Episodes
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Welcome to another episode of the NAVAS podcast! How many times in your career, after recommending a surgical or dental procedure for a dog or cat, have you been asked whether a beloved aging pet was too old to be anesthetized? Today, we’re diving into a topic that many veterinary professionals encounter but may not always feel fully prepared for: anesthesia for senior dogs and cats. Older pets can present unique challenges when it comes to sedation and general anesthesia, and understanding how aging impacts their physiology is key to providing safe and effective care.
In this episode, we have the honor of speaking with Dr. Sheliah Robertson, a veterinary anesthesiologist who is also board-certified in animal welfare and the senior medical director at Lap of Love, a network of veterinary at-home euthanasia and hospice care providers. Dr. Robertson brings a wealth of experience and insight into the world of anesthesia for geriatric pets. We’ll be discussing everything from anesthetic risks and frailty in older animals to how aging affects vital organ function and what that means for anesthesia protocols. This conversation is guaranteed to be packed with valuable information to enhance your understanding and improve outcomes for your older patients.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Dr. Sheliah Robertson’s work at Lap of Love
The ERAS Society (Enhanced Recovery After Surgery)
Development of ERAS protocols for veterinary medicine
A review article on improving postoperative sleep
Research on the effect of preoperative melatonin on the propofol dose required to induce anesthesia in dogs
An article on how pre-surgery rehabilitation effects surgical outcomes in aged patients
If you like what you hear, we have a couple of favors to ask of you:
Become a member of NAVAS for access to more anesthesia and analgesia educational and RACE-approved CE content.
Spread the word. Share our podcast on your socials or a discussion forum. That would really help us achieve our mission: Reduce mortality and morbidity in veterinary patients undergoing sedation, anesthesia, and analgesia through high-quality, peer-reviewed education.
As a reminder, the ACVAA Annual Meeting is happening in Denver, CO from September 25-27 later this year. Registration rates are discounted for NAVAS members. We hope to see you there! Sign up today!
Thank you to our sponsor, Dechra - learn more about the pharmaceutical products Dechra has to offer veterinary professionals, such as Zenalpha.
If you have questions about this episode or want to suggest topics for future episodes, reach out to the producers at [email protected].
All opinions stated by the host and their guests are theirs alone and do not represent the thoughts or opinions of any corporation, university, or other business or governmental entity.
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Are you having a BRAT summer, because we sure are here on the NAVAS podcast! By BRAT, we mean Best Remedies for Analgesic Therapy! We’re excited to continue our discussion on post-operative pain control for dogs and cats. If you haven’t listened to part one of this conversation, please go back and listen before diving into this episode. We’re going to finish up our conversation on surgical pain management by discussing the nuances of NSAID use in cats, confronting some controversial opinions on Gabapentin, rave about local anesthetic agents, and introduce some pharmacologic and non-pharmacological therapies to help tackle acute pain for our patients. Joining us again is Dr. Melina Zimmerman, veterinary anesthesiologist and owner of The Doggy Gym, where she provides pain management therapies for all kinds of species. Pain management is so much more than “set and forget”, and we hope to convince you of that right here on the NAVAS podcast.
References are made to the following resources in the episode:
Our previous short episode on Nocita with Dr. Tammy Grubb.
2022 ISFM consensus guidelines on managing acute pain in cats that has been endorsed by the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP):
2024 ISFM & AAPF consensus guidelines on long-term NSAID use in cats
Buprenorphine as an additive agent with bupivacaine for certain dental blocks in dogs
If you like what you hear, we have a couple of favors to ask of you:
Become a member of NAVAS for access to more anesthesia and analgesia educational and RACE-approved CE content.
Spread the word. Share our podcast on your socials or a discussion forum. That would really help us achieve our mission: Reduce mortality and morbidity in veterinary patients undergoing sedation, anesthesia, and analgesia through high-quality, peer-reviewed education.
As a reminder, the ACVAA Annual Meeting is happening in Denver, CO from September 25-27 later this year. Registration rates are discounted for NAVAS members. We hope to see you there! Sign up today!
Thank you to our sponsor, Dechra - learn more about the pharmaceutical products Dechra has to offer veterinary professionals, such as Zenalpha.
If you have questions about this episode or want to suggest topics for future episodes, reach out to the producers at [email protected].
All opinions stated by the host and their guests are theirs alone and do not represent the thoughts or opinions of any corporation, university, or other business or governmental entity.
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In this episode, we're focusing on a critical aspect of post-surgical care: creating a plan to control postoperative pain once our canine or feline patients leave the hospital. We know that managing pain effectively during this period is vital for the recovery and well-being of our patients. With so many medications to choose from, costs to consider, and non-compliance to worry about, how can we optimize our patients pain control at home when there are so many variables to balance? In this episode, we're thrilled to have Dr. Melina Zimmerman lead us through this important discussion. As a veterinary anesthesiologist with additional training in companion animal rehabilitation, Dr. Zimmerman specializes in pain management for surgical and non-surgical conditions at her clinic, The Doggy Gym. In the first part of this two-part episode, we will focus our discussion on opioids and NSAIDs, with an emphasis on ancillary medications and non-pharmaceutical treatment options in our next episode. Have you ever wondered: What oral opioid options do we know are effective analgesics for dogs and cats? Is buprenorphine a great opioid or the greatest opioid? How do you get a fentanyl patch to stick? What’s with all this hype about Galliprant and Tylenol for dogs? If you’re curious about leveling up your analgesia game, we hope you give this episode a listen.
References are made in this episode to analgesic and sedative agents from previous NAVAS episodes. Check out our episode on Zenalpha and Zorbium for more information.
If you like what you hear, we have a couple of favors to ask of you:
Become a member of NAVAS for access to more anesthesia and analgesia educational and RACE-approved CE content.
Spread the word. Share our podcast on your socials or a discussion forum. That would really help us achieve our mission: Reduce mortality and morbidity in veterinary patients undergoing sedation, anesthesia, and analgesia through high-quality, peer-reviewed education.
As a reminder, the ACVAA Annual Meeting is happening in Denver, CO from September 25-27 later this year. Registration rates are discounted for NAVAS members. We hope to see you there! Sign up today!
Thank you to our sponsor, Dechra - learn more about the pharmaceutical products Dechra has to offer veterinary professionals, such as Zenalpha.
If you have questions about this episode or want to suggest topics for future episodes, reach out to the producers at [email protected].
All opinions stated by the host and their guests are theirs alone and do not represent the thoughts or opinions of any corporation, university, or other business or governmental entity.
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In this episode, we are going to shine the spotlight on a species that doesn’t always get the limelight on this podcast: the horse! Horses pose a unique challenge for anesthetists, especially when we turn off the vaporizer at the end of anesthesia and ask these rather large animals to stand up while under the influence of medications designed to cause sedation and muscle relaxation. In equine anesthesia, the recovery period is a time of considerable risk and has been the focus of prolific research, with many studies attempting to pinpoint risk factors that increase the risk of adverse events occurring in the recovery period and identify pharmaceutical protocols and recovery techniques that will mitigate these risks.
Lucky for us, we have an exceptional guest joining the podcast to delve into this particularly challenging aspect of veterinary anesthesia. Dr. Stuart Clark-Price is a renowned expert in the field, boasting board certifications in both Large Animal Medicine and Anesthesia, and recently ascended to the role of full Professor of Anesthesia at Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine. Together, with host Dr. Bonnie Gatson, we'll explore why recovery from general anesthesia poses such a significant challenge for the horse, shed light on the various risk factors that can increase the likelihood of undesirable recoveries, and share evidence-based recommendations for interventions that can enhance the quality of recovery for equine patients.
If you like what you hear, we have a couple of favors to ask of you:
Become a member of NAVAS for access to more anesthesia and analgesia educational and RACE-approved CE content. Spread the word. Share our podcast on your socials or a discussion forum. That would really help us achieve our mission: Reduce mortality and morbidity in veterinary patients undergoing sedation, anesthesia, and analgesia through high-quality, peer-reviewed education.As a reminder, the ACVAA Annual Meeting is happening in Denver, CO from September 25-27 later this year. Registration rates are discounted for NAVAS members. We hope to see you there!
Sign up at https://vetvacationce.com/product/acvaa-annual-meeting-denver-co-2024/
Thank you to our sponsor, Dechra - learn more about the pharmaceutical products Dechra has to offer veterinary professionals, such as Zenalpha.
If you have questions about this episode or want to suggest topics for future episodes, reach out to the producers at [email protected].
All opinions stated by the host and their guests are theirs alone and do not represent the thoughts or opinions of any corporation, university, or other business or governmental entity.
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In our last episode, we introduced a new class of drugs that have recently hit the veterinary market for treating pain associated with osteoarthritis: nerve growth factor monoclonal antibody therapy. Just over one year ago, Librela (bedinvetmab) entered the North American veterinary market, shaking up our traditional pharmaceutical approach to osteoarthritis pain management in dogs. However, Librela has been available in the United Kingdom and Europe for years Zoetis, the pharmaceutical manufacturer and distributor of Librela, reports that millions of doses of Librela have been administered to dogs since its introduction in 2021, with veterinarians rating their overall satisfaction with the product at about an 8 out of 10.
What can veterinarians in America learn from the experience of European vets about effectively incorporating this novel drug into an overall pain management plan for dogs with osteoarthritis?
Host Dr. Bonnie Gatson chats with UK veterinary anesthesiologist and internationally recognized expert on companion animal pain management, Dr. Matt Gurney. Dr. Gurney is past president of the European College of Veterinary Anesthesia & Analgesia and now works as an anesthesiologist and pain management expert at Eastcott Referrals in the UK. He is also co-founder of Zero Pain Philosophy, an educational resource for veterinary professionals around the globe with a mission to help achieve excellence in veterinary pain management. Together, they discuss how Librela has changed the way European vets manage osteoarthritis pain in dogs, clinical pearls on using Librela in practice, and side effects observed by European vets compared to anecdotal adverse events that have been reported out of the United States.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
The Canine Brief Pain Inventory for dogs
The European and American data sheets on Librela (bedinvetmab)
A comprehensive review of nerve growth factor antibody therapy for the treatment of osteoarthritis pain in humans by Dr. Schmelz
If a patient experiences an adverse event associated with use of Librela, please contact product support at Zoetis at 1-888-963-8471.
Learn more about achieving analgesic excellence at your clinic with Dr. Gurney’s Zero Pain Philosophy. You can check out Zero Pain Philosophy Podcast, wherever you get your podcasts.
Become a member of NAVAS for access to more anesthesia and analgesia educational and RACE-approved CE content.
Our mission: Reduce mortality and morbidity in veterinary patients undergoing sedation, anesthesia, and analgesia through high-quality, peer-reviewed education.
Thank you to our sponsor, Dechra - learn more about the pharmaceutical products Dechra has to offer veterinary professionals, such as Zenalpha.
All opinions stated by the host and their guests are theirs alone and do not represent the thoughts or opinions of any corporation, university, or other business or governmental entity.
Special thanks to Chris Webster, Saul Jimenez, and producer Maria Bridges for making this podcast a reality.
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From subtle tail twitches to silent yowls, cats have mastered the art of hiding their discomfort, leaving us humans scratching our heads feeling somewhat purr-plexed when it comes to decoding the mysteries of recognizing and managing pain in this stoic species. In this episode, we are going to sink our claws into feline osteoarthritis pain management by discussing the newest drug to hit the market designed to diminish feline osteoarthritic pain: Solensia. Solensia (frunevetmab) is a monthly injection administered at a veterinary clinic that can help control pain from osteoarthritis in cats. Our guide to understand this new and revolutionary medication is Dr. Kristin Kirby-Shaw, a board-certified veterinary surgeon and animal rehabilitation specialist who currently serves as a Pain and Osteoarthritis Specialist at Zoetis. Together with host Dr. Bonnie Gatson, they will discuss tools that can help veterinarians and pet owners recognize osteoarthritis pain in cats, summarize how Solensia provides pain control in this population of cats, and review important clinical trial and safety information to ensure we are using this innovative drug efficaciously to its full potential in our feline companions. Listen now to learn how Solensia helps our cats feel-ine good!
We want to inform our listeners about important safety information regarding Solensia (frunevetmab). Solensia is for use in cats only. Women who are pregnant, trying to conceive, or breastfeeding should take extreme care to avoid self-injection. Hypersensitivity reactions, including anaphylaxis, could occur with self-injection. Solensia should not be used in breastfeeding cats, or in pregnant or lactating queens. Solensia should not be used in cats with a known hypersensitivity to frunevetmab. The most common adverse events reported in a clinical study were vomiting and injection site pain. Review important safety information and prescribing information on the Zoetis website.
Resources mentioned in today’s episode:
Learn more about Solensia.
Screening tool for osteoarthritis pain in cats.
If a patient experiences an adverse event associated with use of Solenia, or if inappropriate human exposure occurs, please contact product support at Zoetis at 1-888-963-8471.
If you like what you hear, we have a couple of favors to ask of you:
Become a member of NAVAS for access to more anesthesia and analgesia educational and RACE-approved CE content.
Spread the word. Share our podcast on your socials or a discussion forum. That would really help us achieve our mission: Reduce mortality and morbidity in veterinary patients undergoing sedation, anesthesia, and analgesia through high-quality, peer-reviewed education.
Thank you to our sponsor, Dechra - learn more about the pharmaceutical products Dechra has to offer veterinary professionals, such as Zenalpha.
If you have questions about this episode or want to suggest topics for future episodes, reach out to the producers at [email protected].
All opinions stated by the host and their guests are theirs alone and do not represent the thoughts or opinions of any corporation, university, or other business or governmental entity.
The NAVAS Podcast is published monthly on or near the 15th of the month.
Special thanks to Chris Webster for editing, producer Maria Bridges, and Saul Jimenez for IT support in making this podcast a reality.
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Are you someone who doesn’t feel confident in your anesthesia skills or knowledge?
Are you seeking resources beyond this podcast to improve your anesthesia expertise?
Veterinary professionals often find themselves crunched for time, so finding resources that will guarantee rapid results in training is crucial to advancing anesthesia knowledge. How can we integrate effective training modalities into veterinary practice that will provide meaningful educational opportunities, improve skill levels, and heighten overall job satisfaction?
With so many options out there for continuing education, how can you effectively evaluate training programs to know what educational resources to use that will produce the most meaningful results for you?
In this episode, we talk with Dr. Erik Hofmeister, a professor of veterinary anesthesia at Auburn School of Veterinary Medicine with over 20 years of experience teaching veterinary students. With his guidance, we will discuss what causes individuals to lack confidence in their anesthesia skills, evidence-based recommendations for effectively learning skill sets related to anesthesia, and how to appraise existing anesthesia training programs to ensure that you get a fulfilling education experience.
Resources mentioned in today’s episode:
Read 2023 AAHA Technician Utilization Guidelines or watch a quick summary of these guidelines.
Understanding How We Learn: A Visual Guide
If you are creating an anesthesia training program, consider reviewing the book Understanding by Design recommended by Dr. Hofmeister
Not mentioned in today’s episode, but we encourage listeners to review Dr. Hofmeister’s and Dr. Love’s JAVMA article on patient safety culture in veterinary medicine (Open Access).
If you are looking for more information on veterinary education, please check out Dr. Hofmeister’s podcast, Reflections in Veterinary Education (RIVE), and his blog The Vetducator - Help for every stage of your veterinary career.
As a reminder, the NAVAS Virtual Spring Symposium is taking place next month on April 27th and 28th. Registration is free!
If you like what you hear, we have a couple of favors to ask of you:
Become a member of NAVAS for access to more anesthesia and analgesia educational and RACE-approved CE content.
Spread the word. Share our podcast on your socials or a discussion forum. That would really help us achieve our mission: Reduce mortality and morbidity in veterinary patients undergoing sedation, anesthesia, and analgesia through high-quality, peer-reviewed education.
Thank you to our sponsor, Dechra - learn more about the pharmaceutical products Dechra has to offer veterinary professionals, such as Zenalpha.
If you have questions about this episode or want to suggest topics for future episodes, reach out to the producers at [email protected].
All opinions stated by the host and their guests are theirs alone and do not represent the thoughts or opinions of any corporation, university, or other business or governmental entity.
The NAVAS Podcast is published monthly on or near the 15th of the month.
Special thanks to Chris Webster for editing, producer Maria Bridges, and Saul Jimenez for IT support in making this podcast a reality.
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Here at NAVAS we spend a lot of time educating veterinary professionals on safe anesthetic practices, but what about the safety of the anesthetist? In today’s episode, we are going to explore a mental health phenomenon known as second victim syndrome. Second victims are health care providers who are involved in an unanticipated adverse patient event, in a medical error, or in a patient-related injury and begin to feel personally responsible for the patient outcome, causing the provider to become traumatized by the event. As a result, veterinary professionals experience a tremendous amount of professional and personal suffering following these unanticipated clinical events. Anesthesia is a high-stakes field driven almost entirely by human decision making, and it is not surprising that errors, complications, or unexpected outcomes, although unintended, will occur and the patient may suffer. This makes anesthetists vulnerable to the second victim syndrome when medical errors occur. How can we help support ourselves and our peers following an adverse patient event and how can we learn to thrive after experiencing such a traumatic event? To help guide us through this important, but difficult topic, is Dr. Luiz Santos. He is a Senior Clinician of Veterinary Anesthesia at the University of Glasgow and he is currently obtaining his PhD in topics related to patient safety culture, burnout, and second victim syndrome as they relate to veterinary anesthetic practice.
Dr. Santos will be one of the featured speakers at our NAVAS Virtual Spring Symposium on April 27th and 28th, 2024. Registration is free!
As a warning, there will be mention of mass casualty events and suicide in this episode. Timestamps for these discuss are as follows:
Discussion on gun violence/mass casualty event: 16:30-17:30
Mention of suicide: 46:15-47:26
Resources mentioned in today’s episode:
Dr. Hoffmeister’s and Dr. Love’s JAVMA article on patient safety culture in veterinary medicine
Dr. Ludder’s book on medical errors in veterinary anesthetic practice
The Second Victim Experience: Caring for our Own a presentation by Dr. Susan Scott
If you or someone you know is experiencing trauma related to second victim syndrome, please reach out to the US National Suicide Hotline (or dial or text 988).
If you like what you hear, we have a couple of favors to ask of you:
Become a member of NAVAS for access to more anesthesia and analgesia educational and RACE-approved CE content.
Spread the word. Share our podcast on your socials or a discussion forum. That would really help us achieve our mission: Reduce mortality and morbidity in veterinary patients undergoing sedation, anesthesia, and analgesia through high-quality, peer-reviewed education.
Thank you to our sponsor, Dechra - learn more about the pharmaceutical products Dechra has to offer veterinary professionals, such as Zenalpha.
If you have questions about this episode or want to suggest topics for future episodes, reach out to the producers at [email protected].
All opinions stated by the host and their guests are theirs alone and do not represent the thoughts or opinions of any corporation, university, or other business or governmental entity.
The NAVAS Podcast is published monthly on or near the 15th of the month.
Special thanks to Chris Webster for editing, producer Maria Bridges, and Saul Jimenez for IT support in making this podcast a reality.
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What fasting recommendations are you making for your elective anesthetic procedures? Are you recommending that all your patients be fasted overnight? This has been recommended by veterinarians to countless dog and cat owners for years. However, our human counterparts have changed these recommendations in recent years to shorter episodes of fasting before general anesthesia. The most recent anesthesia guidelines provided by American Animal Hospital Association have suggested a different fasting protocol for small animal patients prior to general anesthesia that look awfully similar to the updated human recommendations. What is the evidence that veterinarians should follow suit, especially given the intricate differences between the human and animal gastrointestinal systems?
To help us digest this huge topic is Dr. Ioannis Savvas, Professor of Veterinary Anaesthesia, Analgesia, and Intensive Care at School of Veterinary Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and dedicated researcher specializing in the complex details of how general anesthesia impacts the gastrointestinal tract of dogs and cats. With host Dr. Bonnie Gatson, they will discuss the impact of general anesthesia on gastrointestinal motility, how often reflux and regurgitation occur in anesthetized companion animals, and strategies to mitigate these gastrointestinal complications. And of course, they will discuss what we know and don’t know when it comes to preanesthetic fasting protocols for dogs and cats.
We invite our listeners to check out articles mentioned in today’s episode: 2020 AAHA Anesthesia and Monitoring Guidelines for Dogs and Cats
If you like what you hear, we have a couple of favors to ask of you:
Become a member at North American Veterinary Anesthesia Society (NAVAS) for access to more anesthesia and analgesia educational and RACE-approved CE content.
Spread the word. Share our podcast and FB/IG posts, re-tweet, post something on a network or a discussion forum, or tell a friend over lunch. That would really help us achieve our mission: Reduce mortality and morbidity in veterinary patients undergoing sedation, anesthesia, and analgesia through high-quality, peer-reviewed education.
We also ask our listeners to save the date for the NAVAS Virtual Spring Symposium on April 27th and 28th, 2024. For more information about the program, visit the NAVAS Spring Symposium website. Dr. Savvas will be one of our featured speakers during the symposium talking more about adverse gastrointestinal effects of general anesthesia.
Thank you to our sponsor, Dechra - learn more about the pharmaceutical products Dechra has to offer veterinary professionals, such as Zenalpha.
If you have questions about this episode or want to suggest topics for future episodes, reach out to the producers at [email protected].
All opinions stated by the host and their guests are theirs alone and do not represent the thoughts or opinions of any corporation, university, or other business or governmental entity.
The NAVAS Podcast is published monthly on or near the 15th of the month.
Special thanks to Chris Webster for editing, producer Maria Bridges, and Saul Jimenez for IT support in making this podcast a reality.
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The holiday season is in full swing and you may be asking yourself if it’s time to invest in something new for your clinic. A new anesthetic agent, perhaps? If that’s the case, then Alfaxalone may be the new drug to help shake up your old anesthetic drug protocols. Although it has been around on the veterinary market for a few years now, Alfaxalone is the newest anesthetic induction agent and with it come several interesting and intriguing potential benefits. Our guide to explore this newfangled drug is Dr. Lane Johnson, a boarded veterinary anesthesiologist, Clinical Assistant Professor of Anesthesia and Pain Management at the University of Florida, reptile enthusiast and Alfaxalone researcher. Together we will discuss how Alfaxalone came to be in its current formulation, it’s unique pharmacokinetic properties and side effects, why it’s such a great drug for sedating and anesthetizing cats and bearded dragons, and why alfaxalone has gotten its recent reputation as the best induction agent for small animals with cardiac disease. Should you purchase alfaxalone to use in your clinic? How do you use alfaxalone in the most effective and safest way possible? We hope this episode will be your guide to answering these complicated questions.
This episode is an expansion on our previous episode on Induction Agents with Dr. Xander Thomson.
In addition, check out this article by previous NAVAS podcast guest, Dr. Lydia Love, Should I Be Using Alfaxalone.
If you like what you hear, we have a couple of favors to ask of you:
Become a member at North American Veterinary Anesthesia Society (NAVAS) for access to more anesthesia and analgesia educational and RACE-approved CE content.
Spread the word. Share our podcast and FB/IG posts, re-tweet, post something on a network or a discussion forum, or tell a friend over lunch. That would really help us achieve our mission: Reduce mortality and morbidity in veterinary patients undergoing sedation, anesthesia, and analgesia through high-quality, peer-reviewed education.
If you are feeling generous this holiday season, consider donating to the NAVAS Education fund, whose mission is to improve anesthetic and analgesic care of veterinary patients by providing continuing education to veterinary professionals and caregivers. All donations help to support continuing educational efforts for veterinary professionals.
We also ask our listeners to save the date for the NAVAS Virtual Spring Symposium on April 27th and 28th, 2024. For more information about the program, visit the NAVAS Spring Symposium website. Registration starts Feb. 1.
Thank you to our sponsor, Dechra - learn more about the pharmaceutical products Dechra has to offer veterinary professionals, such as Zenalpha.
If you have questions about this episode or want to suggest topics for future episodes, reach out to the producers at [email protected].
All opinions stated by the host and their guests are theirs alone and do not represent the thoughts or opinions of any corporation, university, or other business or governmental entity.
The NAVAS Podcast is published monthly on or near the 15th of the month.
Special thanks to Chris Webster for editing, producer Maria Bridges, and Saul Jimenez for IT support in making this podcast a reality.
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Water is life’s matter and matrix, and there is no life without it. Even the founding fathers of the US understood that water was essential to sustain life, with Benjamin Franklin being quoted as saying “When the well’s dry, we know the worth of water.”
Patients often present to veterinary hospitals with a dry well, and many of them may require diagnostics or surgery under sedation or anesthesia. You may have thought “I’ll give twice the fluid maintenance rate to this patient”, but where did this value come from? How do we empirically create an appropriate fluid therapy plan for anesthetized patients? Today’s guest on the NAVAS podcast, Dr. Jane Quandt, will guide our listeners through this very question.
Dr. Quandt is a long-time veterinary educator at the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine and boarded in both Anesthesia and Emergency Medicine. With her expertise and unique perspective, we will cover a wide range of topics regarding fluid therapy in anesthetized patients, including using pulse oximeters to determine fluid responsiveness, how to use fluids to appropriately treat anesthesia-induced hypotension, when and should you use a colloid, how to use hypertonic fluids, and fluid resuscitating patients with elevated sodium values.
So, water-ver you do, be prepared to get your ears wet with this in-flow-mative conversation all about fluid therapy!
For more information on this episode’s topic, we invite our listeners to check out the 2013 AAHA/AAFP Fluid Therapy Guidelines for Dogs and Cats, specifically the section on Fluids and Anesthesia
If you like what you hear, we have a couple of favors to ask of you:
Become a member at North American Veterinary Anesthesia Society (NAVAS) for access to more anesthesia and analgesia educational and RACE-approved CE content.
Spread the word. Share our podcast and FB/IG posts, re-tweet, post something on a network or a discussion forum, or tell a friend over lunch. That would really help us achieve our mission: Reduce mortality and morbidity in veterinary patients undergoing sedation, anesthesia, and analgesia through high-quality, peer-reviewed education.
We also ask our listeners to save the date for the NAVAS Virtual Spring Symposium on April 27th and 28th, 2024. For more information about the program, visit the NAVAS Spring Symposium website. Several speakers will discuss blood pressure management under anesthesia, which will include fluid therapy. Registration starts Feb. 1.
Thank you to our sponsor, Dechra - learn more about the pharmaceutical products Dechra has to offer veterinary professionals, such as Zenalpha.
If you have questions about this episode or want to suggest topics for future episodes, reach out to the producers at [email protected].
All opinions stated by the host and their guests are theirs alone and do not represent the thoughts or opinions of any corporation, university, or other business or governmental entity.
The NAVAS Podcast is published monthly on or near the 15th of the month.
Special thanks to Chris Webster for editing, producer Maria Bridges, and Saul Jimenez for IT support in making this podcast a reality.
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Imagine you are anesthetizing your last patient of the day, and the alarm for the anesthesia machine is blaring, warning that your patient’s blood pressure is far too low. The machine reads 80/40 (55). It probably doesn’t seem too hard to imagine, because anesthesia-induced hypotension is one of the most common cardiovascular complications of general anesthesia.
In this episode, host Dr. Bonnie Gatson welcomes Dr. Vaidehi Paranjape. Not only is Dr. Paranjape a board-certified veterinary anesthesiologist and assistant professor at Virgina-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, but she has also focused her research career on understanding how to appropriately identify, measure, and manage cardiovascular problems under general anesthesia. We will answer your burning questions about blood pressure monitoring, including: what are we measuring when we take an animal’s blood pressure, how do we know if we are measuring blood pressure correctly, which is the most accurate indirect method of measuring blood pressure: oscillometric or Doppler, and what are the most appropriate steps to take when dealing with a hypotensive patient under anesthesia?
We invite our listeners to check out articles mentioned in today’s episode:
2020 AAHA Anesthesia and Monitoring Guidelines for Dogs and Cats ACVAA Recommendations for Anesthesia Monitoring in horses and small animals ACVIM consensus statement on the identification, evaluation, and management of systemic hypertension in dogs and cats Veterinary Blood Pressure SocietyIf you like what you hear, we have a couple of favors to ask of you:
Become a member at North American Veterinary Anesthesia Society (NAVAS) for access to more anesthesia and analgesia educational and RACE-approved CE content.
Spread the word. Share our podcast and FB/IG posts, re-tweet, post something on a network or a discussion forum, or tell a friend over lunch. That would really help us achieve our mission: Reduce mortality and morbidity in veterinary patients undergoing sedation, anesthesia, and analgesia through high-quality, peer-reviewed education.
We also ask our listeners to save the date for the NAVAS Virtual Spring Symposium on April 27th and 28th, 2024. For more information about the program, visit the NAVAS Spring Symposium website. Dr. Paranjape will be one of our featured speakers during the symposium, and several speakers will discuss blood pressure management under anesthesia.
Thank you to our sponsor, Dechra - learn more about the pharmaceutical products Dechra has to offer veterinary professionals, such as Zenalpha.
If you have questions about this episode or want to suggest topics for future episodes, reach out to the producers at [email protected].
All opinions stated by the host and their guests are theirs alone and do not represent the thoughts or opinions of any corporation, university, or other business or governmental entity.
The NAVAS Podcast is published monthly on or near the 15th of the month.
Special thanks to Chris Webster for editing, producer Maria Bridges, and Saul Jimenez for IT support in making this podcast a reality.
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Imagine a dog limping into your clinic with its concerned owner in tow. It’s not too hard to presume that the animal is experiencing some degree of discomfort. But what about a cat who suddenly spends less time grooming? Or a dog who no longer wants to chase their favorite toy around the house for hours at a time? Our furred companions are remarkable at masking signs of pain, which may have served them well as a survival tactic from their wild roots, but now may hinder pet caregivers from providing appropriate care and honoring their animal’s quality of life. In recognition of Animal Pain Awareness Month, host Dr. Bonnie Gatson welcomes esteemed guest Dr. Tammy Grubb. Dr. Grubb is a boarded veterinary anesthesiologist, president-elect of IVAPM (International Veterinary Academy of Pain Management), and a world-renowned expert in the recognition and treatment of pain in companion animals. Together, they will decode various classifications of pain, offer inciteful methods of assessing pain in different domesticated species, and discuss the role of modern technology in advancing the field of pain assessment in animals.
Links to content/resources mentioned in the podcast:
Learn more about Animal Pain Awareness Month
2022 AAHA Pain Management Guidelines
WSAVA Global Pain Council Guidelines
Feline Grimace Scale
Short Form of the Glasgow Composite Measure Pain Scale for dogs
Client Specific Outcome Measure
Feline Musculoskeletal Pain Index (Pain-Free)
Canine Brief Pain Inventory scale.
Pain Trace
Additional pain assessment tools:
The COAST Tool developed by Elanco (Canine OsteoArthritis Staging Tool)
Osteoarthritis Pain Checklist developed by Zoetis for dogs and cats
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Here on the NAVAS podcast, we are recognizing and honoring September as Animal Pain Awareness Month by giving our listeners a small taste of a larger episode on pain assessment that will come out later this month with Dr. Tammy Grubb. As a board-certified veterinary anesthesiologist who is an expert in companion animal pain management and an intense fan of local anesthetic agents, Dr. Grubb provides her incite and expertise on the groundbreaking drug, Nocita. Together with host, Dr. Bonnie Gatson, they will dive into Nocita’s mechanism of action, address safety concerns, discuss its use in various clinical circumstances, and touch on some of the controversies of its use as part of an analgesic plan. We hope you have 15 minutes to spare to learn how to incorporate Nocita into your daily anesthetic practice.
Learn more about Nocita.
Learn more about Animal Pain Awareness Month.
We invite our listeners to check out articles mentioned in today’s episode, including this manuscript comparing the use of Nocita to bupivacaine for dental blocks and a two-part review article authored by Dr. Grubb about the use of local anesthetics in dogs and cats.
Part 1 and Part 2If you like what you hear, we have a couple of favors to ask of you:
Subscribe to the North American Veterinary Anesthesia Society (NAVAS) for access to more anesthesia and analgesia educational and RACE-approved CE content. Spread the word. Share our FB or IG posts, re-tweet, post something on a network or a discussion forum, or tell a friend over lunch. That would really help us achieve our mission: Reduce mortality and morbidity in veterinary patients undergoing sedation, anesthesia, and analgesia through high-quality, peer-reviewed education.Thank you to our sponsor, Dechra - learn more about the pharmaceutical products Dechra has to offer veterinary professionals, such as Zenalpha.
If you have questions about this episode or if you want to suggest topics for future episodes, please reach out to the producers of this podcast at [email protected]. Please consider subscribing, liking, leaving this podcast a review, or even telling your friends to give this podcast a listen. We appreciate any and all listener support!
All opinions stated by the host and their guests are theirs alone and do not represent the thoughts or opinions of any corporation, university, or other business or governmental entity.
The NAVAS Podcast is published monthly on or near the 15th of the month.
Special thanks to Chris Webster of Chris Webster Productions for editing, producer Maria Bridges, and Saul Jimenez for IT support in making this podcast a reality.
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If you practice medicine long enough, you may find that mistakes can happen despite our best efforts. Although anesthesia is vital to provide appropriate care in many clinical situations, it also has the potential to create adverse side effects, complications, and even life-threatening situations. For this reason, veterinary professionals providing anesthesia services should strive to promote a culture of patient safety within their practices. If this is a concept you have not heard before, or if you are a policy geek who gets excited over checklists, then this episode is for you!
Host Dr. Bonnie Gatson is joined by Dr. Lydia Love, a boarded veterinary anesthesiologist from North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine and a strong advocate for patient safety in anesthetic practice. Together, they will discuss various aspects of patient safety, including what a hospital with a robust culture of patient safety looks like, why safety culture is important for the well-being of both patients and veterinary practitioners and why you need to fill your veterinary practice with checklists.
We invite you to check out articles and checklists that are referenced in the episode, including the original WHO Surgical Safety Checklist, the Association of Veterinary Anaesthetists (AVA) resource on checklists, and the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeon’s site on everything you need to know about implementing a veterinary surgical checklist, which includes examples and templates.
If you like what you hear, we have a couple of favors to ask of you:
Subscribe to the North American Veterinary Anesthesia Society (NAVAS) for access to more anesthesia and analgesia educational and RACE-approved CE content.
Spread the word. Share our FB or IG post, re-tweet, post something on a network or a discussion forum, or tell a friend over lunch. That would really help us achieve our mission: Reduce mortality and morbidity in veterinary patients undergoing sedation, anesthesia, and analgesia through high quality and peer-reviewed education.Thank you to our sponsor, Dechra - learn more about the pharmaceutical products Dechra has to offer veterinary professionals, such as Zenalpha.
If you have questions about this episode or if you want to suggest topics for future episodes, please reach out to the producers of this podcast at [email protected]. Please consider subscribing, liking, leaving this podcast a review, or even telling your friends to give this podcast a listen. We appreciate any and all listener support!
All opinions stated by the host and their guests are theirs alone and do not represent the thoughts or opinions of any corporation, university, or other business or governmental entity.
The NAVAS Podcast is published monthly on or near the 15th of the month.
Special thanks to Chris Webster for editing, producer Maria Bridges and Saul Jimenez for IT support in making this podcast a reality.
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If you’re a veterinary technician who loves practicing anesthesia as much as we love talking about it on this show, then maybe you have thought about becoming a veterinary technician specialist (VTS) in Anesthesia and Analgesia. If you haven’t heard that term before, an individual with a VTS in Anesthesia and Analgesia is a certified or licensed veterinary technician who has undergone a rigorous application and testing process that demonstrates their superior knowledge when it comes to the care and management of anesthetized patients. The organizational body that oversees this rigorous process is the Academy of Veterinary Technicians in Anesthesia and Analgesia (AVTAA). In this episode, host Dr. Bonnie Gatson dives deep into the application process in a round table discussion with a technician who is just beginning her VTS application journey and a technician who just recently obtained her VTS in Anesthesia. Together, the panel discusses the possible career benefits of obtaining a VTS in Anesthesia, what type of work environment will set you up for the best possible experience during the prequalification phase, and we will provide tips on how to maximize your efforts and avoid pitfalls during the later application and examination phases.
We would like to thank our guest panel: Vivienne Montony, CVT, veterinary anesthesia technician at the University of Wisconsin, and Melissa Vehouc-Clark, CVT, VTS (Anesthesia and Analgesia), lead veterinary anesthesia and surgery technician at Community Care Veterinary Specialists in Gainesville, FL.If you would like to learn more about the application process, please visit the AVTAA website
If you like what you hear, we have a couple of favors to ask of you:
Subscribe to the North American Veterinary Anesthesia Society (NAVAS) for access to more anesthesia and analgesia educational and RACE-approved CE content. Spread the word. Share our FB or IG post, re-tweet, post something on a network or a discussion forum, or tell a friend over lunch. That would really help us achieve our mission: Reduce mortality and morbidity in veterinary patients undergoing sedation, anesthesia, and analgesia through high quality and peer-reviewed education.Thank you to our sponsor, Dechra - learn more about the pharmaceutical products Dechra has to offer veterinary professionals, such as Zenalpha.
If you have questions about this episode or if you want to suggest topics for future episodes, please reach out to the producers of this podcast at [email protected].
An AVTAA representative for NAVAS was consulted for this episode. However, all opinions and thoughts stated by the host and their guests are theirs alone and do not represent the thoughts or opinions of any corporation, non-profit, university, or other business or governmental entity.
Special thanks to Chris Webster, Saul Jimenez, and Maria Bridges for making this podcast a reality.
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Picking an anesthetic drug protocol for an individual patient is a foundational practice of veterinary anesthesia, but it can sometimes feel daunting. With so many anesthetic drugs to pick from, how can you be sure that you are choosing the right combination? In this episode, Dr. Gatson along with guest Dr. Xander Thomson, a boarded veterinary anesthesiologist from City University of Hong Kong, will dip our toes in the sea of anesthetic induction agents. Together they discuss the importance of including an induction agent in your anesthetic plan, and they break down the good, the bad, and the interesting about each of the common anesthetic induction agents available on the market today. Also, if you stick around to the end of the episode, you will be rewarded with an intriguing conversation on the challenges of practicing veterinary anesthesia outside of North America.
If you like what you hear, consider becoming a member of the North American Veterinary Anesthesia Society (NAVAS) for access to more anesthesia and analgesia educational and RACE-approved CE content.
Thank you to our sponsor, Dechra - learn more about the pharmaceutical products Dechra has to offer veterinary professionals, such as Zenalpha.
You can expect a new episode on or directly after the 15th of each month.
If you have question about this episode or if you want to suggest topics for future episodes, please reach out to the producers of this podcast at [email protected].
Special thanks to Chris Webster, Saul Jimenez, and Maria Bridges for making this podcast a reality.
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Perioperative pain management in horses is a field that is still growing and there is much to be learned. In this episode, we are building upon our previous conversation with Dr. Rachel Reed, a boarded veterinary anesthesiologist from the University of Georgia, who has primarily focused her research on opioid use in horses. During this discussion, host Dr. Bonnie Gatson and Dr. Reed explore the last few years of research integrating opioids into the perioperative pain management plan in horses. Together, they will consider the challenges of pain assessment in horses following general anesthesia, epigenetic implications of behavioral changes observed with opioid administration in this species, using buprenorphine and fentanyl patches in horses, and why you should consider using hydromorphone as part of your perioperative anesthetic plan. Don’t miss this incredibly insightful discussion on how we are progressing towards optimizing pain management in this understudied species!
This episode is a continuation of our previous episode on opioid use in horses. Please listen to that episode if you have not done so already.
If you have questions for Dr. Reed regarding her pain management research in horses, she can be contacted at [email protected]. Below are a few links to some of her more recent research manuscripts on the clinical use of hydromorphone and fentanyl patches in horses:
Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of hydromorphone after intravenous and intramuscular administration in horses
A retrospective evaluation of the effect of perianesthetic hydromorphone administration on the incidence of postanesthetic signs of colic in horses
The pharmacokinetics of a fentanyl matrix patch applied at three different anatomical locations in horses
If you like what you hear, consider becoming a member of the North American Veterinary Anesthesia Society (NAVAS) for access to more anesthesia and analgesia educational and RACE-approved CE content.
Thank you to our sponsor, Dechra - learn more about the pharmaceutical products Dechra has to offer veterinary professionals, such as Zenalpha.
You can expect a new episode on the 15th, or just after, of each month.
If you have question about this episode or if you want to suggest topics for future episodes, please reach out to the producers of this podcast at [email protected].
Special thanks to Chris Webster, Saul Jimenez, and Maria Bridges for making this podcast a reality.
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Up to now on this podcast, we have been focusing our attention on new analgesic and sedative agents for dogs and cats. But what about horses? For this species, it seems like pain control is a mix between science and art, as robust pain management studies seem to lag behind smaller companion animals. Luckily, there are brilliant researchers out there helping to move the needle forward on pain management research that is desperately needed for this species. In this episode, host Dr. Bonnie Gatson is joined by fellow boarded veterinary anesthesiologist and Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Georgia, Dr. Rachel Reed, to discuss her research in utilizing different types of opioids in horses. Together they will discuss the challenges of utilizing full-mu agonist opioids, like hydromorphone, morphine, and meperidine, in horses and why, perhaps, you should consider adding this powerful group of analgesic agents to your balanced analgesia protocol for equine patients. And if you have no interest in horses as a species, stick around to learn more about opioids as a class of drugs, which can be applicable to any species that you typically work with!
If this episode has you wanting more, stay tuned for the next episode, where there will be an update on some of the pain management research that Dr. Reed alludes to in this episode.
If you have questions for Dr. Reed regarding her pain management research in horses, she can be contacted at [email protected]. Check out her book on Equine Anesthesia and Pain Management.
If you like what you hear, consider becoming a member of the North American Veterinary Anesthesia Society (NAVAS) for access to more anesthesia and analgesia educational and RACE-approved CE content.
Thank you to our sponsor, Dechra - learn more about the pharmaceutical products Dechra has to offer veterinary professionals, such as Zenalpha.
You can expect a new episode on the 15th, or just after, of each month.
If you have question about this episode or if you want to suggest topics for future episodes, please reach out to the producers of this podcast at [email protected].
Special thanks to Chris Webster, Saul Jimenez, and Maria Bridges for making this podcast a reality.
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Does this situation sound familiar to you? You’ve attended a great conference or CE event (maybe even listened to a brilliant podcast), and you learned something innovative regarding anesthesia or pain management. You feel invigorated to implement these changes in your practice and try something new that will help your patients. However, as time goes on, you never get a chance to try anything new. You get stuck in a loop of limitless barriers, and you just can’t seem to get anyone on board to make changes happen. If this frustrating situation sounds familiar, then this episode is for you!
Host Dr. Bonnie Gatson is joined by fellow veterinary anesthesiologist and Vice President of Education and Quality at United Veterinary Care, Dr. Kate Bailey, to discuss strategies for change implementation in veterinary practice. Together they discuss how to navigate challenging conversations regarding change, implementing a culture of psychological safety, and how to best work as a team to ensure changes are implemented effectively with minimal emotional impact.
If you are interested in learning more about safety culture in veterinary medicine, check out this study assessing attitudes toward veterinary safety culture in an academic teaching hospital.
If you like what you hear, consider becoming a member of the North American Veterinary Anesthesia Society (NAVAS) for access to more anesthesia and analgesia educational and RACE-approved CE content.
Thank you to our sponsor, Dechra - learn more about the pharmaceutical products Dechra has to offer veterinary professionals, such as Zenalpha.
If you have questions, comments, or feedback regarding this episode, contact us through the NAVAS website.
You can expect a new episode on the 15th, or just after, of each month.
Special thanks to Chris Webster, Saul Jimenez, and Maria Bridges for making this podcast a reality.
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