From the Fire to the Frying Pan
Happy Friday! We are getting back to your regularly scheduled programming….er newsletter. Lot’s of things to cover and a good time to reflect on the various things that have gone on this last year. Is there a light at the end of this looooooooonnnggg economic tunnel or are we just going to keep on chugging in the dark? Some things to ponder in the newsletter today.
—CN & JB
Company Performance (Jan 1, 2022 - Aug 11, 2022 - Year to Date)
Update: Given the rough year the economy has experienced, it is no wonder that most stocks are down for the year, BUT they have recovered quite a bit and that is mostly due to the last month of positive news on the gas, jobs, and inflation front. Did you buy the dip??
More News about Shelters
(Source: Shelter Animal Counts)
It seems like the news articles about animal shelters being full. Some are even threatening euthanisia to address the “desperate” situation. This is certainly not what we want to see, especially given that there was an uptick in pet adoptions over the pandemic.
Looking at the data, the intake data shows that pet surrenders for cats is outpacing dogs over the past few months. And there is an overall imbalance of more surrenders than adoptions happening in 2022. An interesting note is that most of the shelter intakes are from ‘strays at large’. In the end, if you are looking for another pet in your life, check your local shelter - odds are you can find your perfect family addition waiting for you there!
It’s not all about the animals
(Source: GIPHY)
As much as the veterinary industry focuses on animals, the humans still have to pay the bills. In a recent article, Dr. Justin Phillips highlights the need for branding, websites, and just how important first impressions are to clients. Consumers are fickle beasts (and some are truly monsterous to their veterinary caretakers), but attracting new customers is vital to business success. Gotta keep that in mind as most of us WFH people do all of business stalking online now.
A Dose of Happiness
(Source: GIPHY)
Do you want a fancy new license plate? Do you want to help out low-cost spay/neuter programs? Then check out this new license plate program! Unfortunately, it is only for Louisiana residents.
If you need a good laugh, watch this tortoise attack some shoes. Apparently, the owner thinks the tortoise’s distaste for black shoes is all about fashion. Good thing they can still wear white until Labor Day.
General Economy Update
(Source: GIPHY)
Any guesses on what this week’s economy update is about? None? Really? Okay, fine we all knew it was about the latest inflation numbers….and the confusion around them. Let’s dig into those numbers.
The zero number. There seems to be a lot of confusion on statements made by President Biden yesterday about the Consumer Price Index number. The official month-to-month change in inflation from June 2022 to July 2022 was 0. However, the year-over-year change was 8.5% from July 2021 to July 2022. So, is this good or bad news? I’ll give the typical economist answer of “it depends”. The month to month change being flat instead of increasing is good news, but one downward month doesn’t make a trend. The bad news is that we are still paying way higher prices for food and gas and housing and…the list goes on. All eyes will be on next month’s report to know if we are on a trend of relief or if this flat month-to-month change was just a trick of the light.
Poll Results and a New Poll
Last weeks poll was about biggest workforce challenges. Seems to be an even split (though only 4 responses) on need for more veterinarians and need for more veterinary technicians. Hopefully we get some better response rates this week, otherwise we will take the hint and stop bugging you for an extra mouse click every week…
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