How I manage common medical problems

Endocrine

• Diabetics: anything new that can help?

• Diabetic conundrums: management dilemmas

• Trilostane: the latest on how to use it

• A case-based approach to diagnosis of pu/pd

• Diagnosing canine hypothyroidism: a case-based approach

• Feline hyperthyroidism: finding it and helping your patients live longer

Cardiac disease  

• Updates on the “The Big Three that You See” : Canine Mitral Valve Disease, Canine Dilated Cardiomyopathy and Feline Cardiomyopathy.

  Is a heart murmur a consistent indicator of underlying heart disease? 

• Is a heart murmur the penultimate clinical finding of heart disease in dogs and cats ?  What about other signs ?

• How can I use radiography, cardiac biomarkers and focused echocardiography in my patients ?

• This asymptomatic dog has a murmur. How should I approach this case and is it time to start treatment ? 

• Treatment considerations in canine mitral valve disease vs dilated cardiomyopathy. 

• What is the best approach for treating cardiomyopathy subclinical and CHF cats? 

• What are the preferred thromboprophylaxis treatments in feline cardiomyopathy patients ?

• What is the role of diet in subclinical heart disease and CHF ?

• When to initiate and how to dose pimobendan in dogs and cats.

• Appropriate use of angiotensin and aldosterone – ACE-inhibitors or Aldosterone antagonists in heart disease. 

• Loop diuretic therapy in CHF – furosemide of torsemide? 

• What role does spironolactone play in CHF patients?

• Use of Viagra (sildenafil) in canine heart disease. 

Respiratory disease  

• How to approach acute vs chronic coughing dogs and cats.  And a simple way to obtain bronchial lavage samples.

• How to determine whether a coughing dog has chronic bronchitis vs airway collapse. 

• Which drugs are considered preferred cough suppressants in dogs? 

• Should bronchodilators be used in chronic coughing dogs?

• When to consider surgical tracheal stenting in airway collapse. 

• What are the preferred treatment options in asthmatic cats ?  Do I have to use ongoing corticosteroids ?

• When would bronchodilator treatment be useful in asthmatic cats? 

• Are human asthma drugs helpful in feline asthma patients? 

• Should cyproheptadine or Cerenia be considered in feline asthma patients? 

• Is immunotherapy helpful in treating asthmatic cats?  

• Which antibiotics are indicated for bacterial and aspiration pneumonias ?

Chronic Kidney Disease 

• Has creatinine, SDMA, proteinuria or AI become the preferred means of diagnosing CKD? 

• Should quantitative urine protein values be routinely determined when annually screening geriatric patients?

• When should renal biopsy be considered?

• Should immunosuppressive therapy be considered in CKD ?

• Is blood pressure determination really that important in renal patients? 

• Which antihypertensive treatment is preferred in CKD – amlodipine, ACE-Is or ARBs?  

• When should a therapeutic renal diet be started in CKD patients? 

• This dog/cat doesn’t like oral phosphorus binders. How important is this drug? 

• Is it just an “Ohio State thing” or are vitamin D, calcium and PTH important in CKD? 

• Appropriate use of erythropoeitin analogs in anemic CKD patients. 

• Appropriate use of fluid therapy and appetite stimulants in hyporexic CKD patients.