Attendees are encouraged to bring their own dog(s). Please let the VetPD Team know if you would like to bring your own.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This 2-day practical course covers how to systematically and thoroughly examine the abdomen of dogs and cats ultrasonographically and how to identify and evaluate the different organs.  It is aimed at small animal practitioners wanting to learn and increase the use of ultrasonography in their daily clinical work, motivating them to add an ultrasound examination more frequently to their diagnostic work-up of routine and emergency patients.

Over the 2 days the machine set-up and the normal ultrasonographical appearance of the large abdominal organs (liver, spleen, gastrointestinal tract, upper and lower urinary tracts & peritoneal space) will be discussed, as well as the most common pathologies and their ultrasonographic features. The following 7 hours of face-to-face lectures and extensive case-discussions will cover the foundations of abdominal ultrasound up to intermediate level:

• Ultrasound Physics
• How to get the most out of your Ultrasound Machine
• Identifying and Examining the Liver & Spleen
• Gastrointestinal Tract – Stomach, Small & Large Intestines
• Upper and Lower Urinary Tract – Kidney, Bladder & Urethra
• Abdominal Ultrasound Case-Discussions

There will be plenty of opportunity for attendees to ask questions and share their own experiences with the group.

Following the theory and under the supervision of the experienced instructors, the 6-7 hours of practical sessions in small groups (max. 3-4 attendees per machine and live dog) allow attendees to train and improve their own skills on how to recognize normal organs and create the best images for interpretation.  Each attendee will rotate through the following live dog stations:

• Setting up your Machine & Scanning Techniques
• Liver
• Spleen
• Stomach
• Small & Large Intestine
• Upper Urinary Tract – Kidney & Ureters
• Lower Urinary Tract – Urinary Bladder & Urethra

By the end of this course, the participants will be comfortable setting up their ultrasound machine, choosing the most suitable probe and competently identifying and examining the liver, spleen, entire gastrointestinal tract and the upper and lower urinary tract ultrasonographically. Attendees should furthermore be confident in differentiating normal from abnormal abdominal organ appearances.

The course fee includes lunches at a restaurant, coffee/tea breaks, a wine & cheese reception, extensive electronic course note and a certificate of attendance. Attendees can choose to only attend the lectures (= Lectures Only) on this course or can register for the entire course (= Lectures & Practical Sessions).  Early course registration is recommended as there are only limited number of places available due to the highly practical nature of this course.