Flex Forecast: December 2023

dvm360 is highlighting our 2023 top most engaging continuing education programs and the presenters who brought them to life from over 160 on-demand CE courses! Our top opportunities, made up of webinars and podcast episodes, include the latest medical updates from these specialties: Cardiology, dermatology, general practice, integrative medicine, neurology, nutrition, and parasitology. There’s still plenty of time to meet state license renewal requirements when you enroll with dvm360 Flex before CE expiration in 2024.

And if you missed out on our live, interactive Fetch Conferences this year, Fetch Conference On-demand features 2 multi-specialty collections of simulive CE programs from some of the best education at Fetch San Diego 2022 and Fetch Kansas City 2023. These collections provide an additional 40 on-demand CE credits and are available by subscription.

Webinars

Number 1: EPI—Not Just a Zebra

• Specialty: Internal Medicine
• Speaker: Anthony P. Carr, Dr. med. vet., DACVIM (small animal internal medicine)
• Sponsor: Blue Buffalo
• RACE-Approved: 1.0 CE Credit Hour

Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) is a disease seen both in dogs and cats, though the presentation is quite different. In dogs, it is generally a disease of the young, whereas it is usually seen in older cats. The varied clinical signs (classic diarrhea in dogs; weight loss without diarrhea in cats) will be addressed. This lecture will focus on the diagnosis and treatment of EPI in cats and dogs. If you are looking for it, you will find a lot more cases than you expect; it is not always a straightforward diagnosis. UTid+ culture system and conventional urine culture also will be discussed.

To view this webinar, go here.

Number 2: Understanding Client Motivations Behind Feeding a Raw or Fresh Food Diet

• Specialty: Nutrition
• Speaker: Lindsay Meyers, BS, CVT; and James Templeman, PhD
• Sponsor: Primal Pet Foods
• RACE-Approved: 1.0 CE Credit Hour

This course reviews why clients are choosing more expensive, less convenient options for their pets: fresh food diets. We will discuss the available literature that may support the anecdotal results of raw or fresh food diets.

To view this webinar, go here.

Number 3: Avoid These Dermatology Case Pitfalls and Succeed! A Case-Based Approach

• Specialty: Dermatology
• Speaker: Ashley Bourgeois, DVM, DACVD; and Adam Christman, DVM, MBA
• Sponsor: Zoetis
• RACE-Approved: 1.0 CE Credit Hour

Multiple real-world challenging dermatology cases will be presented. Some will be straightforward, some will have a “twist.” Participants will learn how to avoid common dermatologic pitfalls and customize diagnostic and treatment plans for each case, leading to the best outcomes for patients with allergic dermatitis and their owners. This presentation will show how a dermatology specialist works up cases, which can be applied to a general practitioner’s pruritic canine patients.

To view, go here.

Number 4: Thinking About Supplements for the Canine Behavior Patient

• Specialty: Nutrition
• Speaker: Donna M. Raditic, DVM, CVA, ACVIM (Nutrition)
• Sponsor: Standard Process
• RACE-Approved: 1.0 CE Credit Hour

Studies of dogs with behavior issues have reported gut dysfunctions and dysbiosis. If you think about it, how friendly and engaging are you when you are suffering from gastrointestinal upset? This area of research is now termed the Gut-Brain Axis. It recognizes that the brain and nervous system have continual bidirectional communication with the gut and its microbiota, which is essential for healthy brain and gut functions.

Studies in the Gut-Brain Axis seek to identify potential supplements, nutritional support products, and other nonpharmacological interventions that can be a part of treatment and management. Through case examples, participants will learn about the Gut-Brain Axis and how supplement strategies can help canine behavior patients.

To view, go here.

Number 5: In the Know About Noses: Health Trends in Brachycephalic Breeds

• Specialty: General Practice
• Speaker: Jules Benson, BVSc, MRCVS
• Sponsor: Nationwide
• RACE-Approved: 1.0 CE Credit Hour

With brachycephalic breeds such as French bulldogs, Boxers, and English bulldogs routinely included in most popular breed lists in the US, the only thing more common than treating them in your practice may be strong feelings about their health. But how many of the things we know about brachycephalic breeds are supported by years of pet health data? In 2022, Nationwide started publishing results of novel evidence-based pet health studies about cancer and diseases of aging pets, leveraging their 40 years of pet health experience and data to provide pet owners and veterinary healthcare teams with tangible analysis and insights. This session will provide newly published insights into diseases of brachycephalic dogs, offering a data-informed approach to brachycephalic disease awareness, education, and management.

To view, go here.

CE Podcasts

Number 1: Canine Cardiology: The Practical Guide to the Mitral Valve Patient

• Specialty: Cardiology
• Speaker: Natalie Marks, DVM, CVJ
• Sponsor: Ceva
• RACE-Approved: .50 CE Credit Hour

During this course, attendees will learn about the prevalence and common signalment of myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD) in canine patients, and why this disease matters to veterinarians and pet owners. We will then discuss the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine guidelines for staging heart disease to understand when we intervene, which pharmaceuticals are used, and why. We will transition into a brief revisit of the canine diagnostic workup that general practices can perform to be proactive and take control of their patients. The remainder of the presentation will detail why spironolactone is a critical piece of intervention, why blocking aldosterone is important, and how combination therapy can help increase compliance and medical outcomes.

To listen, go here.

Number 2: Why Tapeworms Matter

• Specialty: Parasitology
• Speaker: Susan E. Little, DVM, PhD, DACVM-Parasitology
• Sponsor: Interceptor Plus.
• RACE-Approved: .25 CE Credit Hour

Let’s discuss the importance of tapeworm infections to pets and owners, including the disconnect between how our profession traditionally views tapeworms and what many clients think about them. New strategies to identify and control tapeworm infections in pets will be described.

To listen, go here.

Number 3: New Guidelines in the Management of Canine Parvovirus

• Specialty: General practice
• Speaker: Fred Metzger, DVM, MRCVS, DABVP
• Sponsor: Elanco
• RACE-Approved: .25 CE Credit Hour

Canine parvovirus (CPV) infection is one of the most common and serious infectious diseases of dogs younger than 6 months of age. We will discuss the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of CPV and emphasize expected laboratory changes, including hematologic and electrolyte abnormalities.

Exciting new treatments for CPV will be discussed including the Canine Parvovirus Monoclonal Antibody (CPMA), which is the only monoclonal antibody treatment that targets CPV and is conditionally approved by the United States Department of Agriculture. CPMA selectively binds and blocks canine parvovirus from entering and destroying the enterocytes, thus stopping this destructive and potentially deadly virus.

To listen, go here.

More opportunities

Throughout 2023, dvm360 shared new ways veterinary professionals can earn CE credits, including our VetxChange program and CE articles running in our print publication.

Flex article: The Seizure Spiel

• Specialty: Neurology
• Speaker: Fred Wininger, VMD, MS, DACVIM (Neurology)
• RACE-Approved: 1.0 CE Credit Hour

Learn a pragmatic approach to the initial seizure evaluation. Differential diagnoses above and beyond idiopathic epilepsy are discussed including metabolic and structural encephalopathies. Cursory description of anti-seizure medications, their benefits, contraindications, and management are covered. Most importantly, the value of communication in these high-intensity presentations is emphasized.

To read this article, go here.

VetxChange: Evaluation and Treatment of Suspected Hyperadrenocorticism Syndrome in Dogs

• Specialty: Internal Medicine
• Speaker: Tammy Anderson, DVM, DACVIM
• Sponsor: North Star Vets
• RACE-Approved: 0.50 CE Credit Hour

Hyperadrenocorticism (HAC) or Cushing's syndrome is a common endocrine disease in dogs. This syndrome includes ACTH dependent (pituitary dependent hyperadrenocorticism), ACTH independent (adrenal dependent), iatrogenic Cushing's syndrome, and atypical sex hormone. This course includes a review of signs of hyperadrenocorticism, as well as changes seen in a minimum data base that may lead the practitioner to suspect hyperadrenocorticism. Both screening and differentiation tests will be reviewed. Lastly, therapeutic options will be discussed.

To view, go here.