Small Animals

This course covers the basic principles of radiographic image formation in didactic lecture, and is followed by a systems-based, case-based approach to small animal radiography of the thorax, abdomen, forelimb, hindlimb, vertebral column, and skull.

The course covers the principles of radiographic image formation, radiation safety concerns, and normal radiographic anatomy of the horse and bovine, with labs using case-based systems-based examples.

Principles of radiography are reviewed, including the various potential hazards of radiation. Radiographic imaging techniques utilized in small and large animal species are described along with other imaging methods such as ultrasonography, CT, and MRI as well as the basic principles/practices of radiation therapy. In small-group film-reading sessions, students practice proper interpretation of radiographs.

The course is an introductory surgical course designed to introduce basic surgical principles and skills that will serve to prepare the student for veterinary surgery. Didactic and laboratory discussions include basic surgical principles: asepsis, sterilization, and disinfection; surgical instrumentation and surgical techniques; surgeon and patient preparation; suture materials and surgical needles; and hemostasis, wound healing and wound management. Surgical skills mastered during the laboratory sessions include knot tying, suture patterns (skin, hollow organ, and tendon), ligatures, surgical drape application, and bandaging. Students are provided opportunities to practice surgical skills using both live tissue, simulation models (i.e., skin and intestine), and suture boards.

This course is a follow-up to Veterinary Clinical Orientation LAMS 502 and consists of a combination of didactic, hands-on and case-based learning sessions focusing on small animal patients. This course expands the basic physical examination to include specialty examinations including orthopedic, neurologic, dermatologic, and ophthalmologic examinations. The Problem-Oriented Medical Record approach is introduced with use of the SOAP format as students are required to participate in working up "paper cases." The laboratory exercises are tailored to provide the veterinary student with the opportunity to practice medical procedures that are commonly performed in the everyday clinical setting. Use of the SGU Simulation Laboratory allows students a more in-depth experience with cardiac arrhythmias, murmurs, and abnormal respiratory noises as they relate to commonly observed clinical case presentations.

This core course in the veterinary curriculum was designed to use a team-teaching approach to tie together the basic science courses in the first 4 terms to surgical principles and prepare the students for their clinical year. The introductory portion of the course reviews principles of surgery, including asepsis, instrumentation and surgical techniques, plus approaches to the different body cavities. The remainder of the course covers the management and treatment of surgical conditions for small companion animals, including soft tissue, orthopedic, dentistry, neurologic, and ophthalmic conditions. Students will be exposed to the most common surgical procedures by organ systems. Use of state-of-the-art technology will be included among the different surgical procedures.

In the didactic portion of this course, students gain an understanding of the principles, concepts, and techniques utilized in general and local anesthesia in various small and large animal species, as well as the basic terminology and proper use of anesthetic equipment and monitoring devices. Laboratory sessions provide the opportunity to master equipment use (anesthetic machines and monitoring devices) necessary for providing safe anesthesia. The SGU Simulation Laboratory is used to practice and gain comfort with endotracheal intubation and video demonstrations of veterinary anesthesia-related procedures are used to familiarize the student with additional concepts in anesthesia. This course is designed to prepare the student to enter the Junior Surgery and Anesthesia Laboratory course (SAMS 527) in Term 5.

Students are introduced to concepts concerning the diagnosis, treatment and management of medical diseases in dogs and cats. Emphasis will be placed on infectious diseases, dermatology, endocrinology, gastrointestinal and hepatic diseases.

Students are introduced to concepts concerning the diagnosis, treatment and management of medical diseases in dogs and cats. Emphasis will be placed on cardiology, gastrointestinal diseases, hepatobiliary diseases, emergency and critical care medicine, oncology, neurological diseases, and endocrinology.

The class will be divided into Group A, Group B, and Group C for labs.

Each clinical lab is 4 hours long. These clinical sessions are laboratories, not clinical rotations, as student preparation and involvement is not expected to be at the level of a clinical rotation in this introductory course, and students will work more as a group than as individuals.

The first two clinical labs are formative while the last two clinical labs will have summative assessments, graded via a rubric on Examsoft.

On each clinical lab, students shadowto clinician doing consultations on companion animal medicine, surgery and emergency services at the Small Animal Clinic. Students collect historical data from clients in a clinical setting, perform physical exam, generate prioritized problem list and discuss prioritized differential diagnoses using the DAMNIT-V scheme. Students develop comprehensive diagnostic plans and get signed consent from clients. Students work with clinicians to write/discuss discharge instructions with plans. Student assist with writing medical records/SOAPs for patients. Students are involved with management of hospitalized patients, which may include administering medications, performing medical math and assessing pain scale where appropriate. Students will also participate in rounds.

A new component of the course involves students participating in 3 ophthalmology lectures and one ocular lab at the SIM Lab/Small Animal Clinic with small animal faculty/staff geared toward improving students clinical exposure to ophthalmology.

.In total, each student will participate in 5 lectures (1 course overview/intro lecture, 1 lecture on small animal modules, 3 lectures on clinical ophthalmology by a Board Certified VP ophthalmologist) 16 hours of clinical labs at the Small Animal Clinic (8 lecture hours) and 4 hours of ocular examination labs at the SIM Lab/Small Animal Clinic using eye models and/or live patients (2 lecture hours).

This course's 1 credit/15 lecture hours are distributed as five lectures and 20 hours of lab.

Students are divided into teams of three (rotating as primary surgeon, assistant surgeon, and anesthetist) and are expected to apply knowledge gained from previous courses (SAMS 520/SAMS 514) and concurrent courses (SAMS 518/LAMS 519 Theriogenology)to the practice of surgery and anesthesia. Students perform canine and feline spay and neuter surgical procedures while maintaining aseptic technique. Additional basic orthopedic procedures are practiced using plastic bone models. Students induce, maintain, and monitor anesthesia and write surgical reports. Preanesthetic and postoperative patient care and pain management/ assessment, as well as medical recordkeeping, using the SOAP format is emphasized and required. Students practice communication skills by presenting historical/physical examination parameters ofthepresurgical patient, blood work, anesthetic protocol, and surgical plan for spay/neuter patients.

Introduction to Clinical Rotations intends to allow 6th Term students to acquire some important clinical skills prepare of year 4 clinical rotations. Students will be exposed to a wide variety of clinical cases throughout their training. This course will be highly interactive and will be taught in individual and small group settings. Students will be interacting with private practitioners as well a faculty members from different departments within the School of Veterinary Medicine.

This course will provide students with the opportunity to integrate information from other courses through utilization the clinical reasoning approach. Case reports or clinical scenarios will be presented to students using the clinical reasoning approach. Students will professionally communicate and will create relevant differential diagnosis lists, diagnosis plans, treatment plans, and/or other clinical case management components as specified.

An in-depth and extensive didactic and laboratory-based approach to cardiology is introduced utilizing research, pertinent medicine, laboratory diagnostics, advanced imaging, and therapeutics for a listing of the most common canine and feline cardiovascular diseases.

This course is designed to enhance knowledge in small animal surgical orthopedic conditions for those students interested in obtaining an advanced knowledge in this discipline or surgical domain.

This course provides students with an opportunity for advanced training in clinical dermatology through the use of didactic lectures, clinical case discussions, and wet labs with an emphasis on the clinical approach to dermatologic cases. The course will review fundamental concepts in dermatology as well as introduce advanced topics and skills in dermatology. Prerequisite: SAMS 522

This course provides an introduction into ECC topics, including small and large animal medicine. Laboratories (both live and simulated) demonstrate common diagnostics and procedures used in small animal critical care medicine, including AFAST/TFAST, central line placement, and CPCR.

This course provides students with advanced training in small animal clinical nutrition through the use of lecture, labs, and clinical case discussions. Clinical nutritional management of common disorders of dogs and cats and integration of nutrition with medical and surgical treatment modalities will be a focus. Prerequisite: ANPH 502

The course will introduce students to the concept of Shelter Medicine and increase their knowledge of this emerging field, including such topics as herd health population management, disaster preparedness, public health, disease prevention, and zoonosis, population control, animal welfare, behavior assessment and modification, euthanasia protocols and compassion fatigue.

The field of shelter medicine is recognized by the AVMA as a specialty and valued for the benefits it can provide to animals, people, and the surrounding communities. The course will empower students with tools, resources, and skills to best practice shelter medicine in a variety of clinical settings upon graduation, following the Association of Shelter Veterinarians (ASV) guidelines.

The course will also present new career opportunities, both domestic and foreign, in the field of shelter medicine, such as non-profit community outreach programs, behavior consultation, animal welfare, ethics, and advocacy, and veterinary forensics.

The course is taught through interactive lectures and wet labs. The student will be required to review a scientific journal article in written format and give a final presentation in a group format to demonstrate teamwork and effective communication skills.

This course aims to immerse the student in all aspects of owning and running a veterinary practice. Through experiential learning methods, students will be exposed to topics and skills related to starting/acquiring and owning a veterinary practice.