In an interview with dvm360®, Tasha McNerney, CVT, CVPP, VTS (Anesthesia and Analgesia), highlighted the main takeaways from her lecture "Take control of your nursing career!" at the 2022 Veterinary Meeting & Expo in Orlando, Florida. Her lecture included how empowering veterinary technicians can rekindle their professional passion, plus she reviewed the many career paths they can take within veterinary medicine. 

View the video below for the entire discussion. The following is a partial transcript.

Tasha McNerney, CVT, CVPP, VTS (Anesthesia and Analgesia): 

The main takeaway is that I wanted people to feel lit up about going to work like they used to. I want people to have that same spark that they did when they first graduated their tech program. Remember when you first graduated and you wanted to go in, and you wanted to do all the things, and you wanted to see all the emergencies, and you wanted to save every animal? I want that kind of like push and that drive to be present again.

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During an interview with dvm360®, Tasha McNerney, CVT, CVPP, VTS (Anesthesia and Analgesia), offered inspiring advice for veterinary technicians to take control of their careers. 

Maximizing your veterinary technician career

During a press conference at the 2022 Veterinary Meeting & Expo (VMX) in Orlando, Florida, the North American Veterinary Community (NAVC) launched the Veterinary Nurse/Technician Empowerment Initiative—a program designed to elevate and advance veterinary nurses and credentialed technicians. Even though these professionals are critical team members, their skills are often underutilized.

"Veterinary nurses and technicians play a vital role in veterinary medicine and are essential members of the veterinary practice team. They are not just helpers and assistants. They are phlebotomists, anesthetists, ultrasonographers, surgical technicians, dental hygienists and more, who are highly educated and skilled,” said Gene O'Neill, chief executive officer of the NAVC, in an organizational release.

“Yet NAVC's own research shows they use less than one-third of the competencies they are trained to perform," he added, "By elevating this critical position and helping veterinary nurses and technicians reach their full potential, we will help improve the performance of our veterinary healthcare teams and the health of animals everywhere.”

According to the release, the initiative covers an array of programs (ie, career development and growth, scholarships for continued learning, courses at the NAVC Institute, etc) that provide resources for veterinary professionals, inspire the next generation, and unite industry leaders to address the obstacles facing these professionals.

What’s more, within the initiative there will be a year-long national consumer veterinary nurse/technician awareness and education campaign sponsored by Veterinary Centers of America Animal Hospitals (VCA), with support from the National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America (NAVTA). This program will foster greater consumer awareness of veterinary nurses/technicians' important role and extensive educational requirements which currently seems to be lacking as demonstrated in a national survey conducted by Atomik Research on behalf of the NAVC, according to the release. 

Therefore, the campaign aims to transform pet owners’ perceptions and attitudes to build their confidence in having a qualified, certified veterinary nurse/technician care for their pets.

"A more informed and educated consumer–and a more informed veterinarian and practice manager–will not only benefit veterinary nurses and technicians, but will also benefit the practices where they work. The ultimate result being the delivery of better care for animals," said Ed Carlson, CVT, VTS (Nutrition), NAVTA president.

"Once this is accomplished, consumers will be as comfortable with a veterinary technician caring for their pet, as they are with an RN caring for their loved one in a hospital,” he added.

The overall goals of the Veterinary Nurse/Technician Empowerment Initiative are to accomplish improved access to care, patient outcomes, client satisfaction, and overall well-being of veterinary nurses/technicians while encouraging more individuals to pursue veterinary careers.

NAVC debuts new programs regarding veterinary nurses/technicians. News release. North American Veterinary Community. January 17, 2022. Accessed January 18, 2022. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/navc-announces-new-programs-to-elevate-and-advance-role-of-veterinary-nursetechnician-professionals-301462098.html

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These new consumer awareness and education campaigns will elevate and advance the role of professionals.

NAVC announces new initiatives for veterinary nurses/technicians

® conference in San Diego, Sue Ettinger, DVM, DACVIM (Oncology)—also known as "Dr Sue Cancer Vet"—outlined various feline gastrointestinal lymphoma risk factors to help veterinary professionals educate clients on what to bear in mind so they can better keep their pets healthy. 

Another [risk factor] that pet owners might be a little bit surprised [about], but when you think about it not so surprised, is cats that live in houses with smokers. So environmental tobacco smoke can increase the likelihood about 2 and a half to 3 times as well to cause lymphoma. 

In a dvm360® interview, Sue Ettinger, DVM, DACVIM (Oncology), reviewed different variables that may put felines at risk of developing gastrointestinal lymphoma. 

Feline gastrointestinal lymphoma risk factors

A new molecular diagnostic test from Antech Diagnostics may be veterinary medicine’s most sensitive for intestinal parasites affecting cats and dogs. The KeyScreen GI Parasite PCR can detect 20 parasites from a single storable 0.15-gram sample.

In an announcement made during the North American Veterinary Community Veterinary Meeting and Expo in Orlando, Florida, Antech noted the test will be available in the spring of 2022. The company’s molecular technology is supported by 10 testing locations across North America with next-day test results. According to Antech, advanced parasite screening is practical for routine wellness exams.

Parasites are increasing, migrating, and mutating, and zoonotic diseases are on the rise, and treatment-resistant hookworms are an emerging threat to canine health. However, today’s parasitic infection challenges outpaced the capabilities of existing screening tests, which are neither sensitive nor comprehensive enough to detect the breadth of parasites that are of significant concern to pet health according to Antech. Parasites that can be detected by the KeyScreen GI Parasite PCR test include anthelmintic drug-resistant hookworm and zoonotic 

“The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us—with vivid clarity—how human and animal health are interconnected, the danger and speed of mutations, and the critical need for sensitive, fast, affordable diagnostic testing,” said Christian M. Leutenegger, Dr. Med.Vet., BSc, PhD, FVH, director of molecular diagnostics, research, and development at Antech and inventor of the KeyScreen GI Parasite PCR test, in a company press release.

“Molecular testing is a sophisticated new tool with numerous advantages, including an exquisite ability to have a lens into the DNA of a parasite. I like to say that ‘molecular testing can tell you what color eyes the parasite has.’ Current and unrecognized threats demand this level of precision to ensure animal and human well-being,” Leutenegger continued.

According to a company press release, KeyScreen GI Parasite PCR offers several novel capabilities that support practice efficiency, rapid, cost-effective detection of more disease and a new, higher standard of care for parasite screening. These capabilities include the following:

Find more disease. Treat appropriately—

KeyScreen offers the only method to differentiate tapeworms, detect 

 and identify roundworm strains, whipworms, protozoa and coccidia. Facilitating a new level of precision medicine, the test allows veterinarians to deliver the right treatment to pets the first time, helping them regain health faster and eliminating repeat visits.

—Hookworms are one of the most prevalent intestinal parasites affecting dogs, and prevalence is rising dramatically. They are also zoonotic. Although there are several available treatments, intensive overuse has created high levels of anthelmintic resistance and multiple drug resistance (MDR). KeyScreen not only detects hookworm, it also automatically checks for the genetic resistance marker, delivering vital information to inform effective treatment.

—Although the risk of contracting disease from pets remains low, there are critical advantages to knowing if a pet is infected with a zoonotic assemblage. Of the 7 known 

 assemblages, 2 have the potential to be zoonotic. KeyScreen automatically checks for the assemblages that may threaten human health, giving veterinarians specific information to make informed treatment decisions as well as counsel or reassure pet owners about potential risks to older adults, children, and immunocompromised individuals.

Freedom from “fecals” and other cost and efficiency gains

—KeyScreen requires a very small sample that can be stored refrigerated for up to 10 days. It finds the most parasites the first time using a single test, automatically checking for zoonotic assemblages and resistance markers, eliminating the time and resource strain of repeat pet owner visits. Molecular testing can also eliminate the resources required to process and analyze in-clinic ova and parasite testing.

—As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, awareness of veterinarians’ role as One Health stewards has never been greater. Molecular diagnostics allow veterinarians to strengthen their commitment to One Health priorities, specifically pharmacological stewardship, and the responsible use of anthelmintic drugs, by delivering precise information about the type of infection present. Using the most sensitive intestinal parasite screening panel, veterinarians can make treatment decisions with confidence while educating pet owners about the responsible use of therapy.

“We don’t know what we don’t know, and there’s much to learn about parasites that could impact animal and human health now and in the future. While we are aware of emerging issues like treatment-resistant hookworm infections, there could be latent risks from parasites that we once believed to be insignificant,” said Leutenegger, in the release.

The development of the KeyScreen GI Parasite PCR test represents 2 decades of foundational research by Antech. This test sets a new standard of care in veterinary medicine, according to a company press release.

Antech introduces veterinary medicine’s most advanced parasite screening test. News release. January 17, 2020. Accessed January 17, 2022. 

https://www.antechdiagnostics.com/about/news/antech-introduces-veterinary-medicines-most-advanced-parasite-screening-test

First PCR test for parasites affecting cats and dogs helps relies on molecular technology 

Novel screening test can detect 20 intestinal parasites

According to Kara Burns, MS, MEd, LVT, VTS (nutrition), VTS-H (internal medicine, dentistry), inadequate nutrition in critical care patients further complicates management of their underlying condition. This population requires daily nutrients to maintain optimal immune function, tissue synthesis, tissue repair, and proper drug metabolism. During her lecture at the virtual North American Veterinary Community (NAVC) Veterinary Meeting & Expo (VMX), she expanded upon the importance of nutrition in critical care patients and outlined tips for addressing their needs.

Burns advised that before beginning to feed patients, ensure that they are stable and not in shock because that will decrease gastrointestinal (GI) perfusion, and has the potential to increase other complications. The patient should also be well hydrated. Electrolytes should be monitored before feeding and throughout the process.

Early enteral and semi-elemental nutrition

Incorporating enteral nutrition as quickly as possible promotes early recovery and this can be accomplished by providing an antiemetic drug on admission. Some benefits of this method include decreasing cytokine production, modulating acute phase response, reducing catabolism, preserving protein, and stimulating the regeneration of the intestinal mucosa.

“In these [critical] patients, early nutritional support is essential because we know that feeding spares endogenous proteins, which is critical to successful outcomes,” said Burns.

Burns recommended a semi-elemental diet because it is easily absorbed and digested by the GI tract. This monomeric feeding uses small molecular weight compounds for nutrients, so the tract doesn’t have to expend substantial energy to break them down.

“An emergency and critical care patient has no energy to spare, so that energy is better served in healing the rest of the body and repairing itself,” Burns shared.

When an animal is critically ill, the body’s main goal is to support key organs including the heart, brain, liver, and lungs so that blood flow to the GI tract is reduced, which then in turn slows GI motility or movement. Therefore, maintaining the health and function of the GI tract and its enterocytes is especially vital in these patients, according to Burns.

“The GI tract is lined with cells called enterocytes. Those enterocytes help digest, absorb, and transport a large variety of nutrients into the body. Important nutrients absorbed by enterocytes include the building blocks of protein, which are peptides, carbohydrates, saccharides, fats or lipids, water, vitamins, and those ions or minerals,” Burns said.

When prioritizing enterocyte health, veterinarians provide the maximum absorbable nutrients in the GI tract. Additionally, enterocytes form a tight seal to protect the body from harmful bacteria or toxins, ergo this is advantageous for critical care patients as well.

Burns urged attendees to use feeding tubes in critical condition patients. “Feeding tubes save lives, but they are not used as often as they should be,” she said.

The types of feeding tubes include nasoesophageal/nasogastric tubes, esophagostomy tubes, gastrostomy tubes, and jejunostomy tubes. Each one serves its own function and can be used based on a patient’s anesthetic needs, duration of feeding needs, placement needs, and beyond.

Though complications involving feeding tubes are rare, some to be mindful of are aspiration, dislodging, vomiting, blockage, and infections (especially Stoma infections), according to Burns.

Burns concluded the presentation by summarizing that poor nutrition results in poor outcomes, early enteral and semi-elemental feeding leads to early recovery, and feeding tubes save lives. Though it often isn’t the priority when a patient is in critical condition, ensuring they receive proper nutritional intake is key to their recuperation.

Burns K. Nutrition in critical care. Presented at: Veterinary Meeting and Expo; virtual. January 16, 2022. 

Ensuring patients receive appropriate feeding is essential to their recovery. 

The role of nutrition in critical care patients 

Mav (Image courtesy of Pet Poison Hotline) 

Mike Axthlem of Minneapolis, Minnesota, arrived home one day to find his dog Mav acting guilty and he defecated in the house, which was unlike him, according to Axthelm. Once Mav began foaming at the mouth and the family discovered an empty dietary sleep supplement pill bottle, they immediately rushed him to the emergency room.

After Axthelm called the veterinary hospital ahead of time, Amy Stockton, DVM, instructed him to call the toxicology experts at Pet Poison Helpline who determined Mav ingested a severely toxic volume of 5-HTP. 5-HTP is a compound that helps raise serotonin levels in the brain, and too much can cause GI signs, CNS stimulation, and serotonin syndrome.

By the time they arrived at the hospital, Mav was blind, unconscious, and had been having seizures for 15 minutes. His pupils were dilated and unresponsive, frothy foam was coming out of his nostrils, and fetid stool was running out of his rectum.

The hospital staff learned that Mav ingested around 600 dietary sleep supplements. This led his veterinarian to witness her first case of serotonin syndrome, a rare and potentially deadly condition.

“This was my first case of serotonin syndrome in my 25 years of practice,” Amy Stockton, DVM, explained in an organizational release. “We started with injectable Keppra, which did absolutely nothing for him, so we gave him an additional dose.”

“Still shaking, he received my entire supply of methocarbamol IV. That didn’t help much, so we crushed up tablets and gave [them] rectally. We then administered phenobarbital and crushed up his cyproheptadine dose and administered that rectally," she continued.

Mav’s temperature when he arrived at the hospital was 105.5 °F, which veterinary professionals reduced with cold fluids, and his blood pressure remained normal. Clinicians administered 3 doses of cyproheptadine 4 hours apart to manage the serotonin syndrome. His pupils became less dilated and more responsive to light within 4 hours, and by 8 hours, he was conscious and responsive. Twelve hours after the ordeal began, he was still weak but able to go outside.

With the help of Pet Poison Helpline, Dr Stockon and her team successfully treated Mav, who has made a full recovery.

Probing Pooch Treated for Serotonin Syndrome After Eating 600 Sleep Supplements. News release. Pet 

Mav, a nine-year-old Labrador Retriever, was diagnosed with serotonin syndrome after ingesting up to 600 dietary sleep supplement pills. 