When you register for VMX 2021—for either VMX Live (in-person) or VMX Virtual—you will be able to access all the OnDemand sessions, which are recorded, RACE-approved continuing education (CE) presentations. This virtual learning opportunity allows you to learn at a pace that suits your schedule (including the ability to pause and rewind as often as you like), easily connect with some of the industry’s leading experts, and earn CE by answering quiz questions at the end of the recording (with unlimited retakes to obtain a passing score). Registrants will be able to access these sessions 24/7 from the start of VMX, June 5, until Sept. 3, 2021. Veterinary students can sign up for free access. Here are just a few of the informative presentations available at navc.com/vmx/virtual/program.
Grassroots Advocacy 101
Speakers: Brandon Fuller, JD, Congressman Kurt Schrader, DVM, Kent McClure, DVM, JD
Every day, policymakers at the local, state, and federal level make decisions that could impact the veterinary community, pets, and pet owners, with little understanding of how these decisions might affect veterinary medicine. The NAVC’s Embrace advocacy initiative seeks to educate and promote citizen-based activism, which brings you to the forefront of these important animal health issues. Join us in the effort to inform policy from an educated medical position so decisions at the local, state, and federal level are made with the profession’s best interest in mind. As issues like telemedicine, taxes on veterinary services, and staff shortages are debated, Embrace will ask advocates to help inform the direction these bills should take.
Advancing Diagnostic Options for Chronic Enteropathies in Dogs
Speaker: Jacqueline Johnson, BVM&S, MS, DABVP (Canine/Feline), CVPP, CCRP
This presentation explores advances in serum-based diagnostic testing options for chronic enteropathies and inflammatory bowel disease in dogs. Attendees will learn about the role of antibody-based diagnostics in human and canine gastrointestinal testing.
Feline CKD: Don’t Wait for Weight Loss
Speaker: Audrey Cook, BVM&S, DACVIM
This session focuses on the processes that regulate food intake and how these mechanisms are impacted by chronic kidney disease.
Antimicrobial Resistance and the Dosing Regimen: Why the MIC Is the Key
Speaker: Dawn Boothe, DVM, MS, PhD, DACVIM, DACVCP
Understanding what culture and susceptibility says—and does not say—is paramount to its use in not only choosing a drug but in designing a dosing regimen. This seminar session explains the numbers and addresses how the information might be used to minimize the advent of antimicrobial resistance while enhancing therapeutic success.
Liver La Vida Loca: Diagnosis and Management of Chronic Hepatic Disease in Dogs
Speaker: Jörg Steiner, med.vet., Dr.med.vet., PhD, DACVIM, DECVIM-CA, AGAF
Many dogs with chronic liver disease are subclinical or have only subtle and nonspecific clinical signs. Various chronic liver diseases in dogs are described based on case examples. Emphasis is placed on differentiation between these diseases and rational management options.
Beta-Glucans and the Immune System: What Does the Evidence Show?
Speaker: Tracy Webb, DVM, PhD
β-glucans, natural polysaccharides, have been the focus of significant research owing to their ability to modulate the immune response and potentially affect health outcomes in humans and animals. This lecture will discuss beta-glucans and review some of the literature regarding disease prevention and treatment applications that are being investigated in people and animals, from vaccine response to anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and anti-tumor applications and many more.
Insulin Therapy in Diabetic Dogs and Cats: How to Avoid Common Treatment Errors
Speaker: J. Catharine Scott-Moncrieff, VetMB, MA, MS
This presentation reviews the common treatment errors in management of diabetic dogs and cats and how to avoid them.
Rehabilitation of the Neurological Patient
Speaker: Deirdre Chiaramonte, DVM, DACVIM, CCRT, CVA
Learn about the new histological classification scheme of intervertebral disc disease. The presentation also explores research updates and treatment modalities for intervertebral disc disease.
Hyperbaric Oxygen and Rehabilitation: Results From a Retrospective Analysis
Speaker: Christina Montalbano, VMD, BS
This lecture discusses the basics of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), including relevant gas laws, its mechanism of action, adverse effects, indications, and contraindications. HBOT’s use in rehabilitation is discussed with data from a retrospective analysis performed at the University of Florida Small Animal Hospital, with its potential for use focusing primarily on the neurologic rehabilitation patient.
Challenging Otitis: How to Conquer Those Tough Cases
Speaker: Joel Griffies, DVM, DACVD
To help clinicians become more successful in managing challenging otitis cases, this session outlines a practical approach to treatment and key points to consider.
The Aging Dog: Developing a Rehabilitation Plan
Speaker: Janice Huntingford, DVM, DACVSMR, CVA, CVPP, CCRT, CAVCA
Many conditions in geriatric patients are amenable to and are improved by rehabilitation techniques. This presentation provides an overview of treatment of these special patients using techniques that are available to most small animal practitioners.
The Diagnosis and Management of Acute Heart Failure and the Transition to Post-Acute Care
Speaker: Kristin MacDonald, DVM, PhD, DACVIM (Cardiology)
Acute heart failure can be a sequela to severe heart disease. It is a life-threatening problem that veterinarians are challenged to tackle in managing these patients. Diagnosis and treatment of acute backward and low output heart failure are discussed, followed by transition to post-acute care management. Once heart failure progresses to refractory stage D, adjustments to medical management and transitioning to torasemide are also addressed.
Managing Cats with Complicated Endocrine Diseases
Speaker: Cynthia Ward, VMD, PhD, DACVIM (SAIM)
The medical approach to feline patients with endocrine disease complicated by concurrent conditions is discussed in this presentation. Diagnostic testing and therapeutic approaches are also explored.
Getting the Bad Out: Appropriate and Effective GI Decontamination in Dogs and Cats
Speaker: Ahna Brutlag, DVM, MS, DABT, DABVT
Gastrointestinal decontamination is often the first treatment following ingestion of a toxic substance. To ensure the best outcome for the patient, both the timing and methodologies of decontamination are critical. The session discusses appropriate decontamination tactics and timeframes, guidelines for recommending at-home emesis, the differences between charcoal and non-charcoal adsorbents, and the risks of and contraindications for emesis and charcoal.
How to Recommend the Best Supplements to Your Clients
Speaker: Donna Raditic, DVM, CVA, DACVN
Surveys have revealed that clients want veterinarians to recommend supplements for their pets. Learn about the pet supplement market and how to select and recommend safe veterinary supplements.
Fear Free Dermatology: Exams That Won’t Make Your Patients’ Skin Crawl
Speaker: Brittany Lancellotti, DVM, DACVD
Many small animal dermatology patients require long-term treatment for chronic diseases. The patient’s fear of the veterinarian and the client’s perception of distress during exams are barriers to clinical success, impeding the clinician’s ability to evaluate lesions during difficult exams and creating a lack of exams when clients forgo recheck visits. Learn techniques for maximizing your dermatologic and otoscopic exams and procedures while minimizing the anxiety level of patients, clients, and staff alike.
CBD and Research: Informing Clinical Best Practices
Speaker: Joseph J. Wakshlag, DVM, PhD, DACVN, DACVSMR
Though there has been increased interest in and availability of cannabidiol (CBD) products and other products derived from cannabis, the veterinary community has a limited understanding of the safety profile of CBD and many other cannabis-derived compounds. Learn about the research that can inform clinical best practices.
Zen and the Art of Periodontal Maintenance: Bringing Calm Back Into Your Dental Practice
Speakers: Brook Niemiec, DVM, DAVDC, and Kymberley McLeod, DVM
Based on the newest information on the causes of periodontal disease, this presentation discusses the proper techniques to treat the disease, including professional dental cleaning, effective means of homecare, periodontal surgery, and extraction. The techniques demonstrated in the lecture present the benefits of minimally invasive surgery. Learn how low-stress handling can improve the patient and client experience and may just improve outcome. Medical and nutraceutical options to decrease anxiety in patients are also addressed.