Fitzpatrick Referrals lecture series continues: ‘Elbow Disease in Young Dogs: The Hidden Menace’ – 20 April

The Fitzpatrick Referrals 2011 Lecture Series for Veterinary Surgeons continues with Noel Fitzpatrick’s ‘Elbow Disease in Young Dogs: The Hidden Menace’ lecture on Wednesday 20 April.

The lecture is part of a new CPD programme for veterinary surgeons with a series of free evening lectures taking place once a month at the state of the art centre in Surrey.

April’s lecture will explore how to perform a good clinical examination on the young dog affected by front leg lameness, how to take good radiographs, how to interpret those radiographs and how to decide whether to treat these dogs conservatively or surgically.  This lecture will also explain all of the current treatment modalities and equip veterinary surgeons with the knowledge and skills to discuss these with clients.

The series of lectures will be presented by Noel Fitzpatrick and Fitzpatrick Referrals’ Specialists, Mike Farrell, Sarah Girling and Michael Hamilton, with a guest lecture from Professor Stuart Carmichael, and will cover a number of topics relating to common orthopaedic and neurological conditions in dogs and cats.

The aim of the lecture programme is to equip the primary care practitioner with all of the necessary information to discuss common clinical conditions with clients, to help the investigation process and the decision of whether or not to refer.

The theme of the first three lectures is ‘Knee, Elbow and Hip Disease in Dogs’ and April’s lecture will be followed by ‘Hip Dysplasia: Does This Dog Really Need Surgery?’ in May.

The first lecture in March attracted a full house and delegates are advised to book now as places are allocated purely on a first come first served basis.

Speaking about the series, Noel Fitzpatrick commented; “We wanted to build a programme that would give primary care clinicians access to the full spectrum of interventional options for common orthopaedic and neurology problems with the aim of providing a clearer understanding on when they might choose to refer and the knowledge to enable them to do some of the procedures themselves.”

He added; “Currently the paradigm is that you have your practice, your clients and when you refer outside the practice you lose control of the case. We want to support primary care clinicians in this series of lectures so that they feel fully informed and part of the team that is looking after that particular individual patient.  Much of the focus of the lectures will be around team building and the creation of that ‘Therapeutic Team’.  We want to support and enhance the relationship that the primary care clinician has with their client and help them to strengthen their offering, right down to explaining to them what all the terminology means by putting it in a context that they can describe to their clients.”

“I thought the first lecture went really well,” he adds. “In fact one vet came up to me and said it was the best lecture he’d been to in 35 years!” “I don’t believe that for a minute, but I hope that what I give people is a few golden nuggets or a tip or a way of wording things to clients or an insight that makes it worth their while taking an evening off and coming to see a lecture. I recognise that it’s a chore to finish work on time and drive all the way here and that vets have busy lives, so I feel I need to give them stuff they can actually take home and use rather than just some theoretical knowledge that might sit on the shelf. I think that the model we made of the knee using some hockey sticks, a plank of wood and some orange segments as cartilage, brought it home to the attendees in a vivid and accessible fashion. I like to make learning fun and interactive. The free food went down well too!”

The lectures will take place monthly on a Wednesday evening from 7.30pm at Fitzpatrick Referrals, Halfway Lane, Godalming, Surrey, GU7 2QQ.  Refreshments will be available from 7.30pm – 8.00pm and delegates will have the opportunity to take part in a Q & A session following the lecture.For details of the full lecture programme and dates, and to reserve your place, please visit the lectures series section here or contact reception on 01483 423 761.