Program – AAVSB RACE Approved

This presentation discusses the management approaches used to treat asymptomatic hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, chronic heart failure, and arterial thromboembolism in cats with cardiomyopathies.

This will be an interactive case based review of management of immune mediated hematological disease in small animals.

This lecture will discuss the key points of abdominal radiology with particular reference to identification of the obstucted vs the non obstructed patient. Clinical cases will be used to highlight common pitfalls and mistakes often seen by teleradiologists. Solutions will be provided to avoid these errors and possible misdiagnosis.

This lecture will discuss all medical and surgical options for ERU, the most common cause of blindness in the horse.

This lecture will continue the discussion from Part 1, and will introduce pharmacologic tools which may be useful for some fearful patients. We will also discuss the hows and whys of early socialization of kittens, and why this is important.

This lecture will review risks and positive outcomes of using modified live vaccines to achieve immunization of heifers and cows.

Attendees will become familiar with all levels of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) available for protection from a variety of hazards. Additionally, attendees will gain experience in donning and doffing of PPE for animal diseases of concern to the agriculture industry and how these relate to good biosecurity practices on farms and/or companion animal facilities.

This presentation considers the management approaches for preclinical valvular heart disease and long-term therapy of congestive heart failure of dogs with myxomatous valvular disease.

This lecture will discuss how a logical approach, combined with an understanding of the most common causes, can lead to a diagnosis of the cause of fever in most cases.

The objective of this lecture is to understand what information a teleradiologist can provide when revieing ultrasound images, and to provide tips and techniques on how to provide the most useful images to the teleradiologist.

This lecture will complete the discussion on equine corneal disease, followed by a discussion of commons diseases of the equine eyelids and orbit.

As a prey species, horses are especially adept at fear conditioning. This type of conditioning can lead to behaviors that present a challenge to needed veterinary care, and present a danger to the veterinarian and handlers trying to deliver the care. Commonly used punishment and physical restraint techniques often escalate, rather than diminish, the cycle of anxiety and avoidance. During this presentation, we will discuss the use of behavior modification in veterinary care as a way to reduce underlying fear and unwanted behavior, as well as strengthen positive emotions and compliance. Topics discussed will include recognition of equine body language and facial expressions, environmental modification, habituation, systematic desensitization, counterconditioning and overshadowing.

This lecture will help attendees understand the determinants for optimal selection of vaccination protocols for BVD and IBR viruses based on characteristics within specific operations.

This lecture will describe opportunities for veterinarians to assist with animal health emergency responses; identify the various roles animal health agencies and organizations have in animal health emergency responses; describe the basics of response planning and coordination (e.g. the National Incident Management System, the Incident Command System); and locate additional resources pertaining to animal health emergency response training.

This session focuses on the radiographic differential diagnosis of cough and respiratory distress in dogs and cats.

This lecture will discuss the common mistakes made in the management of diabetes mellitus in dogs and cats and suggest strategies to avoid these mistakes. Topics will include choice of insulin, insulin administration, appropriate diabetic monitoring, and problem solving the cause of difficult diabetic regulation.

The use of anesthetic/analgesic drugs as adjuncts to inhalants lead to better analgesia and often better patient care through decreasing inhalant needs and synergistic pharmacologic effects. This lecture will discuss the indications for and set up of TIVA and PIVA protocols.

This lecture will present other significant intraocular diseases, including glaucoma, neoplasia, cataract, retinal detachment, equine motor neuron disease, and optic nerve degeneration.

This lecture will discuss a variety of topics on socialization and training, including the definition and importance of socialization; operant conditioning; habituation, flooding, and sensitization; obedience classes; and learning theory for real world applications of training.

This lecture will review the impact and effect of management procedures to prevent and control Trichomonas foetus infections in cattle operations.

This session will be a training on the use of veterinary medical knowledge in the investigation and prosecution of animal cruelty cases.

This lecture will discuss bandaging and splinting techniques that are commonly employed in the ER and ICU.

This lecture will provide a systemic approach to critical care patient care of recumbent neurologic patients.

Point of care lung ultrasound in a fast and non-invasive tool to aid in the diagnosis of respiratory distress. This lecture will review TFAST and Vet BLUE thoracic ultrasound protocols and common findings such as normal lungs, pleural effusion, pneumothorax, pulmonary edema and other sub pleural abnormalities.

This lecture will discuss the common mistakes made in the management of hypothyroidism in dogs, and suggest strategies to avoid these mistakes. Topics will include test choice and interpretation, dosing regimens for l-thyroxine, and interpretation of therapeutic monitoring results.

This lecture will help attendees recognize a variety of arrhythmias that can occur under anesthesia and discuss management options.

This lecture will review causes, diagnosis, and management of high-risk pregnancy in the mare.

This lecture will discuss how to make your hospital and staff cat friendly.

This lecture will provide an understanding of beef parasite control practices, considerations, and limitations.

This lecture will be a discussion of current topics pertaining to veterinary zoonotic diseases.

This lecture will discuss pain scaling and review many of the pharmacological agents available to us.

This lecture will cover how to recognize and respond appropriately to common ocular emergencies.

The objective of this presentation is to discuss common metabolic disturbances and secondary complications that are commonly associated with feline CKD, medical management of these complications as well as the degree of evidence available in the literature for the efficacy of those therapies.

Pain is a complex experience with both sensory and emotional components. In cats, physiologic variables are not, on their own, good indicators of pain because these are influenced by fear and stress. Documenting specific behaviours is the most reliable method for assessing pain in animals. Normal behaviours should be maintained post-operatively if a cat is comfortable. The occurrence of new behaviours should raise our suspicion that pain may not have been adequately addressed. There are now validated tools for assessing acute pain in cats including the Glasgow Composite Measure Pain Scale and the UNESP-Botucatu Multidimensional Composite Pain Scale. These tools assess specific domains including vocalization, posture, attention to the wound, facial expressions and response to palpation of the wound and interaction with the observer and suggest intervention levels. Confounding factors include the use of ketamine, fear, stress and individual personality. These tools can be easily integrated into veterinary clinics and will improve pain management for cats.

The objective of this lecture is to review the classic signs of Chiari Malformation, to update attendees on the associated skull and vertebral column abnormalities, and provide an update on the best ways to treat this condition. This lecture will also discuss current recommendations on the use of antiepileptic drugs in the management of seizures in cats, both as an emergency treatment for repetitive seizures and as maintenance therapy for epilepsy.

This lecture will discuss the physiologic approach to stabilizing critical neonates independent of primary diagnosis. Attendees will review common abnormalities identified in critical neonates and options for therapeutic intervention.

This lecture will include high-value diagnostics, therapy options for maintaining the pregnancy, and approaches to making positive changes to herd management for prevention of future cases.

During this lecture, attendees will learn to create a standard protocol – and why you should – and to understand that training your team to “preach” your message is the key to compliance.

This lecture will discuss toxic principles and antidotes of a handful of common toxins.

This lecture will focus on approaching the common companion exotic animal emergencies with a focus on triage and stabilization.

Hyperthyroidism and CKD are common conditions in elderly cats and when concurrent disease exists, diagnostics and management may be challenging. The objective of this lecture is to discuss considerations for pathophysiology, diagnostics and therapeutics with concurrent disease.

Recent advances in analgesia include validated acute pain scales including facial expressions, new drugs and new formulations of old drugs. New drugs have come to market that block inflammatory pathways at distant “end points” leaving important physiological pathways intact. Locoregional techniques are gaining ground and long acting liposome based local anesthetics have received market authorization for dogs. Innovations for chronic pain include targeted approaches such as feline and canine monoclonal antibodies. This is an exciting time for everyone working to prevent and relieve pain in companion animals. Due to the ongoing opioid shortage utilizing multimodal analgesia is more important than ever as is the inclusion of techniques to prevent central sensitization.

After this lecture the audience will have learned about nasal and oral tumors in dogs and cats and treatment options for those diseases.

This lecture will review fluid physiology in the neonate and discuss various approaches related to fluid therapy in common clinical scenarios.

This lecture will discuss common presentations of respiratory disease in sheep and goats with a focus on treatment selection, particularly with regards to antimicrobials.

This lecture will help attendees understand how to navigate the multiple financial advisor and vehicle options available.

Aimed at providing clear instruction aligned with the RECOVER Initiative, attendees will be guided through all aspects of basic and advanced life support. Step-by-step instruction from recognition of signs of impending arrest, through full circulatory and respiratory support, team communication.

This lecture will discuss the pathophysiology and treatment of DIC, acute traumatic coagulopathy, von Willibrand’s disease, and anticoagulant rodenticide coagulopathy.

The objective of this lecture is to discuss aspects of clinical pharmacology unique to the cat, and provide examples of the important of species and disease- based studies.
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As animals age there are several physiological changes that occur which impact on how we manage their anesthesia. These include changes in the reserve capacity of all major organs. A decrease in the number of neurons and neurotransmitters decrease the requirement for inhalant anesthetics. Changes in hepatic and liver function and in body composition alter the uptake, distribution and elimination of many drugs used in the perioperative period. Once the “physiology of ageing” is understood, the best drugs, doses and dosing intervals can be chosen for anesthesia.

There are now three drugs approved for treatment of atopic dermatitis in dogs in this country – they have unique characteristics, advantages and caveats. At the end of this lecture, attendees will become familiar with how to maximize their clinical benefit. This lecture will also provide an update on current flea control products.

This lecture will review a wide variety of causes of abdominal pain in neonates, and discuss the critical nature of knowing when to refer and when to treat in the field.

This lecture will review and introduce some valuable diagnostic techniques to expand attendees service to small ruminant clients. CSF tap, liver biopsy, and other procedures will be covered.

This session will walk attendees through the process and the “why” Fear Free Certification is a valuable tool in your customer service toolbox. Attendees will also learn how Fear Free certification has helped with staff burn out and compassion fatigue and how it drives positive social media reviews.

This lecture will cover clinical considerations and approaches to fluid therapy in critically ill small animal patients.

Attendees will learn about how to admit critical foals and the different foal diseases which could constitute an emergency.

This lecture will discuss the principals and clinical indications for use of plasma exchange as treatment for immune mediated disorders in veterinary patients.

This lecture will explore the different quality of life assessment tools and discuss the four budgets for considering quality of life.

This lecture will provide an update on current thoughts and therapies for feline stomatitis, and will discuss the recognition of the main disorders that may affect the range of motion of the mandibles in dogs and cats.

This session will be a panel discussion of various clinical presentations and different approaches to management.

This lecture will present a variety of cases that demonstrate several disease syndromes, how they were diagnosed and treated, and the outcome.

Owners and managers tend to want to hold onto many responsibilities readily delegated to other staff members. There is an art to transitioning these duties so that all can win. This session will teach attendees how to determine what tasks to delegate and how to follow-up appropriately.

ECGs can be challenging. This lecture will make it easy for you to accurately recognize the important arrhythmias seen in sick veterinary patients.

At the end of this lecture, attendees will be able to competently administer Enteral and Parenteral Equine Nutrition and understand nutritional needs of the acute phase hospitalized patient.

Attendees will be able to diagnose, stabilize, and improve client communication for the hemoabdomen.

This lecture will discuss how to map the euthanasia experience to improve all aspects.

This lecture will summarize common diseases and conditions of backyard poultry and how to treat them.

At the conclusion of this lecture, participants will be able to (1) name the more common urinary tract disorders in foals, (2) explain the diagnostics steps required to identify these orders, (3) summarize the possible treatments available for these diseases and (4) describe the prognosis and possible complications for the most common disorders.

This lecture will discuss the practicalities of practicing transfusion medicine, and will include discussion on choosing your donor or transfusion product, transfusion triggers, pre-compatibility testing and administration tips.

This lecture will establish minimal standards for the euthanasia appointment.

This lecture will explore the nutritional needs of a diverse array of companion exotic animal species seen in general practice.

This lecture will discuss indications for referral and colic surgery, including clinical signs, and assessment of ancillary tests such as ultrasound. Surgical lesions, together with the prognosis, will be provided to ensure a greater understanding of surgical colic in the foal.