VIN SAIM508-1119: Prebiotics, Probiotics, and Fecal Microbial Transplantation: What role should they play in the management of GI disease in dogs and cats?

The lectures for this course will be presented in an audio format using a webinar platform.

Enrollment is closed.
Presenter: Dr. M. Katherine Tolbert, DVM, PhD, DACVIM
Course Open: November 27-December 14, 2019
Real Time Sessions (RTS): Wednesday, December 4, 2019; 8:00-10:00 pm ET (USA)
Course RTS Times in Your Area: World Clock Converter

Level and Prerequisites: This intermediate course will be open to veterinarians actively interested in prebiotics, probiotics and fecal microbial transplantation.
VIN CE Course: Open to veterinarians. This course is approved by RACE for veterinarians. (RACE 22-38835)

Course Information:
An imbalance in the intestinal microbiome, or intestinal microbial dysbiosis, is increasingly recognized as either associated with or the cause of a vast array of diseases in both humans and companion animals. As such, therapies designed to alter or interact with the resident microbiota including prebiotics, probiotics, and fecal microbial transplantation are increasingly recommended for diseases in which dysbiosis is thought to play a role. In this 2-hour webinar, the speaker will review the available evidence and anecdotal information for the use of these therapies in the management of acute and chronic gastrointestinal diseases in the dog and cat.

Week 1 (Real Time Session December 4, 2019): Prebiotics, Probiotics, and Fecal Microbial Transplantation
Presenter: M. Katherine Tolbert, DVM, PhD, DACVIM
Format: Audio
Objectives: Upon completion of this session, the participant should be able to
  • define microbiome and dysbiosis.
  • understand how to use diagnostic tests that can signal the presence of dysbiosis.
  • understand what evidence supports the use of probiotic/prebiotic/FMT use and what diseases are mostly likely to benefit from their use.
  • understand potential adverse effects associated with probiotic/prebiotic/FMT use.
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.

About the Presenter:
Dr. Katie Tolbert (M. Katherine Tolbert) completed her veterinary degree and small animal internship at the University of Georgia. She then completed a small animal internal medicine residency and Ph.D. in Comparative Biomedical Sciences at North Carolina State University. Before coming to Texas A&M University as a Clinical Associate Professor, she was on faculty at the University of Tennessee, College of Veterinary Medicine and consulted for the TAMU Gastrointestinal Laboratory. Her clinical research program is focused on small animal gastroenterology with a specific interest in the investigation of the efficacy of gastroprotectants and the rationale for their use in the treatment of acid-related disorders, organ failure, neoplasia, and inflammatory diseases in companion animals. Her basic science research program is dedicated to characterizing the pathogenic mechanisms and exploring novel therapies such as probiotics for GI infections in companion animal infections.

Total CE Credit: 2

Tuition: Free to VIN members.
Non-members and veterinary students are not eligible to enroll in this course.

*To ensure participants are ready and prepared for classes, enrollment will close on December 4, 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:
  1. 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.
  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 (22-38835) 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. This RACE approval is for the subject matter categories of: Medical, using the delivery method of Interactive-Distance: (Web-based, Teleconference or Audio-Conference). 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