The Vet Blast Podcast The Vet Blast Podcast

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

Program Description:

Canine osteoarthritis is a complex disease that impacts quality of life for many of our canine patients. Part 1 of this podcast series will focus on the epidemiology of this disease, the importance of a proactive approach to diagnosis, and will introduce a standardized staging tool to be utilized in general practice. 


Learning Objectives:





Recognize that osteoarthritis affects the entire joint
Appreciate that canine osteoarthritis impacts many younger dogs and is not an “old-dog” disease
Understand the importance of a proactive approach utilizing the Canine OsteoArthritis Staging Tool

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Tiffany Ayres, CVPM,  has worked in the veterinary field for more than twenty-five years in an array of leadership positions. She initiated her veterinary career at a small Pennsylvania mom and pop veterinary hospital with 2 veterinarians and 10 support team members. During her tenure, she grew this veterinary hospital to a 6-doctor thriving medical practice. While in practice, she taught PT veterinary management courses at the local veterinary technician school, York Technical Institute. In addition, she has presented at AAHA’s annual conferences and works with Fred Pryor presenting management topics all over the country. Ayres provides veterinary management consultant services and Zoetis has utilized her services for workshops. Recent years she has worked in the corporate sector, offering coaching and leadership services in a regional capacity for PetVet Care Centers & Mission Veterinary Partners. With this broad view of the veterinary industry, Ayres offers a wide scope of knowledge and the ability to adjust her approach to the needs of the recipients.

In 2013, while attending a Zoetis workshop, Ayres was introduced to a beekeeper. Intrigued by the hobby she immediately signed up for beekeeping classes. Ten years later, she received her Master’s in Beekeeping from Cornell University, manages 2 apiaries (bee yards) and started a small business, Keys to Bees Inc., a honeybee learning center. The focus of the business is honeybee education and outreach. She teaches: Youth STEM classes, Beekeeping 101, Novice & Advance beekeeping courses and provides research studies for extension services.

Perhaps what she enjoys most is utilizing her background in business & leadership to provide workplace enhancements through the examples of the honeybee collaborative harmony. Thousands of honeybees work together as a social organism clearly communicating needs and making unified adjustments as environmental threats arise. By utilizing the methods of the honeybee, we can improve our own business’s teamwork, communication, and engagement. Ayres developed “Honeybee Concept”, as a program to intergrade these methods of social unity into the business sector. Those organizations that struggle with teamwork, communication, and organization, have found this “Honeybee Concept” to be refreshing and unique; offering solutions in a non-threatening manner which encourages team engagement and success. The Honeybee Concept not only works for troubled organizations but brings successful organizations to the next level.

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Matthew C. Edson, DVM, CVPM, MRCVS, was named founding Dean of the School of Veterinary Medicine of Rowan University in June of 2021. Founder and owner of Rancocas Veterinary Associates, a multi-doctor, multi-location mixed animal practice based in South Jersey, Edson leads a group of veterinary professionals that treat a wide range of species. He has special professional interests in miniature pig and small ruminant medicine and surgery and has lectured nationally on those subjects. He is an advocate for the advancement of affordable, clinically-relevant veterinary education. A native of Eastampton Township, Edson is a former executive board member and the immediate past president of the New Jersey Veterinary Medical Association, a former site visitor for the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Council on Education, former chair of the AVMA Committee on Disaster and Emergency Issues, and former vice chair of the AVMA Practice Advisory Pilot Panel. He also has served as a manuscript reviewer for the Journal of Exotic Pet Medicine. Edson earned his veterinary medical degree from Kansas State University. He earned his bachelor’s degree in animal science and biology from Rutgers University and also completed training as a Mobile Intensive Care Paramedic through Virtua Health. He is a licensed veterinarian in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware and a Member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. He has strong interest in veterinary business and practice management is also a Certified Veterinary Practice Manager (CVPM). Named a top veterinarian by South Jersey Magazine in 2017, Edson was voted “Best Veterinarian” in Burlington County by Burlington County Times readers in 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022. Edson was also named to the 2022 and 2023 NJBIZ Health Care Power 50 list, which ranks the top influencers in health care in New Jersey. 

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Katie Fish, DVM received her undergraduate degree at the University of Buffalo and Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Cornell University. She was a small animal general practitioner for 16 years before transitioning to becoming a full-time mentor for Monroe Veterinary Associates in the Rochester, New York area, which later became a Thrive Pet Healthcare partner. There she was responsible for on-boarding and providing one-on-one medical, surgical and leadership coaching support to new graduates at 18 hospitals. In 2023, Fish became the Director of Mentorship Programs for Thrive, which includes “Meant to Thrive,” a one-year medical mentorship program that meets doctors where they are, offering a unique, individualized approach that positions each veterinarian for success in the profession they love.

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:

Osteoarthritis (or degenerative joint disease) is the most common cause of chronic (maladaptive) pain in cats but is underrecognized by owners and therefore many cats go untreated. Up to 92% of all cats have radiographic changes (radiographic disease) in the axial and appendicular skeleton and these changes are more common in cats over the age of 10. There is often a mismatch between radiographic changes and clinical findings (painful joints, mobility impairment) but the relationship between radiographic changes and clinical disease increases with age. Screening and assessment tools have been developed and validated for cats and should be used to help diagnose the disease and monitor the response to treatment. Treatment is multimodal and includes drug and non-drug therapies in combination with environmental changes to ensure that stress in the affected cat’s household is addressed. Pain related to osteoarthritis is responsive to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and the feline specific anti-nerve growth factor monoclonal antibody, Frunevetmab (Solensia™). Non-drug therapies include Omega-3 fish oil, physical therapy, and acupuncture. Ensuring cats have a safe place to hide, have help with accessing “high” places, and easy-entry litter boxes are important for improving the cat’s quality of life.

Program Agenda: 

Sheilah Robertson, BVMS (Hons), PhD, DACVAA, DECVAA, DACAW, DECAWBM (WSEL), CVA, FRCVS, Lap of Love Veterinary Hospice, discusses diagnosis and treatment options for osteoarthritis in cats. 

Learning Objectives:





Recognize the changes in behavior that suggest chronic pain in cats
Know how to screen for cats with OA
Know which assessment tools can be used to document disability and monitor response to treatment
Know what treatment options are available for cats with osteoarthritis

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Frank Bozelka,DVM, is a small animal emergency and critical care veterinarian at a busy specialty and referral center in the Chicago-land area. He has been in practice since 2016 and works at a high-volume facility that offers many highly specialized services such as dialysis, interventional radiology, nuclear medicine, and more. Bozelka has professional interests in both cardiac and orthopedic emergencies as well as educating new grads/interns and has a love/hate relationship with wound repairs. 

Bozelka is a social media personality and educator with his biggest fan base being on TikTok, but also has a growing Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube following. In his personal time, Bozelka enjoys spending time with his friends, family, wife, Laura, and cats Toby and Biscotti. He also enjoys playing music, reading, playing videos games, and playing sports. Bozelka is a foodie and could probably be considered a modern-day cookie monster.