Pacific Northwest Veterinary Conference

October 1, 2021

Be part of the largest veterinary conference in the Pacific Northwest.

Kim Horne

AAS, CVT, VTS (Dermatology)

Kim graduated from the University of Minnesota Technical College of Waseca. After working in a few private practices, she joined the U of M Veterinary Medical Center, finding her career passion in Dermatology, and has recently retired. Kim is active in her state association and is a Charter Member of the Academy of Dermatology Veterinary Technicians (ADVT). She was ADVT’s first President and is currently serving as Past-President and Exam Committee Chair. She has lectured nationally and authored journal articles and was co-editor of the Small Animal Dermatology for Technicians and Nurses book.

8:00am - 8:50am	The technician's role in managing the derm patient (Part 1) Dermatologic conditions are common in our small animal patients and many diseases are not curable. Part 1 will enable you to recognize the importance of obtaining the patient history and learn proper techniques and helpful hints to perform dermatologic procedures accurately.
9:00am - 9:50am	The technician's role in managing the derm patient (Part 2) Dealing with dermatology cases can be frustrating for both the veterinary team and the owner. Vet techs play a vital role in client education, and Part 2 will review important concepts to help improve client compliance which can lead to a more successfully managed patient.
10:30am - 11:20am	The "other" Canine Allergies (focus on Flea and Food allergies) Besides atopic dermatitis, other allergies that can cause problems for our canine patients are Flea Allergy Dermatitis and Food Hypersensitivity. Recognize the clinical signs of the allergic dog and know the available options for diagnosing and managing flea and food allergies, as we often need to rule these out prior to reaching an atopic dermatitis diagnosis.
11:30am - 12:20pm	Understanding the Atopic Dog Technicians play an essential role in educating owners about allergies and helping improve client compliance. Understand the allergic conditions and feel confident explaining the process to the owner. Treatment options and client education for both immediate relief and long-term management of pruritic allergic conditions will be reviewed.
Prerecorded	Canine Demodicosis Generalized canine demodicosis is a severe dermatological condition that is frustrating to manage and requires a lot of commitment from owners. The role that vet techs have in client education is crucial to improve compliance and reach a successful parasitological cure.
Prerecorded	Feline Skin Diseases Demodicosis is being recognized more often in our feline patients and can be difficult to manage. Cheyletiellosis is another parasitic dermatosis seen more commonly in cats. These diseases and other selected feline dermatologic conditions will be discussed
Prerecorded	Fighting the Dermatophytes Dermatophytosis is a difficult disease to manage. It is important that veterinary technicians have a good understanding of this disease to prevent the spread of this infection to people and other pets. Basic principles, appropriate diagnostic tests and treatment options will be covered.

Justin Chandlr

AAS, CVT, LVT, VTS (ECC)

Justin started in the veterinary field in 1998. He graduated in 2007 from San Juan College with an AAS in Veterinary Technology. He joined Garden State Veterinary Specialists in May 2007 to pursue his interest in E/CC. He earned a position as an overnight shift supervisor overseeing the technical staff and mentoring new veterinary interns. After years of advanced training and intense learning, he applied for and passed the certification exam for the Academy of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Technicians and Nurses (AVECCTN), earning his Veterinary Technician Specialty (VTS) certification in Emergency and Critical Care in 2014. In 2016, he became the Head Veterinary Technician for Greater Staten Island Veterinary Services. Justin has been active with AVECCTN, volunteering with the mentoring and appeals committees. He is currently a Member at Large as part of the Board of Directors for AVECCTN. Justin has lectured at local, state, and national conferences and teaches courses online. His special interests include trauma, shock, cardiovascular emergencies, veterinary math, and more. He has a passion for teaching and has enjoyed the opportunity to mentor and teach both veterinary technicians and veterinarians.

1:30pm - 2:20pm	Cardiac Emergencies: Arrhythmias This lecture will review cardiac emergencies, specifically emergent arrhythmias, such as ventricular tachycardia, supraventricular tachycardia, atrial fibrillation, atrioventricular block, etc. The focus will be on early identification of these cases through clinical signs and examination, and how the technician can contribute to early stabilization. Some underlying pathophysiology of the problems will be included along with treatment strategies.
3:00pm - 3:50pm	Cardiac Emergencies: Swimming in Effusions. When is the Heart to Blame? You perform a TFAST exam and find fluid in the thorax. Is it pleural or pericardial? Do you tap it or leave it be? What could cause this and how concerned do we need to be for our patient? What do we mean by tamponade? Does the volume of pericardial effusion indicate the severity? Should we administer IV fluids? These are a few of the questions that run through our heads as we assess our patient. Effusion within the thoracic cavity is always a serious finding, but how we react to it will vary depending on the patients clinical status and its impact on cardiac output and respiratory function. We will discuss the causes of pericardial and pleural effusion, the underlying pathophysiology, its impact on our patient, and treatment strategies.
4:00pm - 4:50pm	Cardiac Emergencies: Congestive Heart Failure This lecture will review one of the more common cardiac emergencies: heart failure, and the technician’s role in their patient’s initial stabilization. The focus will be on early identification of these cases through clinical signs and examination, and how the technician can contribute to early stabilization. Underlying pathophysiology of the problems will be included. Treatment strategies and pharmacology will be reviewed.
Prerecorded	Beep...Beep...Beeeeeeep....ECG Basics/What are all those Bouncing Lines The ECG is a common piece of equipment found in many veterinary practices of all types. It may be used as part of anesthetic monitoring, triage, CPR, and more. The ability to setup, analyze and interpret the ECG can mean the difference between life and death for your patient. This introductory lecture will review the electrical conductance cycle of the heart and how that becomes the waveforms we see on screen. We will conduct a systematic evaluation of the ECG strip to identify normal versus abnormal waveforms.
Prerecorded	Keep the beat alive (cardio pharmacology) We give medications to our patients every day, but do we understand what we are giving and why? By understanding the pharmacology of drugs we administer to our patients, veterinary technicians can provide more focused nursing care. We can look for possible side effects, be prepared for adverse reactions, and help to monitor the efficacy of therapy. Through client education, we can provide owners with the information they will need at home to help better provide care for their pets and ensure appropriate follow-up/monitoring. In this lecture we will review some of the common drug classes that are prescribed for our cardiac patients including diuretics, RAAS inhibitors, inotropes, and antiarrhythmic drugs. We want to develop the relationship between what is happening to our patient and why we are administering the medications we do so we can provide the best nursing care possible.

Beckie Mossor

RVT

Beckie is a Registered Veterinary Technician living in Southport, NC. She has enjoyed a diverse career in small animal, large animal, and mixed practices, academia, management and private consultant. Beckie is co-founder of Veterinary Advancements, a private consulting firm providing services to industry nonprofit and state organizations, industry start-ups, and practice teams. Beckie is one of the minds behind Vet Team Global Stream 2020 and a professional medical responder with the ASPCA Disaster Recovery Team. Beckie also has a fun side hobby of podcasting and is co-host of Veterinary Viewfinder and Making Sense of Pets podcasts. In support of her profession, Beckie is proud to serve as Executive Director for the Human-Animal Bond Association, Member at Large for the Society for Veterinary Medical Ethics, and former Executive Board Member for both the national and state tech associations.

7:30am - 8:20am	Decision Fatigue. It’s a thing and it’s likely affecting you. Objectives: Define and understand the concept of Decision Fatigue Understand how Decision Fatigue sabotages our success in health, wealth and concentration Learn techniques to combat Decision Fatigue Abstract: There is increasing understanding today about stress, stress fatigue, and the causes of mental fatigue as well as the effects it has on the body. Decision fatigue is a form of stress and mental fatigue that results from endless decision making throughout the day and often the evening into the night, that causes an overall response of stress on the body. Learn the techniques used by some of the world’s most successful business people in combating decision fatigue and still successfully navigating difficult decisions throughout the day.
8:30am - 9:20am	Special Considerations for Servicing Service Dogs Objectives: Understanding the terminology and laws associated with working dogs Explore areas of service in the veterinary practice where clients with service dogs can be better served Discuss areas of treatment and handling service dogs as they apply to successful veterinary visits and long-term health for the working dog. Abstract: Service dogs are becoming more popular all over the country. These special patients and their handlers are important members of your clinic. Understanding the dog and handler relationship, as well as the considerations you can make for them, can make the visit less stressful and more productive for you and your special needs clients.
Prerecorded	The Whole Hospital Approach to Obesity Prevention Objective: ● Review and understand contributing factors to pet obesity ● Discuss the key points for clients understanding ● Develop a clear understanding of guiding a nutrition and exercise plan Abstract: The effects of obesity are directly contributing to shorter live spans in our pets. Battling obesity in pets is a fight that must start at the vet’s office and begins with an understanding of the contributing factors to pet obesity, the tools available for the veterinary team to help combat pet obesity, and the reasons it will benefit your business to do so.
Prerecorded	The Perils of Parasites: Objective: ● Review and understand parasites and common diseases ● Discuss the key points for clients understanding of PREVENTIVE use ● Develop a clear understanding of guiding discussion and recommendations of preventive use Abstract: Life-long preventable disease. that is how we need to start thinking about and discussing many parasitic diseases in our companion animals. We need to bring passion for prevention and learn how to have discussions that speak to the values and priorities of our clients. When we educate, we advocate and that is what parasite prevention is all about!

Sarah Kolb

BAS, RVT, LAT, VTS (Exotic Companion Animals)

Sarah earned her veterinary technician credentials in 2005. Shortly after, Sarah began employment with Iowa State University Lloyd Veterinary Medical Center in the Exotic Companion Animal Department and the Wildlife Care Clinic, dedicating herself to the medical care of exotic animals and wildlife for the past 14 years. Sarah began employment with the University of Wisconsin-Madison National Primate Research Center in March 2020. Sarah achieved VTS status with the AVTCP in exotic companion animals in 2015 and earned her BAS in veterinary technology in 2018. Sarah is currently serving as the Vice-President for the AVTCP for 2020-2021 and will serve as President for 2022-2023. Sarah is also a VSPN instructor, has lectured at various national conferences, and has published multiple articles in both the NAVTA Journal and Veterinary Nurses Today. Sarah is committed to life-long learning and sharing her knowledge about exotic animals through lecturing, writing, and instructing online courses.

10:00am - 10:50am	Rabbits 101 This lecture will provide a basic overview of rabbit medicine.
11:00am - 11:50am	Exotic Animal Triage and Common Appointment PresenFluid Therapy in Exotic Animals This lecture will discuss common appointment presentations of exotic companion pets and how to triage according to their presentations.
1:00pm - 1:50pm	Reptile Anesthesia and Analgesia This lecture will review the principles and concepts of reptile anesthesia and analgesia, including recognizing signs of pain and discomfort.
2:15pm - 3:05pm	Backyard Poultry This lecture will provide a basic overview of backyard poultry nutrition, husbandry and medicine.
Prerecorded	Exotic Companion Animal Handling and Sample Collection This lecture will discuss fear free handling concepts for capture and restraint of small mammals, birds, and reptiles in the veterinary hospital. Special handling considerations of ill animals and methods of sample collection will also be examined.
Prerecorded	Fluid Therapy in Exotic Animals This lecture will review the basic concepts of fluid therapy and how those concepts can be applied to companion exotic pets.
Prerecorded	Optimizing Exotic Companion Pet Husbandry Veterinary technicians play a vital role in collecting husbandry information and educating owners on how to provide the best possible husbandry for their pets. This lecture will focus on optimizing husbandry practices for exotic companion pets.

Jennifer Serling

CVT, VTES, BVSc

Jennifer Serling has been a certified veterinary technician in Arizona since 1992. Her specialty is in large animal nursing; however, her vast experience encompasses all facets of veterinary medicine. She has been a veterinary technician educator since 2007. Jennifer has a Bachelors in Veterinary Science from the University of Arizona and an Associates of Science from Penn Foster College’s Veterinary Technician Program. She is the program director at Pima Medical Institute in Tucson, Arizona. Jennifer has written two veterinary technician textbooks for Bluedoor Publishing on pharmacology and large animal medicine and nursing and contributed to several others. In addition to teaching and writing, she is a firm believer in giving back to the community and serves on the board of directors for three animal welfare and rescue groups, and donating her time to several veterinary charity events throughout the year. Her passion is large animals, and she loves sharing that excitement with her students. Jennifer is a nationally known speaker delivering engaging talks on large animal medicine as well as veterinary technology education. Jennifer has served as a Director-at-Large and is now President-elect for the Association of Veterinary Technician Educators. She is also a founding member of the Academy of Veterinary Technician Specialists in Education (AVTSE) and holds the advanced certification of VTES (Veterinary Technician Education Specialist).

3:40pm - 4:30pm	Livestock Toxicology This presentation is an overview of the most common plants and toxins encountered by livestock and equids in the continental US. We will cover the part of the plant that is toxic, as well as common clinical signs.
4:40pm - 5:30pm	Field anesthesia in large animals Injectable field anesthesia is a frequent occurrence in ambulatory large animal medicine. We will discuss the most common drugs used, potential pitfalls and issues, and other parameters to be conscious of when administering and monitoring these patients.
Prerecorded	Equine Diseases Illness in horses can be catastrophic for both the owner and the animal. Early detection can prevent widespread diseases in a herd and reduce economic loss. Many diseases can be eliminated by adhering to recommended vaccinations and others can be minimized with proper diagnosis and treatment. We will discuss the most commonly seen equine viral, bacterial, parasitic, and metabolic diseases.
Prerecorded	Large Animal Zoonotic Diseases Livestock and equids can be potential threats to human health. This presentation will cover some of the most common zoonotic diseases seen in these species and what preventative measures can be taken as well as what to watch out for when working with large animals.

Stephen Cital

RVT, RLAT, SRA, VCC, CVPP, VTS- LAM (Res. Anesthesia)

Stephen originally started college to become a registered human nurse but did not enjoy working with humans as patients. Instead, Stephen became an RVT and then obtained certification as a Surgical Research Anesthetist through the Academy of Surgical Research, followed by a Registered Laboratory Animal Technician designation through the American Association of Laboratory Animal Science soon after. Most recently, he became one of the first Veterinary Cannabis Counselors in the country while continuing to educate veterinary professionals on the safe and effective use of cannabis in the clinical setting. He is one of a handful of Certified Veterinary Pain Practitioners in the country through the International Veterinary Academy of Pain Management. Stephen is the Executive Director for the Academy of Laboratory Animal Veterinary Technicians and Nurses, holding a Veterinary Technician Specialist certification in Laboratory Animal Medicine (LAM) with an anesthesia focus. He is currently employed by Howard Hughes Medical Institute at Stanford University in the Department of Neurobiology. Stephen is an award-winning international lecturer on anesthesia, pain management, cannabis, and best practices in research. He enjoys teaching and serves on advisory boards, is a key opinion leader for multiple pharmaceutical/device companies, COO for the Veterinary Anesthesia Nerds and Veterinary Cannabis Academy Facebook and webpages. Stephen was the 2020 Chair for the Committee of Veterinary Technician Specialties. He has served as the President of the Society of Laboratory Animal Veterinary Technicians, Vice President for the California RVT Association, and member at large for the National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America. He was also a column coordinator for one of Nature’s journals and has contributed to numerous textbooks.

8:30am - 9:20am	The Endocannabinoid System: Ancient history in modern times The endocannabinoid system (ECS) has been around since the beginning of vertebrate species, but why did we never learn about it in vet or tech school? With numerous pharmaceuticals and plant-based options targeting the ECS receptors we will delve into what the ECS really is and does in the mammalian body. We will also discuss the endocannabinoidome, which is a more recent expansion of the ECS
9:30am - 10:20am	Cannabinoids in the Clinic: Practical approaches The clinical data for companion animals with the use of cannabinoids, like CBD, has thus far been lacking. In this lecture, we will discuss the current and relevant literature and dosing for safe and effective use in your practice.
10:30am - 11:20am	Saturated CBD Markets: Choosing the right product The number of CBD products on the market is astounding. What's actually in these products can be shocking! In this lecture we will discuss what 7 questions we can use to choose a safe and effective product, as well as interpreting a Certificate of Analysis
11:30am - 12:20pm	Hemp CBD Basics for Veterinarians This lecture will discuss the basics of CBD and the endocannabinoid system. It will also cover the research done to date and how all CBD is not the same.   We will discuss the difference in formulas and the importance of dynamic cannabinoid and terpene profiles for increase efficacy.
1:00pm - 1:50pm	Getting over CBD: A Look into the Other Useful Molecules of the Hemp Plant  The CBD craze is exhausting and confusing...and misguided. In this lecture we will talk about all thing’s hemp, but not CBD! That’s right, CBD is only one of many useful molecules in the hemp plant. We will talk about some of the more common cannabinoids and terpenes found in product available for veterinary use.

Kristen Cooley BA, CVT, VTS (Anesthesia) & Justin Ganjei, DVM, DACVS-SA

Dr. Justin Ganjei is a local to the area being born and raised in Maryland. After obtaining his Bachelor’s in Science from Virginia Tech, he went back to his alma matter to attend the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine where he received his Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine in 2011. After completing a 1-year rotating internship in small animal medicine and surgery following veterinary school, Dr. Ganjei completed a 1-year internship in small animal surgery with Veterinary Surgical Centers. He then stayed on with VSC to begin a 3-year residency in small animal surgery, which he completed in 2016. He became a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons in 2017 and has remained as a surgeon with VSC since then. (See Kristen's bio below).

8:30am
- 12:30pm

Oh Snap! A Team Approach to Navigating Intra-Operative Urgencies
Anesthetic and surgical complications happen despite our endless planning and best efforts. This workshop will discuss common issues encountered during surgery from the perspective of a surgeon and an anesthetist. Some background discussion will precede an in-depth dive into case examples that will allow attendees to flex their knowledge and their ability to work together as a team.

Kristen Cooley

BA, CVT, VTS (Anesthesia & Analgesia), VCC Founder, Veterinary Anesthesia Support and Training, LLC

Kristen Cooley is a Veterinary Technician Specialist in anesthesia and analgesia and a veterinary cannabis counselor. She has spent over 15 years at the University of Wisconsin, School of Veterinary Medicine where she has honed her passion and skill for anesthesia and pain management through managing routine and critical anesthetic cases and teaching in the DVM curriculum. Currently, Kristen is the founder and CEO of the Wisconsin-based anesthesia consulting business, VAST, Veterinary Anesthesia Support and Training where she helps clinics improve their practice of anesthesia and pain management through expert instruction and in-clinic training. Kristen spends time in Colorado Springs providing relief anesthesia for PEAK roughly once per month. Her skills reach far and wide and include anesthetizing production animals (cattle and chickens most frequently), shelter pets and providing expert care for street dogs and pets in under-developed countries like Ecuador and Peru. Kristen is passionate about pain management and has spent many years studying pain in animals. She is an expert at picking up on the subtle signs of pain in animals and has a wealth of knowledge to share regarding the subject. She recently signed on as a consultant for the up-and-coming company BioTraceIT which is responsible for the ground-breaking pain detecting technology of PainTrace. Kristen is a published editor, author, and illustrator of anesthesia-related textbooks as well as an internationally recognized and frequently sought-after speaker and award-winning instructor. She lives in Madison, Wisconsin with her 9-year-old twins, and a houseful of misfit pets.

Prerecorded

Under Pressure: The Importance of Perioperative Blood Pressure Monitoring
Adequate blood pressure is necessary to deliver oxygen and nutrients to all tissues in the body. Monitoring blood pressure perioperatively is important but knowing how to react to abnormal readings is even more important. This lecture will review basic cardiovascular physiology and how blood pressure can affect patient morbidity and mortality. The best way to monitor blood pressure, as well as troubleshooting issues and what to do when readings are abnormal, will also be covered.