Vetgirl Veterinary Continuing Education Podcasts

In today's VETgirl online veterinary CE podcast, Amy Newfield, CVT, VTS (ECC) of VETgirl reviews approach to the hit-by-car trauma patients for veterinary technicians! What do you need to assess? How do you triage the HBC patient? Learn it here!

In this VETgirl online veterinary continuing education podcast, we interview Dr. Nicola Pusterla, DVM, PhD, DACVIM on serum amyloid a (SAA) in horses as a marker of acute inflammation in horses. When should equine veterinarians be considering the point-of-care use of SAA in horses, and how can they use SAA to monitor response to treatment? Is it affected by NSAIDs or steroids? Learn it in this VETgirl equine veterinary podcast!

In this VETgirl online veterinary CE podcast, we review primary hyperparathyroidism in dogs, and whether ionized calcium levels can be used to predict hypocalcemia following treatment for PHPT. that in this condition, the parathyroid gland produces excessive amounts of parathyroid hormone, resulting in hypercalcemia.

In this VETgirl online veterinary CE podcast, we review prognostic indicators in septic peritonitis in cats. In a study by Scotti et al, find out what parameters to look for in our veterinary patients to see if we can improve the survival in cats diagnosed with septic peritonitis. Peritonitis, referring simply to inflammation of the peritoneum, can be classified as septic via a positive bacterial culture, the presence of intracellular bacteria on effusion cytology, or confirmed visceral perforation.

In this VETgirl online veterinary CE podcast, we interview Dr. Chris Adolph, DVM on heartworm disease in dogs - what do we need to know, and why are we seeing resistance despite preventatives? What do you need to know about ProHeart vs. oral preventatives?

In today's VETgirl online veterinary CE podcast, we review the features and outcome in dogs that were treated with sildenafil -; yes, Viagra -; for the treatment of pulmonary hypertension. Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a condition of elevated pulmonary artery pressure that is currently divided into five distinct groups in humans based on etiology by the World Health Organization (WHO). Similar divisions by the veterinary community (American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine Consensus Statement) are currently in process. The current WHO divisions include:

In this VETgirl online veterinary continuing education podcast, we review canine anaphylaxis. What do the signs of severe canine anaphylaxis look like, and what is the mortality? Is the prognosis good? In this study, 85.1% of dogs survived. Coagulopathy, gallbladder wall edema, and abdominal effusions are a relatively common occurrence in canine anaphylaxis. Serum phosphorus levels greater than 12 mg/dL, refractory hypoglycemia, and PT prolongation greater than 50% are correlated with a decreased chance of survival.

In this VETgirl online veterinary continuing education podcast, we interview Dr. Kristin Kirby Shaw DACVS, PhD, DACVSMR on how we veterinary professionals can treat canine osteoarthritis. What are the earliest signs of pain to look for in our canine patients? What are signs of pain that pet owners often overlook or don't see as a sign of pain? What type of pain control in dogs should be using for analgesia and to reduce inflammation, and why is a multi-modal approach so important for managing osteoarthritis? Learn it with this VETgirl podcast! This podcast is sponsored by Zoetis.

In this VETgirl online veterinary CE podcast, we discuss the effects of emotional stress on urine protein:creatinine (UPC) ratios in dogs. We review a study by Citron et al entitled "Urine cortisol-creatinine and protein-creatinine ratios in urine samples from healthy dogs collected at home and in hospital."

In today's VETgirl online veterinary CE podcast, we review outpatient therapy for canine parvovirus (CPV). Canine parvovirus infections cause significant morbidity and mortality in young dogs, and unfortunately most small animal practitioners have observed first-hand the destruction this virus can cause. Dogs diagnosed with CPV can require intensive therapy and prolonged hospitalization, which can make this an expensive disease to treat. In this study by Perley and et al entitled "Retrospective evaluation of outpatient canine parvovirus treatment in a shelter-based low-cost urban clinic," an outpatient treatment protocol for CPV was evaluated in a low-cost urban clinic at which inpatient treatment was not possible and owners shared responsibility for patient care.

In this VETgirl online veterinary continuing education podcast, we review Tritrichomonas foetus testing in cats! T. foetus is a flagellated protozoan organism that causes large-bowel diarrhea in cats. Collection via fecal loop versus colonic flush is imperative.

In today's VETgirl online veterinary continuing education podcast, we interview Dr. Natalie Marks on canine leptospirosis. What's new, and how has the signalment for dogs affected by lepto changed? What are the classical clinical signs we should recognize in our canine patients? How do we treat canine leptospirosis and what can we do to prevent it?

In this VETgirl online veterinary CE podcast, we review pleural effusion in cats. Unfortunately, this is a situation many of you have likely faced. A cat presents to your clinic with tachypnea and decreased lung sounds on thoracic auscultation, perhaps a low pulse oximeter reading, and of course those all-too-familiar radiographs revealing small, sad lungs floating in an ocean of fluid. These cases can be profoundly stressful for the patient, doctor, and client alike. As a clinician, you must quickly juggle patient stabilization and client communication, along with any other cases that you are managing. Typically, stabilization involves some combination of oxygen therapy and sedation as needed, and of course an integral part of this process is a diagnostic and/or therapeutic thoracocentesis.

In today's VETgirl online veterinary continuing education podcast, we review Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA) in German Shepherd Dogs (GSD). While this isn't a common problem, GSDs seem to be over-represented. When diagnosing a PDA, it's important that a board-certified veterinary cardiologist perform appropriate diagnostic work up (e.g., echocardiography). Angiographic classification of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) based on anatomical characteristics is important to determine treatment options. Traditional variations of a conical-shaped PDA (described as types I, IIa, and IIb) allow for successful closure via catheter-based transvascular techniques, whereby a device (such as the Amplatz canine ductal occluder, or ACDO) is used to occlude/embolize the PDA through arterial or venous access. Recently, type IV (multiple narrowings) and type V (all other variations) have been added to the list of anatomical classifications. Type III designation has classically been used to describe a tubular-shaped PDA which does

In this VETgirl online veterinary CE podcast, we review feline acquired myasthenia gravis (AMG). Mignan et al wanted to determine the long-term outcome of cats afflicted by AMG in a study entitled "Long-term outcome of cats with acquired myasthenia gravis without evidence of a cranial mediastinal mass."

In this VETgirl online veterinary continuing education podcast, we interview Dr. Steven Budsberg, DVM, MS, DACVS, a Full Professor at University of Georgia (Go, Dawgs!) on the management of osteoarthritis and chronic pain in our veterinary patients. Tune into this VETgirl podcast to learn how common osteoarthritis (OA) is in dogs and cats, how their presentation, progression and treatment is different between cats and dogs, and what the role that inflammation plays in OA. Also, learn why you shouldn't be hesitant on implementing NSAIDs in your OA patients, as pain control is so important - especially in our geriatric population. Learn new targets for therapy, such as Nerve Growth Factor, and how they may impact our current approach to pain management of OA in our veterinary patients, and what's new. We also discuss his pivotal study (JAVMA 2018) on the use of tramadol in dogs, and how it has not been found to be effective for analgesia.

In today's VETgirl veterinary CE podcast, we review whether plasma volume expansion occurs in cats after short-term steroid administration. Corticosteroids can have a multitude of effects on the cardiovascular system. Plasma volume is known to increase with corticosteroid administration in cats. Potential mechanisms for plasma volume expansion include mineralocorticoid effects (sodium and water retention via aldosterone receptor activity) and hyperglycemia (with subsequent osmotic fluid shifts) via insulin receptor resistance. Corticosteroids, both endogenous and exogenous, have been demonstrated to have direct effects on myocardial structure and function in humans and dogs, including increased left ventricular wall thickness and diastolic dysfunction. Finally, peripheral vasoconstriction due to corticosteroid activity on vascular smooth muscle may increase afterload.

In this VETgirl online veterinary CE podcast, we discuss the impact of music on cats' stress reactions in the veterinary clinic. Hampton et al wanted to evaluate whether cat-specific music could reduce stress and anxiety for cats in a veterinary clinic, and consequently promote calm behaviors.

In today's VETgirl podcast, we interview Amy Newfield, CVT, VTS (ECC) on proper care and maintenance of jugular catheters in veterinary medicine. While central lines are not commonly used in general practice, they are very helpful in the critically ill, emergent patient. In this podcast, we review when to use a jugular catheter over other vascular access devices (such as an IV, Long line or PICC lines). We also discuss what the contraindications are for jugular catheter placement, and what is required for proper care and maintenance of a central line.

In this VETgirl online veterinary CE podcast, we review the use of video capsule endoscopy (VCE) in dogs. Mabry et al evaluated the utility of VCE in identifying GI mucosal lesions in a study entitled "Use of video capsule endoscopy to identify GI lesions in dogs with microcytosis or gastrointestinal hemorrhage."