35 AAEVT members and AAEVT Anesthesia Society members gathered for an intensive weekend of immersion in all things Equine Anesthesia June 15-17 in Lexington, KY…and what a weekend of learning and sharing we had!
We started the weekend with a tour of Keenland, several horse farms, and Old Friends, then were treated to a lovely Welcome Reception hosted by Patterson Veterinary (Thank you to Guy Rion!) and Practivet (Thank you Jenn and Scott!) at the Marriott Griffin Gate.
Saturday started off bright…and warm!…at Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital, with lectures on basic anesthesia, anatomy review, pharmacology and anesthesia machines. Lunch was hosted by Dechra and we were fortunate to have Dr. Torri Maxwell share concepts and great information on Fluids and Fluid therapy. Then we were off to the Outpatient Surgery Center for an afternoon of learning and working with 6 different anesthesia machines and monitors (Thank you JD Medical and MAI!), a tour of the awesome technology of needle free that Practivet can bring to your practice (Thank you Jenn and Scott), and labs that included: dissection, practicing suturing and catheter placement, as well as, tracheotomies…Whewww!
Back at the Griffin Gate we had a wonderful Reception and Dinner, hosted by Zoetis (Thank you Jodi!). We also held a Silent Auction and Raffle to raise funds towards our first Anesthesia Society Scholarship. Due to the outstanding generosity of OUR MEMBERS, we are excited to announce that we will be able to offer a $350.00 scholarship soon! Throughout the weekend we were photographed and videoed by Overhead Films – who also caught an awesome shot of the group by drone! Thank you Mike!
Sunday we gleamed even more insights and information from Dr. Bidwell on what can go wrong (and it will 🙂 and, importantly, how to be prepared. Dr. Bidwell, Nicole Bone and Maggie Pratt along with several of the surgery techs from Rood and Riddle shared some case studies which allowed for great interaction, questions and sharing. We then had another amazing lunch and speaker thanks to our support from Luitpold/Adequan and Dr. Marian Little shared some tips on Wellness programs and how to implement. The afternoon was focused on hands-on Anesthetic Inhalant labs where all participants were able to have individual and small group instruction and experience.
Many thanks to our above mentioned Sponsors (but also including Henry Schein and ElectronicVet), Rood and Riddle Equine and its amazing staff, Nicole and Maggie for your assistance, and especially to Dr. Bidwell – who has been instrumental in helping the Anesthesia Society become a reality and grow, creating a community for those who are involved in equine anesthesia to share, learn, and hone their skills. The equine practice is better because of the commitment of these individuals!
