Lifestyle block medicine
Medical and surgical procedures for livestock species with a focus on lifestyle block situations.
There is a growing population of lifestyle block clients who provide a different experience of animal ownership for veterinarians, including expecting a higher standard of veterinary care than commercial livestock, requiring more education and guidance regarding animal health and husbandry.
In the current veterinary curriculum, there is minimal chance to provide this in-depth level of individual medical or surgical techniques and procedures for livestock species, and this ends up being experience in the field as a new graduate with minimal support or guidance.
This course provides a refresher of specific diseases that are common in lifestyle block practice, as well as providing advancement of technical skills under guidance of experienced clinicians.
Dates and location
Description
This is a mixed format course comprising of online material and a practical workshop. The online material includes pre-recorded lectures, notes, discussion forum and live online tutorial. The workshop offers simulation and cadaver-based activities.
Topics
- Small ruminants
- Camelids
- Pigs
- Cattle
- Animal health planning and preventive care
Learning objectives
- Develop animal health plans for common lifestyle species (sheep, goats, pigs, camelids, cattle).
- Revise common diseases seen on lifestyle block including parasitism, rumen acidosis, metabolic disease, dystocia, urinary obstruction.
- Revise medical management of common diseases in the field or in clinic including IV catheter placement, fluid therapy, and other specific treatment.
- Learn and practice surgical procedures and techniques in livestock including various surgical castration techniques, exploratory laparotomy, caesarean section, disbudding of goat kids, surgical techniques for urinary obstruction, navel surgeries.
Learning outcomes
- Improve knowledge and confidence in creating health plans for lifestyle block clients – giving structure and boundaries and setting them up for success.
- Improve knowledge and confidence in common medical and surgical procedures in livestock, improving experience and case outcome.
- Improve relationship with clients and provide an additional source of income in potentially underserved areas of practice.
-
Have access to quick guides and resources that can
be used to save time, improve efficiency and reduce stress
in emergency situations .
Tutors
Christie Balcomb, BVSc, DACVIM-LA, FHEA. Senior Lecturer Production Animal Health, Massey Farm Services, School of Veterinary Services, Massey University
Christie received her BVSc from Massey in 2011, she completed an internship in Ruminant Health and Reproduction at North Carolina State University and completed a residency in Large Animal Internal Medicine with an emphasis on Livestock from UC Davis in 2016. She worked in mixed animal private practice in Maui, Hawaii until returning to Massey Farm Services in 2021. She teaches into the preclinical veterinary classes about goat medicine, individual cattle medicine and many of the practical classes in the Farm Services rotations. Her interests include individual medicine and surgical management of livestock, as well as providing education and support for clients to provide care for their animals.
Jess Byrnes-Clark BVTech. Director, Lakeside Lifestyle Animal Health
Emma Gordon, BVSc (Dist), MS, DACVIM-LA, FHEA. Senior lecturer in Veterinary Simulation-based Education, School of Veterinary Science, Massey University
Cost
Online only: NZVA member $590 | Non-member $1180
Full course: NZVA members $1200 | Non-member $2400
Contact
Shannon Leader
Events Manager
shannon.leader@vets.org.nz