VetEmCrit: The Veterinary Emergency & Critical Care Podcast

Dr. Igor Yankin, DACVECC
  • 5.0 (5)
  • Medicine
  • Updated Monthly

Practical, evidence-based insights into veterinary emergency and critical care.

  1. Episode 18: The Daily Physical Exam in the ICU

    May 22

    Episode 18: The Daily Physical Exam in the ICU

    The VetEmCrit Academy built for ER vets who want to grow, level up, and learn together: https://academy.vetemcrit.com/join In this episode, Dr. Lance Wheeler, DVM, DACVECC builds on the previous episode's triage discussion and shifts the focus to one of the most underappreciated skills in modern emergency and critical care — the daily physical examination of the critically ill patient. Drawing from Chapter 2 of Small Animal Critical Care Medicine (3rd edition) by Timothy Hackett, Lance makes the case that no monitor, point-of-care ultrasound, or laboratory analyzer can replace a structured, intentional bedside exam — especially when it comes to assessing perfusion, hydration, and overall trajectory in real time. If you enjoy this episode and want the full experience - weekly deep-dives, interactive simulators, and clinical algorithms you can use on shift - come join us inside the VetEmCrit Academy.

    40 min
  2. Episode 17: Journal Club (Hyperammonemia in seizures, fluids in cardiac tamponade, antibiotics in pneumonia)

    May 8

    Episode 17: Journal Club (Hyperammonemia in seizures, fluids in cardiac tamponade, antibiotics in pneumonia)

    The VetEmCrit Academy built for ER vets who want to grow, level up, and learn together: https://academy.vetemcrit.com/join This episode is a free preview of what VetEmCrit Academy members get every month — in-depth journal clubs, case-based simulators, algorithms, and practical teaching tools designed for emergency and critical care veterinary professionals. In this episode, we break down four recent papers in veterinary ECC. First, we explore the link between hyperammonaemia and feline seizures, including prevalence data and possible mechanisms. Next, we revisit pericardiocentesis — this time examining whether an IV fluid bolus before the procedure improves outcomes. Then we dive into SGLT2 inhibitors for managing diabetes in cats traditionally considered poor candidates for conventional therapy. Finally, we review a meta-analysis on antibiotic duration for bacterial pneumonia, asking whether shorter courses are just as effective. If you enjoy this episode and want the full experience — weekly deep-dives, interactive simulators, and clinical algorithms you can use on shift — come join us inside VetEmCrit Academy.

    16 min
  3. Episode 16: Triage by Dr. Wheeler

    Apr 24

    Episode 16: Triage by Dr. Wheeler

    The VetEmCrit Academy built for ER vets who want to grow, level up, and learn together: https://academy.vetemcrit.com/join This is the first episode in a new long-form series by Dr. Lance Wheeler, DVM, DACVECC, working systematically through the core topics in small animal emergency and critical care medicine - starting with the foundations and building toward the more advanced concepts. The series is designed for ECC residents preparing for boards, technicians pursuing their VTS (ECC), and any clinician who wants a structured, practical review of high-yield emergency and critical care. In this first episode, he tackles one of the most fundamental skills in ECC: evaluation and triage of the critically ill patient. He starts with the primary survey - respiratory, cardiovascular, and neurologic - and walk through how to recognize early decompensation before a patient crashes. He covers practical thresholds you'll actually use on shift: oxygenation and ventilation targets, hypotension and shock index cutoffs, glucose, sodium, and potassium alert values, and the criteria that distinguish septic peritonitis, uroperitoneum, and bile peritonitis on point-of-care ultrasound. Along the way, he incorporates recent literature.  If you enjoy this episode and want the full experience - weekly deep-dives, interactive simulators, and clinical algorithms you can use on shift - come join us inside the VetEmCrit Academy.

    41 min
  4. Episode 15: Stewart Approach to Acid-Base

    Apr 15

    Episode 15: Stewart Approach to Acid-Base

    The VetEmCrit Academy built for ER vets who want to grow, level up, and learn together: https://academy.vetemcrit.com/join Welcome back to the VetEmCrit Podcast! Today, we are sharing a special sneak peek from our brand-new "Nontraditional Acid-Base Analysis" training, now available inside the VetEmCrit Academy. In this audio lesson, we are exploring the fascinating origins of the Stewart approach and the physicist who completely turned the traditional bicarbonate model on its head. If you’ve ever felt like the classic acid-base model doesn't quite explain what's happening with your sickest ICU patients, this episode will lay the crucial groundwork for understanding a more precise, quantitative method.

    7 min
  5. Episode 14: Hypercoagulability

    Mar 20

    Episode 14: Hypercoagulability

    The VetEmCrit Academy built for ER vets who want to grow, level up, and learn together: https://academy.vetemcrit.com/join This episode covers hypercoagulability in veterinary patients, framed around Virchow's Triad — blood stasis, vessel wall injury, and hypercoagulability. It clarifies that hypercoagulability increases thrombosis risk but isn't the same as thrombosis itself, and that normal testing doesn't rule out clots driven by stasis or endothelial injury. The discussion walks through the coagulation balance between procoagulants, endogenous anticoagulants, and fibrinolysis, followed by a practical diagnostic approach using PT/PTT, fibrinogen, D-dimers, antithrombin, viscoelastic testing, and imaging. It wraps up with CURATIVE guideline risk categories and antithrombotic options including clopidogrel, heparins, and DOACs, emphasizing the balance between thrombosis prevention and bleeding risk.

    19 min
  6. Episode 13: Diagnosis of shock in dogs and cats

    Mar 6

    Episode 13: Diagnosis of shock in dogs and cats

    The VetEmCrit Academy built for ER vets who want to grow, level up, and learn together: https://academy.vetemcrit.com/join This episode covers how to recognize shock in dogs and cats. Learn how to perform a rapid primary survey, evaluate the six core perfusion parameters, and use supplemental data (lactate, shock index, blood pressure) to confirm your diagnosis. Through two real-world case examples, discover why shock is a clinical diagnosis that requires interpreting all findings in context, not just a single number or test.

    12 min
  7. Episode 12: Caudal vena cava in dogs with cardiac tamponade

    Feb 20

    Episode 12: Caudal vena cava in dogs with cardiac tamponade

    In this episode, we explore a recent study examining the impact of pericardiocentesis on hemodynamic parameters and the caudal vena cava-to-aorta (CVC-to-Ao) ratio in dogs. The VetEmCrit Academy built for ER vets who want to grow, level up, and learn together: https://academy.vetemcrit.com/join

    7 min
  8. Episode 11: Early Post-Op Ultrasound After Intestinal Surgery

    Feb 6

    Episode 11: Early Post-Op Ultrasound After Intestinal Surgery

    The VetEmCrit Academy Membership built for ER vets who want to grow, level up, and learn together: https://academy.vetemcrit.com/join In this episode, we explore the benefits of early ultrasound screenings in detecting intestinal dehiscence after surgery in dogs and cats. We'll dive into a study that evaluated 114 cases, demonstrating how early ultrasounds can potentially save lives by identifying complications before they escalate. Learn about the findings, key ultrasound markers, and the importance of selective screening for high-risk patients. Link to the original paper: Evaluation of early and systematic ultrasound examination to determine postoperative dehiscence after small intestinal surgery (114 cases in dogs and cats)

    7 min
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Practical, evidence-based insights into veterinary emergency and critical care.

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