EXOT605-0114: Veterinary Assessment and Care of Wild Koalas for Rehabilitation

Enrollment is closed.

INSTRUCTOR(S): Geoff Pye, DVM, ACZM and Amber Gillett, BVSc
COURSE OPEN: January 13-February 17, 2014
REAL TIME SESSIONS (RTS): Mondays, January 20, 27, February 3, 10 2014; 3:00-5:00 am ET (USA)
For Eastern Australia: Mondays, January 20, 27, February 3, 10 2014; 6:00-8:00 pm (Brisbane Time)
***Registrants in North America/Europe: Please note the non-standard meeting times for the course real time sessions and plan accordingly. Course RTS Times in Your Area: World Clock Converter

Practice Sessions: In order to prepare you for a successful experience in your CE course, we request you attend a Practice Session prior to the first Real Time Session. Please arrive promptly at the start time; each Practice Session is up to 1 hour in length. For more information, please visit the CE Practice Area.

*The instructors for this course will be using audio which will require you to have a headset or speakers to listen. If you have any concerns regarding your computer's audio capabilities, please be sure to attend one of the Practice Sessions.

Level and Prerequisites: This basic course will be open to veterinarians, veterinary technicians (veterinary nurses), and veterinary students actively interested in or currently working in koala conservation, rehabilitation, health care and management.
VIN CE Course: Open to veterinarians and veterinary staff. This course has been RACE approved for veterinarians and veterinary technicians. The Veterinary Information Network (VIN) is RACE Provider #22.

Course Description:
This course topic arose from Dr. Pye's recent experience at the National Koala Conference in Port Macquarie, Australia, where he heard many interesting presentations on a wide spectrum of topics, including talks centered on the impact that humans are having on koalas and the disturbing local koala population crashes. From concerns expressed by koala rehabilitators, there appeared at times to be a disconnect between health care and animal management. Dr. Gillett's extensive practical experience treating and rehabilitating wild koalas impacted by many of the threats discussed compelled Drs. Pye and Gillett to provide a teaching resource that could be accessed by veterinary professionals.

The primary aims of this course are to improve outcomes for sick and injured wild koala and help bridge the gulf between veterinarians and koala rehabilitators. We believe that the best outcomes for koala rehabilitation occur when a team approach rather than an adversarial approach is utilized.

This course consists of four (4) 2-hour Real Time Session, supplemental library materials, interactive message board discussions, and a mandatory end-of-course test. Successful completion (scoring 80% or better) on the end-of-course test is required to earn a certificate of completion for the course.

*The lecture portion of this course will be an audio presentation, please be prepared to listen.

Upon completion of this course, the participant should be able to

• Triage and anaesthetize a wild koala upon presentation.
• Perform and interpret diagnostic procedures essential to a thorough clinical examination of sick or injured wild koalas.
• Provide initial stabilization of a sick or injured wild koala
• Perform standardized examinations of wild koalas to allow national data collection
• Provide suitable short term care for rehabilitating koalas
• Work in partnership with koala rehabilitators

Course Materials: Course materials will be available in the course library prior to each Real Time Session.

Required Textbook(s): There is no required textbook for this course.

About the Instructors:
Dr. Geoff Pye has over twenty years of experience working with free-ranging and zoo-based koalas including working at Currumbin Sanctuary and San Diego Zoo. He is the AZA Koala SSP Veterinary Advisor and has authored numerous publications on koala health. He is particularly interested in fostering good relationships between animal carers and veterinarians to improve health and management outcomes.

Dr. Amber Gillett is a veterinarian highly knowledgeable on koala rehabilitation at the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital. It is the largest wildlife hospital in Australia and cares from approximately 800-1000 wild koalas a year with ~ 100 koalas rehabbing in the facility at any one time.

Course Outline:
Week 1 (Real Time Session January 20, 2014)
Content:

• Threats to wild koalas - Pye
• Triage of wild koalas including euthanasia criteria and state regulations - Gillett
• Anesthesia - Pye
• Diagnostics - Gillett

Week 2 (Real Time Session January 27, 2014)
Content:

• Trauma and trauma care - Gillett
• Surgery - Pye
• Intensive and post-surgical care including analgesia - Pye

Week 3 (Real Time Session February 3, 2014)
Content:

• Chlamydia - Gillett
• Retrovirus - Pye
• Cryptococcus - Pye
• Therapeutics - Pye

Week 4 (Real Time Session February 10, 2014)
Content:

• Nutrition - Gillett
• Rehabilitation - Gillett
• Positive relationships with wildlife rehabilitators - Pye
• Translocation and post-release monitoring - Gillett
• Miscellaneous - Pye, Gillett

CE CREDITS: 8

Tuition: Member $160 ($144 early bird special if enrolled by December 30, 2013)
Non-Member $253 ($228 early bird special if enrolled by December 30, 2013)

*To ensure participants are ready and prepared for classes, enrollment will close at 5pm ET January 20, 2014 or when the maximum number of participants is reached.

*For more information on how online CE works, see the Participant Resource Center.

TO ENROLL:
Enrollment is closed.

1. Enrollment qualifications: VIN CE courses are open to VIN member and non-member veterinarians. Veterinarians enrolling in a VSPN CE course must be a VIN member. Veterinary support staff must be a VSPN member to enroll in a VSPN CE or a VIN CE course open to VSPN member enrollment.
2. Each enrollee must be able to receive emails from @vspn.org and @vin.com addresses. Email is our major form of communication with participants; personal emails are highly recommended rather than clinic/hospital email addresses.
3. Each person is individually responsible for his/her own registration. To ensure that all information received is secure and correct, please do not enroll for a course on behalf of another individual.
4. For further assistance call 1-800-700-INFO (4636) or email (VIN CE) CEonVIN@vin.com or (VSPN CE) VSPNCE@vspn.org. Please include the course title, your full name, and contact information in your correspondence.

*Note: "This course is approved for 8 continuing education credits in jurisdictions which recognize AAVSB RACE approval; however participants should be aware that some boards have limitations on the number of hours accepted in certain categories and/or restrictions on certain methods of delivery of continuing education." Call VSPN/VIN CE at 1-800-700-4636 for further information. (Attendees are encouraged to check with their licensing jurisdiction(s) for information regarding recognition by their board).

Course withdrawal and refund policy: A complete refund of the paid course price will be issued when your withdrawal request is received prior to the listed start date of the course. If you wish to withdraw after the start date please contact the VIN/VSPN office 1-800-700-INFO (4636) to discuss eligibility for a pro-rated refund.
* Note: To ensure rapid handling of your request for withdrawal, we recommend that you call the VIN/VSPN office at 1-800-700-INFO (4636).

*For more information on VIN's upcoming CE courses, check the VIN Course Catalog.

The CE team:

Katherine James, DVM, PhD, DACVIM (SAIM)
VIN Education Coordinator

VIN CE Services: CEonVIN@vin.com
800-846-0028 or 530-756-4881; ext. 797
or direct line to VIN/VSPN from the United Kingdom: 01452226154

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800.700.4636  |  CEonVIN@vin.com  |  530.756.4881  |  Fax: 530.756.6035 777 West Covell Blvd, Davis, CA 95616 Copyright 2002, Veterinary Information Network, Inc.