American Association of Feline Practitioners

Two weekends ago, Amanda and I headed up to Seattle for a meeting through the American Association of Feline Practitioners that focused on on surgery and dermatology.  Going to these continuing education conferences can be tedious if a speaker isn't engaging or focuses on a subject that has minimal relevance on your daily caseload.  Of all the sessions I've attended since getting out of school, this one was the best that I've ever attended. 

My favorite lectures were run by a surgeon out of Colorado State University.  This was now the third time that I had spent a day listening to Dr. Howard Seim as he discussed proper technique during soft tissue surgery.  Once I got back to Houston, I had one surgery that I performed that week where I made three significant modifications to what I would have usually done.  Dr. Christensen later commented that the patient had the smoothest recovery she'd seen after that extensive of a procedure.  Our knowledge base and materials continue to advance, and as is the trend, we are updating some of our instrumentation and suture choices to deliver better and more consistent outcomes. 

On the day dedicated to dermatology, I was pleased to find that both of the speakers (Dr. Edmund Rosser of Michigan State University and Dr. Stephen White of UC Davis) made the time fly by.  They didn't reveal anything that I hadn't heard before, but I appreciate the opportunity to refresh my memory banks on a subject that can be drawn out over the course of months.  What I mean is, while some skin disease cases can be solved on the same day, others can prove quite difficult as certain tests have a long turn around time and very different issues can mimic one another.  2012 has also been a horrible year for fleas in Houston, and it was nice to get an update on the different tools available and the reality of their effectiveness.