Four ways to flub a low-stress veterinary visit

Alyssa Mages, BS, CVT, FVTE, outlines key considerations for veterinary technicians during triage, from rapid patient assessment and prioritization to client communication and team coordination, in this interview from the Fetch National Harbor Veterinary Conference.

A plethora of continuing-education sessions run across 3 days, September 17–19, at the Gaylord National Resort in National Harbor, MD. Here are the ones to circle first, sorted by practice area, plus a handful that are easy to scroll past and worth catching.

Valli Parthasarathy, DVM, PhD, DACVB, breaks down the "3 Ms"—management, modification, and medication—for treating behavior problems in parrots, and explains why sparse species-level drug research makes the first 2 her starting point for these birds.

Valli Parthasarathy, DVM, PhD, DACVB, discusses how veterinarians can evaluate feather loss, self-mutilation, and vocalization in pet parrots and identify when medical and behavioral factors may overlap.

Valli Parthasarathy, DVM, PhD, DACVB, discusses how veterinarians can recognize and manage common behavior problems in pet parrots, from excessive vocalization to feather-destructive behavior. She also offers guidance on treatment, behavior modification, referral, and meeting the behavioral needs of these intelligent birds.