The special programs at our Fetch Kansas City conference

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The Fetch dvm360 Conference in Kansas City, Missouri is happening next month August 25-27. Here is a special preview of the unique continuing education (CE) programming we have in store. For more information and to register for the conference, visit the conference website.

dvm360 Unleashed!

Introduced at the 2022 Fetch dvm360 Conference in Kansas City, the interactive dvm360 Unleashed! CE program is returning in 2023. This gamified learning opportunity will be one of the Lunch & Learn sessions on the first day of the 2023 Fetch conference. It’s scheduled for Friday, August 25, from 12:15 pm to 1:15 pm. Sponsored by Virbac, the game show will focus on otitis externa, with questions and informative answers related to the ear condition. dvm360 Unleashed! will be hosted by Adam Christman, DVM, MBA, dvm360’s chief veterinary officer. Answers will be guided by veterinary experts Darren Berger, DVM, DACVD; and Cristiano von Simson, DVM, MBA.

Attendees will learn about the available antifungals in proprietary otic medications and discuss the pros and cons of these active agents in therapeutic protocols, discuss the importance of glucocorticoids in the management of acute and chronic otitis externa, define the primary causes of recurrent otitis externa, identify and highlight key therapeutic decisions based on otoscopic and otic cytology findings, and learn key considerations for ear cleaning and appropriate product selection.

Hands-on laboratories

Another unique learning opportunity for attendees will be at our 3 interactive laboratories. All 3 will be held on the second day of the conference, Saturday, August 26.

The first laboratory is on the abdominal ultrasound for the general practitioner, sponsored by Universal Imaging. The 3-hour interactive session is offered from 9 am to noon; and again from 1 to 5 pm. It will begin with an introduction to the fundamental physics and instrumenta- tion of ultrasound, followed by hands-on practice of ultrasound image manipulation (knobology), the physics and artifacts of abdominal ultrasound, and scanning tech- niques on live patients to examine typical abdominal anatomy. Veterinary professionals Betsy Charles, DVM, MA; and Katrina Lafferty, BFA, RLAT, CVT, VTS, will guide attendees through the session.

The second laboratory opportunity includes suture techniques with Kirk Miller, DVM, DABVP. This topic, sponsored by PRN, is an interactive, personal- ized lab for veterinarians and technicians looking to expand and enhance their suturing skills. Using models, attendees can practice various suture patterns, useful knots (eg, hand ties, friction knots, Aberdeen knots), and tacking and walking sutures, gaining an understanding of knot security, tensile strength, and available sutures for various cases. This laboratory is offered twice, from 9 am to noon; and from 1:15 to 3:45 pm.

The third hands-on opportunity is a hospital design tour, from 2:30 to 5:30
pm, sponsored by Live Oak. James T. Sparks, DVM; and Matthew Silvius, DVM, will guide attendees around their practice, Eagle Animal Hospital in Liberty, Missouri. Attendees will be hear from members of the architecture and contracting firms as well as the owners about the hospital’s overall renovation and construction process.