The Vet Blast Podcast The Vet Blast Podcast

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Katie Fish, DVM received her undergraduate degree at the University of Buffalo and Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Cornell University. She was a small animal general practitioner for 16 years before transitioning to becoming a full-time mentor for Monroe Veterinary Associates in the Rochester, New York area, which later became a Thrive Pet Healthcare partner. There she was responsible for on-boarding and providing one-on-one medical, surgical and leadership coaching support to new graduates at 18 hospitals. In 2023, Fish became the Director of Mentorship Programs for Thrive, which includes “Meant to Thrive,” a one-year medical mentorship program that meets doctors where they are, offering a unique, individualized approach that positions each veterinarian for success in the profession they love.

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Program Description:

Osteoarthritis (or degenerative joint disease) is the most common cause of chronic (maladaptive) pain in cats but is underrecognized by owners and therefore many cats go untreated. Up to 92% of all cats have radiographic changes (radiographic disease) in the axial and appendicular skeleton and these changes are more common in cats over the age of 10. There is often a mismatch between radiographic changes and clinical findings (painful joints, mobility impairment) but the relationship between radiographic changes and clinical disease increases with age. Screening and assessment tools have been developed and validated for cats and should be used to help diagnose the disease and monitor the response to treatment. Treatment is multimodal and includes drug and non-drug therapies in combination with environmental changes to ensure that stress in the affected cat’s household is addressed. Pain related to osteoarthritis is responsive to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and the feline specific anti-nerve growth factor monoclonal antibody, Frunevetmab (Solensia™). Non-drug therapies include Omega-3 fish oil, physical therapy, and acupuncture. Ensuring cats have a safe place to hide, have help with accessing “high” places, and easy-entry litter boxes are important for improving the cat’s quality of life.

Program Agenda: 

Sheilah Robertson, BVMS (Hons), PhD, DACVAA, DECVAA, DACAW, DECAWBM (WSEL), CVA, FRCVS, Lap of Love Veterinary Hospice, discusses diagnosis and treatment options for osteoarthritis in cats. 

Learning Objectives:





Recognize the changes in behavior that suggest chronic pain in cats
Know how to screen for cats with OA
Know which assessment tools can be used to document disability and monitor response to treatment
Know what treatment options are available for cats with osteoarthritis

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Frank Bozelka,DVM, is a small animal emergency and critical care veterinarian at a busy specialty and referral center in the Chicago-land area. He has been in practice since 2016 and works at a high-volume facility that offers many highly specialized services such as dialysis, interventional radiology, nuclear medicine, and more. Bozelka has professional interests in both cardiac and orthopedic emergencies as well as educating new grads/interns and has a love/hate relationship with wound repairs. 

Bozelka is a social media personality and educator with his biggest fan base being on TikTok, but also has a growing Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube following. In his personal time, Bozelka enjoys spending time with his friends, family, wife, Laura, and cats Toby and Biscotti. He also enjoys playing music, reading, playing videos games, and playing sports. Bozelka is a foodie and could probably be considered a modern-day cookie monster.

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Ken Yagi, MS, RVT, VTS (ECC), (SAIM), has dedicated his career to reimagining veterinary nursing for 24 years. He is currently the chief veterinary nursing officer for Veterinary Emergency Group, and the Program Director for the RECOVER Initiative.

Over the years, Yagi has received many accolades, including the Veterinary Technician of the Year award by NAVTA and the AVECCTN Specialty Technician of the Year award. Yagi co-edited the Veterinary Technician and Nurse’s Daily Reference Guide for Canine and Feline, and the Manual of Veterinary Transfusion Medicine and Blood Banking, and publishes articles and presents internationally on topics in ECC, transfusion medicine, and the veterinary nursing profession.

Yagi passionately works to bring further recognition of the vital role of the veterinary nurses and technicians through work with industry leading organizations. He is also an advocate for the Open Hospital Concept, encouraging veterinary practices to invite the pet owners to “the back” as a part of the team.

Yagi invites everyone to ask “Why?” to understand the “What” and “How” of our field, and to continually pursue new limits as veterinary professionals and individuals.

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Michael Petty, DVM, is a 1980 graduate of the veterinary school at Michigan State University. As the owner of Arbor Pointe Veterinary Hospital and the Animal Pain Center in Canton, Michigan; he has devoted his professional life to the care and well-being of animals, especially in the area of pain management.

Petty is the past president of the International Veterinary Academy of Pain Management .A frequent speaker and consultant; he has published articles in veterinary journals and serves in an advisory capacity to several pharmaceutical companies on topics of pain management. He was also an ELITE speaker for Pfizer Animal Health during the life of that program. He has been the Investigator/Veterinarian in over 12 FDA pilot and pivotal studies for pain management products. He has lectured both nationally and internationally on pain management topics.

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Peter Weinstein, DVM, MBA, is a husband, father, pet parent, veterinarian and leader. 
 
He has been involved with virtually all aspects of veterinary practice from a 15 year old kennel kid to a hospital owner.  Organized veterinary medicine has been a passion as well with various roles and leadership and presidencies of Southern California VMA, California VMA, and Vet Partners.  
 
He is a published author, most notably of the EMyth Veterinarian-Why Most Veterinary Practices Don’t Work and What to Do About It. Currently, among other things, he is teaching business and finance at the Veterinary College of Western University of Health Sciences.  
 
He likes to think of himself as a free thinking change agent and disruptor who, because he has a daughter who recently graduated from veterinary school, is working for an even better veterinary profession in the future.