Vetgirl Veterinary Continuing Education Podcasts

In today's VETgirl online veterinary continuing education podcast, Dr. Justine Lee, DACVECC, DABT and Amy Johnson, BS, LVT, RLATG, CVJ, our VETgirl Manager of Content Development discuss veterinary technician utilization. First, how can vet techs advocate for their utilization, and why is it so important? Who can benefit from appropriate veterinary technician utilization? Tune into this VETgirl podcast and find out!

In this VETgirl online veterinary CE podcast, we review the use of transdermal gabapentin in cats. Transdermal drugs have made administration of certain medications substantially easier, though these formulations present their own challenges with absorption and bioavailability. In a study by Slovak et al entitled "A pilot study of transdermal gabapentin in cats," the authors evaluated gabapentin in a proprietary base called Lipoderm to determine if this transdermal formulation could penetrate feline skin and improve pain scores. The authors explain that this particular base was selected based on previously published literature on its consistency and stability (Zhang; Shakshuki).

In today's VETgirl online veterinary continuing education podcast, Dr. Justine Lee, DACVECC, DABT and Tiffany Gendron, CVT, VTS (ECC), our VETgirl Veterinary CE Coordinator discuss what ER vets and veterinarians do that annoy veterinary technicians. Tune in for a full-filled podcast to learn what we can do to be better teammates and to run the hospital more efficiently with good patient care.

In today's VETgirl online veterinary CE podcast, we interview Dr. Brian DiGangi, DABVP on what veterinarians, shelters and pet owners need to know about caring for heartworm-positive dogs. If you work in shelter medicine or work with animal rescue organizations where you transport dogs or diagnose and treat heartworm-positive dogs, this is a MUST to listen to! Dr. Brian DiGangi, DABVP who is a Senior Director of shelter medicine for the ASPCA, is uniquely qualified to discuss this topic. He is board-certified in shelter medicine, as well as canine and feline practice, he is a past president of the Association of Shelter Veterinarians, and he has been on the American Heartworm Society board of directors for 6 years.

In today's VETgirl online veterinary CE podcast, we discuss what to do when treating heartworm disease in dogs, especially when the "perfect protocol" isn't followed. In an ideal world, no dogs would get heartworms - and if they DID get infected, they would be given the full course of treatment recommended by organizations like the American Heartworm Society - including a course of doxycycline and a heartworm preventive followed by a series of three melarsomine injections. In the real world, circumstances lead many dogs with heartworms to be treated with less-than-optimal protocols. The question for veterinarians is, what do they need to know about management of these patients when they are adopted and find their way to your exam room? To discuss this, we are joined today by Dr. Andy Moorhead, who is a veterinary parasitologist and an assistant professor on the faculty of the University of Georgia. He also serves on the board of directors for the American Heartworm Society.

In today's VETgirl online veterinary CE podcast, we discuss what to do if you just diagnosed a patient with heartworm - what do you do with that heartworm-positive patient? What happens next? Are other diagnostics needed? When and why are they needed in that heartworm-positive patient? To discuss this, we are joined today by Dr. Marisa Ames, DACVIM, a veterinary cardiologist and Associate Professor on the faculty of the University of California - Davis. She also serves on the board of directors of the American Heartworm Society.

In today's VETgirl online veterinary CE podcast, we discuss heartworm disease in cats. It is generally understood that heartworm disease in cats is underdiagnosed-in part because many veterinarians do not routinely test cats for heartworms and also because feline heartworm testing itself is less straightforward than testing in dogs. To help sort this out, we're joined today by Dr. Lindsay Starkey, DVM, PhD, DACVM, a veterinary parasitologist and an assistant professor on the faculty of Auburn University. Dr. Starkey also serves on the board of directors for the American Heartworm Society.

In today's VETgirl podcast, we interview Dr. Callie Harris on the use of nutrition and how it relates to cardiac health! We've all seen this patient - an older small-breed dog who comes to your veterinary clinic for an annual wellness visit. You do your routine exam, including auscultation, and you hear a heart murmur. The dog appears healthy, but you know that his age and breed put him at risk for mitral valve disease. How would you handle the conversation with the client at this point? Can we implement a multi-modal approach including nutrition into our management of chronic valvular heart disease (AKA myxomatous mitral valve disease) in dogs? Learn it in this VETgirl podcast!

In today's VETgirl online veterinary CE podcast, we discuss what you need to know about microfilariae and heartworm disease in dogs. What if you just had a dog diagnosed as microfilariae positive? How should you test and treat for this? Can microfilariae be resistant? Tune in to learn it! Today we're joined by Dr. Lindsay Starkey, a veterinary parasitologist and an assistant professor on the faculty of Auburn University. Dr. Starkey also serves on the board of directors for the American Heartworm Society.

In today's VETgirl podcast, we interview Dr. Nicholas J. Trout MA, VET MB, DACVS, ECVS on the benefits of weight loss with respect to underlying canine orthopedic disease. As a growing population of our pets are overweight or obese, tune in to find out how you can help pets live a more pain-free life.

In this VETgirl online veterinary continuing education podcast, we discuss the use of sterotactic body radiation therapy for the treatment of heart base tumors in dogs. The two most common anatomic locations for cardiac neoplasia include the right atrium/auricle, and the heart base. Tumors at the heart base are most commonly chemodectomas, otherwise known as aortic body tumors, which are neuroendocrine tumors arising from the wall of the ascending aorta. Brachycephalic breeds are overrepresented in dogs with heart base tumors (HBTs). In many dogs, the identification of HBTs is incidental. Clinical signs in dogs with HBTs are generally associated with complications of local tumor invasion, including pericardial effusion, cardiac arrhythmias, obstruction of cardiac chambers or vasculature, and right sided congestive heart failure. HBTs are rarely confirmed via antemortem histopathology due to the risk of complications associated with biopsy and the relatively reliable predictive nature of tumor type based on ul

In this VETgirl online veterinary continuing education podcast, we interview Dr. Marisa Brunetti, Chief Medical Officer and Dr. Andrew Heller, Chief Growth Officer at IndeVets. If you're burnt out right now, or trying to balance the field of veterinary medicine with your life, learn how to get some relief in veterinary medicine. Find out why so many veterinarians are interested in relief work now, and how relief work may change the veterinary industry!

In this VETgirl online veterinary continuing education podcast, we discuss the use of telmisartan in dogs with proteinuria. Recall that the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) is a physiological system that plays vital roles in blood pressure (BP) regulation, vascular resistance, fluid balance, and electrolyte regulation. Chronic RAAS activation can worsen urinary protein loss, and two common classes of medications that target this pathway are used for dogs suffering from proteinuria. Perhaps the most familiar are the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, such as enalapril or benazepril. In veterinary medicine, these medications are commonly prescribed for patients suffering from proteinuria. However a second class, angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), have become increasingly popular in recent years, which include medications such as losartan and telmisartan. So, Lecavalier et al wanted to evaluate this in a study entitled Treatment of proteinuria in dogs with telmisartan: A retrospective

In this VETgirl online veterinary continuing education podcast, we interview Dr. Kathryn Slaughter-Mehfoud, DVM, MPH, on what it's like to be a (soon-to-be-boarded) equine surgeon. If you're weighing whether or not to do large animal versus small animal, or whether to practice mixed animal medicine or surgery, tune in! Join us as we get some life experience tips from this "cowgirl vet!"

In this VETgirl online veterinary CE podcast, we discuss the feline uroabdomen. Uroabdomen simply refers to free urine within the abdominal cavity, which occurs secondary to a breach anywhere in the urinary tract. In cats, the urinary bladder itself is the most common location for a rupture, and it most commonly occurs secondary to trauma (Stafford). The consequences of a uroabdomen can be severe and life-threatening. Common metabolic disturbances include hyponatremia, hyperkalemia, hyperphosphatemia, metabolic acidosis, and azotemia. In a dog, you may see this laboratory work and think of an Addisonian crisis! Importantly, cats that have a palpable bladder or that are still able to void normally could still have a uroabdomen, so do not rule it out based on those findings alone. When faced with such a case, you brilliant clinicians out there are fully prepared to jump into action and stabilize the patient. However, you may not have the best guidance when providing the owners with evidence-based prognostic inf

In this VETgirl online veterinary CE podcast, we discuss feline HCM and whether the use of beta-blockers are beneficial. So, Coleman and al wanted to evaluate this in a study entitled "Atenolol in cats with subclinical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial of effect on quality of life, activity, and cardiac biomarkers." We likely should be dispensing beta blockers - specifically atenolol - less frequently - if at all, as this study didn't show any benefit in quality of life, activity, or treatment benefits for cats with subclinical HCM. When in doubt, pick a different cardiac medication and consult with your local cardiologist!

In this VETgirl online veterinary continuing education podcast, we discuss the incidence of bacterial infection before and after stent placement in dogs with tracheal collapse. Positive bacterial culture is common in dogs with tracheal collapse (TC), with Pseudomonas spp. most commonly isolated. The role of positive bacterial culture in the pathophysiology of TC is not clear, however, and cytology does not always support an overt infection. Bacterial infection and or pneumonia are known complications associated with tracheal stent placement in dogs. Mucus-filled gaps between tracheal stents and the tracheal mucosa are common. Whether the presence of bacteria impacts the ability of the trachea to fully integrate into the tracheal mucosa is unclear. So, Lesnikowski et al wanted to evaluate this in a study entitled "Bacterial infection before and after stent placement in dogs with tracheal collapse syndrome." The primary purpose of the study was to evaluate the frequency of bacterial infection in dogs with trach

In this VETgirl online veterinary continuing education podcast, we discuss unintended weight loss in cats with Dr. Cynthia Ward, PhD, DACVIM, the endocrinology consultant for Dechra Veterinary Products. Tune in to learn why inadequate nutrition and unintended weight loss in cats is detrimental, what the common causes of weight loss in cats are, and how to be proactive about weight loss. Learn how to take a proactive approach to feline patients losing weight! Today's VETgirl podcast is sponsored by Dechra Veterinary Products, the maker of Mirataz (mirtazapine transdermal ointment). Take control with Mirataz. To learn more visit www.mirataz.com.

In today's VETgirl podcast, we interview Dr. Laura Gaylord, DACVN and Dr. Matt Panasevich, PhD. Each represents a different, but equally important, sub-segment of Nutritionists - Dr. Gaylord as a board-certified veterinary nutritionist and Dr. Panasevich as a PhD animal nutritionist. Here, find out more about their roles and how by working collaboratively, what they can bring to the health of pets. Today's VETgirl podcast is sponsored by Blue Buffalo, makers of BLUE Natural Veterinary Diets. With a research & development team made up of PhD nutritionists, veterinarians and food scientists with more than 300 cumulative years of experience in the pet food industry, Blue Buffalo is committed to partnering with the veterinary profession and providing the best science-backed care for the pets we love. To learn more about Blue's commitment, visit BlueVetConnect.com.

In this VETgirl online veterinary continuing education podcast, we interview Dr. Deborah Silverstein, DACVECC, Professor of Critical Care and Dr. Nolan Chalifoux, ECC resident, at University of Pennsylvania PennVet on their recent study "Effectiveness of intravenous fluid resuscitation in hypotensive cats: 82 cases (2012-2019)." Tune in to find out if cats respond to IV fluid resuscitation when hypothermic, hypotensive, and critically ill, and learn more about all things fluid therapy in cats!