The Vet Blast Podcast presented by dvm360

Shadi J. Ireifej DVM DACVS graduated from the State University of New York at Binghamton where he received his Bachelor of Science degree in Biology (2001, Magna cum laude). He then attended Cornell University where he received his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree (2006, DVM). 

After completing his studies at Cornell, Ireifej participated in an intense one-year small animal medicine and surgery rotating internship at Angel Animal Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts (2007), followed by two rigorous one-year small animal surgical internships at Long Island Veterinary Specialists (LIVS) in Plainview, New York (2009). 

Ireifej achieved his board certification in small animal surgery by completing a three-year small animal surgery residency at LIVS (2012), and subsequently became a Diplomat for the American College of Veterinary Surgeons (DACVS). After operating for almost 10 years at LIVS, Ireifej elected for warmer weather, and transplanted to Las Vegas, Nevada in 2016. 

In Las Vegas, Ireifej became a staff surgeon at Las Vegas Veterinary Specialty Center (LVVSC). In 2017, he began flying across the United States, performing surgeries at a number of emergency and specialty hospitals in need of surgical assistance. This was followed by a Chief of Surgery position at United Veterinary Specialty and Emergency in Silicon Valley, California. Managing their three locations, Ireifej and his team successfully cared for dogs and cats in the Campbell, Mountain View, and San Jose areas. 

In 2018, Ireifej joined TrueCare for Pets in the Los Angeles, California area as Chief of Specialty, where he was instrumental in morphing the after-hours and weekend emergency hospital to a successful 24-7 emergency and multi-specialty veterinary hospital. While the size of the hospital tripled, Ireifej instituted hospital-wide protocols, managed the surgery, internal medicine, and oncology departments, and became a leading force on social media platforms. 

In 2020, Ireifej changed gears in his already illustrious career, finding a novel and state-of-the-art means of reaching concerned pet owners and their ill pets worldwide, VetTriage. Ireifej currently serves as their Chief Medical Officer. 

Renee Schmid, DVM, DABT, DABVT, is the Manager, Veterinary Medicine and Professional Services, Pet Poison Helpline and Senior Veterinary Toxicologist for Pet Poison Helpline /SafetyCall International. She has been with the organization since 2013 during which time she has had the opportunity to lead the team of veterinarians that span across the country and contribute to the management of the daily operations of Pet Poison Helpline. Schmid graduated from Kansas State University with a BS degree in Agriculture/Animal Science as well as a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree. While at Pet Poison Helpline, Schmid has managed over 20,000 cases involving animal poisoning and has presented on leadership and various toxins at both regional and national conferences. 

Schmid has published scientific book chapters on the topics of thyroid supplements, diuretic drug intoxication, xylitol intoxication, general poisoning therapy, strychnine toxicosis, Compound 1080 toxicosis, anticoagulant rodenticide poisoning, cholecalciferol rodenticide poisoning, toxicities from human drugs – cardiovascular and poisonous plants: house plants and ornamentals. Schmid has also published peer-reviewed scientific articles on xylitol and mirabegron poisoning in dogs, as well as anesthesia induction in cats (Schmid et al. Acute Hepatic Failure in a Dog after Xylitol Ingestion and Schmid et al. Mirabegron Toxicosis in Dogs: A Retrospective Study, both in Journal of Medical Toxicology. Schmid et al. Comparison of anesthetic induction in cats by use of isoflurane in an anesthetic chamber with a conventional vapor or liquid injection technique, JAVMA). 

Jessie Brown, LVT, serves as the Blood Bank Director at Veterinary Emergency Group. She has over 19 years in specialty and emergency medicine, experience in management and operational roles, and developed and ran a regional veterinary blood bank. In her previous position at BodeVet, Brown established a comprehensive donor colony, performed FDA level advanced transfusion medicine including but not limited to apheresis procedures and held training boot camps to teach other veterinary professionals about establishing and maintaining their own in-house blood banks. Brown’s experience in the profession, her deep understanding of the critical need for blood and blood products in veterinary practice, commitment to excellence, and passion for advancing the veterinary profession makes her an asset to VEG, veterinary blood banking and the profession as a whole. Her goal is to remove supply driven transfusion decisions for our patients and allow veterinary professionals the opportunity to treat based off of what is best for their patients.

During her downtime, she finds joy in hiking with her husband and dogs - bonus points if it is in the Pacific Northwest, and playing with her two cats. Brown’s motto is: Blood is life so pass it on!

Ken Yagi, MS, RVT, VTS (ECC), (SAIM)  has dedicated his career to reimagining veterinary nursing for 24 years. He is currently the Chief Veterinary Nursing Officer for Veterinary Emergency Group, and the Program Director for the RECOVER Initiative.  
Over the years, Yagi has received many accolades, including the Veterinary Technician of the Year award by NAVTA and the AVECCTN Specialty Technician of the Year award. Ken co-edited the Veterinary Technician and Nurse’s Daily Reference Guide for Canine and Feline, and the Manual of Veterinary Transfusion Medicine and Blood Banking, and publishes articles and presents internationally on topics in ECC, transfusion medicine, and the veterinary nursing profession.  
Yagi passionately works to bring further recognition of the vital role of the veterinary nurses and technicians through work with industry leading organizations. He is also an advocate for the Open Hospital Concept, encouraging veterinary practices to invite the pet owners to “the back” as a part of the team.  

Rand Wachsstock, DVM, has always believed in the power of compassion. The compassion he has for animals is what led him to veterinary medicine and to begin practicing emergency medicine in 1984. Wachsstock has helped countless animals over the years, working hard to help make comprehensive state-of-the-art medical care readily available to all pets.

That compassion has remained his driving force throughout his career as a highly respected veterinarian, as an instructor at Yale University and at his alma mater, the University of Illinois, and perhaps most significantly, now as the Founder of Compassion Animal Project.

In many ways, Compassion Animal Project represents Wachsstock’s life work: helping as many pets as possible. He likes to say that compassion is the perfect combination of empathy and action. Compassion Animal Project will allow him, his team, and all the donors to put their empathy into action by helping keep families together.

 Ricky Walther, DVM, serves as Chief Medical Officer at Pawlicy Advisor the leading pet insurance marketplace & comparison tool recommended by the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA). Realizing the positive impact that pet insurance can provide for pet parents and the profession, he helps ensure that Pawlicy Advisor is aligned with the veterinary community.

Dr. Leslie Bauer is the Medical Director at Emergency Pet Clinic in San Antonio, Texas, a Thrive Pet Healthcare partner. She is also Thrive’s Director of House Officer Training Programs and ER Academy National Director. Dr. Bauer earned her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the University of Georgia. She completed a small animal internship at the University of Pennsylvania Veterinary School prior to joining the Emergency Pet Clinic. She is certified as a Diplomate by the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners (ABVP) in Canine and Feline Medicine and is also a certified veterinary acupuncturist from the Chi Institute in Florida.

Sponsored by Zoetis. Head to dvm360 Flex and login or create a free CE account and claim your credit after listening to this episode.

Program Description:

A urinalysis is an essential component of the minimum database, but it is often not performed for numerous reasons. It is important to understand the barriers to urinalyses being performed in order to propose productive solutions that will ensure best medicine for our patients. In addition, there may be a lack of standardization within urine sediment examinations leading to variability in results. This podcast will highlight current concerns around urine sediment analysis and discuss upcoming solutions to workflow efficiency and result consistency. 

Program Agenda: 

Sponsored by Ceva. Head to dvm360 Flex and login or create a free CE account and claim your credit after listening to this episode.

Program Description:
During this podcast, we will discuss the innovative new science behind the Douxo® S3 line by Ceva specifically focused the new to veterinary medicine active ingredient, Ophytrium®. We will discuss the basics of cutaneous structure aka the epidermal barrier function as well as the cutaneous immune system and response and finally the cutaneous microbiome. These 3 different systems all play a role in many different dermatologic diseases which plague our veterinary patients.

 Learning Objectives:

Lisa Lippman, DVM, is one of the most followed and socially influential veterinarians in the United States. She is nationally respected by media outlets such as Dr Oz, Inside Edition, and People magazine as a go-to source for expertise in pet health and safety. When not making house calls to treat some of the most influential pets in the world, she sits on the board of Animal Lighthouse Rescue, whose mission is to help the homeless dogs of Puerto Rico. She is the co-host of the popular podcast Pets and Punchlines with her partner, comedian Richie Redding, and still finds time to devote to her own dog, the incomparable Rhodesian Ridgeback, Chloe. The only thing larger than her big brown eyes is the size of her heart, which is why she tirelessly advocates for animals and the humans who love them. 

Sponsored by Embark. Head to dvm360 Flex and login or create a free CE account and claim your credit after listening to this episode.

Program Description: 
This podcast will cover general information regarding the use of canine genetic health screening and the implementation of genetic test results in clinical veterinary practice. We will discuss the increasing popularity of canine genetic health screening and how veterinarians can use this technology to aid in improving clinical outcomes. We will also discuss the strengths and limitations of genetic screening and its future potential uses. 

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