Enter Veterinary Practice News' 2018 They Ate What?! X-ray ContestJune 1, 2018Pets eat the most puzzling things that land them in the vet's office: shoes, coins, socks, teddy bears, watches, rubber ducks, rocks, lightbulbs, kitchen utensils, pendants, golf balls, and more. If the rads weren't there to prove this stuff actually happens, the tales would be hard to believe. That's why Veterinary Practice News is asking the veterinary community to submit radiographs to the 2018 They Ate What?! X-ray contest that show how truth is often stranger than fiction when it comes to the contents of some pets' stomachs. The winner, selected by a panel of veterinarians and Veterinary Practice News editors, will receive $500 and a one-year subscription to Web PACS, a Picture Archiving Communications System valued at $2,400, from contest prize sponsor, IDEXX Laboratories Inc. How to enter: Go to VeterinaryPracticeNews.com/xraycontest and log in or register to enter. Upload high-resolution images—large files reproduce best—and fill in your name, clinic name and address, telephone number, and a short explanation of the case, including the outcome. If available, include images of the patient and the recovered item(s). The submission deadline is July 23. The winner and honorable mentions will be unveiled in the …
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How to fix oronasal fistulasMay 4, 2018This month’s column discusses the surgical approach to treatment of the most common manifestation of oronasal fistulas: those that occur in the area of the maxillary canine tooth in dogs.
Improve Int'l continuing education course focuses on TPLOMay 1, 2018Global continuing education provider Improve International recently hosted its first U.S. course at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine in Florida, with 13 veterinarians in attendance. Led by Brian Beale, DVM, DACVS, and Stanley Kim, BVSc, MS, both diplomates of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons, the course, which focused on the use of the tibial-plateau-leveling osteotomy (TPLO) for cruciate repair, was comprised of both in-class lectures and hands-on, practical sessions. "We were delighted to welcome delegates to our first U.S. course and to have received enthusiastic feedback," said John Douglass, assistant managing director, Improve. "It was an important milestone for us as we celebrate our arrival in the U.S. and our 20th year in business. We look forward to bringing more of our premium CE to U.S. veterinarians in the coming years." Founded in 1998 by a team of veterinarians in the U.K., Improve announced its U.S. launch late last year, offering a range of short RACE-approved courses for veterinary professionals. The company, who has instructed more than 20,000 veterinarians across 20 countries, will soon offer more in-depth, annual courses in the U.S., which will help practitioners …
Why annual screening for exposure to infected ticks is vitalApril 18, 2018It's important to remember that a single tick can transmit multiple infectious agents that may cause or contribute to serious illness, including kidney disease. And because dogs don't always show clinical signs, it can be challenging to understand the true harm of any given infection to a pet's health. This makes regularly screening pets—including asymptomatic or seemingly healthy ones—to identify exposure to infected ticks all the more important. Here's a quick look at why regular, comprehensive screening is critical, and what veterinarians can do to help keep dogs healthy. All dogs need to be screened annually for exposure to infected ticks It's quite possible a patient could be fighting an infection without showing any signs of disease. That is why limiting screening to symptomatic pets and those known to have had a tick on them is too restrictive—it will miss infections. All dogs need to be tested, and pet owners need to be reminded that negative results are the goal in order to verify that preventive measures against ticks are working. A new study reinforces the importance of detecting exposure The study, found at idexx.com/tickrisk, showed two key findings: 1) dogs with Ehrlichia antibodies …
Forensic files: Veterinary editionMarch 22, 2018Like Liam Neeson in “Taken,” Christina Lindquist, MS, touted her “particular set of skills” in 2006 when she visited the veterinary genetics laboratory (VGL) at the University of California, Davis, in search of a job.
BluePearl addresses shortage of ER clinicians with EmERgeMarch 5, 2018BluePearl Veterinary Partners has launched a new program—EmERge—that provides intensive training, one-on-one mentoring, and three years of employment to aspiring ER clinicians. It's also aimed at developing more ER clinicians, both for BluePearl and the veterinary profession as a whole, said Rita Hanel, DVM, DACVIM-internal medicine, DACVECC, who is BluePearl's vice president for clinical operations and recruiting. EmERge is a program with a three-year commitment open to recent veterinary school graduates, as well as doctors who have worked in general practice or other veterinary fields who want to move into emergency medicine. Participants are paid throughout their training, which works like this: Participants start with an intensive four-week boot camp at BluePearl's Tampa, Fla., hospital. The camp includes classroom instruction and labs, and covers emergency medicine, communication skills, and clinical leadership techniques. In the fifth week, EmERge members are sent to one of BluePearl's more than 65 hospitals throughout the country, where individual mentors provide hands-on training. In the 16th week, participants begin working full-time ER shifts. They continue to meet virtually through web-based seminars and rounds. After the first full year in the program, participants are considered fully trained and are paid …
How veterinarians can best manage the opioid shortageMarch 2, 2018Veterinary Practice News organized an exclusive roundtable with five anesthesiologists and pain management experts to discuss the reasons behind the opioid shortage and best practices for identifing solutions to the problem.
Avoid the dangers of spring-loaded mouth propsFebruary 12, 2018Have you ever had a patient wake up blind after anesthesia? Although it’s rare, anyone who’s been in practice for a number of years knows of a case either directly or indirectly.
Why do we run diagnostic tests?February 7, 2018The purpose of any diagnostic test should be to improve the outcome for our patients. Tests should be selected so that they give us information that leads to reduced morbidity and mortality. Testing has risks, as well as benefits, so if the results of a test will not meaningfully affect our clinical decisions or the wellbeing of our patients, then it should not be run.
Equipment focus: Cardiac diagnosticsFebruary 6, 2018What’s one of the most frequent questions associated with a patient in respiratory distress? More often than not, it’s whether the issue is cardiopathic, according to Eric Lindquist, DMV, DABVP, Cert. IVUSS.
