETS+ Community and PETS+ page on Facebook. New episodes air there on Fridays at 3 p.m. Eastern. Trace covers a wide variety of topics, including pet store operations, employee training, buying and merchandising. Each session offers downloadable supportive materials.

The post Video: Learn How to Prep for a Disaster at Trace’s Store School appeared first on PETSPLUSMAG.COM.

The study involved “eight specialised sniffer dogs” from the German military checking samples for the coronavirus. They were able to distinguish between samples from infected and non-infected individuals with an average sensitivity of 83 percent and a specificity of 96 percent.

This was after only a week of training.

The research was conducted by a team from the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover in cooperation with the Bundeswehr, the Hannover Medical School and the University Medical-Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf.

“This method could be employed in public areas such as airports, sport events, borders or other mass gatherings as an addition to laboratory testing, helping to prevent further spreading of the virus or outbreaks,” the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover stated.

The study was published in the journal BMC Infectious Diseases.

Watch the video:

The post Video: Dogs Sniff Out COVID-19 After a Week of Training appeared first on PETSPLUSMAG.COM.

In today’s video, marketing expert Jim Ackerman explains the differences and how you might use each.

Take a look:

The post Video: Use Promotions and Campaigns to Grow Your Pet Business appeared first on PETSPLUSMAG.COM.

That means spending less time “in the business” and more time “on the business,” says Jim Ackerman. It involves delegating some of your other tasks and putting energy into getting more people to come through your door.

Watch the video:

The post Video: Why You Should Spend More Time ‘On the Business’ Instead of ‘In the Business’ appeared first on PETSPLUSMAG.COM.

Jennifer and Steve Hetterscheidt celebrated Augie’s birthday on April 24 at home in Oakland, TN, CNN reported.

The Hetterscheidts adopted Augie when the dog was 14.

The GoldHeart Golden Retrievers Rescue in Maryland wrote on Facebook that the dog is the “oldest known, oldest living” golden retriever.

“There’s nothing to not love about her,” said Jennifer Hetterscheidt. “She’s happy doing something and happy doing nothing.”

Watch the video:

The post Video: Golden Retriever May Be the ‘Oldest Ever’ appeared first on PETSPLUSMAG.COM.

The following products will be available at Petco stores starting in mid-July:

• All shapes, sizes and colors of Zogoflex Dog Toys except Rumpus — Hurley, Zisc, Glo Zisc, Jive, Tizzi, Bumi, Tux, Qwizl, Toppl
• All colors of Zogoflex Echo — Skamp, Zwig
• Two Creamy Dog Treat flavors — Peanut Butter and Blueberry, Sweet Potato and Beef Bone Broth

The following products will be available at petco.com starting in mid-June:

• All of the above
• Three Rowdies with HardyTex and Zogoflex — Jefferson, Custer, Fergus
• All Outings collars and leashes
• All Strolls collars and leashes
• All sizes and colors of Zogoflex Air — Wox, Dash, Boz

West Paw also announced a July promotion with Astro Loyalty: $1 off Treats and $2 off Zogoflex — limit four per customer. It will run July 1-31, primarily during the company’s next MAP holiday, and both Astro and West Paw will provide marketing support.

In response to a question about pricing, the company said, “The West Paw Advertising/MAP Policy is the same for all retailers. We consistently and uniformly enforce our policy. West Paw is committed to providing all customers with fair prices and the support they need to be successful.”

Visit westpaw.com for more information about the company and its products.

The post Video: West Paw Announces It Will Sell Certain Products at Petco appeared first on PETSPLUSMAG.COM.

Neighbor Sylvia Tharp told WBIR she heard sounds from a tree and soon realized they were coming from Harley, the 15-year-old macaw that lives next door.

“I heard, ‘Mom! Mom! Mom!’ and I thought it was a kid at first,” Tharp said. “Then, Harley started squawking like a scream, and I knew it was much closer than normal.”

Firefighters arrived and extended a ladder. One tried to coax the bird onto his arm.

In the end, they shook the branch slightly and the reluctant macaw flew down.

Harley is now safe at home.

Watch the news video:

The post Video: Tennessee Firefighters Rescue Pet Macaw from Tree appeared first on PETSPLUSMAG.COM.

Ariel is a service dog for Hadley Jo, a student at the school in Louisville, KY, WHAS-TV reports. Hadley Jo has epilepsy, which sometimes causes her to have seizures, and Ariel accompanies her to school each day.

Hadley Jo’s mother, Heather Lange, said she was thrilled to see Ariel’s photograph next to her daughter’s in the yearbook.

“That was pretty unique and pretty special to pick up our yearbook and see our service dog featured with our daughter,” she said, according to WHAS. “It’s very heartwarming and touching, that you see this inclusiveness where not everybody looks the same.”

Watch the video:

The post Video: Service Dog Makes Adorable Surprise Appearance in Yearbook appeared first on PETSPLUSMAG.COM.

The original round, worth $349 billion, ran out in less than two week. President Donald Trump signed a bill authorizing an additional $310 billion for the program.

The stimulus loans are designed to provide an economic lifeline for small businesses during the COVID-19 crisis. They’re meant to cover up to 10 weeks of payroll expenses, up to a maximum of $10 million.

Inc. notes that the loans “can be converted into forgivable grants so long as the company doesn’t lay off employees.”

More details of the program are available here.

The new round is expected to go quickly, just like the first. So if you plan to apply, experts advise doing so right away.

Congress is now discussing a possible third round.

Watch a Today video about the second round of funding:

The post Video: Applications Open for 2nd Round of Paycheck Protection Program appeared first on PETSPLUSMAG.COM.

In this episode, he takes the concept a step further, describing how you also need to “start the smart.” In other words, it’s time to form new patterns in order to not only survive, but thrive.

Take a look:

The post Video: ‘Start the Smart’ with These Pet-Business Growth Tips appeared first on PETSPLUSMAG.COM.