Course Open: June 14-July 8, 2022
Real Time Sessions (RTS): Tuesdays, June 21 and 28, 2022; 8:00-9:00 pm ET (USA) World Clock Converter
Total CE Credit: 2
RACE Category: 2 hours Medical
Enrollment is closed.
Course Information:
Feline upper respiratory tract disease (URTD) is a major challenge in many shelters, and it affects the health, welfare, and adoptability of cats. Particularly in under-resourced shelters, URTD may dramatically impact an organization’s lifesaving capacity. While the cause of URTD is typically infectious in origin, the pathogens that cause URTD are common across feline populations and will likely never be eliminated. Factors in development of disease in individual cats are a combination of host, pathogen, and environmental factors, and the single most important strategy for preventing disease in shelter cats is to reduce stress and length of stay in the shelter. This session will discuss the principles of feline URTD management in the shelter setting, including population management, prevention strategies (vaccination, biosecurity, stress reduction), and treatment of the individual patient.
Learning Objectives:
Upon completion of the course, the participant should be able to
- discuss the most common pathogens associated with feline URTD in shelter cats.
- describe risk factors in disease development in individual cats and populations.
- discuss diagnostic testing and treatment modalities for individual cats.
- describe prevention strategies to reduce feline URTD in individual cats and populations in a shelter setting.
- describe low stress feline housing in the shelter setting.
- describe the benefits of foster care for cats and kittens.
- discuss outbreak management for feline URTD.
- describe capacity for care as a proactive population management model for shelters.
- discuss the importance of length of stay in a shelter setting and how it impacts overall lifesaving.
- discuss strategies to reduce length of stay in shelter cats.
Level and Prerequisites: This basic VIN CE course is open for enrollment to veterinarians and veterinary technicians/technologists actively interested in managing feline upper respiratory disease in a shelter setting.
Accreditation: This course is approved for 2 hours of continuing education credit by RACE for veterinarians and veterinary technicians/technologists. (RACE 20-907440)
Course Agenda: Week 1 (Real Time Session June 21, 2022): Background, Treatment for Individual Cats, and Prevention Strategies
This session will cover the common pathogens involved in feline URTD, their clinical signs, modes of transmission and potential diagnostic testing. It will also explore therapeutic options when treating individual cats and preventative tools that shelters can implement. Week 2 (Real Time Session June 28, 2022): Outbreak Management, Feline Group Housing Considerations, And Population Management
This session will cover strategies for proactive population management and shelter care models that can improve positive outcomes for cats and to reduce URTD in shelter cats.
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 CE certificate, please refer to Receiving Your CE Credit and Course Completion Certificate. Course Materials: Course materials will be available in the course library prior to each Real Time Session.
Required Textbook(s): There is no required textbook for this course.
Enrollment is closed.
*To ensure participants are ready and prepared for classes, enrollment will close on June 21, 2022 at 5 pm ET (USA) or when the maximum number of participants is reached. *For more information on how online CE works, see the Participant Resource Center.
Enrollment qualifications:
- VIN CE Courses:
- VIN CE courses are open to VIN member, VIN student member, and non-member veterinarians.
- Veterinary support staff must be VSPN members in order to enroll in a VIN CE course open to VSPN member enrollment.
- VSPN CE Courses:
- VSPN CE courses are open to veterinary support staff and veterinarians.
- Only VIN and VSPN members can enroll in a VSPN CE course.
- Veterinarians will only receive credit for those VSPN CE courses that specify in the Accreditation statement that the course is accredited for veterinarians.
- Please check the course Level and Prerequisites, Accreditation, and Tuition before enrolling.
- 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.
- For further assistance call 800-846-0028 ext. 797 or email CEonVIN. Please include the course title, your full name, and contact information in your correspondence.
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: CEonVIN
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