During this session, attendees will:

• Review the goals of a behavioral history and benefits of an accurate history
• Consider useful information for diagnosis and treatment plan development
• Learn how to efficiently collect information

Often in the exam room there is a limited window of time to determine how best to address a hastily mentioned behavior concern. In this session, we'll cover:

• How to assess the severity of a concern
• How to develop your own scripts and resources to be ready for common questions and concern
• Which red flags that may suggest a more severe concern

This session will review:

• The goals of a behavior treatment plan
• Management plans to address safety and client needs
• Components of a well thought out medication plan
• Behavior modification

This session will provide attendees with:

• A description of parasite disease syndromes
• Clinical manifestation, pathophysiology and bloodwork findings
• Treatment options and prognoses

This session will cover:

• A review of currently available diagnostic tests for equine parasites
• Validation data and interpretation of results
• Limitations and common misconceptions

In this session, the speaker will provide:

• An outline of the AAEP equine parasite-control guidelines, updated in 2019
• Recommendations by age group and target parasite
• Climatic and seasonal considerations

This lecture will review newer FDA rules and the veterinary-client-patient relationship (VCPR), as they pertain to veterinarians, bees, and beekeepers. Content will include:

• The diagnostic process used in apiaries
• A brief description of the two bacterial diseases of honey bees, American Foulbrood (AFB) and European Foulbrood EFB
• Antibiotics available for use in the treatment of honey bees
• Veterinary feed directives (VFDs) use within apiculture
• An introduction to the types of beekeepers
• Suggestions for developing good VCPRs with beekeepers
• Practical bee medicine resources for veterinarians

This lecture will give an overview of relevant biology, anatomy, and physiology of the honey bee, both from an individual and superorganism perspective. We will also discuss:

• Hive organization
• Reproduction
• Bee behavior
• Colony lifecycle

Honey bees get infectious diseases just like every animal. This lecture will briefly describe:

• Important parasitic, viral, and fungal diseases of honey bees
• Varroa destructor, the "tick" of the bee
• Clinical signs, diagnosis, prevention, treatment and prognosis

Traditional Chinese Medicine and acupuncture services are now offered by the Mayo Clinic and veterinary institutes such as Purdue, Florida, and Michigan State, providing evidence of its increasing acceptance and benefits. If you are interested in adding this modality to your practice, but daunted by the terminology, foreign concepts, and the “lack of science”, this two-part lecture series is for you. This session will:

• Introduce TCM concepts of yin, yang, qi, and blood
• Transpose TCM terminology and theory to Western thinking
• Discuss current science-based mechanisms supporting acupuncture
• Provide clinical case examples integrating acupuncture with conventional medicine

More often than not, challenging medical conditions involve the accumulation of dampness and the production of phlegm. These TCM concepts often overlap, creating confusion. Recognizing the similarities and differences between dampness and phlegm helps the clinician to identify patterns and treat them accordingly. In this session, we will:

• Review TCM fluid physiology as it pertains to the development of dampness and phlegm
• Discuss the similarities and differences between dampness and phlegm
• Discuss similarities and differences in management and treatment of each
• Compare the concepts of phlegm and blood stagnation
• Recommend basic TCM exposure

Numerous little tips and pearls don’t make it into lectures because they aren’t stand-alone lecture topics. Comprehensively, however, they can make administration of anesthesia safer and analgesia more effective. In this session attendees will:

• Explore new developments in anesthesia/analgesia
• Update knowledge on a variety of anesthesia/analgesia drugs and techniques
• Identify anesthetic/analgesic additions or changes that would benefit their practice

Chronic pain can be incredibly difficult to manage, yet patients with chronic pain are an ever-increasing part of our caseload. In this two-hour session, attendees will:

• Understand why chronic pain is a disease rather than a symptom
• Evaluate pain using chronic pain scales in a case-based presentation
• Delve deep into mechanisms, pros, and cons of numerous drugs and nonpharmacologic treatments
• Discover new treatment options.
• Develop analgesic protocols for chronic pain in a case-based presentation.

During this session, attendees will learn to:

• Identify nutrients of concern for a variety of diseases
• Recognize how to optimally manage a patient with multiple disease conditions
• Recognize how to sometimes think outside of the box when choosing diets for patients

During this session, attendees will learn to:

• Identify common causes of inappetence in dogs and cats
• Review pharmacologic interventions for inappetence
• Discuss the application of assisted enteral nutrition

This session will:

• Review strategies for obesity prevention
• Review basic obesity management tools
• Discuss some common obesity management challenges and how to address them

Cat eyes are not small dog eyes! During this session, attendees will learn the unique aspects of feline ophthalmic anatomy, including:

• Tips for ophthalmic examination of cats
• The causes of entropion in cats and approaches for surgical correction
• Approaches for diagnosis and treatment of feline corneal disease

This session will build on the information presented in the previous hour. Attendees will learn:

• The most common causes and treatment of uveitis in cats
• The causes and treatment of cataracts in cats
• The causes and treatment of glaucoma in cats
• The clinical presentation and causes of retinal disorders in cats

If terms like "afferent" and "efferent" make you googly-eyed, you are not alone. In this session, attendees will learn:

• The elements of a cranial nerve examination
• The components of the vision and pupillary light reflex (PLR) pathway
• The ocular effects of lesions of the neuro-ophthalmic pathways
• How pharmacologic testing is used to confirm and localize Horner’s syndrome
• How to differentiate ocular versus central nervous system causes of blindness

Muscle injuries in dogs can be difficult to diagnose. Because most soft tissue injuries are not radiographically obvious, practitioners may face challenges in diagnosing and treating these problems. During this session, attendees will learn:

• How the mechanisms of injuries to muscles and tendons result in lameness
• How to diagnose and treat the most common muscle and tendon injuries seen in dogs
• How to differentiate soft tissue injuries from other causes of lameness in dogs

Osteoarthritis is one of the most common clinical problems in older and overweight pets, and its management can be frustrating for both veterinarians and owners. This session will discuss:

• Physical exam and dagnostic findings in dogs with osteoarthritis
• The multimodal management approach to treating osteoarthritis
• Regenerative therapy options for treating canine osteoarthritis

Physical and rehabilitation therapy is an important—and often forgotten—part of a patient’s treatment plan. Rehabilitation therapy is vital in getting patients back to full strength and improving their quality of life. In this session, attendees will learn:

• Learn the benefits of canine physical therapy for a variety of medical conditions
• Gain a basic understanding and methodology of formulating a physical therapy and rehabilitation plan for patients
• Explore outcome assessments used for patients undergoing physical therapy and rehabilitation

This session will introduce attendees to practice financial management basics, including:

• Income statements (P&Ls)
• Fixed and variable expenses
• Cash versus accrual accounting
• Profitability
• The consequences of being a fixed-cost business
• Key data points to track that can help you manage your practice

Most practices are revenue healthy; however, they are unfortunately not financially healthy. But what's the difference? This two-part session will teach attendees:

• What it means for a practice to be financially healthy
• How to assess your practice’s financial wellness
• Common financial diseases, their symptoms, and treatment plans
• Key indicators of a practice’s wellness

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global crisis affecting animal and public health. Antimicrobial stewardship is a tool that can be used to promote judicious use of antimicrobial drugs and to improve infection control in veterinary clinical practice. In this session, a panel of experts in AMR and antimicrobial stewardship will discuss the following stewardship components and how they can benefit veterinary patients and practices:

• Collaborating with clinical pharmacists to improve patient care
• Using clinical microbiology testing to more accurately guide therapeutic decisions
• Improving infection control through antimicrobial stewardship programs in veterinary clinical practice

Zoonotic disease outbreaks have greatly impacted our society and shaped our history for centuries, and as the past year has shown us, we are not immune from them even in today's advanced society. In this session, attendees will:

• Explore the impacts and risks involved in major zoonotic disease outbreaks
• Learn what preparedness efforts and response measures are required for these outbreaks
• Review Ohio's Local Response to Zoonotic Disease Outbreak Training Program, implemented in 2019
• Learn about the important role veterinarians play in preparing for these responses using a One Health approach
• Find out how to get involved in preparation and response efforts

This session will:

• Introduce attendees to the eSCOUT (Environmental Surveillance for COVID-19 in Ohio: Understanding Transmission) project
• Describe surveillance efforts for SARS-CoV-2 in domestic animals, wildlife, wastewater, and stormwater around Ohio
• Provide updates on the current state of our knowledge regarding SARS-CoV-2 in animals

You know how to examine and treat an injured animal, but translating that into documentation for a cruelty case is a completely different beast. The first hour of this two-part session will cover:

• Report writing for investigators
• Expert report writing for veterinary professionals
• Telling the story with photographs
• Chain of custody

You know how to examine and treat an injured animal, but translating that into documentation for a cruelty case is a completely different beast. The second half of this two-part session will discuss:

• Preparing the search warrant affidavit
• Getting approval from the judge/magistrate
• Executing the warrant
• Preparing the inventory

Animal cruelty cases are difficult to handle, and in the field, already-high tensions can shoot through the roof for all parties involved. Knowing how to de-escalate stressful situations is a valuable skill for humane agents and veterinary staff working in the field. This session will discuss:

• Verbal "Judo"
• Knowing your own triggers
• Active listening skills
• A variety of de-escalation techniques

Radiology is an integral component to accurately diagnose, treat, and monitor disease processes daily in veterinary practices. This presentation will:

• Explain the importance and demonstrate the application of ALARA
• Provide examples of appropriate positioning and collimation of thorax, abdomen, pelvis and some extremities
• Explain the importance of sedation and obtaining a diagnostic image

When treating critical patients, accuracy is vital, but acting quickly is essential as well. Having to retake radiographs because you were unable to obtain the necessary information the first time around will slow down diagnosis and treatment—and that is why you should have a goal in mind before starting the process. This presentation will:

• Discuss the importance of understanding the goal of the radiograph
• Provide examples of positioning and collimation for patients in respiratory distress or in shock from trauma or acute distress
• Share cases of inaccurate diagnoses due to poor positioning

What's most important when you're radiographing the thoracic and abdominal region of a patient? That depends. This presentation will cover:

• Determining the appropriate imaging based on findings from the physical exam and the clinical history of the patient
• The importance of sedation and analgesics in obtaining a quality diagnostic image
• Recognizing non-diagnostic images
• Common mistakes and how to avoid them

This session will review:

• Efficacy and effect data for various behavior medications
• How to discuss expected beneficial effects with owners
• Explanation of expected versus unexpected/adverse side effects with owners

During this session, attendees will learn about:

• Commonalities between signs of pain and signs of stress
• Subtle indicators of pain in the exam room and at home
• Addressing pain and behavior concerns as coexisting conditions

When are certain nuisance behaviors—including jumping, mouthing, and chewing—more than just an annoyance? This session will review treatment options for common nuisance behaviors in dogs.

This session will explore how to tell what horses are thinking by watching how they are responding.

The speaker will cover basic safety tips when working with horses in a variety of situations.

This session will discuss using horses' natural instincts to make your job easier.

The nuanced “art” of Chinese diagnosis is the ability to detect patterns from only a few clinical signs or symptoms. Quick recognition of signature symptoms increases the clinician’s ability to determine the pattern of disharmony. Identifying patterns according to qi, blood, and body fluids is one of the more simplistic identification methods of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). In the first part of this two-hour session, we will:

• Compare, contrast, and highlight key signs and symptoms of qi patterns
• Compare, contrast, and highlight key signs and symptoms of blood patterns
• Compare, contrast, and highlight key signs and symptoms of body fluid deficiency
• Discuss applicable acupuncture points

Note: Basic knowledge of TCM recommended.

The majority of TCM clinicians identify patterns by combining the eight principles and the internal organs methods. For example, an eight principles diagnosis may point broadly to yin deficiency, while an identification according to the internal organs method isolates the problem to the stomach. Building on the concepts presented in the previous session, this presentation will:

• Review the concepts of the eight principles
• Discuss key signs and symptoms using eight principles and internal organ identification methods
• Discuss applicable acupuncture point prescriptions

Note: Basic knowledge of TCM recommended.

Degenerative myelopathy (DM) and geriatric onset laryngeal paralysis polyneuropathy (GOLPP) are Western manifestations of wei syndrome (wei atrophy). “Wei” translates to “wilting” — in other words, the loss and atrophy of muscle and nerve function. In this lecture, we will:

• Review TCM pathophysiology of wei syndrome
• Discuss TCM treatment options for DM and GOLPP
• Apply TCM concepts to a relevant case study

Note: Basic knowledge of TCM recommended.

Identifying pain in animals, though sometimes difficult, is critical to providing adequate analgesia and to promoting animal health and welfare. In this session, attendees will:

• Explore a variety of pain assessment tools for dogs and cats
• Practice pain assessment in a case-based presentation
• Learn about a new pain monitor that uses cutting-edge technology
• Contemplate novel uses for pain assessment, while considering factors such as duration of therapy and client compliance

If rapidly identified and corrected, anesthesia-related complications are generally not life threatening. During this session, attendees will:

• Determine the underlying causes of the top five anesthetic complications
• Discuss monitors, monitoring needs, and monitoring pitfalls
• Develop treatment plans for the top five anesthetic complications
• Prepare checklists and resources for staff training on monitoring and responding to complications

Endocrine disease can cause numerous anesthetic complications. During this session, attendees will:

• Understand anesthetic risk for a variety of endocrine diseases
• Develop protocols for stabilization of patients with endocrine disease
• Develop anesthetic/analgesic protocols for patients with endocrine disease

Following this session, attendees will be able to:

• Recognize clinical scenarios when point-of-care ultrasound would have diagnostic value
• Describe the protocol for global point-of-care thoracic ultrasound, including lung ultrasound
• Identify normal and abnormal lung ultrasound images
• Understand how to incorporate point-of-care ultrasound findings into an overall clinical picture

After this session, attendees will be able to:

• Describe the pharmacologic properties of pimobendan (Vetmedin)
• Discuss specific diseases and stages in which pimobendan has demonstrated clinical benefit in small animals
• Identify dogs with stage B2 degenerative mitral valve disease without echocardiography

After this session, attendees will be able to:

• Discuss the clinical presentation, diagnosis, and recommended treatment of canine cardiomyopathy associated with boutique, exotic, and grain-free (BEG) diets
• Describe proposed mechanisms for development of BEG diet-associated cardiomyopathy
• Outline plans for screening asymptomatic dogs consuming BEG diets for cardiomyopathy
• Counsel owners regarding diet choices for dogs currently consuming BEG diets

During this session, attendees will hear:

• Updates on pathogenesis, with an emphasis on cats
• Management strategies related to glucose monitoring
• Which insulin is best and why

During this session, attendees will hear:

• Updates on diagnostic approaches to canine hyperadrenocorticism
• Treatment options
• The best way to monitor patients on therapy

During this session, attendees will hear updates on:

• Pathogenesis of feline hyperthyroidism and why the disease is becoming more common
• Diagnostic approaches to the patient with suspected hyperthyroidism
• Disease management, including the role of diet

Uroliths in the lower urinary tract are common in cats worldwide. In this session, we will discuss:

• Risk factors for stone formation
• How to diagnose the common stones in cats
• How to estimate the composition of the common stones
• How to approach treatment, using the least invasive methods first
• Strategies to prevent future urolith formation

New information and new monitoring techniques may change the way you approach your diabetic feline patients. This session will:

• Discuss the goals of diabetes management
• Explore three management styles and choosing the right one for each patient
• Review insulin choices for cats
• Share new techniques and tools for managing diabetic cats

Chronic diarrhea is a common presenting complaint in feline medicine. These cases can be very frustrating! This presentation will focus on a simple and practical approach that will help you keep your sanity while pursuing a diagnosis. During this session, you will:

• Understand how a standardized diagnostic plan can keep you on track
• Find out how to do a nutritional assessment
• Learn the four key questions to answer about cats with chronic diarrhea

Two similar practices may have the same revenue but dramatically different values. Why and how does this occur? In this session, the presenter will:

• Use case studies to show current valuation methods
• Explain the difference between the fair market value an associate pays versus that which a corporation pays
• Discuss what impact the coronavirus pandemic has had on practice value and transactions

How much money is enough to retire? When will you be able to retire? Better yet, will you be able to retire at all? Financial planning involves much more than investing, and there is much you can do on your own. Get started working on your future! This session will cover:

• The key components of financial planning
• What you should be doing now to prepare for retirement

So, you are ready to pass the reins of practice ownership on to someone else. But do you sell to an associate or to a corporation? There are advantages and challenges to both, and as the saying goes, the devil is in the details. This session will:

• Address the core elements you need to know as you prepare to sell
• Debunk—or confirm?—the myths of selling to a corporate entity
• Cover transaction details you should pay attention to as you move forward

This presentation will cover:

• Current species composition and distribution of ticks and tick-borne pathogens in Ohio, cumulatively collected across multiple surveillance systems
• Results of a molecular and serological investigation of tick-borne disease in shelter dogs in southern Ohio

A One Health, interagency agency response to the COVID-19 pandemic is essential to protect animal, human, and environmental health. In this two-part session, attendees will:

• Gain a deeper knowledge of the One Health response, including outbreak investigations
• Be able to assess the risks to animals from SARS-CoV-2 infection
• Hear about the mitigation strategies used to protect animals from infection with SARS-CoV-2
• Find out how the COVID-19 response has taught agencies about how to address future emerging diseases

As dogs and cats age, significant changes occur that affect anesthetic management of this population. In this session, attendees will learn:

• How changes in body composition impacts on uptake and distribution of drugs
• Why decreased functional reserve of major organs puts them at risk during stressful events
• Why this population has decreased anesthetic requirements and how to avoid overdosing them
• Why they are highly vulnerable to hypothermia and how to prevent this adverse event
• How to create anesthetic protocols for the “golden oldies”

Cats are masters at hiding both acute and chronic pain; therefore, it is important to learn how to assess behavioral changes and facial expressions that indicate a cat is experiencing pain. A key to pain management is understanding the etiology of pain so you can come up with a targeted treatment plan. In this session attendees will learn:

• How to use the feline grimace scale to detect acute pain
• Which acute pain assessment tools are validated
• How to recognize osteoarthritis-related pain
• The key components for creating acute and chronic pain management protocols>

Veterinary surgeons in high-volume spay/neuter clinics use many techniques that are fundamentally different from those generally taught to students in veterinary school. Why is that, and how are the techniques different? This session will:

• Use photos and videos to explain why and how these techniques vary
• Provide participants with a full understanding of efficient surgical techniques used in high-volume spay/neuter clinics
• Give them the ability to implement these techniques in the private practice setting

This topic will be continued in Session 324.

Feed testing is critical to managing a small ruminant feeding program, but it is not often performed for various reasons including an inability to understand the results. This presentation will provide participants with a systematic process for interpreting feed reports and providing a useful service to small ruminant clients.

Pregnancy toxemia is the most significant metabolic disease of sheep and goats. This session will discuss the use of hand-held meters as diagnostic or prognostic aids, as well as feeding practices for prevention.

This session will discuss:

• Soil health
• Grazing options
• Pasture improvement
• Forage testing

The first step to providing appropriate dental care to our patients is learning normal oral anatomy. We can’t determine if something is wrong if we don’t know what is normal. This session will cover:

• Oral, skull, and tooth anatomy
• The Triadan tooth numbering system and directional terminology of the mouth
• Dental charting and preparing for the dental cleaning

Often overlooked, missed, or underdiagnosed, periodontal disease remains prevalent in our canine and feline patients. During this session, attendees will learn:

• How to recognize the signs of periodontal disease
• Why periodontal disease is important to treat
• How to clearly relay the information to clients to ensure consistent, high-quality care for patients, even after they leave the clinic

Oral pathology is often misdiagnosed or underdiagnosed due to lack of recognition of mouth abnormalities. Once recognized, abnormalities can be correctly charted. Take your charting to the next level! During this session, attendees will learn:

• How to recognize normal anatomy, as well as abnormal dental and oral pathology
• Proper treatment options for common pathologies
• American Veterinary Dental College (AVDC) abbreviations frequently used in charting

Anaerobic and an ideal microbial ecosystem, rumen is inhabited by dense populations of bacteria, archaea, protozoa, fungi, and phages. Bacteria are the most extensively investigated, and phages are the least. This session will discuss the following concepts:

• How culture-independent methods (Microbiome) have expanded available information on the microbial community composition
• Why cultivation and functional characterization of microbes identified by molecular methods remain a major challenge to rumen microbiologists

This session will review the following concepts:

• Anaerobic fermentation of organic material results in the production of volatile fatty acids and methane as major products.
• Rumen microbial cell protein, particularly bacterial cell protein, is the major source of protein to the ruminant.
• Methane is a major hydrogen utilizing products and accounts for 5 to 15 percent of digestible energy.
• Ruminal pH is a major factor affecting fermentation
• Ruminal epithelial function and integrity are critical for optimal ruminal fermentation

This session will review the following concepts:

• Ruminal acidosis and bloat continue to be major nutritional disorders of cattle
• Subacute acidosis caused by accumulation of VFA is more prevalent than acute acidosis that results from lactic acid accumulation
• Frothy bloat, either pasture bloat or feedlot bloat, results from complex interactions of animal, feed and microbial factors
• Rumenitis and liver abscesses are a major sequelae to ruminal acidosis
• Antimicrobial alternatives are being investigated to prevent or reduce ruminal digestive disorders

British doctor, bacteriologist, and homeopath Dr. Edward Bach believed that all physical problems were actually just physical manifestations of emotional problems or personality disorders, which he posited could be corrected through use of flower essences. This two-part session will explore how Dr. Bach's philosophy can be applied to veterinary medicine. The speaker will:

• Introduce the concept of Bach flower essences (BFEs)
• Explain Dr. Bach’s philosophy
• Describe how BFEs are produced and prescribed
• Explain how to formulate a BFE for a patient
• Discuss the indications for each flower essence
• Teach easy applications for the BFEs
• Review case examples of BFE use

Used for centuries, herbal simples are concentrated tonics made from a single plant. This two-part session will:

• Introduce attendees to the concept of an herbal simple
• Discuss a variety of specific herbal simples
• Explore the indications and easy applications for these herbs in clinical practice

Note: See Session 406 for the second half of this presentation.

“ITD” stands for “itching to death”—something that clients and their ever-itchy animals may worry is on the horizon if the underlying problem isn't found and treated. But the source of a patient's chronic itching may not be readily apparent, and clients may become emotionally and financially exhausted at some point during the process of finding answers. This two-part session will discuss:

• How to identify and, where possible, cure the underlying cause
• Why acute intervention is a must while pursuing diagnostics
• When chronic therapy may be required for many patients

When treating a patient with otitis extrema, one thing is for sure: If it is not food allergy, it is going to be very complicated and/or expensive to treat. In this session, attendees will learn about the three significant problems that must be addressed:

• Fibrosis: Perpetuating factor
• Infection: Likely resistant
• Underlying disease: Likely allergies

This presentation will highlight the updated information in the 2020 American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) Retrovirus Testing and Management Guidelines. After this presentation, attendees will understand:

• New information on pathogenesis of FeLV infection
• New testing and staging tools for cats infected with FeLV
• The most effective management strategies for cats infected with FeLV and FIV to ensure good quality of life
• Understand new testing strategy recommendations for both pet cats and cats in shelters

This presentation will cover the keys to successful management of blocked cats, including careful evaluation, the right equipment, and effective techniques, as well as some new concepts. During the session, attendees will:

• Learn how to recognize key features of the obstructed cat that are critical to case management
• Review the best types of equipment for working with the obstructed cat
• Learn new techniques to improve the success rate with obstructed cats

Do sneezing cats frustrate you? This lecture will cover the causes, diagnostic approach, and treatment strategies for cats with upper respiratory tract disease (URTD). During this session, attendees will learn

• The potential causes of URTD signs in cats
• A rational diagnostic approach to the cat with upper respiratory tract signs
• The most up-to-date and effective treatment strategies, including best practices for using antibiotics

Attendees will learn the evidence behind the use of video capsule endoscopy and how to apply this non-invasive technology in their practice.

This session will review various diagnostics used in the evaluation of GI disease and how to use these findings to help with a final diagnosis.

With the emergence of PCR technologies, testing for infectious diseases is easy and fast. But is it clinically relevant? In this session, the speaker will discuss various potential infectious causes of GI signs in dogs and cats and how to decide when to test and treat for these organisms.

Attendees will follow along with interactive, real-life canine cases from private clinical practice. The speaker will:

• Review scenarios to demonstrate the value of mentorship and colleagues
• Share scenarios that integrate primary care medical and surgical challenges in canine patients
• Discuss three primary objectives of client communication:
  • Explaining how the pet's health will improve
  • Demonstrating how they are getting their money's worth
  • Conveying that the practitioner truly cares

Attendees will follow along with interactive, real-life feline cases from private clinical practice. The speaker will share scenarios that demonstrate:

• Ethical, moral and legal aspects of veterinary practice
• Building confidence for new associate from the hospital team
• The value of morbidity and mortality rounds
• Integrating primary care medical and surgical challenges
• Communications challenges, with a focus on delivering bad news and discussing unexpected outcomes

Some pet owners ask really good questions on veterinary care goals. This session will share ways to discuss common wellness care challenges with clients, focusing on improving quality of life for the pet and the practice. Attendees will learn how to:

• Integrate regular nutrition histories to document overweight pets and ways to get the pet owner to ask for dietary advice
• Improve team understanding of life stage wellness and integrating phased-in metabolic screening as a pet ages
• Establish elective anesthesia time limits and protocols focused on short, staged procedures
• Integrate dentistry within the context of "sPAW" treatments and daycare visits

This session will cover:

• Well-managed practice inventory benchmarks
• How to determine why inventory costs are high
• Why the issue might be revenue versus spending
• Finding revenue growth opportunities in your practice

In this two-part session attendees will learn:

• How to value a veterinary practice
• Why profit matters in relation to value
• Planning now to prevent unhappy news later
• Tips for improving profit and improving value

At the end of this session, attendees will be able to:

• Understand the human healthcare burden of animal bites
• Provide immediate first aid, triage, and definitive treatment for individuals with a bite wound
• Understand laws and regulations involving animal bites
• Enable effective counseling to healthcare providers related to animal bites
• Provide education and preventive recommendations to pet owners and the general public

The field of comparative medicine has emerged as a promising means through which we can better understand health and disease outcomes in both animal and human populations. Companion dogs are a good candidate model for exploring aging and disease mechanisms in humans because they vary tremendously, not only in size, shape, and behavior, but also in how long they live and their causes of death. In addition, they share our environment, our disease burden, and our aging trajectory, and have a similarly sophisticated healthcare system. This session will discuss:

• How we can use dogs and the veterinary care system to discover factors that influence healthy aging in both dogs and humans
• How to use this information increase health and lifespan in both species

Immunosuppressed clients—particularly young, old, and pregnant people—have a higher risk of developing zoonotic infections, but they may also benefit from pet ownership. These dilemmas do not have a one-size-fits-all solution, so veterinary staff should be prepared to conduct a risk-benefit analysis with their clients. This session will cover essential considerations of such a risk-benefit analysis, including:

• Pet-related (e.g., species and age of the animal) and client-associated risks (e.g., immune status and understanding of animal behavior)
• Determining which species are best suited to each individual client, as well as safe sources and appropriate ages of pets
• Essential components of a veterinary exam for pets owned by immunosuppressed clients

This presentation will build upon the techniques taught in Session 229. The speaker will use photos and videos to demonstrate:

• Complete castration and spay surgeries for cats, puppies, and adult dogs
• Surgical techniques used in the abdominal cryptorchid patient
• Uterus unicornis and how to perform flank spays

Learn tools that will help you to save more young lives in your shelter.

Tools for developing a more successful foster program for your shelter

Clients have choices. The most successful veterinary practices realize that the client experience can impact long-term loyalty. So, why let customer service sit on the sidelines? In this session, attendees will discover:

• The rationale for providing extraordinary service
• Getting the veterinary team to deliver a consistent experience to every client every time
• Communication techniques for exceeding clients’ expectations
• Gain and maintain repeat clients—without giving away the store

Prepare for the challenges of being a leader without having to do it all and know it all! This session will help attendees understand and learn to deal with the challenges inherent in working with a diverse group of people. Discover little-known and under-utilized ways to build respect and rapport with all members of the veterinary team. The speaker will share how to:

• Evaluate your leadership style and how to continue to develop your skills
• Discover the best way to communicate your expectations and instructions
• Identify how to earn and then keep the respect of your team
• Discover simple ways to motivate and inspire your team to greatness

Now more than ever, a phone call is the first human contact—and the first impression—a client has with your practice. Is that first contact a good one? In this session, attendees will learn:

• Two proven techniques for making callers feel welcome from the outset
• Five basic strategies for handling a call efficiently
• Call transfer tricks that save time and energy
• “Phrustrating” phone phrases to avoid at all costs
• How to put on a happy phone "face," even when stressed and exhausted

This lecture will discuss fear-free handling concepts for capture and restraint of small mammals, birds, and reptiles in the veterinary hospital setting. Special handling considerations for ill animals and methods of sample collection will also be examined.

Veterinary technicians play a vital role in collecting husbandry information and educating owners on how to provide the best possible husbandry for their pets. This lecture will focus on optimizing husbandry practices for exotic companion pets.

This lecture will discuss anesthesia of common exotic companion animals. Differences between mammals, birds, and reptiles will be examined.

Educating clients on pet foods and nutrition requirements is more complicated than it sounds. This two-part session will discuss everything technicians need to know in order to make nutritional recommendations for each individual patient and answer owner questions. Attendees will leave with a thorough understanding of how to:

• Read and understand pet food labels
• Determine daily caloric requirements
• Calculate dry matter basis (DMB) to compare dry and canned foods
• Determine the number of carbohydrates and estimate the caloric content of pet foods
• Take a nutritional history
• Determine how much to feed, encourage patients to eat, and tackle food aversions

In this lecture, the speaker will offer recommendations for nutritional management of chronic kidney disease (CKD), based on the latest literature. Attendees will gain an understanding of:

• The importance of renal diets, as well as when and how to introduce them
• The importance of client education and tips for educating clients on renal diets
• How the appropriate nutritional support of the renal patient may slow the clinical signs of the disease and improve quality of life

During this session, attendees will learn:

• Why investing time in puppies is worth every moment
• How to tell if a puppy is having a positive visit
• How to create a positive environment
• Getting owners on board

During this session, attendees will learn:

• What normal puppy development looks like
• Which puppy behaviors are not normal
• The benefits of early intervention and treatment of puppy behavior concerns

During this session, attendees will learn:

• What normal kitten development looks like
• Which kitten behaviors are not normal
• The benefits of early intervention and treatment of kitten behavior concerns

After this session, attendees will:

• Understand basic characteristics of coronaviruses (CoVs)
• Appreciate the diversity of CoVs and their ecology, host reservoirs, and the mechanisms and impact of interspecies transmission to humans and animals
• Gain a comparative perspective of the spread of respiratory CoV infections and the spectrum of disease in livestock as related to COVID-19 in humans
• Identify the gaps in our understanding of CoVs and CoV vaccines as related to COVID-19

This session will summarize new information regarding infectious bovine keratoconjunctivitis (IBK) etiologic agents, prevention, and treatment.

This session will provide updates regarding cattle vaccines and vaccination protocols.

Used for centuries, herbal simples are concentrated tonics made from a single plant. This two-part session will:

• Introduce attendees to the concept of an herbal simple
• Discuss a variety of specific herbal simples
• Explore the indications and easy applications for these herbs in clinical practice

Note: See Session 305 for the first half of this presentation.

This two-part lecture will explore many of the medicines that bees provide. Attendees will:

• Gain an understanding of honeybees and their importance
• Explore the myriad products produced by bees
• Learn about three well-researched medical uses of honey, propolis, royal jelly, pollen, and bee venom

Anemia may either be acute and life threatening or chronic, leading to diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. This lecture will:

• Focus on the evaluation and diagnosis of the anemic patient in the ER
• Review common causes for anemia
• Explore diagnostic approaches for source identification
• Discuss life-saving therapy, including intravenous fluid therapy options and blood products

Keys to success with cardiac emergencies include rapid diagnosis and treatment, so veterinarians should be prepared to manage cardiac emergencies, both in private practice and in the emergency room. This lecture will review:

• Common cardiovascular emergencies in the E.R., including congestive heart failure, pericardial effusion, and ventricular tachycardia
• Treatment options, including supplemental oxygen and targeted treatment, potentially including diuresis and/or thoracocentesis

Canine parvovirus is a debilitating and potentially fatal disease. With the right mindset, however, we can prevent and treat it. This lecture will discuss the acute management and treatment of the parvovirus patient focusing on fluid therapy, nutritional support, and important supportive care.

Lung abnormalities on radiographs can be very challenging. To interpret the lungs, one can learn how every disease affects the lungs—or they can learn the pulmonary patterns and use these patterns to develop a ranked list of disease that cause them. This session will:

• Review pulmonary patterns
• Explain how to develop a prioritized list of diseases that cause a particular pulmonary pattern
• Use case material to allow attendees to practice the techniques learned

Determining the organ of origin is the first step in making a list of differential diagnoses for an abdominal mass. The location of the masses within the abdomen and the way the mass displaces adjacent structures helps determine the organ of origin. This session will:

• Review what organs live in that part of the abdomen
• Explore what could cause a mass in those organs
• Use case material to reinforce the concepts presented

Radiography is commonly used to evaluate cardiac disease, and determining whether the cardiac silhouette is normal or abnormal is key. This lecture will:

• Review the clock-face analogy for determining cardiac anatomy
• Explain if and when the vertebral heart scale (VHS) is useful
• Use case material to reinforce the concepts presented

Lower urinary tract signs don’t always mean infection. In this session, attendees will learn:

• How to rule out UTI as the cause
• Other types of urinary tract disease that lead to lower urinary tract signs
• Available diagnostics beyond a urinalysis and culture

The syndrome of functional urethral obstruction and overflow incontinence is becoming more recognized by veterinarians. In this session, attendees will learn:

• How to recognize and diagnose functional obstruction
• Potential medical therapies for obstruction
• Client-centered management of these dogs

Ureteral obstruction in cats is becoming more recognized and potentially more common. This session will discuss:

• How to recognize and diagnose ureteral obstruction in cats, both chronically and emergently
• When to opt or refer for surgical management over medical management
• Recent advances and information on outcomes for cats with ureteral bypass systems

During this two-part session, attendees will learn about:

• Expense and revenue targets in a well-managed practice (WellMP)
• What to do if your practice is not in line with WellMP benchmarks
• Specific steps to take to grow and improve

This session will discuss:

• Key objectives behind modifying the fee schedule
• Pricing strategies that WellMP utilize
• Identifying what's important to consumers

Since its discovery in New Jersey in 2017, the Asian longhorned tick (Haemaphysalis longicornis) has spread to 15 states and been found on many domestic, livestock, and wild animals. This tick can reproduce explosively, creating populations that may feed until its host’s death by exsanguination. It has also been found to be a vector of cow theileriosis (Theileria orientalis Ikeda) in areas where both the pathogen and tick exist. This 30-minute session will share updates on the parasite's spread across the U.S. in 2021.

Ixodes scapularis, also known as blacklegged ticks or deer ticks, are vectors of Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, babesiosis, and Powassan virus. Over the past 10 years, their population has quickly spread across Ohio, giving rise to a sharp increase in the number of reported Lyme disease cases. This 30-minute presentation will discuss the Ohio Department of Health's tick surveillance program, detail the distribution of blacklegged ticks, and summarize the pathogens that have been detected.

This session will:

• Review the pathogenesis, therapeutic approach and clinical epidemiology of Staphylococcus spp., Enterococcus spp., E. coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa from small animals
• Describe the common mechanisms of antibiotic resistance among common companion animal pathogens
• Explain how to generate diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to managing resistant Gram-positive infections

This session will:

• Provide an overview of the most current methods available for the identification and characterization of bacterial agents of disease in veterinary medicine
• Discuss conventional biochemical identification methods
• Compare these methods with mass spectroscopic (MALDITof) and molecular diagnostic approaches such as PCR, DNA sequencing, and shotgun metagenomics
• Identify cases in which communication with laboratories about their diagnostic approach can be optimized

Using two different animal shelters as examples, the speaker will explain the diagnosis, treatment, management,and prevention of upper respiratory disease in shelters that house cats. Significant breakthroughs in managing URI have happened in the last several years; is your shelter’s practice up to date?

Respiratory disease in shelter dogs can be challenging for a number of reasons: Overcrowding, aerosolized infectious particles, novel pathogens, excitable barking, transports, etc. In this session, attendees will learn the latest tips and tricks to:

• Manage the shelter population
• Set dogs up for success
• Prevent outbreaks even when the exact cause is not apparent

In veteterinary or vet tech school, you may have acquired the reflex of ordering CBC/Chem/UA for every ill patient—but most shelters don’t have the resources to do that. What basic diagnostic tests should shelters have at their disposal, and how can they be used most effectively and efficiently? This lecture will cover the investigation of a variety of diseases through the lens of population benefit and cost efficiency.

With animal services increasingly identified as essential by communities and local governments, those who lead and work at shelters need to be prepared to operate regardless of the scope of the crisis at hand. While COVID-19 has presented a most unique set of challenges, animal shelters across the country have long navigated crises and have used those experiences to improve their operations. Ensuring lives are saved when faced with complex and previously unexperienced circumstances all point to one key ingredient for success: A mindset focused on growth. In this session, attendees will hear examples of various shelter responses and the mindset that kept those teams running.

Hearing that drugs used routinely in the perioperative period are out of stock, backordered, on allocation, or in short supply is frustrating, but not uncommon. You may end up spending a lot of time looking for alternate distributors or substitute drugs. This session will discuss:

• Why these shortages occur (e.g. hurricanes, earthquakes, global supply chains)
• Why the shortages have become worse since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic
• How to stay one step ahead of shortages so normal operations can continue
• Where to find alerts for potential shortages
• Which veterinary drugs are most likely to have a secure and reliable supply chain
• How to pivot to another drug when the source of one dries up

Animal shelters have long worked to solve the problem of pets in need by taking them from one family and fostering or adopting them out to another. Wrapped up in this model is a whole host of judgement, shame, blame, and problems that weren’t getting fixed. While a new model of sheltering—one that is focused on resolving the problem that caused the separation rather than immediately resorting to separating owners from their pets—began building support 20 years ago, this approach is now taking solid hold and bringing funding, research, and collaboration with it. This session will explore how:

• Whether you are a rescue volunteer or a public health leader, your experience and perspective can play a valuable part in informing this type of work in your own community.
• Veterinarians, veterinary technicians, and staff in all types of shelters and practices can be key players in this positive movement that relies on listening and flexibility at its core.

Veterinary medicine is in a time of expansive growth and advancement for its technicians and nurses. For professionals who want a career outside of the typical hospital setting, there are more paths than ever to utilize your talents. This session will:

• Discuss alternative routes to professional fulfillment
• Increase earning potential
• Gain insight needed to start a business, work as a consultant, and more

Compassion fatigue is finally getting the attention it desperately needs. During this panel discussion, attendees will:

• Learn more than just the signs and symptoms of compassion fatigue
• Hear veterinary professionals' stories and struggles
• Explore effective strategies to deal with the elephant in the room

Cooperative care involves training an animal not only to tolerate handling and husbandry procedures, but to be an active, willing participant in these experiences. Teaching cooperative care (husbandry) behaviors will help you and the cats you work with have a wonderful, low-stress working partnership! In this lecture, attendees will:

• Identify and assess body language in cats
• Explore the benefits of cooperative care for cats
• Become familiar with the tools and skills involved in training
• Learn how to get started teaching cooperative care

A number of companies currently use facial recognition software to recognize parasites. The technology is rapidly improving as the machines learn to recognize more specimens, and veterinary practices are increasingly implementing use of the technology. Attendees in this session will learn about the science behind facial recognition and some of the products available to the veterinary profession.

This interactive session will review a variety of large- and small-animal cases, from simple to complex. The speaker will follow each case presentation by explaining possible confounders and how they can be differentiated or ruled out, and attendees will have the opportunity to choose potential diagnoses.

Not only do laboratory facilities house large numbers of rodents, rabbits, and hedgehogs, but these animals are growing in popularity among pet owners. Technicians are a crucial part of these animals' care in both research and private practice settings, and consequently, a knowledge of the parasites commonly seen in these animals is essential. This session will review the parasites frequently found in these laboratory animals and pocket pets, as well as their life cycles.

Creating a successful visit for our feline patients requires a holistic approach. In this session, we’ll review the following components needed for successful visits:

• Setting up a welcoming environment
• How to assess stress level at the office
• Handling felines for exams and procedures
• The role of medication and options for feline visits

Hissing in cats is a common behavior, but at what point does it become a problem? In the first half of this two-part session, attendees will learn how to:

• Identify and interpret body language signs and communication between cats
• Use these cues to determine the relationships between cats in multi-cat households
• Help owners spot and document the relationships between their cats

Like many feline behaviors, inter-cat aggression can often be mystifying to owners. In the second part of this series, we will cover:

• Questions to ask owners and information to gather that will help you fully assess cases of inter-cat aggression
• Taking into account resources, territory, and personalities when creating a successful treatment plan
• Medication considerations for inter-cat aggression

This session will cover:

• Preparing for success
• Choosing your technique and plan
• Maximizing success
• Understanding and dealing with complications

This session will cover:

• Maximizing the physical exam and history
• Working up the noisy horse
• Noise versus exercise intolerance
• When to refer to a specialist
• What can be done to treat noisy airways in horses

This session will cover:

• Equine sarcoids
• Equine melanomas
• Equine squamous cell carcinoma

The first hour of this two-part session will discuss basic husbandry and health recommendations for swine. Topics to be covered include:

• Recommendations for facility design, husbandry techniques, vaccination protocols, and parasite control programs
• Special considerations for backyard and potbellied pigs

The second half of this two-part session will focus on common diseases affecting swine and available treatment options. Topics to be addressed will include:

• Diagnostic techniques, including oral fluid collection, venipuncture, and necropsy
• Special considerations for backyard and potbellied pigs

Backyard poultry is gaining popularity in America for many reasons, increasing the need for veterinary care in this field. Prepare for this growing demand by learning basics of poultry medicine! In this lecture, participants will learn:

• Common handling techniques
• How to conduct a physical exam
• Diagnostic collection techniques
• Basic poultry husbandry

Periodontal disease is the most commonly diagnosed disease in veterinary practice. Diagnosis, intervention and prevention can have a tremendous impact on short-term quality of life and long-term prevention of pain. Following this lecture, attendees will be able to:

• Recognize and describe the different hand instruments for managing periodontal disease
• Describe the correct indications for root planing and subgingival curettage as appropriate
• Compare and contrast between open versus closed root planing
• Describe the appropriate indications and application for locally acting antimicrobials
• Describe guided tissue regeneration and how it is performed

Painful dental conditions are commonplace in practice. Managing the oral surgery patient's pain not only improves your patient's blood pressure, but also your technician's! In this session, pain management techniques for dentistry patients will be discussed to allow you to send most of them home more comfortable than they came in. After this lecture, attendees will be able to:

• Describe local block locations
• Perform local anesthetic blocks to benefit patient outcomes
• Describe the safe and effective use of analgesic and anesthetic drugs for dentistry patients
• Describe how local block effects can be extended
• Compare and contrast the effects of chronic oral pain on patient wellbeing

Complications when performing surgical extractions are inevitable. Recognizing challenges and complications before they happen can sometimes make the difference between a straightforward extraction and a surgical expedition.This session will focus on identifying challenges and creating treatment strategies. After this session, attendees will be able to:

• List modifications for surgical flaps for dealing with oronasal fistulas
• Define techniques for creatively approaching extraction of multi-rooted or curved roots
• Describe how to utilize radiographic findings to create extraction treatment strategies
• Define surgical strategies for dealing with retained root tips

Abdominal ultrasound is an important diagnostic tool. When first learning how to perform an abdominal ultrasound examination, scanning the entire abdomen is a daunting task. Focusing on the urinary tract is a good starting point for the novice ultrasongrapher, because the structures are relatively easy to find. This session will:

• Descrive how to scan kidneys and the urinary bladder
• Review normal anatomy
• Present common urinary tract abnormalities

Immature bones are challenging to interpret, because the open physes make it look the animal has many more bones than expected. Additionally, some bone diseases are more common in immature animals. This session will:

• Show attendees how to determine whether radiolucent lines are truly physes
• Review the common orthopedic diseases of young animals
• Use case material to practice the concepts learned

When interpreting radiographs, practitioners may find that some radiographic signs are related to disease present in a part of the body that is not included on the current radiographic study. This session will:

• Explain how to determine what should be imaged next
• Review disease processes that are related to multiple body systems/parts
• Present case material for attendees to practice the concepts learned

The 2019 AAHA Canine Life Stage Guidelines advocates for large and giant breed male dogs to be castrated between 9 and 15 months of age. This session will examine the current status of this debate and share an evidence-based review of journal articles covering:

• Breed, size, and sex differences in dogs
• Joint concerns with hips, elbows, and stifles with early neutering
• Cancer concerns ranging from mammary, prostate, and transitional cell carcinoma to lymphoma, mast cell tumors, osteosarcoma, and hemangiosarcoma

Can you dose a collie puppy with ivermectin at label doses? What about a sheltie or corgi puppy? When can you send home a full box of adult-size heartworm preventives for a puppy and still remain “on label”? This session will examine common puppy and kitten drugs and practical math related to:

• MDR1 or ABCB gene dogs and their threshold for avermectins
• Antibiotics including metronidazole and its neurotoxicity
• Drug concerns with dehydrated patients or those with developing renal or hepatic status
• Behavior drugs of value in pediatric patients

The pediatric veterinary exam remains the foundation of veterinary wellness care and establishes a baseline for current and future visits. Exam focus areas should include the most common congenital findings, so we don’t miss the typical while searching for the extraordinary. This session will cover body system focus areas, including:

• Listening at the point of maximum intensity for puppies contrasted to kittens
• Adnexal eye conditions anyone can see
• The importance of stifle palpation in both kittens and dogs
• Integrating the veterinary nursing team with cryptorchidism, hip, and hernia assessment during prep for elective neutering and/or the first dental cleaning

The benefits and limitations for performance of the complete urinalysis will be compared between results generated in-house and those sent to a reference laboratory. Automated methods for in-house urine microscopy will be introduced and compared to results obtained by manual microscopy. This session will be visually rich, featuring identification of red and white blood cells, epithelial cells, casts, bacteria, and crystals in urinary sediment. Attendees will leave knowing how to:

• Explain the benefits of performing urinalysis on fresh warm urine
• Set up urine sediment for manual urinary microscopy
• Identify abnormal elements in urinary sediment
• Describe how crystals are often an artifact of urine storage and cooling
• Determine how automated microscopy fits into a particular private practice

This session will detail the ability of a renal index to predict a future diagnosis of chronic kidney disease (CKD) by analyzing commonly collected laboratory parameters. Symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA) and serum creatinine will be compared and contrasted, with the goal of optimizin the diagnosis of CKD and then assigning a more relevant International Renal Interest Society (IRIS) CKD stage. Attendees will learn how to:

• Distinguish between prediction of a future CKD diagnosis and making a current CKD diagnosis
• Analyze common urine and serum chemistry data to establish an earlier CKD diagnosis
• Assign an IRIS CKD stage based on serum creatinine, SDMA, or both

The combination of a diet lower in phosphorus content with an intestinal phosphate binder (e.g., aluminum, calcium, lanthanum salts) is often necessary to achieve the optimal targeted level of less than 4.5 mg/dL serum phosphate. This session will detail how to dampen the renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system (RAAS) with an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) to mitigate glomerular proteinuria and to provide renoprotection. The potential for calcitriol treatment to lessen parathyroid hormone (PTH) synthesis and to provide renoprotection will also be covered. After this session, attendees will be able to:

• Prescribe and implement a treatment plan to achieve a targeted level of serum phosphorus
• Prescribe RAAS inhibition with ACE-I or ARB in order to mitigate renal proteinuria
• Prescribe calcitriol treatment during CKD in order to decrease levels of circulating PTH and to provide Vitamin D receptor stimulation

This session will help attendees:

• Understand the major economic opportunities and challenges confronting veterinary medicine and how they relate to veterinary practice management
• Learn practice approaches toward creating demand for veterinary services and developing a client relationship
• Build a comprehension of how to enhance productivity and efficiency within a veterinary practice and improve economic performance
• Generate a better appreciation for the human resource and management challenges within a veterinary practice and how to improve leadership and relationship with teams and staff

This session will explore conditions and issues that generally cause shelter animals to be labeled "difficult to place" and why they complicate the adoption process. The speaker will share a variety success stories for animals dubbed "DTPs" for medical, behavior, age, breed, species, and other reasons.

The key to finding homes for "difficult to place" (DTP) animals is really seeing each case as an individual. This session will explore creative options for DTPs in shelters, including how to choose your candidates, marketing efforts, creation of specialty placement programs, and working with partners to save more lives through collaboration.

This session will explore solutions for modifying behavior of shelter dogs. Attendees will:

• Review learning theory concepts
• Learn how to prevent and manage normal but nuisance behaviors
• Prioritize what behaviors you want to chance
• Create a behavior modification plan for all skill levels

Urolithiasis is one of the most confounding issues of male sheep and goats, but there is information relative to approach medical and surgical management available. This presentation will address: the nutritional issues associated with risk, as well as how to identify and approach preventive feeding to minimize potential for urinary calculi in small ruminants.

Copper is an essential trace mineral, yet it seems to be misunderstood in the small ruminant nutritional field. The double-edged sword of copper nutrition is the risks for toxicity (especially in sheep) and for deficiency due to many dietary-animal interactions. This presentation will provide participants with detailed information on copper nutrition in sheep and goats relative to feeding, diagnostics, therapeutic supplementation, and disease prevention.

This talk will highlight recent work and strategies for diagnosis, treatment, and control of small ruminant gastrointestinal parasites.

In this fast-paced, busy world of healthcare, employees are efficient at processing people. Employees check patients in and get them ready for their appointment with lightning speed. However, the part that’s missing—the part that is the most meaningful to the patient—is the compassion component. When patients feel cared for, they are more tolerant, flexible, reasonable, and understanding when problems arise, not to mention they are less likely to file lawsuits. And the best news of all is that expressing empathy and compassion doesn’t take a lot of time. What it does take, however, is being present with every patient every time to create an extraordinary and memorable experience. In this session, attendees will:

• Learn the definitions of empathy, sympathy and compassion
• Review typical objections to empathy
• Discover their personality styles and how to connect with each patient’s unique personality type
• Adopt tools to use empathy in your daily routine

Delivering exceptional service when people are nice is easy; it's a completely different story when the customer is demanding, unreasonable, or confrontational. But studies have shown that when a difficult customer is dealt with quickly and efficiently, 90 percent of them become loyal and raving fans. How do you avoid imminent conflict and control your triggers during these stressful situations? This session will help you take complex solutions and boil them down to simple, measurable, and effective actions. Participants will learn:

• Who benefits from dealing effectively with difficult customers
• How their personalities and attitudes can affect the outcome of a disagreement
• To recognize their own triggers
• Fast and easy strategies to control them
• Graceful “exit” lines to retain respect and credibility
• How to turn a complaint into an opportunity

All of us have experienced unwanted emotions at work. While having emotions is normal, it is what we do with them that can lead to problems in our relationships, productivity, and overall wellbeing. This session will teach attendees a systematic process for developing emotional self-control, allowing for a more disciplined approach to making choices and life in general. The speaker will discuss how to:

• Identify and control emotional hot buttons
• Stop getting worked up over little things
• Stay centered in pressure situations
• Stop avoiding conflict
• Gracefully exit a stressful situation
• Blow off steam, safely and effectively

In most patients, peripheral IV access is adequate for administration of medications and fluids, but sometimes, a central line is the best option for IV access. In this lecture, participants will:

• Learn how to chose the appropriate central line and insertion site based on the diagnosis of the patient and overall clinical picture
• Learn everyday maintenance and care of central lines
• Understand common complications and how to prevent and recognize them

The role of the critical care technician in the assessment and management of severe sepsis is significant and can greatly improve outcomes for the patient with this disease. In this lecture, participants will:

• Become familiar with measures to prevent sepsis through infection control practices and general nursing care
• Identify patients at risk for the disease, and learn to monitor these patients for the clinical signs of sepsis
• Detect developing organ dysfunction as a manifestation of severe sepsis

This lecture will discuss the technology of high-flow oxygen delivery as an alternative to mechanical ventilation. Lecure participants will learn:

• Indications for therapy and case selection
• Nursing care of the patient receiving high-flow oxygen therapy
• Set-up of equipment, selection of cannulas and trouble-shooting the machine