Photo courtesy of the North American Veterinary Community

Kate Myrna, DVM, MS, DACVO, stands with a patient following a successful ophthalmologic examination.

From May 20 to May 24, 2024, the annual North American Veterinary Community (NAVC) Institute will take place in Orlando, Florida, with veterinarians, veterinary nurses and technicians, planning to attend. At the 23rd NAVC Institute, attendees will spend a week learning about one specific veterinary medicine discipline from world-renowned veterinary professionals specializing in that area.

A main focus this year will be on ophthalmology. “Eye problems are always an emergency and can go from irritation to sudden blindness within minutes,” Dana Varble, DVM, CAE and NAVC, chief veterinary officer said in a news release. "The eye is unlike any other part of the body and almost always requires a specialist. The hands-on training and skills veterinarians and veterinary nurses [and] technicians gain at NAVC Institute, whether it’s in ophthalmology or orthopedic surgery, enable general practitioners to treat their patients, providing more immediate easily accessible care.”

An article published by the American Veterinary Medical Association expressed how common ocular diseases are in animals, stating how dry eye disease, uveitis and glaucoma are very common in domestic animals. The article also noted how spontaneous, genetic, and diabetic cataracts are especially frequent in dogs.

Considering how common ocular diseases are among animals, Kate Myrna, DVM, MS, DACVO, an associate professor at the University of Georgia’s College of Veterinary Medicine in Athens, elaborated on the importance of expanding access to ophthalmology education and skills. “In today’s economic environment, not everyone has the means to accept a referral to a specialist. With less than 600 board-certified veterinary ophthalmologists in the entire US, many pet owners do not have access to a specialist, especially in some states where there aren’t any. By teaching veterinarians and veterinary technicians the basics of ophthalmology along with advanced skills, they will be able to provide an animal with the veterinary care it needs,” she said in the news release.

During the NAVC Institute’s 4-day ophthalmology course, participants will receive hands-on training that will provide them with skills that can be immediately put into practice. The course, being led by Myrna will include the following sessions

A hands-on examination workshop with pet dogs

Eyelid surgery education and a surgery wet lab for pets with excess eyelids, such as Shar Pei dogs, bulldogs, and Persian cats

Restoring vision to animals with cataracts, glaucoma or diabetes-related vision loss

The course will also cover common eye diseases and how to perform, understand, and troubleshoot ophthalmic exams. Time will also be allotted for questions.

Apart from ophthalmology, the NAVC Institute offers courses on orthopedic surgery, small animal ultrasound, soft tissue surgery and strategic leadership for veterinary practice managers.

Does your dog need glasses? From removing cataracts and performing surgeries to restore vision, veterinarians and veterinary nurses/technicians master ophthalmology and other new skills at the 23rd NAVC Institute. News release. North American Veterinary Community. May 13, 2024. Accessed May 14, 2024. 

https://navc.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Press-Release-Opthalmology-23rd-NAVC-Institute-2024.pdf

Gilger BC. How study of naturally occurring ocular disease in animals improves ocular health globally. 

Ophthalmology. North American Veterinary Community. Accessed May 16, 2024. 

https://navc.com/institute/ophthalmology/

Articles

The 23rd annual event features a 4-day course with various eye care topics covered and hands-on training

NAVC Institute provides access to veterinary education in ophthalmology

Caring for exotic pet patients requires handling unique to each species. However, for many species, there is not an abundance of information available on how to best achieve optimal interactions.

 In a lecture at the 2024 Fetch dvm360 conference in Charlotte, North Carolina, Katrina Lafferty, BFA, RLAT, CVT, VTS (Anesthesia/Analgesia), senior technician in the anesthesia and pain management department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UWM) Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, aimed to increase the comfort level of veterinary team members handling reptiles and other exotic species.

During an overview of techniques for chelonians, Lafferty provided recommendations and best practices for humanely and safely handling and restraining turtles, tortoises, and terrapins. Following her advice and recommendations from other expert exotic veterinarians can help protect chelonians from injury while also keeping their handlers safe.

Turtles, tortoises, and terrapins tend to be calm patients and are generally easy to restrain.

 “Chelonians are fun. They tend not to be aggressive, with the exception of the snapping turtle, which is very aggressive,” she said.

However, proper technique is required to ensure a positive, low-stress encounter for every chelonian patient. “This is not a rock. This is a living creature,” Lafferty reminded Fetch attendees.

In a peer-reviewed article, author Sarah Kolb, BAS, CVT, LAT, VTS (Exotic Companion Animal) recommended holding chelonians in an upright position because many do not do well when placed on their backs.

 She and Lafferty also advised carefully holding the shell on both sides between the front and rear legs, using 2 hands.

“Remember that the shell itself is also living tissue. It has blood. It has innervation. It is something that grows and heals. When you’re holding them, be respectful of that,” Lafferty said.

Chelonians are strong, have the ability to extend their necks, and can deliver a bite. With aggressive chelonians such as snapping turtles, the experts advised holding the shell with both hands well beyond the midline, toward the rear.

 In particular, snapping turtles are able to reach very far back to bite, Lafferty noted.2 If needed, a makeshift muzzle, such as a cup placed over the patient’s head, can be used as a low-stress solution to avoid injury.

Additionally, some chelonians have a hinge shell that can catch human fingers if these patients are held improperly. “They can clamp pretty hard, or they can pinch,” Lafferty warned.

If needed, sedation with medication can be used for restraining stubborn or aggressive chelonian patients. However, veterinarians should note that chelonians metabolize drugs more slowly than other species, so recovery may be prolonged.

According to Lafferty, it can be a challenge to make the head and legs accessible for a physical examination. However, there are methods that help make head and leg examinations possible.

Many chelonian patients will pull their heads in their shells, but patience and humane techniques can draw them out. “The best trick to get the head out of the shell is to push the hind limbs into the inguinal fossa,” Lafferty said.

In some cases, covering chelonian patients’ eyes helps to relax them and may result in the head coming out.

 Kolb also suggested tipping a chelonian patient slightly forward to persuade the head to protrude.

Gentle use of sponge forceps or whelping forceps to help pull the head up may also work, according to Lafferty.

 “They have to be willing to work with you. You cannot hold their head out if they’re resistant to that because you will hurt them,” Lafferty told the Fetch audience. “If a little bit of gentle traction is all that they need to pull their head out, that’s OK. But it would not take well to sponge forces to grab them and pull them out if they are unwilling." 

According to Kolb, handlers should always avoid excess pressure on a chelonian’s trachea during a head examination by holding the sides of the neck.

In examinations that include radiology, holding a turtle, tortoise, or terrapin may not be an option, but there are solutions. “If you can be clever with these turtles and tortoises, you don’t even have to sedate them for a lot of their imaging,” Lafferty said.

She and Kolb both suggested using a simple object—a cardboard box, for example—that fits under the patient’s shell but is slightly smaller than the plastron and tall enough to suspend the chelonian’s limbs off the table.

 Lafferty noted that these animals are unable to move around the imaging table if they cannot reach the ground.

“What I want you to remember is that this is not a robot that can walk; these are actual living creatures, so make sure you are handling them with that in mind,” Lafferty said. “There are organs. There’s tissue. There’s blood. There’s fluid inside that turtle or that tortoise. Hold them with both hands. Don’t carry them around like it doesn’t matter.”

Lafferty K. You gotta know when to hold ’em: exotic animal restraint. Presented at: Fetch dvm360 Conference; March 15-17, 2024; Charlotte, NC. Accessed May 9, 2024. https://ce.dvm360.com/learn/course/fetch-charlotte-2024-proceedings/proceeding/fetch-charlotte-2024-conference

Kolb S. Low-stress veterinary visits for reptiles. 

. September 1, 2023. Accessed May 9, 2024. https://todaysveterinarynurse.com/behavior/low-stress-veterinary-visits-for-reptiles/

An overview of techniques for handling and restraining turtles, tortoises and terrapins was presented at the 2024 Fetch dvm360 Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Handling a chelonian patient exam

, Tiffany L. Ayres, CVPM, and host Adam Christman, DVM, MBA, discuss how veterinary management teams can learn from the honeybees social structure and communication skills to help combat the issues veterinary clinics and professionals face daily. 

What's the hardest lesson that you learned as a manager?

: I would say empowering my employees to be successful and to fail. The failure part was the hardest lesson for me to learn, allowing my employees to fail without intervening. Of course, this is not failing at the detriment of health or safety. But this stumble allows for growth and development of the employee. Some of our best lessons are learned by making our own mistakes. Early in my veterinary management career, I was fortunate to manage a hospital where the owner gave me the reins and allowed me to manage. I owe Dr Douglas Schmidt so much as he handed over the reins of his hospital, which then, in turn, allowed him to practice medicine. 

This leadership partnership established a positive environment one, that we were able to identify team members strengths and interest and optimize their skill sets. It was a win win equation. And in this type of environment, a few things are accomplished. Team members are responsible and accountable for their projects. They know what to do, how to do it, and pitch in to help others. And in this environment, it also promotes the accomplishments of several projects or enhancements occurring simultaneously, certainly much more than one person just driving that productivity.

Podcasts

This week's episode emphasizes the crucial role of effective communication and teamwork in addressing staffing shortages and burnout within the industry

Speaking the language of honeybees

Ticks play a crucial role in ecosystems and ecological balance, serving as food for various organisms, regulating wildlife populations, and contributing to biodiversity. However, humans often overlook their significance because of the diseases they transmit, raising questions about the necessity of ticks in our world.

Ticks transmit many pathogens, including bacteria, parasites, and viruses, which pose significant threats to human and animal populations globally through vector-borne diseases. These diseases can cause severe consequences for both humans and animals, ranging from mild discomfort to chronic illness and even death.

 Alongside other arthropod vectors like mosquitoes and sand flies, ticks are pivotal to the spread of these diseases.

Furthermore, ticks enhance their effectiveness as disease vectors by manipulating host behavior and phenotypic traits. A study published in 

 can modify the behavior of tick vectors to increase their chances of survival and reproduction. The investigators found that infected ticks may exhibit increased mobility and blood engorgement, facilitating pathogen transmission to hosts. Additionally, infected ticks may develop greater resilience to environmental stressors such as desiccation and cold temperatures to improve their ability to survive and spread diseases.

 These behavioral modifications not only increase the likelihood of pathogen transmission but also complicate efforts to control tick populations and mitigate disease risk.

Originating from Lyme, Connecticut, Lyme disease rapidly became a public health concern. Early research revealed a correlation between the disease and the presence of ticks, particularly the black-legged tick. Understanding Lyme disease transmission required delving into the complex life cycle of ticks and the critical role of host dynamics and environmental factors in determining disease risk. Published in 

, the study found that higher species diversity in host communities was associated with lower disease risk, as diverse communities provide fewer opportunities for efficient tick hosts to proliferate.

 This finding underscored the importance of ecosystem health and biodiversity conservation in mitigating zoonotic disease transmission.

Further investigations into Lyme disease emphasized how environmental factors, such as acorn masting events (cyclic events in which trees produce large amounts of seeds) affect the abundance and distribution of tick populations. Mast seeding events led to surges in tick populations because of increased deer activity, while acorn failures reduced tick populations.

In the context of chronic wasting disease (CWD), an infectious disease affecting cervids (mammals in the deer family), ticks may play a role in indirect transmission. In 

, the investigators examine whether ticks can harbor prion protein (PrP) CWD, the infectious agent causing CWD, and contribute to disease spread among cervids. PrPCWDs are found in the blood and tissues of infected hosts, suggesting that ticks could pick up these prions while feeding on infected animals and transmit them to healthy individuals.

 The study demonstrates the potential for ticks to ingest and excrete PrPCWD, indicating that ticks may play a role in the natural transmission of the disease.

Moving forward, developing effective disease prevention and control strategies in both human and animal populations requires an understanding of the complexities of tick-borne disease transmission. Ticks undeniably play a role in ecosystems as part of complex food webs and biodiversity. However, the negative consequences of tick-borne diseases on human and animal health pose challenges for disease prevention and control. These factors may outweigh any potential benefits they may provide to the ecosystem, implying that ticks can be more of a nuisance than a necessity.

is a PharmD candidate, who is studying veterinary pharmacy at the University of Connecticut in Storrs.

 Benelli G. Pathogens manipulating tick behavior-through a glass, darkly. 

. 2020;9(8):664. doi:10.3390/pathogens9080664

Ostfeld RS. Ecology of Lyme disease. In: Weathers KC, Strayer DL, Likens GE, eds. 

Inzalaco HN, Bravo-Risi F, Morales R, et al. Ticks harbor and excrete chronic wasting disease prions. 

. 2023;13(1):7838. doi:10.1038/s41598-023-34308-3

Known for transmitting vector-borne disease, these parasites also have a role in the global ecosystem.

Ticks: Necessity or nuisance?

A collaboration between Evette, a veterinary relief staffing company based in Dallas, Texas; and Shepherd Veterinary Software, a cloud-based practice information management system (PIMS) provider based in Prescott, Arizona, has recently been announced. The collaboration is intended to help alleviate the ongoing workforce shortage in the veterinary profession as a result of burnout, staff turnover, and vacation time.

A 2022 survey conducted by the National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America (NAVTA) revealed that 70% of the survey respondents had experienced burnout, yet only 20% believed they were spending sufficient time on self-care, and just 41% utilized the entirety of their paid time off.

 Ashli Selke CVT, RVT, and immediate past president of NAVTA, noted the impact on veterinary professional workers in 2020, “I believe we lost a lot of people due to overworking and burnout,” Selke said in an interview with 

“Burnout poses an unprecedented threat, costing the animal health care industry between $1 [billion] and $2 billion annually,” Lauren Jones, VMD, director of vet medicine at Shepherd, said in a news release. “Evette, formerly VetIQ Staffing, has long been committed to addressing these issues, offering tailored staffing solutions for clinics and hospitals.”

As a provider of veterinary staffing solutions for clinics and hospitals, Evette matches veterinary relief professionals with positions specific to their skillset. The new collaboration with Shepherd, which was built by veterinarians, will allow the company’s clinics across the US to access Evette’s relief staffing request form, which will be linked from their own software interface.2Shepherd’s clinical tools include medical record and invoice automation, client communication, a payment processor, and a customizable dashboard that allows for viewing of laboratory results; prescriptions; and subjective, objective, assessment, and plan documents.

More than 600 clinics nationwide are expected to benefit from easier access to Evette’s veterinary relief services. “Our goal has always been a steadfast commitment to personalized and continuous support for our partners and clinics,” Elise Burns, founder and CEO of Evette said in the release. This collaboration with Shepherd marks a significant step forward in our mission to further revolutionize the industry and we’re excited to introduce this first-ever solution to address the pressing issues plaguing the vet industry.”

Evette collaborates with Shepherd Software for first-ever solution aimed to solve the veterinary industry shortage. News release. May 9, 2024.

Lederhouse C. Veterinary technicians being paid more but still face concerns about wages, burnout, debt. 

. February 13, 2023. Accessed May 15, 2024. 

https://www.avma.org/news/veterinary-technicians-being-paid-more-still-face-concerns-about-wages-burnout-debt#:~:text=Seventy%20percent%20of%20respondents%20said,from%2023%25%20to%2052%25

Shepherd Veterinary Software. Accessed May 15, 2024. 

Evette and Shepherd Veterinary Software are aligning relief personnel with jobs through a PIMS software system

New collaboration aimed to reduce veterinary staff shortage

Esaote Group specializes in developing medical imaging systems including ultrasound and MRI machines and other healthcare technology. Subdivision, Esaote North America has just launched a new ultrasound system for veterinary practices. The new MyLabFOX is designed with a multi-faceted and adaptable scanning solution.

The new MyLabFOX by Esaote North America. (Image courtesy of Esaote)

The MyLabFOX includes the following design elements

 The MyLabFOX features a state-of-the-art touch interface, designed to enhance usability by enabling intuitive gesture interaction and making cleaning effortless. The easily cleanable designed was made specifically with busy veterinary practices in mind.

 The ultrasound system is equipped with a new generation of probes covering a wide range of clinical applications, from abdominal exploration to cardiology examinations, delivering exceptional image quality and diagnostic accuracy.

There is a wide 13" touchscreen, customizable probe setup, and battery support for uninterrupted scanning.

 Optimization tools such as “Easy Mode & Easy Color” and “AI-powered Augmented Insight,” the MyLabFOX enhances productivity and diagnostic efficiency. There are also more advanced features like “AutoEF and XStrain” technology to streamline the examination process, providing quick and accurate results.

 The MyLabFOX is part of a larger digital ecosystem, allowing for seamless data management and connectivity. Veterinary professionals can review exams offline with MyLab Desk VET or collaborate with experts in real-time using MyLab Share.

For more information on the MyLabFOX or other technology from Esaote, the imaging company offers live webinars and in-person events to help support veterinary professionals with their diagnostic equipment.

Esaote introduces the versatile MyLabFOX veterinary ultrasound system. News release. Esaote North America. May 14, 2024. Accessed May 15, 2024. 

https://prnmedia.prnewswire.com/news-releases/esaote-introduces-the-versatile-mylab-fox-veterinary-ultrasound-system-302143375.html

Esaote North America has launched the MyLabFOX