Bake pet cookies for the holidays

'Tis the season to be jolly, and dvm360 Live!™ takes the festive spirit to a whole new level in this holiday special episode. Courtney Campbell, DVM, DACVS-SA and Adam Christman, DVM, MBA, a dive headfirst into the holiday fun, bringing pet-friendly joy, tasty treats, and a dash of crafting creativity to this segment.

Campbell, walks through a simple pet cookie recipe featuring flour, peanut butter, banana, and a hint of honey. The result is paw-sitively delightful treats that everyone’s fur babies are sure to love. Campbell notes that while these cookies might not be gourmet for humans, they're entirely safe and even edible for adventurous pet owners!

Campbell and Christman also take on some holiday decorating, and have a (friendly) race to be the first to finish their reindeer decorations and sugar cookie cottages. Check out the video above for more holiday cheer in the season finale of dvm360 Live!™.

1/2 cup peanut butter (make sure it contains no xylitol, which is toxic to dogs)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Stir until well combined.

If the dough is too sticky, add more flour, one tablespoon at a time, until it is manageable.

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to about 1/4-inch thickness.

Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheet.

Videos

Plus, reindeer crafts and sugar cookie cottages!

Easy bake-at-home pet cookies to treat your fur babies for the holidays

Learn about VetGuardian with Courtney Campbell

In this segment of dvm360 Live!™, Courtney Campbell, DVM, DACVS-SA, joins the set to discuss monitoring vitals and managing stress, especially in the post-operative phase. Campbell said that when animals are stressed, the release of stress hormones heightens their pain sensation, reduces endorphins, and can even suppress the immune system, hindering healing. “There are so many reasons why you really want to reduce or mitigate stress in animals. It's because that post-op journey, it's a journey," he said.

As an experienced orthopedic surgeon, Campbell shares insights into the challenges post-operative care poses. The concern extends beyond the operating room, and stress monitoring becomes crucial to ensuring a smooth recovery process. Campbell discusses moments post-surgery where monitoring vital signs, such as temperature, pulse, and respiratory rates, becomes essential. The goal is to allow patients to sleep and recover safely, emphasizing the need for continuous remote monitoring.

In this vein, Campbell discusses VetGuardian from Zomedica. This device not only monitors vital signs like temperature, pulse, and respiration but also incorporates a video camera and thermal imaging. He likens the product to a radar gun, providing continuous data that is both comprehensive and accessible with the need to touch the patient or attach a device to them.

Learn about VetGuardian, which continuously detects temperature, pulse, and respiration with live video

No-touch vitals monitoring for stress-free post-op recovery

dvm360 Live Courtney Campbell

In this segment of dvm360 Live!™, Courtney Campbell, DVM, DACVS-SA, joins the studio to talk about his veterinary journey—from his small-town upbringing to becoming a prominent figure in veterinary medicine. The synergy of education and entertainment, coupled with a deep passion for the human-animal bond, defines Campbell's approach to veterinary care.

Below is a partial transcription. See the full video above for more.

: "If I had to go back and find out where I developed my first love for animals, it was going outside. My parents did not tolerate you being bored in the house. If you were bored, go outside. That's where I really loved, that's where I developed my love for animals."

Meet this episode's guest, Courtney Campbell, DVM, DACVS-SA

Passion, education, and innovation with Dr Courtney Campbell

The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) shared the news that Rena Carlson, DVM, AVMA president, and Ashli Selke, RVT, CVT, immediate-past president of the National Association of Veterinary Technicians of America (NAVTA) traveled to the North Pole to examine Santa’s reindeer. At the end of the in-person exam, Carlson and Selke declared the 9 reindeer healthy and ready for the Christmas Eve journey around the world.

"While this may be an out-of-the-ordinary visit, ensuring that these magical and magnificent animals are fit for their important journey reflects the vital work veterinarians and their teams perform every day around the world to ensure the health and safety of animals and people," expressed Carlson, in the organizational release.

The AVMA conducts an annual exam at the North Pole to give a health check to each reindeer about a month before Christmas Eve. Carlson and Selke examined them to make sure they were healthy and not presenting with any signs of disease that can affect their ability to fly or animals and people they could encounter such as brucellosis, chronic wasting disease, and tuberculosis.

"It's such an honor to be part of this special tradition," Selke said.

 "Examining the reindeer, from their iconic antlers down to their cloven hooves, is a reminder of the diverse and fascinating work that veterinary health care teams are called on to provide."

According to the release, Carlson and Selke closely inspected each reindeer’s fur for signs of lesions or parasites as well as their eyes, noses, legs, and hooves.

 Now that the examination has been completed, the AVMA issued a North Pole Certificate of Animal Export, allowing him to travel freely across the world and ensure his reindeer pose no threat to animal or public health.

"It's fascinating how reindeer have adapted to the harsh North Pole climate, from their hollow fur, which allows them to trap and retain heat, to the mass of tiny veins in their noses that help circulate blood to keep them warm—and in some deer, give their noses a red glow," noted Dr. Carlson.

Carlson and Selke will return to the North Pole on Christmas Eve to give one final pre-flight checkup and inspect the reindeer once the return home. They are instructing any children who want to leave treats for the reindeer to leave a plate of graham crack reindeer cookies next to Santa’s.

"Without my reindeer there simply would be no Christmas. Proper veterinary care ensures that, year in and year out, my team and I are able to deliver presents to boys and girls around the world. Carlson and Ashli are definitely on the 'nice list' again this year," Santa said in a North Pole-issued statement.

Following veterinary exam, Santa's reindeer cleared for Christmas flight. News release. American Veterinary Medical Association. December 12, 2023. Accessed December 12, 2023. 

https://prnmedia.prnewswire.com/news-releases/following-veterinary-exam-santas-reindeer-cleared-for-christmas-flight-302012792.html

Articles

The American Veterinary Medical Association gives all 9 reindeer a clean bill of health 

Santa’s reindeer cleared for Christmas Eve flight 

explained how to discuss laser therapy as a pain management option with clients

Laser therapy for pain management

While at the Fetch conference in Long Beach, California, Tom Walsh, DVM, CCRP, MBA, owner of PrimePet Rehabilitation Therapy in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, sat down with 

 in an interview and shared his start in veterinary rehabilitation. He also explained his tips for talking to clients about laser therapy and how it could be an option for pets in need of acute or chronic pain management.  

The following is a partial transcript of the video.

 I was going through my clinical rotations and I fell in love with a professor that had amazing results in physical therapy. But then I went on and pursued a general practice career for many years over a decade. Then, during COVID-19, I got a chance to kind of take a deep breath and I started this company, and really followed my passion for just rehabilitation.

It really is about education, letting [clients] know why we're doing it, how often we need to do it—which I recommend 2 or 3 times a week, if not daily, for short segments, and it's a cumulative effect.

Tom Walsh, DVM, CCRP, MBA, explained how to discuss laser therapy as a pain management option with clients

Postsurgical bandages can help the wound heal and aid in patient recovery, however Michael H. Jaffe, DVM, MS, CCRP, DACVS, associate professor and service chief of small-animal surgery at Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine, stressed that these bandages need to be placed correctly in order to have any advantages. Because of this importance, Dr Jaffe shared his best practices for placing bandages during his session at the Fetch dvm360 conference in Long Beach, California.

 He broke down this topic into the 3 basic layers of bandages as follows:

Provides an external barrier (while also protecting inner layers)

“This is actually the most important: The primary layer, because this is what is coming in contact with the wound (something that has damaged the integrity of the skin) … this is what's coming in contact with anything underneath the skin, and the external world. This has to be placed in a sterile manner and aseptically,” Jaffe said.

He recommended choosing the material for this layer based on the wound’s exudative status. For example, if the wound is healing from an infection, the bandage needs to draw the infected fluid or tissue away from the wound. This bandage would also need to be changed frequently, usually daily, but it depends on the specific case. Adherent dressings could include dry or moistened gauze. A wet-to-dry bandage can also be used to debride an infected wound. Jaffe mentioned that the goal with these bandages is to have the absorptive ability be greater than the amount of fluid that is being produced by the wound. And for heavily exudative wounds, Jaffe advised attendees to make sure the bandage is drying out the wound.

With granulating wounds, the primary layer needs to protect its environment to allow for uninterrupted vascular in-growth. This bandage does not get changed as often, usually every couple of days, but, again, it depends on the case. 

Nonadherent dressings could include petrolatum saturated gauze or hydrogel products. “These have some [lubrication] on them, so they don't stick to the tissue. And all of these have some degree of oil base or high water content, so they don't stick to the tissue. Because once it sticks to the tissue, and we peel it off, we’re disrupting that superficial layer of the wound. And that's the last thing that we want to do when we're trying to cultivate a nice, healthy granulation tissue bed,” Jaffe said.

The function of the secondary layer is to hold the primary layer in place and to prevent dead any space. It is generally composed of an inner cotton layer and an outer gauze layer. According to Jaffe, the inner cotton layer is meant to absorb fluid from the primary layer, provide pressure to the primary layer, support and immobilize the tissue, and protect the wound.

“We're going to put our primary layer down, and then we're going to use our cast padding around that and then our gauze,” Jaffe said. “When you put your cast padding on, you can't really put that on tight because it tears, but it will at least conform to the anatomy of the area that you’re bandaging. When you put the rolled gauze on over that cast padding, that's where you want to kind of make it a little bit tighter.” 

He advised veterinary professionals to be careful not to make the rolled gauze too tight, as to not damage the tissue, however, make it tight enough that there are no air spaces. “The pressure actually relieves some of the discomfort and pains. When we put these on really good and snug, it actually acts as a pain reliever to some degree. It's why dogs, whenever they come in with a fracture, they always tend to want to lay on the side of the fracture, because that pressure actually makes them feel good,” Jaffe added.

Jaffe’s last reminder for secondary layers was to avoid having it come in contact with the wound. “Because it's going to stick to the incision, it's going to stick to any open draining wounds that you have, [and] you're going to get cotton fibers in there. And that's kind of counterproductive. So always make sure you're putting at least a really good primary layer down,” he said.

The tertiary layer should protect the primary and secondary layers from any external contamination and damage. According to Jaffe, this protection helps control any potential hemorrhage, limits dead space, opposes expansion of the wound edges, protects against spread of any bacteria in the wound, supports the tissue, and holds all layers in place. Examples of outer layer bandages include casts or elastic materials like Vet-Wrap or Elastikon. Either way, Jaffe recommended these materials be porous to allow fluid evaporation, but also waterproof for more protection.

“If the bandage is going to be on for a while, I will definitely use stirrups because these bandages like to slip distally, they like to slip from the thickest part down to the thinnest part,” Jaffe said. If stirrups cannot be used, Jaffe stated that he uses tape strips, which can be used for foot wounds to prevent it from slipping off. Torso straps and figure 8 techniques can also be used to help hold the bandages in place.

“I don't like incorporating or using the fur, I don't like taping it to the pets’ fur to help hold it up because that really does hurt these pets quite a bit. I don't recommend it. And I'm not a big fan of taping the bandage directly to the skin too, because that will cause a lot of irritation,” Jaffe said in his final thoughts.

Jaffe MH. They're NOT a Pain! Improve Your Efficiency with Bandages & Drains. Presented at: Fetch dvm360 conference; Long Beach, California; December 1-3, 2023.

A veterinary surgeon and rehabilitation practitioner shares his tips for effectively using bandages for post-operative patients at the Fetch conference in Long Beach, California