2023 Spring Conference - Program

What Is This Thing Called Pain?
This session will cover the etiology of different types of pain including adaptive, maladaptive, neuropathic and functional pain, and provide examples of these that are seen in clinical practice. Terms such as central plasticity will be explained. Based on an understanding of the etiology of the patient’s pain, the approach to treatment can be logical and targeted. Building on this information, a clinical case study of mobility impairment in a dog will be used to demonstrate the approach to treatment.

Scoring Acute Pain In Cats And Dogs
We have many drugs and techniques in our toolbox to prevent and treat acute pain, yet we cannot claim they have worked for an individual patient, unless we score pain using validated tools. This session will explore the multidimensional acute pain scoring tools that can easily be used in busy clinical practice. Attendees will get the chance to score real clinical cases.

What's New In Our Toolbox For Acute Pain In Cats?
Cats are notoriously difficult to medicate at home with traditional oral medication, resulting in lack of compliance by owners. One solution to “re-owning” compliance is for the veterinary team to administer long-acting drugs while the patient is under their care, which continue to work after discharge. A newly approved buprenorphine transdermal solution (ZorbiumTM) for cats fits this description. Another technique is to perform local anesthetic blocks with a bupivacaine liposomal injectable suspension (Nocita®). Non-pharmacologic therapies are underused in the postoperative period. Not all therapies are new or costly – cold therapy reduces pain and swelling by several mechanisms and can be applied by owners at home.

Updates On The Diagnosis And Treatment Of Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common cause of pain and mobility impairment in cats. Screening for these cats requires owner education and reliable questionnaires. Treatment includes administration of analgesics and changes to the cat’s environment including stress reduction. The advent of anti-NGF monoclonal antibodies has revolutionized the treatment of OA in cats. In this session, real feline patients will be used to demonstrate the diagnosis and treatment of OA.

Ketamine And Its Role In Anesthesia And Pain Management
Ketamine is a non-competitive N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) antagonist. Its use has extended beyond that of a dissociative anesthetic into the arena of pain management. It can ameliorate central plasticity at sub-anesthetic doses, decrease intra-operative anesthetic requirements and decrease the use of opioids post-operatively. It has also been shown to reduce post-anesthetic hypothermia and may play a role as an anti-endotoxic agent. It is now being studied as a treatment of maladaptive pain.

Anesthesia For Brachycephalic Breeds
Brachycephalic breeds are growing rapidly in popularity, but are unfortunately plagued by many physical abnormalities that make them high risk for anesthesia. These include airway and gastrointestinal abnormalities. This session will review the latest recommendations for perianesthetic management of these breeds.

Does Anything Work? Summary Of Chronic Pain Treatment In Dogs
Chronic pain can be very difficult to treat, but treatment is imperative for the patient’s health, behavior and quality of life. A variety of pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic treatments for chronic pain in dogs will be discussed and evidence of efficacy presented.

Scoring Chronic Pain In Dogs And Cats
Animals hide pain as part of a strong evolutionary survival response. But scientifically we know they feel pain and we need to actively look for pain in our patients/pets. Scoring systems for chronic pain identification in dogs and cats will be described.

Stop Pain In It's Tracks: Local Block Video Lecture 1
Local anesthetic drugs are very effective analgesics. They are also largely easy to use and inexpensive. The use of local/regional blocks improves anesthetic safety and provides analgesia, even after the expected duration of action of the drug. Blocks that can be used in ANY practice will be covered in a step-by-step description, complete with videos.

Stop Pain In It's Tracks: Local Block Video Lecture 2
Local blocks continued with more videos!

Sedation & Anesthesia For Fractious/Aggressive Patients
Patients may be fractious because of underlying behavioral problems or situational responses to stress, like a visit to the veterinary clinic. Either way, these patients can be a danger to humans trying to handle them and to themselves, with a strong stress response and need for high doses of sedative drugs. Options to effectively and safely handle these patients will be described.

Anesthesia & Analgesia For Critical Patients
Patients that present as emergencies or with critical comorbidities can be very dangerous to anesthetize. Appropriate stabilization, drug choice and physiologic support and monitoring will be covered.