ECC Topics for the General Practitioner

Course overview

ECC in veterinary medicine provides urgent and life-saving care for animals. This course will cover the following Emergency and Critical Care topics for the general practitioner: Identifying shock and developing a fluid therapy plan Fluid therapy is a mainstay of emergency and critical care. We need to know how to develop a fluid therapy plan when we reach for a bag of fluids or a blood product. In this lecture, we will talk about identifying shock in dogs and cats then how to tailor your fluid therapy plan to each patient. We will have examples of cases to work through as part of our discussion. Emergency respiratory techniques and anesthesia considerations We are often faced with patients that have respiratory compromise in practice, regardless of if the practice is small animal general practice or an ER. Because of that, we should have an awareness of the techniques available we can use to stabilize and treat patients when needed. Anesthesia options and complications will be discussed. Even if you are not doing the procedure, it is helpful to have awareness and talking points for clients if referral is warranted. We will cover nasal oxygen catheter placement, thoracocentesis, tracheostomy, and chest tube placement. Interpreting ECGs in the ER ECGs and their interpretation is commonplace in any small animal practice. In this lecture, we will review common ECG abnormalities in small animal emergency patients, using point of care testing to aid in diagnosis as well as treatment options for these situations. We will use case examples as a guide to developing a triage and stabilization plan for our canine and feline patients in the ER and ICU. Gastric dilatation volvulus Gastric dilatation volvulus is a life threatening disease that can affect any dog, but overrepresented in large or giant breed dogs. While you may not see many in a day practice, you have an opportunity to treat if they do before referral. Our goal today is identification, stabilization, surgical options and treatment. Pyometra Pyometra is a common emergency that involves the reproductive tract of dogs and even cats. It may be an emergency that presents during the day or you may be faced with this surgical emergency in your practice. We review identification, stabilization and treatment options for these patients, and how to manage their analgesia pre and post procedure. Post op care of the neonatal patient We may be tasked with managing a dystocia or a planned C-section for patients, especially brachycephalic dogs and cats. In this lecture, we will cover how to assemble a team to take care of the patients as they are removed from the uterus, how to resuscitate and recent RECOVER guidelines, and complications to anticipate for these patients.