VETgirl Veterinary Continuing Education Podcasts

Latest Episodes:

The prevalence of suicide in veterinary medicine | VETgirl Veterinary Continuing Education Podcasts Feb 26, 2018

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In this VETgirl online veterinary continuing education podcast, Jeannine Moga, MA, MSW, LCSW, clinical social worker and veterinary social worker, discusses the prevalence of suicide in veterinary medicine. Why is our veterinary field so predisposed, and what can we do to increase our resilience and self care?

Dystocia and Reproductive Emergencies in Dogs and Cats | VETgirl Veterinary Continuing Education Podcasts Feb 19, 2018

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In this VETgirl online veterinary continuing education podcast, Dr. Garret Pachtinger, DACVECC (VETgirl, COO) discusses common reproductive emergencies.

The effect of lidocaine on gastrointestinal motility in dogs | VETgirl Veterinary Continuing Education Podcasts Feb 12, 2018

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Lidocaine is a sodium channel blocker that is widely used in both large and small animal medicine as a local anesthetic, analgesic, and as a class 1B antiarrhythmic. A perhaps less common application for this medication in small animal medicine is as a gastrointestinal promotility agent in cases of ileus. The effects of lidocaine on improving the clinical signs of ileus in post-operative horses (1) and humans (2) have already been documented. However, what about dogs? So, Johnson et al out of the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine wanted to evaluate the effect of lidocaine on gastrointestinal motility in dogs. The authors aimed at measuring the effects of lidocaine CRI’s at two different doses on the gastrointestinal transit times of healthy adult canines as compared to saline CRI controls (3).

Effect of venipuncture quality on thromboelastography | VETgirl Veterinary Continuing Education Podcast Feb 05, 2018

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In today's VETgirl online veterinary continuing education podcast, we review the effect of venipuncture quality on thromboelastography. Now, if you've never heard of thromboelastography or TEG, you'll need to know that it's the best way to detect for hypercoagulability. Keep in mind that your PT/PTT test for hypocoagulability, not HYPER-coagulability. Unfortunately, TEG is really only available at academic (e.g., veterinary school) settings. So, if you have a TEG machine (or you're an emergency critical care or internal medicine resident), pay careful attention!

Atrial Fibrillation as a Prognostic Indicator in Dogs | VETgirl Veterinary Continuing Education Podcasts Jan 29, 2018

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In this VETgirl online veterinary continuing education podcast, we review atrial fibrillation in medium- to large-sized dogs. Are there any other prognostic factors can we look at when it comes to heart disease? Is the presence of atrial fibrillation a prognostic indicator in certain dogs with Myxomatous Mitral Valvular Degeneration (MMVD) and congestive heart failure?

Venous blood gas interpretation and risks of mortality in veterinary medicine | VETgirl Veterinary Continuing Education Podcasts Jan 22, 2018

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In today's VETgirl online veterinary CE podcast, we review whether or not venous blood gas parameters (such as anion gap, base excess, lactate, etc.) predict survival in veterinary patients. When animals are initially presented to the emergency room, the extent of their condition often cannot be fully assessed without additional diagnostics. Is there a way we can handle questions from pet owners regarding the financial investment in their pet’s medical treatment (such as prognosis and anticipated costs of medical care) based on evidence-based medicine? We strive to look for indicators in our physical examination findings and in our initial diagnostic work up (e.g., preliminary lab work or quick assessment tests) to help bolster our understanding of the patient’s prognosis, but presently veterinary medicine is greatly lacking in these indicators of mortality and disease severity. In the veterinary emergency room, blood gases are a quick and easy piece of lab work that can be obtained relatively quickly at the time of triage for cats and dogs. So, Kohen et al out of University of California at Davis wanted to look at the information that can be obtained off a simple blood gas analysis for possible predictors of mortality. In this retrospective study, they looked at plasma lactate concentrations, pH, base deficit, and anion gap in both cats and dogs, and looked for any correlation of these values to an increased in mortality risk.

'Push-Pull' Blood Sampling in Veterinary Medicine | VETgirl Veterinary Continuing Education Podcasts Jan 15, 2018

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In this VETgirl online veterinary CE podcast, we interview Dr. Ciara Barr. Dr. Barr is a lecturer in the anesthesia department at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine.

The EPIC Study: The effect of pimobendan in dogs | VETgirl Veterinary Continuing Education Podcasts Jan 08, 2018

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In today's VETgirl online veterinary continuing education podcast, we review an "EPIC" study called "Effect of Pimobendan in Dogs with Preclinical Myxomatous Mitral Valve Disease and Cardiomegaly: The EPIC Study – A Randomized Clinical Trial" by Boswood et al. This was a huge study that was conducted at dozens of different institutions (both academia and private practice) around the world and was undertaken by dozens of cardiologists.

Survival time of dogs with congestive heart failure andamp; the effect on revenue | VETgirl Veterinary Continuing Education Podcasts Jan 01, 2018

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In today's VETgirl online veterinary continuing education podcast, we review the survival time of dogs with congestive heart failure... but add a unique twist to this... the effect of revenue. This sounds strange, but keep listening.