Vetgirl Veterinary Continuing Education Podcasts

Thank you for visiting our VETgirl podcast page! Accessing the podcast transcript and getting CE credit for podcasts is a members-only feature! If you're a member, please log in! Otherwise, to get more learning on, join VETgirl ELITE over for 100+ hours of RACE-approved, online veterinary CE/year in the form of webinars (including small animal, large animal, veterinary technician, and leadership), "how to" videos and Real Life Rounds when you have time. VETgirl ELITE members also have access to our VETgirl forum where you can interact with colleagues and specialists and get clinical support and tips!

In this VETgirl online veterinary continuing education podcast, we discuss the treatment of refractory coccidioidomycosis in dogs. Coccidioidomycosis, also known as Valley Fever, is a common fungal infection in the southwestern United States that is caused by the organisms Coccidioides immitis and Coccidioides posadasii. Pulmonary infections leading to fungal pneumonia are the most common presentation, though roughly a quarter of dogs will suffer from a disseminated infection, such as infection of the central nervous system and/or skeletal system (Johnson). Itraconazole and fluconazole are common first-line treatment choices, and treatment can be quite prolonged depending on the case. Unfortunately, some patients with this disease are refractory to standard antifungal treatment, and these dogs may require amphotericin B or other antifungal regimens. Additional therapeutic strategies are urgently needed for these patients!Sponsored By: IndeVets

In today's VETgirl online veterinary continuing education podcast, we interview Dr. Meghan Vaught, DACVECC, Criticalist and ECC Service Director at the Maine Veterinary Medical Center on cyberbullying in veterinary medicine. What do we do when our veterinary staff and clinic undergo the vitriol of pet owners or veterinary professionals in general?

In this VETgirl online veterinary continuing education podcast, we review echocardiographic predictors of first onset of atrial fibrillation in dogs with chronic valvular heart disease (CVHD) AKA myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD). The onset of atrial fibrillation (AF) is a negative prognostic indicator in dogs with underlying structural heart disease, and the likelihood of onset of atrial fibrillation is higher with increases in left atrial size and body weight. Furthermore, the greater the patient’s ventricular response rate, or ultimately heart rate, in atrial fibrillation, the worse the prognosis is known to be. As a result, pharmacologic heart rate control is a major goal of treatment in dogs with atrial fibrillation secondary to structural heart disease. Early detection of onset of atrial fibrillation, if possible, would reduce the amount of time during which a dog may be experiencing as-yet undetected rapid atrial fibrillation. Data in humans have determined that certain markers on surface electroc

In this VETgirl online veterinary continuing education podcast, we interview Dr. Margie Scherk, DVM, DABVP (Feline) on all things lower urinary tract in our feline patients! What do we do with our FLUTD / FIC cases? What do we do when we see cats presenting with these clinical signs, and is antimicrobial therapy warranted? Should I do a urinalysis on these feline patients, and what's the diagnostic approach to hematuria in cats?Sponsored By: Royal Canin

In today’s VETgirl podcast, we interview Dr. Lisa Radosta, DACVB about anxiety management in dogs and cats, including what potential causes or triggers contribute towards pet anxiety. How is anxiety manifested in dogs versus cats, and what screening questions should we veterinary professionals ask our pet owners to best screen for these common behavior problems? Tune in to know what medications and supplements are available and how to best treat anxiety in our feline and canine patients. Learn it in this VETgirl podcast!

In today's VETgirl online veterinary CE podcast, we interview Dr. Tamara Grubb, DVM, PhD, DACVAA about what's new with peri-operative pain management in veterinary medicine. Tune in to learn how and why we should address pain at multiple different levels in the pain pathway, and what veterinary professionals need to know about effective perioperative pain management.

In this VETgirl online veterinary continuing education podcast, we review Heterobilharzia americana (HA) infections in dogs. As a small animal veterinarian with a fascination for all infectious diseases, I am particularly excited to learn more about this organism. Let’s start with the basics. First, HA is a trematode parasite that can infect our canine patients, causing a condition known as schistosomiasis and potentially severe granulomatous disease. Let’s quickly review the lifecycle. We know that specific snails are the intermediate host, and that dogs swimming in freshwater lakes or streams are often exposed to the free cercariae that have been released by an infected snail. The organisms infect the dog by dermal penetration, and can then migrate via the bloodstream to cause damage elsewhere and eventually to mate. Specifically, the organisms move to the liver and to the lungs, where they sexually mature into adult parasites. These adults can move via the portal system, and they mate and release fertilize

In this VETgirl online veterinary continuing education podcast, we interview Dr. Sarah Ozawa, DACZM, Clinical Assistant Professor in the Exotics and Zoo department at NSCU, on the incidence of congestive heart failure (CHF) in rabbits. Based off her recent study Clinical and pathological findings in rabbits with cardiovascular disease: 59 cases (2001-2018), we discuss if rabbits develop cardiovascular disease, and if so, what are the clinical signs that we need to recognize? How do we identify and work up rabbits with CHF and what is the treatment? Tune in to learn it with our first VETgirl rabbit podcast ever!Sponsored By: IndeVets

In this VETgirl online veterinary continuing education podcast, we discuss a point-of-care (POC) antibody assay for Coccidioides in dogs. As this VETgirl rarely treats this disease - living in the frozen tundra of Minnesota - let's do a quick refresher on coccidioidomycosis. Recall that this is a systemic fungal infection also known as Valley Fever, common in the southwest United States and parts of northern Mexico (Brown). The fungal organisms live in the soil, but unfortunately can become aerosolized and inhaled, leading to disease. Affected dogs often suffer from respiratory disease, but a quarter of cases can result in more serious, disseminated infections (Davidson).Sponsored By: IndeVets

In this VETgirl online veterinary continuing education podcast, VETgirl's Chief Happiness Officer, Jeannine Moga, MA, MSW, LCSW, clinical veterinary social worker, chats with Dr. Justine Lee, DACVECC, DABT on Mental Health Awareness month. How do we lose the guilt when it comes to self-care, and what can we as veterinary professionals do to take better care of ourselves and our colleagues? What's the difference between a life coach and a therapist, and how do I find out?

Thank you for visiting our VETgirl podcast page! Accessing the podcast transcript and getting CE credit for podcasts is a members-only feature! If you're a member, please log in! Otherwise, to get more learning on, join VETgirl ELITE over for 100+ hours of RACE-approved, online veterinary CE/year in the form of webinars (including small animal, large animal, veterinary technician, and leadership), "how to" videos and Real Life Rounds when you have time. VETgirl ELITE members also have access to our VETgirl forum where you can interact with colleagues and specialists and get clinical support and tips!

In this VETgirl online veterinary continuing education podcast, we review the use of transdermal gabapentin in cats. I suspect many of you agree that giving gabapentin to fractious kitties prior to veterinary appointments has been an absolute game changer! However, as you can imagine, tasking owners with pilling their emotional feline friends may be asking a lot. Transdermal drugs have made administration of certain medications substantially easier, though these formulations present their own challenges with absorption and bioavailability. Careful testing is required before we can rely upon these therapies enough to recommend and prescribe them. Therefore, 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 it

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.Sponsored By: Blue Buffalo

In today's VETgirl online veterinary CE podcast, we interview Dr. Brian DiGangi, MS, DABVP on what veterinarians, shelters and pet owners need to know about caring for heartworm-positive dogs. What should shelters consider when planning on treating heartworm positive dogs, and how can we best care for these dogs' behavioral health while undergoing treatment? Dr. Brian DiGangi, MS, 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 once you've diagnosed a patient with heartworm. 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, 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.