Vetgirl Veterinary Continuing Education Podcasts

Years ago, while running a stat cytology back from the surgery suite to the clinical pathologist, the nice clinical pathology resident asked me "Did you blot this before you made an impression smear onto the slide?" (He did this after looking at my blood-stained, non-diagnostic stat cytology). Doh. No. Here, in this VetGirl veterinary podcast, Dr. Ashleigh Newman (clinical pathology resident guru at Cornell) gives us some great tips on what common mistakes to avoid when preparing cytology. You know, like simple hints of blogging your organ before making an impression smear...

Have a fractious cat that you need to sedate? Want to consider using an epidural for a feline urethral obstruction (FUO)? Dr. Jane Quandt, DVM, DACVA, DACVECC, discusses some great anesthesia and pre-medication tips for cats. Today's VETgirl podcast interviews Dr. Quandt for some fast, efficient, helpful tips that every veterinary practitioner must review!

The use of arterial (ABG) or venous blood gases (VBG) plays an important role in both the ER and ICU. One particular parameter of the blood gas - the base excess (BE) - has been shown to be indicators of shock, intra-abdominal injury, fluid requirements, efficacy of resuscitation, and to be predictive of mortality after injury in human trauma patients. In human trauma patients, base excess (BE) also been used to predict which patients require blood transfusions within the first 24 hours of hospitalization. Does this apply in veterinary medicine? Check out this podcast to find out if the BE is your new BFF (Best Friend Forever!)!

DKA, otherwise known as diabetic ketoacidosis (AKA "Diabetes Kills Animals"), is an endocrine emergency that can be costly - but fun and exciting - to treat. This veterinary podcast reviews how to diagnose DKA for $5 or less and overall emergency management of DKA (including fluid therapy, correction of electrolyte abnormalities, insulin therapy, and treatment for the severe metabolic acidosis).

Just diagnosis a peritoneal-pericardial diaphragmatic hernia (PPDH) incidentally on chest radiographs? Not sure if it need to be cut? PPDH is a developmental malformation that allows abdominal contents to slide through a hernia in the diaphragm directly into the pericardial sac. Clinical signs of PPDH, if there are any in your patient, can be attributed to compression of the heart by contents in the pericardial sac or adverse effects on the organs that are herniating. Check out this veterinary podcast to find out if medical versus surgical management is warranted!

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) provide analgesia by altering the body's inflammatory response. However, when ingested in toxic amounts, severe clinical signs can be seen. The question remains, what NSAIDS are safe for dogs? What NSAIDS are safe for cats? What side effects should we monitor for in these patients? More importantly, how do we treat NSAID toxicosis? VetGirl answers all things NSAIDs in this veterinary podcast.

Not sure what you're looking at on your in-house cytology? Dr. Ashleigh Newman, clinical pathology guru resident from Cornell, discusses how to approach evaluating a cytology smear in this VetGirl veterinary podcast.

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!