2008 ACPAT Spring Seminar Review - Sunday
Sunday 16th March 2008
Woodland Grange, Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, CV32 6RN
Canine Day
The canine day on the Sunday commenced with Dr Christopher Shorrock BVSc JD GDipLP
MRCVS, the veterinary director of the RSPCA Birmingham. He covered initial assessment,
stabilisation and treatment methods for commonly presented traumatic injuries to
dogs and cats at the hospital.
His insights allowed us to learn about acute management
some of the poly trauma cases which few of us see on a regular basis.
Peter Van Dongen Drs(Utrecht) CertVR
MRCVS, from Pennard Veterinary group followed on with an enthusiastic presentation
on pain relief for injuries. This created debate about the use of NSAIDs and emphasised
the importance of integrated pain management during rehabilitation. He concluded
with a very positive multidisciplinary case study of back pain in his agility dog
which really summed up the ethos of our profession.
Karen Lees MCSP ACPAT Category A, then presented
an excellent although controversial orthopaedic case study. It highlighted the need
for integrated working within all the veterinary disciplines and the need to raise
awareness of when early physiotherapy intervention may be able to affect long term
outcome.
Dr Matthew Pead BVetMed PhD CertSAO FHEA MRCVS, went on to give us an update on
current practice in canine orthopaedic treatment. The surgical treatment and prognosis
of the main problems of developmental disease, OA and trauma remain much the same
but the diagnostic options and treatments available have increased. This allows
improved tailor made management for each case. He highlighted the most important
recent change to be the realisation that these cases often require long term multi-faceted
management plans to ensure the best outcome. Physiotherapy is an important part of this integrated approach.
David Balen MLIA (Dip), then gave us the
opportunity to ask questions about the insurance cover provided by Balens in an
informal session. This allayed many fears and I’m sure people now feel much better
able to utilise the services and advice which Balens can provide.
Caroline Prymark BVSc DipACVS MBA CertVR DSAS(Soft Tissue) MRCVS, then presented
to the floor on Canine Oncology Care outlining diagnostic evaluation of cancer patients,
treatment considerations and quality of life issues. She was keen to encourage a
patient and client-orientated approach to cancer care which got us all considering
where physiotherapy may have a positive role in the management of these conditions.
Pam Marsh MCSP MSc Vet Phys ACPAT Category A, concluded the conference on a high with an excellent literature review of the
evidence for and against hydrotherapy. The evidence is equivocal, but this presentation
brought home the importance of the need for correct supervision of all hydrotherapy
interventions, by a suitably qualified professional, in order to guarantee dogs’
safety and therapeutic benefit. The need for quality evidence was once again highlighted.
The weekend provided an excellent opportunity for CPD and catching up with friends
in the breaks
whilst grilling the exhibitors at their respective stands!
Thank you to all those who put so much effort into their presentations and the committee
who made the whole occasion a big success.
Annelies Klinker
ACPAT Cat A