Helen E. Sweeney, DVM
William H. Wildgoose, BVMS CertFHP MRCVS
Brian Palmeiro, VMD Course Open: November 1-December 4, 2019
Real Time Sessions (RTS): Sundays, November 10, 17 and 24, 2019; 3:00-5:00 pm ET (USA)
Course RTS Times in Your Area: World Clock Converter To prepare for your online experience, please review the VIN/VSPN CE informational video after the course open date. Level and Prerequisites: This basic course will be open to veterinarians actively interested in fish medicine.
VIN CE Course: Open to veterinarians. This course has been submitted for RACE approval for veterinarians. Course Information:
This course will focus on common diseases, diagnostics and therapeutics of fish. Anatomy, basic husbandry and water quality will be discussed as well. Week 1 (Real Time Session November 10, 2019): Water Quality and Basic Husbandry
Presenters: William H. Wildgoose and Drury Reavill
Format: Audio
Objectives: Upon completion of this session, the participant should be able to
- assess water quality and methods used to quantify the most important parameters.
- identify the causes of poor water quality and measures required to improve it.
- understand the basics of Husbandry including tank types, pond design, management, nutrition, filtration and lighting.
Presenters: Drury Reavill and Helen E. Sweeney
Format: Audio
Objectives: Upon completion of this session, the participant should be able to
- understand the basic principles of anatomy and physiology. The physiology of osmoregulation and waste excretion will be stressed due to their association with disease conditions and water quality.
- understand what the MDB (minimum database) for a clinical fish case should be.
- determine when diagnostic imaging can be done.
Presenters: William H. Wildgoose and Brian Palmeiro
Format: Audio
Objectives: Upon completion of this session, the participant should be able to
- recognize common presenting signs and diseases of ornamental fish.
- know the commonly used pet fish medications/treatments used in practice.
- understand various methods for medicating pet fish.
Required Textbook(s): There is no required textbook for this course. About the Presenters:
Drury Reavill is a VIN consultant (Aquatic Animal Medicine Folder) and has 30 years of experience in avian and exotic clinical practice, laboratory diagnostics and pathology. She graduated from Colorado State University's College of Veterinary Medicine in 1986 and practiced at the Avian Medical Center of Sacramento, as well as provided clinical consultation and laboratory services to practitioners through California Avian Laboratory (a national service exclusively devoted to avian and exotic animals) and California Veterinary Diagnostic Labs of West Sacramento. She completed her residency in anatomic pathology (including instruction in zoo pathology and course work at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology) and gained board certification from American College of Veterinary Pathology (ACVP) in 2000. Drury is also a Diplomate of the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners, obtaining Avian Practice Certification in 1993 (recertified 2003 and 2013) and Reptile and Amphibian Certification in 2013. Drury has owned and operated Zoo/Exotic Pathology Service for 21 years and is a past president of AAFV (American Association of Fish Veterinarians). Helen Sweeney is the owner of Elma Animal Hospital and Aquatic Veterinary Services of WNY. She has been in private small and exotic animal practice since receiving her DVM degree from the University of Georgia. Dr. Sweeney is a member of several national and regional professional organizations including AVMA, NFVS, WNYVMA, and NYSVMS. She served as the President of the Niagara Frontier Veterinary Society (NFVS), was selected for two terms as Chairman of AVMA's Aquatic Veterinary Medicine Committee, and was a past President of the American Association of Fish Veterinarians, the AAFV, which she helped found.
Dr. Sweeney is a frequent speaker at national and international veterinary conferences on pet fish health. She is a past instructor for AquaVet® (a summer Aquatic Animal medicine program for veterinary students associated with Cornell University college of Veterinary Medicine). She edited and co-authored 'Fundamentals of Ornamental Fish Health', published by Wiley-Blackwell late 2009. She has authored and co-authored several articles published in peer reviewed journals and texts and is a consultant for veterinary Information Network. Dr. Sweeney was also featured in 'Fixing Nemo', an article on fish veterinarians published in the New York Times Magazine. Dr. Sweeney has a special interest in public health and is the Veterinary Medical Consultant for the Buffalo Veterans Affairs Hospital animal research facility. William Wildgoose graduated from Glasgow University Veterinary School in 1977 and has been in small animal practice in London since then. He has always had a special interest in ornamental fish and passed the examinations for the RCVS Certificate in Fish Health and Production in 1997. He was editor of the Fish Veterinary Journal for three years before contributing to and editing the second edition of the BSAVA Manual of Ornamental Fish (2001). In May 2018, he retired from general practice but has continued to see fish cases and continue with consultancy work.
He has provided professional services to fish clients on a first and second opinion basis for over 30 years. Most of his fish work involves private hobbyists with coldwater ornamental fish such as koi and goldfish. He has been the veterinary advisor to the Ornamental Aquatic Trade Association (OATA) since 1996 and offers professional services to several importers and retailers of ornamental fish. Over the years, he has provided training and given presentations on pet fish health to garden center staff, students, pathologists and vets both in the UK and abroad, and now provides advice on the Veterinary Information Network. He recently passed the City & Guilds examination in Zoo Licensing Inspection, retaining his name on the Secretary of State's list of registered zoo inspectors since 2001, with a special interest in public aquaria. Brian Palmeiro was born in Long Island, NY and obtained a Bachelor of Science from Rutgers University, minoring in marine science. During college, he served at the head student aquarist for the Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences. He attended veterinary school at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Palmeiro completed a rotating internship in small animal medicine and surgery and a residency in dermatology and allergy at the Veterinary Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. After veterinary school, Dr. Palmeiro served as the staff veterinarian for a large ornamental fish wholesaler. He started an ambulatory pet fish medicine practice in 2005, offering medical care for fish in the Philadelphia area. In 2010, Dr. Palmeiro opened one of the nation's first full service pet fish hospitals. He is an aquatic animal medicine and dermatology consultant on the Veterinary Information Network. He owns a referral dermatology practice in Allentown, PA. He is also completing his Master's in Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences at University of Florida and serves as a staff veterinarian for a local aquarium. Dr. Palmeiro is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Dermatology and a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, and a founding member of the American Association of Fish Veterianrians, and World Aquatic Veterinary Medical Association. Total CE Credit: 6
Tuition: Member $138 ($124 early bird special if enrolled by October 25, 2019)
Non-Member $231 ($208 early bird special if enrolled by October 25, 2019)
Prices are listed in US dollars. *To ensure participants are ready and prepared for classes, enrollment will close on November 8, 2019 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. To Enroll:
- Enrollment qualifications: VIN CE courses are open to VIN member and non-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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
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