The Experts in Animal Health

There’s an old song from my generation called the ‘Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald’, in which the lyrics waxed about the ‘Gales of November’(hurricane force winds) and their effect on ships crossing the Great Lakes which could be quite catastrophic.

It seems we have something like this now as some companies are presenting their results this month for Q3.  And like those ships, it can be rough sailing for companies if expectations have not been managed well.

The animal health business has very strong and reliable long term success drivers- but it can be in the short term impacted by the same issues that affect all businesses: supply chain disruptions, workforce issues, and cost increases. Management must recognize these problems and provide clear, effective solutions to keep the business moving forward. And communicate those to our customers and investors, in that order. How is it in your company or practice?

We as an industry also need to see that COVID provided a strong tailwind for the last couple of years that unfortunately may have been used to build future growth targets. As the business appears to be settling back to a more ‘normal’ performance( which is still very good), this now becomes an ‘uncomfortable truth’ for some to explain.

But animal health has a great story to tell, and it reminds me of a famous saying: success is a journey, not an event.

Paul Casady

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