Vetgirl Veterinary Continuing Education Podcasts

The use of goal directed therapy (GDT) is prevalent in human medicine, based off a 2001 study by Rivers et al in New England Journal of Medicine. This concept has improved outcome in patients with stroke, acute myocardial infarct, and trauma. Can we apply GDT to veterinary medicine? In this veterinary podcast, VetGirl discusses the concept of goal directed therapy in veterinary medicine, and how we can better apply it to our critically ill patients.

Although more common in cats, aortic thromboembolism (ATE) can be seen in dogs as well. While ATE in cats is commonly seen with heart disease, the pathogenesis and presentation of ATE in dogs can be variable. In this veterinary podcast, VetGirl evaluates ATE in dogs including presentation, underlying causes, treatment options, and prognosis.

Questions? You can always contact us via our Contact Us page.

Questions? You can always contact us via our Contact Us page.

The use of steroids in head trauma is a hot topic in both human and veterinary medicine. Theoretically, steroids can reduce inflammation; however, there are many adverse effects which can lead to significant morbidity and mortality. While the use of steroids with trauma is debated, the use of steroids with head trauma is currently considered contraindicated. Why? In this veterinary podcast, VetGirl discusses why steroids are bad following head trauma in veterinary medicine.

Don't feel comfortable interpreting abnormal electrocardiograms (ECG)? Can't tell the difference between a bundle branch block from a ventricular arrhythmia? Dr. Marc Kraus, a board-certified cardiologist on faculty at Cornell University, offers a few simple clues to help differentiate ventricular versus sinus arrhythmias, how to calculate heart rate, and more!

All types of veterinarians, from general practitioners to emergency clinicians to specialist end up treating seizuring patients. So, when it comes to treating them, what's your favorite “go to” anticonvulsant therapy? Ultimately, our goal of anticonvulsant therapy is to eradicate all seizure activity… or at least minimize them to less than 1 per 3 months, ideally. Although this goal may not be possible in every patient, we hope to achieve this goal. With that in mind, which anticonvulsant will help you achieve this? Which one would a neurologist pick? In this veterinary podcast, we compare phenobarbital and potassium bromide in treatment of seizures in dogs.

Xylitol, a natural, sugar-free sweetener, is becoming more prevalent in human foods, baked goods, gums, mints, and consumer products (like mouthwashes, tooth brushes, nasal sprays, chewable multivitamins, etc.). While it is very safe in people, it poses a significant poisoning risk in dogs. That's because xylitol is a strong promoter of insulin release and can cause severe hypoglycemia and acute hepatic necrosis. This VetGirl podcast reviews xylitol toxicosis in veterinary medicine, including toxic doses, clinical signs, and life-saving treatment.

Diabetes mellitus is a common endocrine disease in dogs and cats. Unfortunately, while diabetes mellitus alone is often easy to manage, complications such as diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) can occur. DKA is a serious complication which can lead to significant morbidity and mortality. In the emergency room, we often use regular insulin for the treatment of DKA patients. However, with recent drug shortages and backorders, regular insulin is less readily available. What do you do if you no longer can obtain regular insulin? In this veterinary podcast, VetGirl evaluates the use of a new, short acting insulin, Lispro™, in the treatment of ketoacidotic patients to help determine if this is a reasonable alternative to regular insulin therapy.

Albumin is the primary determinate of colloid osmotic pressure (COP). Albumin plays key roles within the body. Hypoproteinemia has been associated with a poorer outcome in numerous diseases (e.g., sepsis, etc.). For this reason, the use of albumin transfusions has become more popular in the past 5-10 years. Due to the side effects of human serum albumin (HSA) administration in veterinary medicine, canine specific albumin (CSA) has been developed. In this veterinary podcast, VetGirl evaluates the usefulness of canine specific albumin in dogs with septic peritonitis.

Oncology cases can be challenging. Something as simple as knowing when to remove a slow growing mass versus when to perform a fine needle aspirate (FNA) prior to biopsy are important tips to know. Dr. Sue Ettinger, DACVIM (Oncology), discusses some important management tools to implement into your oncology patients. Check out this VetGirl veterinary podcast to find out when to start prednisone!

Intermittent hemodialysis (IHD) is an accepted method for acute kidney injury (AKI) in both human and veterinary medicine. It is often considered in patients with severe azotemia, hyperkalemia, fluid overload, or severe clinical signs. While it can be a life-saving therapy, most current publish information only evaluates the short-term outcome following IHD. In this veterinary podcast, VetGirl discusses common reasons to consider intermittent therapy, and also evaluates IHD's use on long-term outcomes based on underlying diseases.

This VetGirl veterinary podcast tells you how you can implement asthma inhalers and chambers in your clinic and for your patients with feline asthma or canine chronic bronchitis. The use of inhaler steroids (e.g., fluticasone) and/or beta-agonists (e.g., albuterol) can be life-saving in patients with acute respiratory distress. However, appropriate use and medical management (including oral systemic drug therapy) is imperative!

Just made a blood smear? Not really sure what you're looking at? In this VetGirl veterinary podcast, Dr. Ashleigh Newman (clinical pathology resident guru who evaluates blood smears all day long!) gives us a few hints on how to approach blood smear evaluation. Don't forget to focus on red blood cell morphology, platelet clumps, parasites and more!

Glucagon is a hormone secreted by the pancreas that raises blood glucose levels. It has an opposite effect of insulin in the body. An injectable form of glucagon is available and can be considered in hypoglycemic patients (e.g., insulin overdose).  In this veterinary podcast, VetGirl discusses the use of subcutaneous glucagon in veterinary medicine.

Diagnosing congestive heart failure (CHF) in dogs and cats can be challenging. In this VetGirl veterinary podcast, Dr. Anna Gelzer, DACVIM, provides some simple tips - found on physical exam - in diagnosing CHF. That way, you can figure out how to treat it sooner!

The impedance threshold device (ITD) is a device which attaches to the end of an endotracheal tube; it is used in human medicine to enhance circulation during CPR.  You can find great information here about it's use in human medicine. This device works by regulating the influx of gases into the chest during the chest wall recoil phase.  In this veterinary podcast, VetGirl discusses the ITD and how it affects the outcome of patients during CPR. Should we be using this in veterinary medicine?

Think you’re all over that poisoning case? Just going to induce vomiting and give it some charcoal? Well, before doing that, don’t forget about those contraindications for emesis induction. More importantly, make sure you’re using the appropriate emetic agent to begin with. In this VetGirl podcast, find out all the pros and cons of emesis induction in this veterinary podcast. It’s full of vomitus.

In this VetGirl podcast, we discuss the use of cathartics, when to use them, and potential side effects (e.g., hypernatremia) seen with their use. Decontamination is still the mainstay treatment of the poisoned veterinary patient. While activated charcoal is commonly used as an adsorbent, there are several forms of activated charcoal: those containing a cathartic (e.g., sorbitol) and those that do not contain a cathartic. Find out all you need to know about accelerating defecation with cathartics!

It is well documented that human trauma patients with low levels of ionized calcium at admission are at increased risk for death. As calcium has many important functions in the body, hypocalcemia can lead to numerous systemic abnormalities. In this veterinary podcast, VetGirl evaluates the importance of calcium in the body -; particularly in veterinary trauma patients - and evaluates how calcium levels may affect overall treatment plan and outcome in veterinary medicine.