Feline Medicine

COURSE DESCRIPTION

In the U.S., cats outnumber dogs – except when it comes to visits to the veterinarian.  The annual number of feline veterinary visits is on the decline.  Elevate the level of feline medicine service in your practice with the knowledge and clinical skills offered in this year’s Feline Medicine course.

This year’s course focuses on several important clinical areas: nutrition, critical care, pulmonology, behavior, ethics and endocrinology.  Lectures and laboratories offer learning in the care of the critical cat pertaining to multiple problems: trauma, fluid therapy, analgesia and anesthesia, CPCR and abdominal disease.  Unique aspects of feline nutrition as well as looking at the problems of obesity, cancer and chronic renal disease will be addressed in depth.  Joint cases addressing feeding the cat in critical care setting will be presented.

A comprehensive study of the diagnostics and therapeutics of feline respiratory diseases from the nose to the alveoli is included.  The critical care lab will focus on respiratory concerns.  A large portion of the program is devoted to the behavior and handling of cats in the practice environment.  Case study discussion (yours as well as those brought by the speaker) integrated with hands-on handling and training laboratories will change your approach toward feline medicine.

Participants will be invited to submit their difficult diabetic cases for study in the endocrine disease section.  There is an innovative and timely panel discussion of veterinary ethics concerning cease treatment decisions and animal abuse situations.  Evening discussion sessions center on challenging internal medicine cases.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

As a result of attending this course, participants will be able to:

• provide an improved level of safe and compassionate handling of cats in the practice environment.
• successfully manage the cat with respiratory disease.
• implement new tools for unraveling challenging feline diabetes cases.
• perform techniques for dealing with the critical and anorectic cat.

COURSE TEXTBOOKS

Consultations in Feline Internal Medicine.  August JR.  5th ed.  Saunders; 2005.
Clinical Behavioral Medicine for Small Animals.  Overall K.  Mosby; 1997.

COURSE LEADER

Margie Scherk, DVM, DABVP

FACULTY

Terry Marie Curtis, DVM, MS, DACVB    
Jennifer Devey, DVM, ACVECC
Soraya V. Juarbe-Diaz, DVM, DACVB, CAAB    
Rachel Kelly, DVM
Kathryn E. Michel, DVM, MS, DACVN
Elizabeth Rozanski, DVM, DACVIM, DACVECC
Craig A. Schultz
Stephanie Trautman-Riley