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Overview | Speakers | Schedule | Events | Exhibitors & Sponsors | Proceedings

Small Animal I / Small Animal II / Small Animal III / Large Animal / Practice Management / Technician

Small Animal II Speakers

Lance Visser

Lance Visser, DVM, DACVIM (Cardiology)

Sponsored by

Friday, February 28

  • Revisiting Radiographic Assessment of Cardiomegaly: Old Dogs (With Murmurs) & New Tricks

  • Guidelines for the Treatment of MMVD: What’s New?

Dr. Lance Visser is from Grand Rapids, Michigan. He obtained a combined DVM/MS in 2010 from Michigan State University. He then completed a small animal rotating internship at North Carolina State University in 2011, followed by a combined residency/MS program in cardiology at The Ohio State University in 2014. Dr. Visser is currently an Associate Professor of Cardiology in the Department of Clinical Sciences at Colorado State University. Dr. Visser is an award-winning educator and has a passion for helping veterinarians with the clinical management of patients with heart disease. He is frequently invited to speak locally, nationally, and internationally on a vast range of topics related to heart disease in animals. His primary research interest is improving the non-invasive assessment of cardiac structure and function in dogs and cats.

Shelby Reinstein

DVM, MS, DACVO

Friday, February 28

  • Ophthalmology – Neo-Poly-Back to the Future-The Next Generation of Essential Eye Meds

  • Ophthalmology – A Cherry Eye is NOT a Scary Eye!

  • Ophthalmology – The Angry Cornea; Beyond Dry Eye

  • Ophthalmology – More Than Meets the Eye: A Guide to Uveitis in Dogs & Cats

  • Ophthalmology – Under Pressure: Glaucoma in Dogs & Cats

Dr. Shelby Reinstein, MS, DACVO is a board-certified ophthalmologist residing in the beautiful area of Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Dr. Reinstein obtained her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and Master of Science degrees from Kansas State University and completed her fellowship and residency in Ophthalmology at The Matthew J. Ryan Veterinary Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. After 8 years at a large, corporate practice, Dr. Reinstein founded the Vet Vision Center – a boutique ophthalmology specialty practice in Lambertville, NJ.  Dr. Reinstein has a passion for continuing education, lecturing nationally and internationally. In 2019, she published the Guide to Clinical Ophthalmology, a handbook for general practitioners, and continues to provide educational content through VETgirl and more. She is a proud mother of a rambunctious boy, and along with her husband share their home with a mini-Poodle (Pickles) and 2 cats (Joie & Nadia).

Ashlie Saffire

DVM, DABVP (Feline Practice)

Saturday, March 1

  • Acute and Chronic Management of Constipation

  • Chronic Diarrhea in Kittens

  • Senior Cats and Hypertension

Dr. Saffire is a graduate of The Ohio State College of Veterinary Medicine and is board certified in feline practice by the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners. She is a published author, serves as the 2024-2025 President of the American Association of Feline Practitioners, and is a tutor for the University of Sydney’s Feline Medicine Distance Education Course. She is both Cat Friendly and Fear Free Certified and owner of the Cat Specialty Center at Faithful Friends Veterinary Clinic, an AAHA accredited and Gold Level Cat Friendly Practice in Dublin, Ohio.  As an invited speaker, Dr. Saffire hopes to share her clinical experience and expertise in feline medicine with the veterinary profession.

Erik Hofmeister

DVM, DACVAA, DECVAA, MA, MS

Saturday, March 1

  • Analgesic Strategies

  • Anesthesia Crises

  • Newer Anesthetic Drugs

  • Anesthesia For Brachycephalic Patients

Dr. Erik Hofmeister is a board-certified anesthesiologist, a Diplomate of the American and European Colleges of Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia. Originally from Los Angeles, he received his DVM degree from Washington State University in 2000. He did an internship in Small Animal Medicine and Surgery and the Veterinary Medical and Surgical Group in Ventura, California, and a Residency in Anesthesia at the University of Georgia. He was on faculty at the University of Georgia from 2004-2016 where he was the Section Chief for Surgery and earned Masters degrees in Health Promotion and Behavior and Sport Pedagogy. Dr. Hofmeister served as the Department Chair for Surgery at Midwestern University from 2016-2019. He joined Auburn University as a professor of anesthesia in February 2019.

Jason Pieper

DVM, MS, DACVD

Sponsored by

Sunday, March 2

  • Which Ear Cleaner Should We Use?

  • Frustrating Otitis Externa

Dr. Jason Pieper graduated from Iowa State University with his DVM prior to pursuing a rotating internship in the greater Chicago area, a dermatology internship in Phoenix, and a residency at the University of Illinois where he also obtained his MS. Since obtaining his diplomat status with the American College of Veterinary Dermatology, he has been a faculty member at the University of Illinois and currently at his alma mater, Iowa State University. He has research interests in antimicrobial resistance, otitis, dermoscopy, and CO2 laser.

Cooper Brookshire

DVM, MS, ACVPM, EPI, ABVP

Sunday, March 2

  • Optimizing Antibiotics: Tips for Choosing the Best Drug, Dose and Duration

  • Making the Most of Antibiotic Susceptibility Testing: New Changes and Difficult Cases

  • Reproductive Surgery Tips: Unusual Presentations, Cases and Techniques in Spay/Neuter

Dr. Cooper Brookshire is a faculty member at Mississippi State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. He is board-certified in Veterinary Preventive Medicine, Veterinary Epidemiology, and ABVP Canine and Feline Practice. A member of AVMA’s Committee on Antimicrobials, his work focuses on advancing the understanding and clinical management of antibiotic-resistant pathogens. His interests include antimicrobial stewardship, resistance, epidemiology, One Health, and biosecurity.

Rachel Starr

DVM

Sponsored by

Sunday, February 12

  • Beginning Laser Therapy: Integrating Laser Therapy into Practice

Rachel Starr, DVM graduated from Michigan State University, College of Veterinary Medicine, in 2000. She began her work as a veterinarian as a mixed animal practitioner in rural Ohio and then as a shelter veterinarian in Columbus, OH. She moved back to Michigan in 2005 and become a small animal veterinarian in the Traverse City area. After an initial interest in surgery, she began to explore alternative therapies, learning Veterinary Orthopedic Manipulation in 2010, and adding frequency specific laser therapy in 2011. She also took an introductory course in Nutrition Response Testing in 2011. After starting to incorporate it into veterinary practice, she decided to pursue Advanced Clinic Training and graduated from that program in 2018. She is currently practicing in two small animal clinics in Northern Michigan where she specializes in non-invasive, non-pharmaceutical holistic therapies.

Erin Burton

DVM, MS, DACVP

Sponsored by

Sunday, February 12

  • Diagnostic Testing Associated With Canine Infectious Respiratory Disease Complex: Part I-Disease Overview

  • Diagnostic Testing Associated With Canine Infectious Respiratory Disease Complex: Part II-Diagnostic Testing

Dr. Erin Burton is the Senior Associate Dean of Academic and Student Affairs for the University of Minnesota who aims to create inclusive and supportive experiences for her veterinary students in admissions, curriculum, and student affairs. Erin teaches primarily in the foundational sciences focusing infectious diseases and strives to connect these themes with the clinical relevance for her students using various outcome-based assessment tools. She is an expert in the Competency Based Veterinary Education (CBVE) Framework. Is currently serving on the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges CATALYZE Working group to develop tools for curriculum mapping and faculty professional development. She has also collaborated in the creation of workplace-based assessment tools for the UMN veterinary teaching hospital using the CBVE. Erin is currently board certified in clinical pathology but hopes in the coming years to also obtain certification in veterinary parasitology. Erin earned her DVM from Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine on the Caribbean Island of St. Kitts. She earned her master’s degree in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Missouri becoming the first to characterize the urinary microbiome in healthy dogs. She considers her biggest character flaw to be her unwavering devotion to Arizona State Football and hopes one day to cheer them on in a BCS Championship game. In her spare time, she loves to play competitive doubles badminton and has a killer drop shot. You can follow her on LinkedIn and her courses on Instagram at @gopher_vetdxlab.

Program Subject to Change

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