Program Description:

Every pet deserves and should receive a nutritional recommendation on every visit. Nutrition is one area of veterinary medicine that affects every pet that comes into the hospital.  When a pet receives a therapeutic pet food recommendation navigating the conversation will help with compliance. It will help the pet parent accept the recommendation and does not change the food recommendation to something that may not be appropriate. You can be instrumental in guiding a pet parent, answering questions and determining feeding amounts. Follow up is imperative for success of a new food. The veterinary health care team can pay an integral role in helping pet owners successfully switch to a new therapeutic food.

Learning Objectives:

1. Understand the importance of communication about nutrition to pet parents with pets a medical condition requiring a therapeutic food.
2. Understand the importance of feeding a therapeutic food to manage a medical condition.
3. Understand why a wellness food is not a substitution for a therapeutic food. 

Presented by Vicky Ograin, MBA, RVT, VTS (Nutrition)

Sponsored by Hill’s Pet Nutrition

LIVE session is RACE-Approved for 1 hour of CE

This presentation will equip veterinary technicians with the knowledge and skills to educate pet owners about diabetes mellitus (DM), including new treatment and management options for cats and dogs. By combining background on the disease, risk factors, and pain points with technical information on treatment and management, this presentation will provide veterinary technicians with a solid foundation of how DM can affect canine and feline patients. Technicians will leave with communication tools and strategies to help pet owners feel confident caring for their diabetic pets.

Learning Objectives:

• Review the classification of diabetes mellitus (DM) and the key differences between canine and feline DM.
• Learn about the impact of a DM diagnosis on pets and pet owners.
• Explore the latest treatment and management options for DM in cats and dogs.
• Recognize the crucial role of effective communication with pet owners in achieving successful diabetes management, emphasizing the importance of clear and empathetic discussions.
• Examine strategies to address serious complications associated with DM or its treatment within a critical care setting.

Presented by Kara Burns MS, MEd, LVT, VTS (Nutrition), VTS-H (Internal Medicine, Dentistry)

Sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim

LIVE session is RACE-Approved for 1 hour of CE

Session Description:

This session will focus on the nutritional management of urinary stones in dog. Attendees will review the common types of uroliths in dogs, like struvite, calcium oxalate, and urate stones, and the role that diet plays in their prevention and treatment. The session will cover the mechanisms of urolith formation, the impact of dietary components on urine composition, and the strategies for selecting and implementing therapeutic diets tailored to specific types of urinary stones. This lecture is designed to provide veterinary technicians with the knowledge to assist in managing and preventing urinary stones through proper nutrition.

Learning Objectives:

• Analyze and assess dietary choices for patients with different types of urinary stones, including struvite, calcium oxalate, and urate uroliths.
• Identify the types of urinary stones commonly encountered in veterinary practice and understand their formation mechanisms.
• Understand the role of diet in the prevention and dissolution of urinary stones, focusing on key nutrients that influence urolith formation.

Presented by Camille Torres-Henderson, DVM, DABVP, DACVIM (Nutrition)

Sponsored by Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets

Live Session is RACE-Approved for 1 hour of CE

The goal of this program is to empower veterinary technicians with the knowledge and skills to educate pet owners about myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD) and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), 2 conditions that can lead to congestive heart failure (CHF) in dogs. MMVD alone accounts for a majority of canine heart disease cases in the United States. However, intervention during the preclinical phase of MMVD can delay the onset of CHF in dogs. Veterinary technicians will acquire communication tools and strategies to initiate conversations and articulate the benefits of early identification of MMVD to engage dog owners in proactive screening and diagnostic testing.

Learning Objectives:

• Explore the prevalence, risk factors, and impact of myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD) and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) in dogs.
• Learn communication skills to initiate conversations about heart disease with owners of at-risk dog breeds during routine clinic visits.
• Develop effective educational strategies to explain the progression of heart disease associated with MMVD and emphasize the benefit of engaging in proactive screening and diagnostics.
• Examine available treatment options for congestive heart failure caused by MMVD or DCM, and learn the monitoring procedures for dogs diagnosed with these heart conditions.

Presented by Beckie Mossor, RVT

Sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim

LIVE session is RACE-Approved for 1 hour of CE

More information coming soon!