VIN

VSPN

The current VIN date & time: Eastern

SHEL101-0823: Canine Infectious Respiratory Disease in Shelters

The lectures for this course will be presented via the Zoom webinar platform.

Presenter: Erin Katribe, DVM, MS (Shelter Medicine)
Course Open: August 29-September 29, 2023
Real Time Sessions (RTS): Tuesdays, September 5, 12, and 19, 2023; 7:00-8:30 pm ET (USA) World Clock Converter
Total CE Credit: 4.5
RACE Category: 4.5 hours Medical


Enrollment is closed.  

Tuition: Member $104 ($94 early bird special if enrolled by August 15, 2023)
Non-Member $183 ($165 early bird special if enrolled by August 15, 2023)
Prices are listed in US dollars.


Course Information:
Shelters across the country are seeing increases in canine infectious respiratory disease (CIRD) as dogs are staying longer in care and shelters are reaching capacity. In this course, learn about the risk factors that contribute to CIRD in shelters and what shelters can do to reduce the incidence of this disease in their population. CIRD is typically a self-limiting illness in dogs, but even mild disease can present welfare concerns and can dramatically impact the shelter’s lifesaving capacity. In recent years, a number of more serious pathogens have emerged and are causing outbreaks with increasing frequency, including canine distemper, canine influenza, canine pneumovirus, and Streptococcus equi subspecies zooepidemicus.

In this course, participants will learn about the risk factors, transmission, pathogenesis, clinical signs, diagnostic testing, and individual patient treatment for important respiratory pathogens in shelter dogs. Population management strategies to reduce the risk of serious outbreaks will be discussed, and general outbreak management for each of the common emerging pathogens will be covered.


Learning Objectives:
Upon completion of the course, the participant should be able to
  • discuss the pathogens commonly associated with CIRD in shelter dogs and discuss the relative importance based on the likelihood of serious illness in individual dogs.
  • describe population management strategies that improve the health and welfare of shelter dogs and reduce the risk of CIRD outbreaks.
  • discuss the principles of CIRD outbreak management generally and for each of the following CIRD pathogens: canine distemper, canine influenza, pneumovirus, and Strep zoo.
  • discuss diagnostic testing for CIRD pathogens.
  • describe risk assessment for canine distemper using paired PCR testing and antibody titers.
  • discuss the limitations of antibody testing alone for risk assessment.
  • describe strategies to safely release dogs from shelter care in outbreak situations for CIRD pathogens.


Level and Prerequisites: This basic VIN CE course is open for enrollment to veterinarians and veterinary technicians/technologists interested in the risk factors, transmission, pathogenesis, clinical signs, diagnostic testing, and individual patient treatment for important respiratory pathogens in shelter dogs.
Credit Approval: This course is approved for 4.5 hours of continuing education credit by RACE for veterinarians and veterinary technicians/technologists. (RACE 20-1076982)


Course Agenda:

Week 1 (Real Time Session September 5, 2023): Overview of CIRD
This session will provide an overview of CIRD which will include clinical signs and diagnostic testing. Treatment plans and prevention will also be covered. Risk factors in shelters will be discussed including housing considerations, shelter design, and capacity for care.
Week 2 (Real Time Session September 12, 2023): Outbreak Management
This session will cover how to identify if an “outbreak” is occurring. Once an outbreak is identified strategies for isolation and quarantine will need to be enforced. Environmental decontamination to avoid spread will also be discussed.
Week 3 (Real Time Session September 19, 2023): CIRD Pathogens
This last session will discuss specific pathogens that contribute to CIRDS. Some of these pathogens include Canine Influenza, Pneumovirus, Streptococcus zoo, and Canine Distemper.


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.  

Tuition: Member $104 ($94 early bird special if enrolled by August 15, 2023)
Non-Member $183 ($165 early bird special if enrolled by August 15, 2023)
Prices are listed in US dollars.


*To ensure participants are ready and prepared for classes, enrollment will close on September 15, 2023 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:
  1. VIN CE Courses:
    1. VIN CE courses are open to VIN member, VIN student member, and non-member veterinarians.
    2. Veterinary support staff must be VSPN members in order to enroll in a VIN CE course open to VSPN member enrollment.
  2. VSPN CE Courses:
    1. VSPN CE courses are open to veterinary support staff and veterinarians.
    2. Only VIN and VSPN members can enroll in a VSPN CE course.
    3. Veterinarians will only receive credit for those VSPN CE courses that specify in the Accreditation statement that the course is accredited for veterinarians.
  3. Please check the course Level and Prerequisites, Accreditation, and Tuition before enrolling.
  4. Each enrollee must be able to receive emails from @vspn.org and @vin.com addresses.
    1. Email is our major form of communication with participants; personal emails are highly recommended rather than clinic/hospital email addresses.
  5. For further assistance call 800-846-0028 ext. 797 or email CEonVIN@vin.com. 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@vin.com
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