VIN EXOT012-2019: Guinea Pig Basics

This course is a self-paced, non-interactive course.

Enrollment is closed.
Presenter: Sandra Mitchell, DVM, ABVP Feline, ABVP ECM
Course Open: January 29-December 31, 2019

Level and Prerequisites: This basic course will be open to any VIN or VSPN member interested in the basics of guinea pig medicine.
VIN CE Course: Open to VIN and VSPN members only. This non-interactive course is approved by RACE for veterinarians. (RACE 22-35670) This course does not qualify for AAVSB RACE approval.

Course Description:
This course covers the basics of guinea pig ownership and husbandry, as well as an overview of a general clinical approach to the species, discussing common diseases and their treatments.

The course materials are provided in the form of 3 modules. Each module will have a video lesson that includes a quiz and supplemental learning materials which are intended to help the participant retain the information provided.

To earn a certificate of completion, the participant must complete all modules and attain a minimum score of 80% on the end-of-course test. Completion of all modules videos, reading handouts, polls, and end-of-course test) will take a minimum of 122 minutes to complete. Participants must complete the participation requirements by December 31, 2019 to be eligible for a certificate.

Course Outline:

Module 1: Introduction, History, Husbandry
Total Time: 38 minutes
Video: 25 minutes
Handouts: 10 minutes
Polls: 3 minutes
Objectives: Upon completion of this session, the participant should be able to
  • educate owners on the basics of guinea pig care.
  • evaluate the husbandry of a patient to determine likely points causing disease.
  • determine the best way to correct deficits of husbandry.
Module 2: PE, Common Diseases
Total Time: 48 minutes
Video: 38 minutes
Handouts: 5 minutes
Polls: 5 minutes
Objectives: Upon completion of this session, the participant should be able to
  • determine a likely list of differential diagnoses for a sick guinea pig patient
Module 3: Basic Anesthesia and Surgery Techniques
Total Time: 36 minutes
Video: 11 minutes
Handouts: 5 minutes
End of Course Test: 20 minutes
Objectives: Upon completion of this session, the participant should be able to
  • feel confident when anesthetizing guinea pig patients
  • know the basics of common guinea pig surgery.
Successful completion (scoring 80% or better) on the end-of-course test is required to earn a certificate of completion for the course. To learn more about the requirements for earning a non-interactive CE certificate, please refer to Non-Interactive CE Certificate Requirements.

Course Materials: Course materials in the form of handouts and additional educational online activities will be available in the course library.

Required Textbook(s): There is no required textbook for this course.

About the Presenter:
Sandra Mitchell is currently doing house calls, relief and emergency medicine near Bangor, Maine and is a board certified feline specialist and exotic companion mammal specialist. Additionally, she is a licensed wildlife rehabilitator in the State of Maine and routinely treats wildlife in her area. She loves caring for companion animals, particularly dealing with geriatric patients as well as animals with difficult to diagnose or treat conditions. If it fits through the door, she will see the pet as there are no medical challenges she is unwilling to tackle. She is "owned" by her own personal tribe which includes cats, ferrets, chinchillas, and whatever wildlife have decided to take up temporary residence. In her spare time, she writes for veterinary journals, gives lectures to veterinarians, veterinary staff, and owners, writes exam questions for a variety of veterinary qualification exams, and authors for animal oriented magazines and websites. In her real time off, she loves to canoe - especially whitewater. In 2011, she completed a 1,000 mile canoe race in the Yukon, finishing in only 7 days, 10 hours, and 46 minutes!

Total CE Credit: 2

Tuition: $46
Prices are listed in US dollars.

*Enrollment will close on December 1, 2019 at 5 pm ET (USA).
*For more information on how online CE works, see the Participant Resource Center.

To Enroll:
  1. Enrollment qualifications: VIN CE courses are open to VIN member veterinarians. Veterinarians enrolling in a VSPN CE course must be a VIN member. Veterinary support staff must be a VSPN member to enroll in a VSPN CE or a VIN CE course open to VSPN member enrollment.
  2. Each enrollee must be able to receive emails from @vspn.org and @vin.com addresses. Email is our major form of communication with participants; personal emails are highly recommended rather than clinic/hospital email addresses.
  3. Each person is individually responsible for his/her own registration. To ensure that all information received is secure and correct, please do not enroll for a course on behalf of another individual.
  4. For further assistance call 800-846-0028 ext. 797 or email . Please include the course title, your full name, and contact information in your correspondence.
Enrollment is closed.

"This program (22-35670) is approved by the AAVSB RACE to offer a total of 2 CE Credits, with a maximum of 2 CE Credits being available to any individual veterinarian or veterinary technician/technologist. This RACE approval is for the subject matter categories of: Medical using the delivery method of Non-Interactive-Distance: (Online, Correspondence, Journal, or Other Self-Study). This approval is valid in jurisdictions which recognize AAVSB RACE; however, participants are responsible for ascertaining each board's CE requirements."

Course withdrawal and refund policy: A complete refund of the paid course price will be issued when your withdrawal request is received prior to the listed start date of the course. If you wish to withdraw after the start date please contact the VIN office 800-846-0028 ext. 797 to discuss eligibility for a pro-rated refund.

*For more information on VIN's upcoming CE courses, check the VIN Course Catalog.

Katherine James, DVM, PhD, DACVIM (SAIM)
VIN Education Director

VIN CE Services:
800-846-0028 or 530-756-4881; ext. 797
or direct line to VIN/VSPN from the United Kingdom: 01 45 222 6154
or direct line to VIN/VSPN from Australia: 02 6145 2357