• Join Pilar Lafuente DVM, PhD, ACVS/ECVS ACVSMR for three 2-hour online sessions
• Comprehensive notes to downloaded
• Self-assessment quizzes to ‘release’ your 8 hours CPD certification (don’t worry, you can take them more than once if you don’t quite hit the mark first time)
• A whole year’s access to recorded sessions for reviewing key points
• Superb value for money – learn without travelling
• Watch the recordings on your iPad!
• This Mini Series was originally broadcast in June 2019!

Programme

What is osteoarthritis and how do we assess it?

In the first session, we will focus on initial examination and approach to the osteoarthritic patient. We will cover the pathophysiology of osteoarthritis and chronic pain, its clinical signs and the diagnostic techniques we can use. We will also talk about ways of assessing pain in osteoarthritic patients and evaluating their quality of life.

What you’ll learn:

• The pathophysiology and clinical signs of osteoarthritis
• The differences between acute and chronic pain, and their effects on our patients
• How to use different diagnostic tools in the investigation of degenerative joint disease
• The different types of questionnaires and tools we have to assess the quality of life of our patients

Management of OA in small animals: it is not only drugs. New horizons with regenerative medicine

In the second session, our attention will be centered on the management of osteoarthritis, including pharmaceutical treatment, joint supplements, weight management, and regenerative medicine. We will discuss the evidence available regarding the application of platelet rich plasma or stem cell therapy in the management of osteoarthritis.

What you’ll learn:

• Which drugs do we have available to treat chronic pain in our patients.
• Types of joint supplements/nutraceuticals and their effects in the joint.
• The evidence behind the use of regenerative medicine, including platelet rich plasma and stem cell therapy, in the management of osteoarthritis.
• Types, indications and contraindications of regenerative medicine.

Physiotherapy and rehabilitation in animals with osteoarthritis

In the third session, we will continue immersing on the long-term management of osteoarthritic patients, but this time focusing on the use of physiotherapy and rehabilitation to improve the clinical signs and quality of life of these patients.

What you’ll learn:

• The physiotherapy techniques we can use in the management of patient with osteoarthritis, their effects, indications and contraindications.
• The importance of establishing a rehabilitation protocol to improve the quality of life and functionality of osteoarthritic patients.