Vtx_cpd

We educate our community via webinars, online courses, CPD days & membership benefits.

The veterinary thought exchange promotes some of the best and most up to date CPD across the veterinary profession, created by Veterinary Specialists in their fields.

29/10/2026

❓️Do you give fluids to dogs with pericardial effusion?

This new randomized study suggests… it probably doesn’t make much difference.

🐶 Dogs that received a 10 mL/kg crystalloid bolus before pericardiocentesis showed no meaningful improvement in perfusion compared to dogs that didn’t receive fluids. What did make the difference? Draining the effusion.
The reassuring part, fluids appeared safe, with no significant respiratory complications.

So where does that leave us clinically?
• Fluids aren’t the treatment
• They’re probably safe
• They may help select hypotensive patients
• But the priority is always pericardiocentesis

It’s a nice reminder that understanding the physiology matters more than reflexively reaching for fluids.

👩‍🎓If cases like this make you pause in practice, this is exactly what we work through in our cardiology course 👉️ https://vtx-cpd.com/courses/heartfelt-matters-exploring-heart-disease-in-dogs-and-cats-2/

26/10/2026

🩸 Hemothorax in dogs is uncommon but clinically challenging when it presents.

🔍️ This new JVIM retrospective of 84 dogs provides some useful practical insights. Neoplasia was the most common cause, accounting for 63% of cases, with haemangiosarcoma most frequently identified. Trauma was less common than expected, and coagulopathies were relatively rare.

Clinical signs were often non specific, including lethargy, hyporexia and dyspnoea, reinforcing the importance of early imaging and point of care ultrasound in vague presentations.

All dogs in this study met a pleural fluid PCV greater than 25% of peripheral blood, supporting this as a practical diagnostic cut-off in clinical practice.

Overall survival to discharge was 61%. Non neoplastic cases had a good short term prognosis. Surgical intervention and lower pleural fluid PCV were associated with improved outcomes.

This paper highlights the importance of considering neoplasia early, using pragmatic diagnostic thresholds, and recognising that prognosis is not uniformly poor.

👩‍🎓 If you are interested in building confidence managing cases like this in practice, our ECC course covers a structured, practical approach to emergency and critical care cases 👉️ https://vtx-cpd.com/courses/code-red-navigating-emergency-and-critical-care-in-small-animals/

$A new JVIM study explored an unusual approach to managing severe, refractory feline idiopathic cystitis (FIC).Researcher...$

21/10/2026

A new JVIM study explored an unusual approach to managing severe, refractory feline idiopathic cystitis (FIC).

Researchers treated 15 male cats with recurrent FIC using a single low-dose radiation treatment (6 Gy) to the lower urinary tract.

Key findings:
• 93% of cats improved clinically
• 50% had no recurrence of urinary signs during follow-up
• Only one cat re-obstructed
• Many cats were able to stop long-term medications

Owners also reported improvements in activity, playfulness, and overall behaviour, suggesting reduced chronic pain.

It’s early data, but this could become an option for severe refractory FIC cases in the future.

🐾 If you're interested in learning more about managing urinary disease in practice, we cover this and much more in our urinary course: https://vtx-cpd.com/courses/urinary-tract-disease-in-dogs-and-cats-from-a-to-pee-2/

19/10/2026

BOAS protocols are often built more on experience than evidence… so it’s refreshing to see a solid prospective, randomized, controlled trial in this space.

🔍️This JAVMA study looked at a simple intervention: spraying lignocaine + phenylephrine over the soft palate and tonsils before surgery.

📋️ The result?
• Post-op regurgitation dropped dramatically (≈35% → 6%)
• No meaningful reduction in opioid use

So maybe this isn’t about analgesia… it’s about improving recovery physiology.
👉️ Less airway irritation, smoother recoveries, less stress and panting → less reflux and regurgitation.

🏆️ And the best part? This is quick, low-risk, and doesn’t require advanced locoregional skills.

Practical takeaway:
✔️A simple intraoral spray may be an easy win to reduce one of the most common (and clinically relevant) complications in BOAS surgery.

Sometimes the small tweaks make the biggest difference.

👩‍🎓 If you’re interested in more practical, evidence-based surgical tips like this, check out our course: https://vtx-cpd.com/courses/emergency-surgery-essentials-for-veterinary-surgeons-2/

18/10/2026

Some fantastic FIP CE starting this week!

We're really proud at vtx_cpd to be supporting FIP – Facts, Insights & Progress, an incredible international CE series bringing together some of the leading clinicians and researchers who have helped transform how we diagnose and treat feline infectious peritonitis.

There are so many amazing speakers involved, but a special mention has to go to Petra Černá and Samantha Taylor FRCVS, who have both done such extraordinary work in advancing our understanding and treatment of FIP.

The programme covers everything from FIP pathogenesis and diagnosis to antiviral treatments, neurological cases, relapses, treatment resistance and supportive care. With how quickly FIP medicine is evolving, this is a fantastic opportunity to hear directly from the people driving that progress.

And it's just £10 for the entire series! Proceeds support International Cat Care Veterinary Society.

Sessions run from 19 October to 6 November, with RACE-approved CE and on-demand recordings included, so there's no need to worry if you can't attend live.

There's still time to sign up!

Register here:

https://lnkd.in/g62Ka9Fc

Full programme:

https://lnkd.in/gF2AUGvJ

A huge well done to Bova UK for pulling together such an incredible event. The amount of expertise they've brought together is remarkable, and we're delighted to be supporting it.

Please share with colleagues. This is one not to miss!

14/10/2026

Canine chronic idiopathic rhinitis… one of those conditions that can make even experienced clinicians sigh a little.

Chronic sneezing. Mucopurulent discharge. Multiple treatments. Owners understandably frustrated.

A new open access JSAP paper (75 dogs) looked at how these cases were managed and what actually seemed to help.

A few things that stood out to me:
👉️NSAIDs as first line therapy were associated with improved outcomes
👉️Antibiotics were used in the majority of dogs… but weren’t associated with better outcomes
👉️Steroids helped some dogs, but responses were variable
👉️60% of dogs were coughing
👉️~20% had CT changes consistent with pneumonia
👉️Dental disease was present in over 90% on CT

So, a couple of practical reminders for cases like this:
❓️Think inflammation first,
❓️ Be cautious with repeated empirical antibiotics,
❓️ And don’t forget to check the chest and the teeth.

The good news? Most dogs did improve with management, even if complete remission was less common. Still a frustrating disease… but this paper gives us a bit more evidence to guide how we approach it.

If you’d like to dive deeper into respiratory disease in small animals, you can also check out our course here: https://vtx-cpd.com/courses/breathe-easy-understanding-respiratory-disease-in-small-animals-2/

📖 Paper (open access):
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jsap.70086

12/10/2026

📢 Propofol or alfaxalone for canine C-sections, does your choice really matter?

🔍️ A new Veterinary Journal paper adds some useful clinical clarity. Both protocols performed well with stable anaesthesia and 100% short-term puppy survival, but the differences are in the details.

Propofol was associated with fewer hypotensive events and lower isoflurane requirements, giving a more predictable anaesthetic course. Alfaxalone, in contrast, was linked to improved neonatal physiology, with better cord blood values and higher Apgar scores at 20 minutes, but at the cost of more maternal hypotension, particularly after delivery.

✔️ The key takeaway is not that one drug is better, but that each has predictable physiological effects that need to be anticipated and managed.

👩‍🎓 If you want to go deeper into making these decisions confidently in practice, check out our anaesthesia course: https://vtx-cpd.com/courses/mastering-small-animal-anaesthesia-2/

07/10/2026

How much is SDMA really changing what we do in practice?

One of our members, Raquel, highlighted this really interesting systematic review looking at the diagnostic accuracy of SDMA for CKD in dogs and cats.

It is a really useful paper because, although SDMA is now widely used and included in IRIS guidance, the review suggests the evidence base is still far less certain than many of us might assume.

The authors identified 11 studies (5 feline, 6 canine) including just under 1000 animals, but found:
• major heterogeneity in study design and populations
• high risk of bias in most studies
• wide variation in sensitivity and specificity
• concern that SDMA may increase the risk of misdiagnosis and overdiagnosis

One particularly interesting point was the concern around specificity, especially in dogs. In one study, 54% of dogs with an elevated SDMA had a GFR that was not consistent with renal disease, suggesting a real risk of false positives if SDMA is overinterpreted, particularly in screening situations.

From my own perspective, I have to admit that SDMA has not dramatically changed my day-to-day clinical practice as much as I might have expected. I still find that creatinine, urine specific gravity, clinical context and trends over time tend to drive decision-making more than a single SDMA result.
Really interesting paper, and I would love to hear how others are using SDMA in practice.

If you enjoy discussions like this, we go into these kinds of diagnostic challenges in much more detail in our urinary CPD course:
🔗 https://vtx-cpd.com/courses/urinary-tract-disease-in-dogs-and-cats-from-a-to-pee-2/

The course explores the investigation and management of urinary tract disease in dogs and cats, including how to approach common presentations such as PUPD, urinalysis interpretation, UTIs, urolithiasis, and CKD staging and diagnosis.

📄 Scobie C, Dean R, Stavisky J, Pl?ddemann A.
Diagnostic accuracy of symmetric dimethylarginine for chronic kidney disease in cats and dogs: A systematic review.
Veterinary Record, 2026.

21/09/2026

🚨 4 DAYS TO GO – HAVE YOU BOOKED YOUR PLACE?⁠
⁠
The Veterinary Eras: Clinical Decision-Making That Shapes Outcomes⁠
📅 24th September 2026 | Live Online⁠
⁠
Clinical practice isn’t just about knowing the answer — it’s about knowing what to do next.⁠
⁠
Join us for 8.5 hours of practical, case-based CPD designed specifically for veterinary surgeons, exploring the clinical decisions that can make a real difference to patient outcomes.⁠
⁠
Across the day, our expert speakers will work through real-world clinical scenarios spanning diagnostic imaging, dermatology, cardiology, feline medicine, internal medicine, clinical pathology and more — with the emphasis firmly on translating knowledge into everyday practice.⁠
⁠
🧠 Why join us?⁠
✔ Real cases and practical clinical scenarios⁠
✔ Expert-led sessions across multiple disciplines⁠
✔ Clinical reasoning you can apply back in practice⁠
✔ Interactive Q&A — ask the questions that matter to you⁠
✔ 8.5 hours of CPD⁠
✔ 12 months' access to every session recording⁠
⁠
Whether it’s an everyday case or one of those patients that makes you stop and rethink your approach, this day is about helping you make clearer, more confident clinical decisions.⁠
⁠
📅 Thursday 24th September 2026⁠
⏰ 08:30–18:00⁠
💻 Live Online⁠
🎟 £199 + VAT⁠
⁠
Real cases. Practical insights. Lasting impact.⁠
⁠
👉 Secure your place:⁠
https://vtx-cpd.com/events/the-veterinary-eras-clinical-decision-making-that-shapes-outcomes/ ⁠
⁠

14/09/2026

🚨 10 DAYS TO GO – HAVE YOU BOOKED YOUR PLACE?

The Veterinary Eras: Clinical Decision-Making That Shapes Outcomes
📅 24th September 2026 | Live Online

Clinical practice isn’t just about knowing the answer — it’s about knowing what to do next.

Join us for 8.5 hours of practical, case-based CPD designed specifically for veterinary surgeons, exploring the clinical decisions that can make a real difference to patient outcomes.

Across the day, our expert speakers will work through real-world clinical scenarios spanning diagnostic imaging, dermatology, cardiology, feline medicine, internal medicine, clinical pathology and more — with the emphasis firmly on translating knowledge into everyday practice.

🧠 Why join us?
✔ Real cases and practical clinical scenarios
✔ Expert-led sessions across multiple disciplines
✔ Clinical reasoning you can apply back in practice
✔ Interactive Q&A — ask the questions that matter to you
✔ 8.5 hours of CPD
✔ 12 months' access to every session recording

Whether it’s an everyday case or one of those patients that makes you stop and rethink your approach, this day is about helping you make clearer, more confident clinical decisions.

📅 Thursday 24th September 2026
⏰ 08:30–18:00
💻 Live Online
🎟 £199 + VAT

Real cases. Practical insights. Lasting impact.

👉 Secure your place:
https://vtx-cpd.com/events/the-veterinary-eras-clinical-decision-making-that-shapes-outcomes/

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