VETgirl Veterinary Continuing Education Podcasts

In this VETgirl online veterinary continuing education podcast, Dr. Justine Lee, DACVECC, DABT and Dr. Garret Pachtinger, DACVECC review the role of a veterinary criticalist in your veterinary hospital. Whether you're an emergency critical care resident about to apply for jobs for the first time, or you're a veteran board-certified veterinary criticalist, find out what roles we have in the veterinary community.

In today's VETgirl online veterinary continuing education podcast, we review tracheal collapse. Tracheal collapse is found in smaller breed dogs, especially Yorkshire terriers, miniature poodles and Pugs and presents as airway obstruction with the classic “goose honking” cough. Possible contributing factors include:

In this VETgirl online veterinary continuing education podcast sponsored by Aventix, Dr. Shelby Reinstein discusses why it is not just "bull" that brachycephalic dogs have more challenging eye conditions!

In today's VETgirl online veterinary continuing education podcast, we review the use of enoxaparin, a low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) in dogs with primary immune-mediated hemolytic anemia (IMHA). Do you see a lot of dogs with primary IMHA in your practice? Do you have an anticoagulation protocol that you like to use in treating them? Does it involve aspirin? Clopidogrel? Unfractionated heparin? What about LMWH?

In today's VETgirl online veterinary continuing education podcast, we interview Dr. Karen Bradley, who is one of the founders and former President of the Women’s Veterinary Leadership Development Initiative (WVLDI). Their goal? To support women in seeking and achieving leadership, policy, and decision-making positions within all areas of professional veterinary activity. Check out some of their great resources here. For more information, check out their website here and their Facebook group here.

In today's VETgirl online veterinary continuing education podcast, we discuss treatment for immune-mediated thrombocytopenia (ITP) in dogs. Have you treated a patient with primary ITP? Did you use steroids alone, or did you try combination therapy with vincristine or human intravenous immunoglobulin (hIVIG)? Well, while treatment with immunosuppressive doses of glucocorticoids is the initial treatment of choice, and most patients will have platelet recovery within 1-15 days of starting treatment, adding treatment with vincristine or hIVIG has been shown to shorten platelet recovery time. In some peer-reviewed, scientific veterinary prospective studies, dogs with severe ITP treated with prednisone alone versus prednisone and vincristine, or prednisone alone versus prednisone and hIVIG, both combination therapies resulted in faster increases in platelet numbers and shorter durations of hospitalization. To date, though, there haven’t been any studies looking at the efficacy of vincristine versus hIVIG as adjunctive treatments. This is important because hIVIG is much more expensive, and giving it to your patient is more time consuming and challenging that giving vincristine.

In today's VETgirl online veterinary continuing education podcast, we discuss the appropriate use of antibiotics for dogs with septic peritonitis. In patients with sepsis, early antimicrobial therapy is one of the cornerstones of treatment, along with resuscitation and source control. In human medicine, a landmark study of patients with septic shock revealed that for every one hour delay in antibiotic administration for the first six hours after presentation, mortality increased by 7.6%!(1) In critically ill, septic patients, antibiotics should be started before culture and sensitivity results are generally available, right? Well, the questions remain in both human and veterinary medicine about how we should choose those antibiotics, and whether or not our choices matter.

In today's VETgirl online veterinary continuing education podcast, we discuss diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). Do you see cats with DKA in your practice? Does DKA really stand for "Diabetes Kills Animals?" (No.) What do you usually tell owners about their prognosis and what do you base that information on? While we know that DKA is a complicated form of diabetes mellitus (DM) and we often tell owners that it usually happens due to some other complicating concurrent disease or condition, we don’t actually know a lot about those diseases or conditions, and whether or not they contribute to the patient's outcome.

Thank you for visiting this VETgirl podcast page! While our veterinary podcasts are available to everyone for free, only VETgirl ELITE members can get CE credit for listening, plus access to the transcript of the podcast (where applicable). VETgirl ELITE members also receive 100+ hours of RACE-approved, online veterinary CE/year in the form of webinars (including small animal, large animal, veterinary technician, and leadership), "how to" videos and Real Life Rounds when you have time. VETgirl ELITE members also have access to our VETgirl forum where you can interact with colleagues and specialists and get clinical support and tips!Sponsored By: Merck Animal Health

Have a dog presenting to you with abdominal pain and vomiting? In today's VETgirl online veterinary continuing education podcast, we discuss the diagnostic accuracy of canine pancreatitis tests. Specific tests that are often used to test for canine pancreatitis are the Spec cPL and the SNAP cPL test; however, these tests must be interpreted carefully.

In today's VETgirl online veterinary continuing education podcast, we interview Dr. Nyssa Reine-Salz, DACVIM, a board-certified veterinary specialist in internal medicine. She is an internal medicine consultant for Merck Animal Health, and an endocrinologist who consults on complicated diabetes mellitus cases. In this podcast, we review the common mistakes to avoid in management of diabetes mellitus in your canine and feline patients.Sponsored By: Merck Animal Health

This was a cross-sectional study, and 43 dogs with CVHD were categorized according to the ACVIM Consensus Statement into specific stages (e.g., B1, B2, C, or D). The dogs in stage C and D were combined as one heart failure group. Stage B1 had 14 dogs, B2 had 17 dogs, and the heart failure C/D group had 12 dogs overall. Several of these dogs were on medications at the time of diagnosis. In the B1 group, 2 dogs were on ACEI; in the B2 group, 7 dogs were on ACEI, while 2 dogs were on spironolactone; and in the C/D group, a wide variety of CHF medications were used including ACEI, pimobendan, loop diuretics, spironolactone, digoxin, nitrates, and beta-blockers. All of these dogs had an echocardiogram performed and serum samples drawn on the same day. Serum BUN, creatinine, phosphorus, and total calcium were measured in addition to 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations. Exclusion criteria included any systemic disease that might impact vitamin D metabolism, or any other form of documented heart disease.

In today's VETgirl online veterinary continuing education podcast, we discuss clinical findings and survival in cats with feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV). Is it a death sentence?

In today's VETgirl online veterinary continuing education podcast, we interview Heather Prendergast and Ken Yagi, both veterinary technician extraordinaires, on the terminology of "veterinary technician" versus "veterinary nurse." First, what's the difference, and why is there so much push back from the human nursing community on this? Learn all about the current credentialing and standardization (which varies state by state) that is currently being reviewed. NAVTA is currently working with several organizations (such as AVMA) to create an updated national credentialing and standardization. Check out the results of a veterinary technician survey that was originally released by NAVTA here. More importantly, during National Veterinary Technician Week, what better way to support your right-hand-veterinary-technician-extraordinaire-staff by supporting this movement?

In today's VETgirl veterinary continuing education podcast, we review the use of certain sedatives such as dexmedetomidine on cardiac function (based on echocardiography) in dogs. We know that alpha-2 agonist sedatives provide dose-dependent sedation by reducing the central nervous system’s sympathetic outflow. The alpha agonist properties of these drugs also have significant cardiovascular effects - specifically vasoconstriction - which results in an increase in vascular resistance and potential for reflex bradycardia. Dexmedetomidine, a readily available alpha-2 agonist in veterinary medicine, has been documented to cause bradycardia, systemic hypertension, hypothermia, and reduced cardiac output with administration. Given these cardiovascular effects, it is possible that these drugs may significantly alter echocardiographic parameters of cardiac function if used for sedation for echocardiography (thus resulting in artifactual results). So, Kellihan et al out of University of Wisconsin wanted to evaluate this by assessing dexmedetomidine's effect - in other words, how well it results in level of sedation and whether it effects echocardiographic parameters of cardiac function. They looked at two doses - the labeled dose at 10 ug/kg and a lower dose of 5 ug/kg.

In this VETgirl online veterinary continuing education podcast, we discuss the prevalence of immune-complex glomerulonephritis (ICGN) in dogs. Is it always due to glomerulonephritis? Or is it due to amyloidosis? Why should we care? First, we should care as glomerular injury is common to many renal diseases. Both primary and secondary glomerular disease is commonly seen in dogs. Primary glomerular disease refers to diseases where the glomerulus suffers the initial injury, while secondary glomerular disease refers to those diseases in which the glomerulus is secondarily injured. Based on the ongoing WSAVA Renal Standardization Project, primary glomerular disease in dogs is divided into 3 main groups: immune-complex glomerulonephritis, amyloidosis, and non-immune-complex glomerulonephritis. You can download the guidelines here, btw. Non-immune-complex glomerulonephritis is a diagnosis of exclusion, if neither immune complexes nor amyloid is demonstrated, but primary pathology is noted in the glomerulus.

In today's VETgirl online veterinary continuing education podcast, we review whether or not the urine dipstick paddle works to help identify urinary tract infections (UTIs) in dogs and cats. Being that 14% of dogs will develop a UTI at some point in their life, and that UTIs are more prevalent in older (versus younger cats), veterinarians should be well aware of how to treat UTIs. Keep in mind that most UTIs in dogs and cats involve a single bacterial species, with E.coli being the #1 isolated bacteria from the urine of dogs and cats (followed by Staph, Proteus, Klebsiella, Enterococcus, and Strep).

In today's VETgirl veterinary continuing education podcast, we review echocardiographic findings in dogs with hyperadrenocorticism. Hyperadrenocorticism (e.g., "Cushing’s disease") is common in middle to older aged dogs and results in a state of chronic hypercortisolemia. Resultant systemic sequelae of this disease state include renal/urinary disease, diabetes mellitus, pulmonary thrombembolism (due to hypercoagulability), and systemic hypertension, among others. (Hence, one of the reasons why it's so important that we treat this endocrine disease in dogs!). In humans with hyperadrenocorticism, increases in left ventricular wall thickness have been detected echocardiographically. So, Takano et al out of Japan wanted to evaluate myocardial structure and function in dogs with hyperadrenocorticism.

In this VETgirl online veterinary continuing education podcast, we review a new technique of placing nasojejunal feeding tubes in dogs. In critical care, the pendulum has swung to the side of enteral feeding over parenteral nutrition in both human and veterinary patients. However, when so many of our critical patients are vomiting or regurgitating, and the risks associated with surgical jejunal feeding tube placement may not outweigh the benefits, do any non-invasive options for enteral feeding exist? Or is our only option total or partial parenteral nutrition? The critical care and interventional radiology group at Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine (Beal at al.) developed a novel technique for placing nasojejunal feedings tubes in critically ill dogs using fluoroscopic visualization and wire guidance. Sounds interesting, right?

In today's VETgirl online veterinary continuing education podcast, we review organ dysfunction and mortality risk factors in dogs with severe bite wounds. How frequently do you see dogs with severe bite wounds requiring intensive care in your practice? While many of us see “routine” bite wounds that can be managed with wound care on an out-patient basis pretty frequently, there is another population of canine patients with bite wounds that are much more severely affected. These patients may have much more extensive wounds, and can develop complications such as SIRS, DIC, MODS and sepsis. Unfortunately, little evidence exists on which patients may develop these complications. So, Ateca et al from the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine set out to retrospectively evaluate dogs with bite wounds requiring hospitalization in the ICU, to characterize their treatments, complications and outcomes, and to identify any risk factors for mortality.

In today's VETgirl online veterinary continuing education podcast, we review the accuracy of a newer test (using immunochromatography) for detecting feline blood types (AB) in a study titled “Evaluation of an immunochromatographic test for feline AB system blood typing.” AB blood typing is commonly performed in hospitalized cats to ensure blood compatibility and to prevent hemolytic transfusion reactions or potentially life-threatening reactions (e.g., B cats receiving A blood). Blood typing is a necessity for all feline transfusions because cats are born with antibodies against red blood cells of the opposite blood type. For this reason, there is no universal donor in cats, and cats must always be blood typed and/or cross-matched prior to administration! AB blood typing is also important in feline breeding programs in order to prevent neonatal isoerythrolysis. Several methods that allow AB blood typing have been previously validated and include gel column testing, which is no longer commercially available, as well as tube or plate testing, which are both cumbersome and difficult to standardize in practice. Agglutination cards are probably the most commonly used test kits in veterinary practice and can reliably identify type A and B cats, but traditionally have shown weak reactions with type AB blood, resulting in mistyping of AB cats.

In today's VETgirl online veterinary continuing education podcast, we interview Dr. Jennifer Song, who recently finished her surgical residency at the Ohio State University Veterinary Medical Center. Dr. Song, a board-eligible veterinary surgeon, discusses a retrospective study that she performed while at PennVet entitled "Retrospective evaluation of shortened prothrombin time or activated partial thromboplastin time for the diagnosis of hypercoagulability in dogs: 25 cases (2006-2011)" in the Journal of Veterinary Emergency Critical Care. Previously, we didn't pay much heed to a shortened PT/PTT; we generally only looked at prolongation as an indicator of hypocoagulability (the inability to clot). However, in recent human studies, there may be some evidence that a shortened PT/PTT is suggestive of hypercoagulability! While thromboelastography (TEG) is traditionally looked at - along with increased fibrin (or fibrinogen) and D-dimers - to evaluate hypercoagulability, Song et al's new evidence may prove otherwise. So, start paying attention to your shorter PT/PTT readings after all!

In today's VETgirl online veterinary continuing education podcast, we interview Dr. Stijn Niessen, DVM, PhD, DECVIM, PGCVetEd, FHEA, MRCVS. Dr. Niessen is a Senior Lecturer at the Royal Veterinary College University of London, President of the European Society of Veterinary Endocrinology and the Head of Internal Medicine. He is also the Director of the Diabetic Remission Clinic.

In a study by Brannick et al entitled “Taking stock and making strides towards wellness in the veterinary workplace,” the authors highlight the fact that veterinary medicine attracts people with a drive to help others, as well as high levels of compassion and empathy. While these traits enable veterinary professionals to experience compassion satisfaction that is a joy or sense of achievement in helping others and providing high quality patient care, this can take its toll personally and professionally over time. With repeated exposure to traumatic events such as animal abuse, diagnosis of serious illnesses, or euthanasia, as well as moral dilemmas and occupational demands, compassion fatigue or burnout can occur.

In today's VETgirl online veterinary continuing education podcast, we interview Dr. Jane Quandt, DACVAA, DACVECC, on whether it's appropriate to "box" down cats with inhalant therapy alone. This is no longer considered standard of care and not recommended by anesthesiologists, with the exception of the rare exotic animal that cannot be easily intubated (e.g., gerbil, pocket pets, etc.). So, if you have a fractious cat, check out this veterinary podcast for some better, safer tips from Dr. "Q!"

How do you treat patients with pyothorax in your practice? Do you have a different protocol for dogs versus cats? Do you know they are likely to have different causes of pyothorax?

In today's VETgirl online veterinary continuing education podcast, Dr. Lisa Radosta, DACVB of Florida Veterinary Behavior Service discusses the role that supplements like Zylkene and Anxitane have in veterinary behavior. Do they work? Since supplements aren't regulated by the FDA, are they safe? Should you be recommending them? Tune into this podcast to find out more!

Treat a lot of working dogs? Well, this VETgirl online veterinary continuing education podcast is for you. Parr and Otto out of University of Pennsylvania wanted to evaluate the primary presenting problem of working German Shepherd dogs (GSD) presenting to the ER. What was the underlying etiology of illness? In a study called "Emergency visits and occupational hazards in German Shepherd police dogs (2008–2010)," they retrospectively reviewed GSD presenting to the Penn emergency services from 2008-2010 (Shout out to the Penn Working Dog Center!). They wanted to be able to identify the number and underlying conditions of police dog visits and confirm the primary causes of illness in working GSD.

In today's VETgirl online veterinary continuing education podcast, we interview Dr. Michael Tokiwa, owner of Progressive Veterinary Care, a family of veterinary hospitals located in the Princeton, NJ area. Dr Tokiwa is also the host and medical consultant for the popular pet radio show, Your Pet Matters on 107.7 The Bronc. Here, Dr. Tokiwa discusses the pros and cons of small business ownership and what tips you should consider when considering purchasing that small animal clinic.

In today's VETgirl online veterinary continuing education podcast, we review how long you can keep your packed red blood (pRBC) cell transfusions around. 2-3 weeks? 4-6 weeks? What's the right answer? Does it depend on the patient, their disease, or the hospital's protocol?

In today's VETgirl online veterinary continuing education podcast, we review prognostic factors in dogs with head trauma based off a recent study by Sharma et al entitled “Retrospective evaluation of prognostic indicators in dogs with head trauma.” Many of us in emergency practice see head trauma patients and would agree that the prognosis for these patients can be difficult to predict. Some dogs or cats admitted with signs of traumatic brain injury make astounding turnarounds, whereas others do not seem to respond to therapy. Studies investigating veterinary patients with head trauma are relatively sparse. A study investigating the utility of a modified Glasgow coma scale score (MGCS) was published back in 2001 and showed an almost linear correlation between the score and mortality. Alternatively, large studies investigating the utility of the Animal Trauma Triage (ATT) score have been published recently, but this score has not been specifically investigated in a population of head trauma patients. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine whether clinical and laboratory variables or scoring systems such as the modified Glasgow coma scale, mentation, or ATT scores recorded at hospital admission have prognostic value in dogs with head trauma.

In today's VETgirl online veterinary continuing education podcast, Dr. Steve Mehler, DACVS, reviews how to perform a splenectomy in dogs and cats. Not sure of the approach? Want some tips on how to manage a hemoabdomen surgically without getting it all over your surgical field? What type of suture should you use? Tune into this 30 minute podcast to learn it! Please note that this podcast is a modification from our Real-Life Rounds, so you won't be able to see the videos. Interested in seeing it? Join VETgirl ELITE and get access to our podcasts, webinars, Real-Life Rounds, videos and more!

In today's VETgirl online veterinary continuing education podcast, we interview Dr. Dorothy Cimino Brown, Professor of Surgery at University of Pennsylvania on the use of the Coriolus versicolor mushroom, known commonly as the Yunzhi mushroom. This mushroom, which has been used in Chinese medicine for more than 2,000 years, is thought to contain immune-boosting properties from polysaccharopeptide (PSP). The specific product being used is I'm-Yunity, made by Chinese Medicine Holdings LTD (NOTE: This product is manufactured in the USA in adherence to USP c-GMP guidelines). A preliminary University of Pennsylvania pilot study that was released in 2012 evaluated 15 dogs diagnosed with hemangiosarcoma that were treated with 25, 50, and 100 mg/kg/day of I'm-Yunity. While there wasn't a statistically significant difference in survival between the three dosage groups, the median survival time was highest in the 100 mg/kg/day group, at 199 days. As as result, a second clinical trial is currently being conducted to evaluate dogs diagnosed with hemangiosarcoma. This will evaluate dogs treated with I'm-Yunity alone, dogs treated with I'm-Yunity + chemotherapy, or dogs treated with I'm-Yunity + a placebo.

In the last several years, the debate over the use of hydroxyethyl starch (HES) solutions in veterinary medicine has intensified. In human patients, HES products now have a boxed warning recommending against their use in critically ill patients, based on evidence that they contribute to coagulopathy, acute kidney injury (AKI), and increased risk of mortality.1 In veterinary patients, no studies of AKI or outcome in clinical patients receiving HES have been performed. So, Hayes et al out of Ontario Veterinary College set out to determine if HES administration was associated with outcome or AKI in canine ICU patients in a study called "Retrospective cohort study on the incidence of acute kidney injury and death following hydroxyethyl starch (HES 10% 250/0.5/5:1) administration in dogs (2007-2010)." Because many of these patients would already be considered critically ill based on their admission to the ICU, a retrospective cohort study was designed with an illness severity measure included.

In today's VETgirl online veterinary continuing education podcast, we review two studies that describe the transfusion practices used for the treatment of dogs hospitalized after trauma and for dogs undergoing splenectomy for splenic masses. These are both large retrospective studies out of Tufts University, a busy veterinary teaching hospital in Massachusetts.

In today's VETgirl online veterinary continuing education podcast, we review pulmonary hypertension (often called cor pulmonale) and the use of sildenafil (more famously known as Viagra). Pulmonary hypertension is classified is as an increase in either pre-capillary (pulmonary arterial ) or post-capillary (pulmonary venous) pulmonary resistance. In dogs, the disease occurs most commonly in older, small breed dogs as a result of chronic lung disease, chronic left-sided heart disease, heartworm infection, pulmonary thromboembolism, or left-to-right cardiac shunts (which is one of the reasons why it's so important that you treat underlying lung disease before it progresses to pulmonary hypertension!). The clinical signs of pulmonary hypertension may be indistinguishable from primary respiratory disease or congestive heart failure and includ tachypnea, cyanosis, dyspnea, increased respiratory effort, syncope, etc. Definitive diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension is made via echocardiogram by estimation of pulmonary artery pressures (typically, a dog needs to have tricuspid regurgitation to have this measured on echo). Thoracic radiographs remain an important component to the medical workup in these patients (usually performed prior to echocardiography).

In today's VETgirl online veterinary continuing education podcast, we review the important topic of the prevalence of suicide in our field. Why do veterinarians and veterinary technicians have a higher rate of suicide as compared to other fields? In a recent publication in JAVMA by Nett et al, they review the field of mental health and wellness in the veterinary profession. This is an area receiving some much-needed attention recently, due to the occurrence of some widely publicized suicides amongst veterinary professionals during the last few years. (BTW, you can check out our free VETgirl webinar on suicide by Jeannine Moga here).

In today's VETgirl online veterinary continuing education podcast, we review whether or not there is an association between hypothyroidism and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). Doberman Pinschers are overrepresented among canine patients diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy (familial/genetic), as well as those diagnosed with hypothyroidism. So the question is, is there a link? This is a very controversial topic. After all, we know that thyroid hormone plays an important role in the systolic function of the myocardium and cardiac rate and rhythm via its effect on density of beta-adrenergic receptors and their sensitivity to catecholamines. A deficiency of thyroid hormone has been associated with reduced myocardial function and alterations in cardiac conduction and heart rate thus leading to the premise that the hypothyroid state may be a metabolic etiology for dilated cardiomyopathy. Studies to date have not supported that premise.

In this VETgirl online veterinary continuing education podcast, we interview Dr. Galina Hayes, PhD, DVM, DACVECC, DACVS (Hello, letters!), Assistant Professor in Small Animal Surgery at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. In her recent retrospective study performed at the Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, she evaluated the incidence of acute kidney injury (AKI) and death following hydroxyethyl starch (HES 10% 250/0.5/5:1) administration in dogs (2007-2010). In this retrospective study, the authors evaluated 180 dogs receiving HES compared to 242 random dogs receiving just IV fluids. This is the first veterinary paper evaluating the risk of AKI with HES administration; however, be aware of the limitations of the study (e.g., retrospective, higher cumulative crystalloid dosing differences, higher transfusion rates, etc.). That said, before you reach for a bag of colloids, listen to this VETgirl podcast!

In today's VETgirl online veterinary CE podcast, we review a recent study titled Development of anemia, phlebotomy practices, and blood transfusion requirements in 45 critically ill cats. This study hypothesized that iatrogenic anemia occurs in hospitalized cats undergoing repeated venipuncture. This has been observed in people, especially critically ill children, and has been associated with the need for blood transfusions. Unfortunately, we know that transfusions can increase hospital cost to clients, risk of transfusion reactions, and risks of complications such as transfusion-associated circulatory overload (TACO) or transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI). Given that less is known about iatrogenic anemia in cats, the objectives of this study were to describe the incidence and development of anemia, to document phlebotomy practices and transfusion requirements in these cats, and to evaluate the association between these factors and duration of hospitalization and outcome in critically ill cats.

In today's VETgirl online veterinary CE podcast, we review the use of antivenom in dogs. Is it worth the $500/bottle? How many bottles should we use? Is it necessary in all cases? So, we interview Dr. Daniel Foy, DACVIM, DACVECC, who published a study called "Retrospective evaluation of the effect of antivenom administration on hospitalization duration and treatment cost for dogs envenomated by Crotalus viridis: 113 dogs (2004–2012)." This was a retrospective study looking at a large case population (over 100 dogs) who were envenomated with Crotalus viridis, or more commonly known as the prairie rattlesnake (which isn't as bad as other types of Crotalid species). In this study, it appeared that the use of antivenom did not positively affect outcome or duration of hospitalization, and actually increased costs! So, test your envenomation knowledge here in today's VETgirl podcast.

In today's VETgirl online veterinary continuing education podcast, we review the usefulness of measuring iron levels in dogs with systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS). Now, you probably don't think you see SIRS or septic cases, but you do. SIRS is a result of overstimulation of the inflammatory cascade (with secondary release of inflammatory mediators). SIRS can be seen due to thermal injury (e.g., heat stroke, burns), immune-mediated disease, etc. and can be seen with neoplasia, pancreatitis, trauma, infectious disease, etc. The definition of SIRS is very loose, unfortunately and includes two of the following criteria:

Do you treat patients with septic peritonitis in your clinic? If you do, do you agonize over them for the first few days after surgery, worried that they will require a second surgery due to recurrence (Is this dog going to perf!)? Have you thought about what factors might put these patients at risk for recurrence?Sponsored By: Royal Canin

What's your favorite way of giving furosemide to the critically ill, fragile, dyspneic congestive heart failure patient? Is it worth putting in an IV catheter just to give furosemide IV? (No). Does it matter what route you give it?

How do you like to treat blocked cats in your practice? Do you have an opinion about the use of decompressive cystocentesis (DC)? If you aren’t familiar with it, this procedure involves performing cystocentesis in cats with urethral obstruction (UO) prior to placement of a urinary catheter. Some argue that it makes patients comfortable more quickly by relieving bladder distention, and also makes it easier to pass a urinary catheter due to reduced back pressure. Others feel strongly that decompressive cystocentesis increases the risk of bladder rupture and uroabdomen.

In today's VETgirl online veterinary CE podcast, we interview Dr. Soren Boysen, DACVECC from the University of Calgary and Dr. Jantina McMurray on their recent publication on the use of AFAST and TFAST ultrasound in non-trauma patients presenting to the emergency services. In this prospective study, the looked at 100 dogs and cats and found that 33% had free fluid identified on presentation. In unstable or dyspneic patients, 75% had evidence of effusion. So, if you have an ultrasound machine, are you using it enough in your clinic and patients?

In this VETgirl online veterinary CE podcast, we review ventricular septal defects (VSDs) in dogs and cats. VSDs are defined as an opening or communication in the interventricular septum due to defects in closure or alignment of the septum during fetal development. VSDs are a regularly identified form of congenital heart disease in animals, albeit less common than the incidence of VSDs in humans. VSDs are subclassified based on anatomic location and include the following varieties:

In this VETgirl online veterinary continuing education podcast, we interview Dr. Erica Reineke, DACVECC, an Assistant Clinical Professor in Emergency Critical Care at University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine on a recent paper that she published. In this JVECC publication, she evaluates systolic blood pressure measurement based on physical examination as compared to Doppler analysis. In this prospective, observational study, the authors evaluated 102 cats that presented to the emergency services and evaluated the femoral and dorsal pedal pulse to predict systolic blood pressure in cats. House officers (e.g., interns, residents) evaluated pulse quality and defined it as either: strong, moderate, poor, or absent. A concurrent SBP was also performed. What'd they find?

In today's VETgirl online veterinary continuing education Real-Life Rounds podcast, we review the use of intravenous lipid emulsion (ILE) in veterinary medicine. Should we veterinarians be using it with every poisoning or toxicology case? Listen to find out more!

In today's VETgirl online veterinary continuing education podcast, we interview Dr. Raegan Wells, DACVECC, Director of Medical Management at Blue Pearl in Phoenix, Arizona. In this veterinary podcast, she reviews a recent case report published in JVECC on the use of intravenous lipid emulsion for a synthetic marijuana toxicity case she saw in a dog. Learn how to treat THC (i.e., the real and synthetic case poisonings!), what signs to look for, and whether or not the use of intravenous lipid emulsion would benefit your patient. When in doubt, contact the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center for life-saving advice!