Help Shape the Future of Veterinary Education

Technicians

Chair of the new Academy of Veterinary Nutrition Technicians, Kara Burns, left, stands with the chair of the NAVTA Committee on Veterinary Technician Specialties, Amy Butzier, CVT, (VTS Equine).

Every team member can be a leader, according to new research that explores the growing trend and benefits of a concept called shared leadership.

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When "big-boned" doesn't cover a pet's condition anymore, veterinary team members say conversations about pet obesity are important ... but not with every client.

Many hospitalized and critical care pets are at risk for becoming severely malnourished because they lack the appetite or the ability to eat. By instituting nutritional support you want to meet the pets' nutritional requirements, and if possible prevent additional deterioration.

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Pain management is more than the latest popular terminology. It is an important part of veterinary dentistry. Many of the procedures performed on animals are painful and it is our duty as technicians to ensure that our patients are as comfortable as possible. The deliver of local nerve blocks prior to performing many dental procedures or oral surgery is a great way to create preemptive analgesia. This can often be incorporated into a multimodal plan for pain control.

We already know that the way we each perceive pain will be different depending on our past experiences. The way we respond to that pain also varies from person to person. These two points make recognizing and treating pain difficult, especially in regards to our veterinary patients.

In their natural environment, cats are an obligate carnivore, meaning that their nutritional needs are met by eating a diet that consists of animal-based proteins (i.e. mice, birds). How have our efforts to domesticate cats been affected by this dietary requirement?