Do You Speak Cat? Feline Communication for the Veterinary Team
Veterinary team members often express doubt about handling cats. The best way to know a cat’s emotional state and whether they are relaxed enough to cope with the stress of veterinary procedures is to watch their body language.
This session will help you understand how cats communicate with us and determine how to tell when they are fearful, stressed, anxious, or happy. This is the first step to Fear-Free and Feline Friendly handling.
Tabitha Kucera
RVT, VTS (Behavior), CCBC, KPA-CTP
Time: 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
PsyMed: The Science Linking Psychological Stress and Medical Symptoms
It is well known that certain behavioral signs can identify chronic psychological stress that eventually may affect medical symptoms. This field is known as “PsyMed.” This lecture shows how identifying these behaviors is more effective than measuring cortisol. We’ll take a deep dive into stress-induced cell adhesion molecule disruption and introduce the “PsyMed Hypothesis” as the connection between pet behavioral health and enjoyable longevity.
Rolan Tripp
DVM, CABC
Time: 1:10 pm - 2:10 pm
Crash, Boom, Bang! Protocols for Dogs with Sound Sensitivity
It is estimated that anywhere from one-third to two-thirds of dogs have noise aversions! If you saw 12 dogs in your hospital each day, 4 to 8 of them are likely to develop noise sensitivities in their lifetime. Not only can a fear of sounds be physiologically and emotionally damaging for dogs, but it can also strain the human-animal relationship. This session will provide you with strategies for how to approach and prevent sound sensitivities, including teaching desired coping skills.
Debbie Martin
LVT, Veterinary Technician Specialist in Behavior
Time: 2:20 pm - 3:20 pm
Behavioral Matters: Understanding and Treating Behavior Issues
December 9, 2023 @ 12 pm - 3:30 pm ET
Speakers
Tabitha Kucera
RVT, VTS (Behavior), CCBC, KPA-CTP
Tabitha Kucera is an Elite Fear Free and Low Stress Handling Certified Registered Veterinary Technician, Veterinary Technician Specialist (VTS) in Behavior, CCBC, and KPA-CTP. She is the owner of Chirrups and Chatter Cat and Dog Behavior Consulting and Training in Cleveland, Ohio. Her teaching credentials include lecturing on the regional and national level and lecturing at multiple veterinary technology programs. Her lectures cover relevant topics such as canine and feline body language, cooperative care, Fear Free and low stress handling, feline and canine aggression, prevention and management for common behavior concerns, and many others. She is a Fear Free certified speaker, a Fear Free Practice Certification Consultant, and host of the podcast, Tails from a Vet Tech. She currently serves on the board of Pet Professional Guild’s Cat Committee and is the President-elect for the Society of Veterinary Behavior Technicians. Tabitha has helped to develop training and behavior programs including Fear Free implementation for various veterinary hospitals and shelters and works as a consultant for many shelters and private veterinary practices.
Rolan Tripp
DVM, CABC
Dr. Tripp received his doctorate from UC Davis veterinary school, and also holds a bachelor’s degree in Music, and a Minor in Philosophy. He has been the featured speaker in Tokyo, Japan, presented a paper at the International Conference on Behavioral Medicine in Birmingham, England, and lectured on animal behavior at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C. He has published more than 40 articles in the Veterinary Literature.
A regular guest on the Animal Planet Network, Dr. Tripp has appeared on both “Petsburgh, USA,” and “Good Dog U” a total of over 200 times including reruns. He is past President of the Santa Clara Valley Veterinary Medical Assn. and past member of the AVMA Council on Veterinary Service representing all U.S. Small Animal Veterinarians, and member of the Society for Veterinary Medical Ethics.
Dr. Tripp has taught a course on Animal Behavior at 7 US Veterinary schools and is certified by the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants. He is the founder of www.AnimalBehavior.net, an online comprehensive collection of Pet Behavior Information. Dr. Tripp’s newest creation is www.PetHappiness.net a telecommunications pet behavior consulting service helping companion animal veterinarians to expand pet behavior services and treat psychologically related medical conditions (PsyMed).
Debbie Martin
LVT, Veterinary Technician Specialist in Behavior
Debbie Martin is a Licensed Veterinary Technician in Texas, as well as a Veterinary Technician Specialist in Behavior (VTS-Behavior). She has been a full-time registered/licensed veterinary technician since 1996 and worked in private practice for 14 years. Debbie is a Karen Pryor Academy Faculty Emeritus and is on the Clicker Expo Faculty. Since 2005 Debbie has been the animal behavior technician for Veterinary Behavior Consultations, LLC. She assists Kenneth Martin, DVM, DACVB, during behavior consultations. Debbie is the co-owner of TEAM Education in Animal Behavior, a business focused on providing education on humane training and behavior modification and fostering collaboration between various animal behavior professions. She is a contributing author and co-editor of the textbook Canine and Feline Behavior for Veterinary Technicians and Nurses by Wiley-Blackwell. Debbie and Dr. Martin have also authored a book on normal development and training for dogs: Puppy Start Right: Foundation Training for the Companion Dog. The pair also authored the Karen Pryor Academy course, Puppy Start Right for Instructors. Debbie’s combined experience in general practice and behavior specialty has fueled her passion for preventive behavior medicine and the Fear Free initiative. Debbie is honored to be a subject matter expert for Fear Free Pets and Fear Free Happy Homes. When she is not seeing clients, writing, or speaking, Debbie enjoys spending time at home with her husband and dogs in Spicewood, Texas or exploring the beautiful hill country of Texas on her motorcycle!
Why Attend?
The VetCE Virtual event series of micro-conferences is designed to deliver multiple approved RACE and/or CVPM CE credits in a concise, half-day virtual format with three consecutive one-hour presentations. The series not only provides you with the opportunity to benefit from educational sessions presented by expert speakers but also offers an easy way to learn and earn credits from the comfort of your home or office!
VetCE Virtual events cover a wide range of topics, from detailed medical discussions to practice management and other non-medical subjects relevant to everyday situations encountered by veterinary professionals. If you’ve already registered and happen to miss the live event, no worries, you’ll be given access to the OnDemand courses once they become available (typically about three weeks after the live event) Recordings of the sessions will be accessible for viewing for 2 weeks following each event, providing participants with a valuable reference.
Please be advised that we can not issue CE certificates for only viewing the session recordings. Anyone who registers for a VetCE Virtual event but is unable to attend the live sessions will get free access to the VetCE OnDemand courses we create from the recordings on VetMedTeam so you can still get CE credits!
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