2016 Western Veterinary Conference: Day 1March 7, 2016One of the largest veterinary continuing education events is held every year in Las Vegas: The Western Veterinary Conference (WVC). The annual event attracts thousands of veterinary professionals to Sin City for a week of hands-on labs, seminars, workshops, lectures, networking and much more in six topic areas: small animal, equine, veterinary technician, practice management, food animal, and avian and exotics. Once you're done for the day, you can head out and check out all Las Vegas has to offer, from casinos to live shows. The WVC, as they write on their website, is "dedicated to providing quality continuing education to the veterinary community through an array of learning styles and environments. Our courses provide comprehensive, progressive and practical knowledge that can be applied immediately to the veterinary practice." More than 1,000 CEs are available to participants. Have you never been to a WVC event? Here are a few highlights on what to look forward to below. (Click on each photo for explanation.) Next year’s conference will take place March 5 through 9, 2017.
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2016 Western Veterinary Conference Starts TodayMarch 6, 2016One of the world’s largest veterinary continuing education (CE) events is starting today in Las Vegas. The annual Western Veterinary Conference (WVC) is expected to attract nearly 15,000 veterinary professionals to the Mandalay Bay Convention Center from March 6 to 10, 2016. The conference is five days of seminars, wokshops, new product announcements, networking functions, entertainment and an opportunity to connect with colleagues. This year’s conference has been dedicated to Dr. Randall G. Ezell, who served as the WVC president, Secretary-Treasurer and board member. Participants can choose from a variety of learning environments including: meal-time seminars, workshops, symposia, lectures and hands-on labs across six topic areas: small animal, equine, veterinary technician, practice management, food animal, and avian and exotics. Hands-on labs with expert instructors will be held at WVC’s Oquendo Center, a clinical educational facility located minutes from the Las Vegas Strip. “We are constantly striving to make each conference better than the year before,” said WVC CEO David Little in a press release. “More than 1,000 hours of CE will be available for participants to create their own learning experience. And the new date in March has allowed WVC to have a dedicated space at Mandalay Bay, which will make …
Pet Owner's Video About Dangers of Xylitol Goes ViralMarch 4, 2016It’s no question dogs will eat strange things — we have a yearly X-ray contest showcasing the odd things found in their stomachs. Dancer, a 1-year-old Labrador retriever, is no exception, but what she ate nearly killed her. She devoured roughly 25 pieces of sugar-free gum that contained xylitol. Dancer’s owner Jeni Connor rushed her to Seville Veterinary Hospital in Gilbert, Ariz. She suffered a seizure on the way there, and the veterinarians at the hospital gave her a shot of glucose. Then she was transferred to the Emergency Animal Clinic, which is affiliated with BluePearl Veterinary Partners. Dr. Raegan Wells, a board-certified in emergency and critical care, took over Dancer’s care. According to Blue Pearl, “Dancer’s blood glucose levels were monitored around the clock and that the dog received medicine for possible liver damage. Xylitol prompts dogs’ bodies to secrete too much insulin, which can cause their blood sugar levels drop dangerously.” In 2015, there were more than 2,800 xylitol-related calls to the Pet Poison Helpline, compared to 300 calls in 2009, Blue Pearl reported. While Dancer was recovering, Connor, with the help of her daughters Whitney, 9, and Haley, 11, posted a Facebook video warning …
Veterinary Students, Low Income Pet Owners Win With Free ClinicMarch 4, 2016How many times have you heard “I just can’t afford it” from a client when it comes to their pet’s veterinary care? While you might be able to combat the issue on a client-by-client basis, doing so on a wider scale might be a bit more difficult. Enter Canada’s Calgary Urban Project Society (CUPS) and the University of Calgary. The two have teamed up for the second year to bring free veterinary checkups to the pets of low-income owners. Doing so not only helps owners who may not otherwise be able to afford veterinary care, but it also helps veterinary students. The students conduct the exams, giving them real-world experience that is essential in this field. Danielle Cyr, a student at University of Calgary’s veterinary school, told CBC News, “I think it's one of the most valuable things we do as part of our program. We spend our first three years practicing with actors and some of our animals at the school. But to come down here and have the opportunity to interact with real people who love their animals and real animals with real …
NCSU Veterinarians, Duke Doctors Join Forces to Fight CancerMarch 4, 2016Cancer is a terrible disease. We’ve all been affected by it either personally or through someone we know (I just lost my aunt to cancer two weeks ago). It seems that it’s more and more prevalent nowadays, not only affecting our human loved ones, but our animals as well. Chances are you’ve treated some of those animals who were (or are) afflicted with cancer. Some have survived; some haven’t. When they do, it’s often deemed a miracle. One such miracle came in the form of a 13-year-old Labrador Retriever named Eliza almost one and a half years ago. She was placed in a clinical trial at North Carolina State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine after a diagnosis of nose and mouth cancer, The News & Observer reports. Her symptoms started with a swollen snout, before she began bleeding from her mouth. The veterinarian informed Eliza’s owner, Lynne Murchison, that the Lab had about five weeks to live. At most. Unwilling to give up, Murchison searched for — and found — a clinical trial at NCSU’s vet school. It was for oral tumors. According to The News …
AVMA Convention Registration Now OpenMarch 4, 2016Registration for the 153rd annual American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Convention 2016 is now open. The convention will take place in San Antonio, Texas, on August 5 to 9, 2016. The AVMA convention offers continuing education (CE) opportunities in all disciplines and practice types. It also features an exhibit hall for attendees to see the latest products and services available to the veterinary industry. New to convention this year is a “Meet-the-Experts Roundtable” that will feature more than 20 roundtable discussions related to current topics in veterinary medicine. Also there is a one-of-a-kind addition to the exhibit hall is the AVMA’s Vet Clinic Live!. The state-of-the-art veterinary facility will serve as an interactive educational space for exhibitors to engage with attendees and showcase their products as they would be used in an actual clinic, along with live action scenarios based on case studies. Convention attendees will be able to download an app for the AVMA Convention, which allows user to plan CE and events, download session handouts, track CEs and receive CE certificates. It will also be updated with convention alerts. New features to the app this year will include a messaging system so attendees can network with other attendees, …
Penn Foster Vet Tech Program Earns Full Accreditation, Celebrates Record Number of GraduatesMarch 4, 2016Penn Foster College announced today that the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Committee on Veterinary Technician Education and Activities (CVTEA) has granted full accreditation to the Penn Foster College Veterinary Technology Distance Education program, and also congratulated Penn Foster on maintaining accreditation for their program. This recognition marks Penn Foster College’s 6 additional years of full accreditation from AVMA-CVTEA. The program was initially accredited in 2006 at the designation of Initial Accreditation. The Veterinary Technician program at Penn Foster College also recently announced its largest graduating class in its decade-long history. The class of 2015 was composed of 140 graduates, a new record for the program. The program is also anticipating record enrollments with continued growth expected in 2016. “We are honored to receive ongoing accreditation through the AVMA/CVTEA committee, as we constantly strive for excellence,” said Connie Dempsey, chief certification and licensing officer at Penn Foster, Inc. “The enthusiasm and dedication from our national award-winning Veterinary Academy team, led by distinguished department directors Dr. Amanda Teter and Dr. James Hurrell, clearly demonstrate to our students and to the veterinary community the passion they share for the continued success of this program. Penn Foster is committed to remaining at the …
Veterinary Service Grants Available from USDAMarch 4, 2016If you’re looking to expand your clientele to include more rural clients in underserved areas, then look into the Veterinary Services Grant Program (VSGP) from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, which is part of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). What is the VSGP? According to the USDA website: “The purpose of the Veterinary Services Grant Program (VSGP) is to relieve veterinarian shortage situations and support veterinary services. Grants will be made available on a competitive basis to qualified entities to develop, implement, and sustain veterinary services through education, training, recruitment, placement, and retention of veterinarians and veterinary students. Grants will also be made to establish or expand veterinary practices … The Veterinary Services Grant Program is authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill. Initial funding for the program, $2.5 million, was appropriated in the FY 2016 budget.” There are two types of grants available: Education grants and equipment grants. Education grants can be used for recruiting, training programs in food safety or food animal medicine, programs to help enhance food safety and more. Equipment grants are “for establishing or expanding veterinary practices by equipping veterinary offices; sharing in overhead costs; or establishing mobile …
Lisa Simpson Becomes a Veterinary InternMarch 4, 2016The long-running animated sitcom “The Simpsons” is giving Lisa a new calling. In this Sunday’s episode, set to air on Fox at 8/7 central, the animals of Springfield are getting a new caretaker. TVLine reports that Lisa performs CPR on a raccoon after it’s been tased, then heads out to local veterinarian Dr. Budgie’s office. Lionel Budgie, DVM, voiced by actor Michael York, allows Lisa to work at the veterinary clinic as an intern. In true television show style, Lisa reportedly finds out what it’s like when a patient’s health declines, and learns a difficult lesson in the process. Screencap/youtube Dr. Budgie has a sign we all might relate to... Check out a clip from Sunday’s episode below: </center> Will you watch to find out how Lisa does as a veterinary intern?
Veterinarian Removes Purple Teddy Bear From SnakeMarch 3, 2016 Anything is tasty when you’re really hungry, even a small purple teddy bear. Given that winter is approaching in Australia, the snakes native to that country are feasting. Snake catcher Tony Harrison told 7News Brisbane, “Right now they’re really, really obsessively hunting for food… If it smells right, they’ll eat it.” Apparently the purple teddy bear smelled right to the 6-foot carpet python that gobbled it up. Harrison noticed the bulge and took the snake to The Vet Lounge veterinary clinic in Coomera on Australia’s Gold Coast. Reptile Relocation And Awareness/Facebook Reptile Relocation And Awareness/Facebook Reptile Relocation And Awareness/Facebook Reptile Relocation And Awareness/Facebook Reptile Relocation And Awareness/Facebook Reptile Relocation And Awareness/Facebook After an x-ray, it was determined that the snake had in fact swallowed the toy. A C-section was conducted, leaving the snake with 15 stitches. The surgery marked the first time Matthew Hollindale, BVSc had operated on a snake in his 16 years as a veterinarian. The snake will be on antibiotics for a couple of weeks before being released back into the wild.
