Progress 09/01/17 to 08/31/22
Outputs
Target Audience:The original target audience for this project was Food Animal veterinarians in Kentucky, specifically those in remote areas of the state, although the project has reached far beyond this sector. The rural veterinary practitioners have little opportunity to stay current with the advances in food animal medicine, especially in diagnostic testing and regulatory requirements. A focus within that target audience was on young graduates who have been in practice for less than 5 years, especially those in solo practices. Although these young veterinarians are equipped with the basics, they need assistance with complex or complicated investigations and have no one within easy reach to discuss their findings. These veterinarians now text and email pictures and videos of their cases to members of the University of Kentucky Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (UKVDL) faculty and get advice while on the farm on how to proceed. In turn, these pictures and videos are added to the collection of field videos for the case-based modules. Although this grant has reached its end, we continue to add new practitioners to the established contact list immediately so they will begin receiving invitations for upcoming events, news bulletins from the diagnostic laboratory, and pertinent information from the University as it becomes available. Because of the communication and outreach to veterinarians established throughout the state, the Office of the State Veterinarian and APHIS federal veterinarians often work through us to reach practitioners regarding emerging issues. Beyond the outreach to veterinarians, this project material has reached other important audiences over the course of the grant. Due to the pandemic falling within the grant period, the online modules and conferences were vital to veterinary students who could not attend pathology rotations in person at veterinary school. The equipment provided by these grant funds enabled a virtual student audience to learn as if present on the necropsy floor. In addition, thecase module information allowed use of video excerpts for undergraduate teaching as well as for extension education activities to beef cattle producers. The inclusion of pictures and video made a tremendous difference in capturing and keeping the audiences' attention. Lastly, this project has come full-circle and has reached the faculty at the UKVDL. Collaborations with experts from all over the US,made possible through grant funding for nationally known speakers at our conferences, have increased our knowledge and diagnostic testing expertise for important diseases including leptospirosis, Johne's disease and BVD virus. Improved diagnostics benefits all sectors of the food animal health industry. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?This grant has afforded excellent opportunities for training and professional development for those working on the project as well as those receiving its products. Dr. Janes (Co-PI) attended the Academy of Veterinary Pathologists meeting in Washington DC in 2018 and the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians (AAVLD) meeting held in Denver in October 2021.Dr. Arnold (PI) attended the National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) meeting in New Orleans (2018) and San Antonio (2020)andserved as a voting representative for KY on various health committees. Although all travel essentially ceased in March 2020, grant funds were used for Dr. Arnold to attend the virtual American Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP) Annual Conference in September 2020.The chance to interact with peers from around the United States working on the same issues using different approaches is priceless for developing more effective outreach. Closer to home, the project has provided training in both web-based training (WBT) module development and video editing for Dr. Arnold, two skills that definitely were not in her skill set prior to this year. Although it was training that arose due to the the loss of the information technology person on the grant, it has provided some unexpected benefits. Watching the necropsy videos and matching the audio and close captioning to the actual picture was found to bea very effective teaching tool andmay prove to be a worthwhile exercise for the students in veterinary pathology. The recruitment of nationally recognized experts to deliver 1-hour lectures by Zoom in his or her area of expertise has offered a tremendous opportunity for training and professional development for all interested veterinarians, including veterinary faculty members at UK. Disease specifics including transmission, diagnostics tests available and correct interpretation of results is best taught by the individualwhose lifetime career has focused on understanding one disease. For example, Dr. Jarlath Nally (NVSL) delivered a lecture on bovine leptospirosis that completely changed how welook for that disease and the difficulty with test interpretation. This new knowledge led to a diagnosis of leptospirosis in at least 4 herds that would likely have been missed prior toDr. Nally's lecture. Lastly, the 2021hands-on reproductive ultrasound and liver biopsy wet lab were excellent professional development opportunities for all attendees. Since UK has no veterinary school, finding a suitable location for wet labs on live animals was a very real challenge. Plans are drawn for a new hands-on cattle working facility for UK where we can offer these opportunities again for a larger audience. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Veterinarians are considered the most well-respected source of information for food animal producers.The results of our efforts have reached food animal veterinarians and, ultimately, their clients through the CE online lectures, the CE case modules, the Food Animal Conferences and through email, text and phone communications. There are over 450 email addresses in the UKVDL database connected with veterinarians in mixed or large animal practice. In addition, because we reached out to the Breathitt Veterinary Centerin the western part of the state to simulcast the Food Animal Conferencesby Zoom, we have an excellent working relationship insteadof a competition with them. The relationships made through these various methods have opened lines of communication from veterinarians to both veterinarydiagnostic labs so veterinarians can call, email or text while on the farm to ensure they gather the correct samples and order the right diagnostic tests given the clinical signs and possible diagnoses. This is especially true in potential cases of poisoning; many veterinarians call on the expertise of the toxicologist for advice on sample collection and guidance on treatment. Further, because we have involved the Federal and State veterinarians in almost all continuing education endeavors, practicing veterinarians are more comfortable working with the regulatory authorities when they spot unusual diseases that need to be reported and contributing to efforts such as the "Secure Food Supply". For example, in 2022 the State Veterinarian disseminated the information regarding an emerging cattle disease (theileriosis) through the UKVDL and BVC to reach food animal veterinarians. Veterinarians readily responded with the samples necessary to test and track the disease movement. These relationships are immeasurably important in the effort to retain young veterinarians to large animal/food animal practice because they begin to appreciate the crucial role they play each day in animal agriculture. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The accomplishment of the goals of this project and their impact over its duration are substantial. The major goal of this project was to educate veterinarians, primarily through development of case modules based on challenging cases submitted to the veterinary diagnostic laboratory, and through the annual Winter and Summer Food Animal Conferences. The case modules contain the history and videos of the affected animal submitted by the owner or referring veterinarian, the necropsy, histopathology and ancillary test results from the laboratory used to arrive at a diagnosis, and a lecture pertaining to that specific disease to discuss the specifics of disease transmission, risk factors, collection of appropriate samples, treatment and prevention. Online CE credits were originally approved through the Registry of Approved Continuing Education (RACE) which has since become "CE Broker", a vendor with stringent requirements for any non-interactive, distance, online CE. To meet the requirements, we chosethe University of Kentucky's Canvas "Catalog" Learning Management System (LMS) to house the courses, administer and grade the quizzes and issue a printable CE certificate. CE Broker requires submission of theveterinarian'slicense number and date of completion for credit to be awarded. "Catalog" was acquired by the University in 2020 to offer professional development and continuing education for individuals outside the UK umbrella. As with any new online system, there have been challenges with implementation but the beauty of utilizing the UK portal is two-fold; it keeps the cost per user within reason (currently $10 per user per fiscal year) and technical support is readily available. UK recently established that the whole Catalog system will reset annually on July 1, making that the optimal time to retire older modules, introduce new ones and recruit veterinarians to sign up for a year-long subscription which enables this project to continue well beyond this grant. We have also adopted the Yuja video and quiz platform used by UK because of the technical support necessary for this type of project. To date, there have been 16 courses made available for a total of 18.5 credit hours in the Canvas Catalog https://uk.catalog.instructure.com/browse/agriculture-food-and-environment/veterinary-diagnostics-laboratory . There are 43 veterinarians and technicians that have accessed these courses and 155 continuing education credits have been awarded through online learning (see "Other Products" for courses). Currently, the website is offline while undergoing an upgrade with the new modules 1-11 below and resubmitted modules 12-15 set to be available in January 2023. In addition, the "Necropsy and Diagnostic Testing in Ruminants" webinars produced under a separate NIFA grant will be added as well. Bovine Respiratory Disease/Emerging Heart Issues (Brian Vander Ley-University of Nebraska; 1.0 credits) [Objectives 1, 2, 3] Feeding Distillery Slop? Know the Risks and how to Avoid Them (Dr. Jeff Lehmkuhler-UK; 1.0 credits) [Objectives 1,2, 5] Beef Cattle Genetics for Veterinarians (Dr. Darrh Bullock-UK; 1.0 credits) [Objectives 1, 2] Johne's Disease in Beef Cattle and Small Ruminants (Dr. Mike Collins-University of Wisconsin; 1.0 credits) [Objectives 1,2,3,4] Meeting the Nutritional Needs of the Beef Cow on Grass (Dr. Jeff Lehmkuhler-UK; 1.0 credits) [Objectives 1, 2, 5] Pain Management-What's in it for Me? (Dr. Hans Coetzee-Kansas State University; 1.0 credits ) [Objectives 1, 2, 3, 4, 5] Infectious Bovine Keratoconjunctivitis (Pinkeye): Causality, Diagnostics and Pathogen Diversity (Dr. Dustin Loy-University of Nebraska; 1.5 credits) [Objectives 1, 2, 3] To Dart or Not to Dart: The Do's and Don'ts of Remote Drug Delivery (Dr. Hans Coetzee-Kansas State University; 1.0 credits) [Objectives 1, 2, 3, 5] Bovine Anaplasmosis-Coming Soon to a Herd Near You (Dr. Hans Coetzee-Kansas State University; 1.0 credits) [Objectives 1, 2, 3, 5] How to Improve Water and Feed Delivery Systems for Beef Cattle to Improve Cattle Health (Dr. Steve Higgins-UK; 1.0 credits) [Objectives 2, 5] Investing in Reproductive Management (Dr. Jordan Thomas-University of Missouri; 1.0 credits) [Objectives 1, 2] Leptospirosis: Current Diagnostic Strategies for Detection (Dr. Jarlath Nally-USDA; 1.5 credits) [Objectives 1,2,3] BVD Virus Research Update (Dr. Paul Walz-Auburn; 1.5 credits) [Objectives 1,2,3] Common Nutritional Disorders of Swine (Dr. Laura Greiner-Iowa State; 1.5 credits) [Objectives 1,2,4,5] Common Causes of ADR in Small Ruminants (Dr. Beth Johnson-Office of the KY State Veterinarian; 1.5 credits) [Objectives 1,2,3,4] Another success made possible by this grant has been recruitment of experts to deliver presentations by Zoom. Throughout Covid lockdowns, veterinarians were invited to either watch the lectures live or view the recorded video and take a quiz but either way counted for CE credit. The pandemic forced continuous improvement in technology and equipment that the grant funds made possible. Grant funds also provided the Zoom webinar license that automatically tracksparticipation. As Covid concerns finally waned, it was important to get practitioners back together for useful CE. However, the grant funds that used to be used for travel expenses to bring speakers in-person were instead used to pay the top-notch speakers for time and expertise to deliver virtual lectures at the Food Animal Conferences. Since 2018, experts and their topics included Dr. Ray Kaplan (Univ of GA)-anthelmintic resistance,Dr. Julia Ridpath (NVSL)-BVD virus,Dr. Paul Walz (Auburn)-BVD virus,Dr.John Richeson (West TX A & M)-Vaccination of high-risk calves; Dr. Mike Collins (Univ of Wisconsin)-Johne's Disease, Dr. Dustin Loy(Univ of Nebraska)- Pinkeye, and Dr. Hans Coetzee (KSU)-Pain Management, Remote Drug Delivery by Darts, and Anaplasmosis. Lectures fromthese experts haveresulted in veterinarians with better disease recognition and diagnostics, collaborative efforts with the UKVDL and potential future research projects. The Summer and Winter Food Animal Conferences have been tremendously successful, despite Covid. Over the 5 year duration of this grant, there have been 10 Food Animal Veterinary Continuing Education conferencesheld and 5341 CE hours earned by practicing Food Animal veterinarians. We succeeded in reaching the far western portion of KY and surrounding states by Zooming the meetings to Breathitt Veterinary Center (BVC), the veterinary diagnostic laboratory affiliated with MurrayState University. In 2022, the Summer Conference worth 8 CE hours was held at the UKVDL on August 11thwith 60 veterinarians in attendance and 12 via zoom at BVCin Hopkinsville, KY. The 2022 Winter Food Animal Conference worth 8 hours CE at the UKVDL was held February 24thand had 40 veterinarians in attendance and 10 at the BVC by Zoom. Another goal of this project was to put useful information in the veterinarians' hands for use in the field. Mostcourse modules contain additional information to view, download or print, including a pdf of the power point presentation. For example, the course "Top Ten Cattle Toxicants" includes a pdf summary of the information presented in the lecture and a postmortem toxicologic sample collection table available to print for reference. Several"fact sheets" for veterinarians were assembled and distributed including"Ionophore Toxicosis in Beef Cattle-Frequently Asked Questions", "Johne's Detection-Frequently Asked Questions", and "Anaplasmosis in Beef Cattle-Frequently Asked Questions" and an extension booklet/publication entitled "Guide to Plants of Kentucky Potentially Poisonous to Livestock". In summary, the grant funds enabled tremendous opportunity forprofessional development andcomradery among the food animal veterinarians in KY and surrounding states and we cancontinue this project because the groundwork was laid by the funds provided by the grant.
Publications
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Romano, M.C., Arnold, L.M., Green, J.D. (2022) Guide to Plants of Kentucky Potentially Poisonous to Livestock. ID-2 UK Extension Publication
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Progress 09/01/20 to 08/31/21
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience for this project is Food Animal veterinarians in Kentucky, specifically those in remote areas of the state. These practitioners have little chance to stay current with the advances in the food animal sector of veterinary medicine, especially in diagnostic testing and regulatory requirements. A focus within the target audience is on young graduates who have been in practice for less than 5 years, especially those in solo practices. They know the basics but need assistance with complex or complicated investigations and have no one within easy reach to discuss their findings. These veterinarians now text and email pictures and videos of their cases to members of the faculty and get advice on how to proceed. In turn, these videos are added to the collection of field videos for the case-based modules. All new practitioners are added to the established contact list immediately so they will begin receiving invitations for upcoming events, news bulletins from the diagnostic laboratory, and pertinent information from the University as it becomes available. Increasingly, state and federal veterinarians are also working through us to reach practitioners about emerging issues. Changes/Problems:The only major change was the revised period of performance was extended to 8/31/2022due to the extenuating circumstancespresented by Covid-19. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The recruitment of nationally recognized experts to deliver 1-hour lectures by Zoom in his or her area of expertise has offered a tremendous opportunity for training and professional development. Although originally intended to be recorded and offered only online, we decided to offer them live as well with the ability to ask questions of the presenter. Several veterinarians commented they preferred the 1-hour lecture format for CE because they did not have to do anything complicated with the computer or travel to attend. Although this format was offered in direct response to the pandemic, it is likely here to stay. A Zoom webinar license upgrade, funded through the grant, has facilitated this type of CE because it automatically tracks participation and sends the CE certificates to participants. As mentioned previously in the accomplishments, the hands-on reproductive ultrasound and liver biopsy wet lab were excellent professional development opportunities for all attendees. This project provided a professional development opportunity for co-PI Dr. Jennifer Janes to attend the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians (AAVLD) meeting held in Denver in October 2021. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Veterinarians are considered the most well-respected source of information for food animal producers.The results of our efforts have reached food animal veterinarians and, ultimately, their clients through the CE online lectures, the CE case modules, the Food Animal Conferences and through email communications. There are over 450 email addresses in the database connected with veterinarians in mixed or large animal practice. The relationships made through these various methods have opened lines of communication to the diagnostic lab so veterinarians can call, email or text while on the farm to ensure they gather the correct samples and order the right diagnostic tests given the clinical signs and possible diagnoses. This is especially true in potential cases of poisoning; many veterinarians call on the expertise of the toxicologist for advice on sample collection and guidance on treatment. Further, because we have involved the Federal and State veterinarians in nearly every continuing education meeting, practicing veterinarians are more comfortable working with the regulatory authorities and are contributing to efforts such as the "Secure Food Supply". What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Covid continues to pose unique challenges to reaching the goals of this project in the manner originally outlined. In the next and final reporting period, the plan is to continue adding CE modules with as much case material as possible to the online platform. Modules in development include "Balage and Botulism", "Pasture Plant Identification, Nitrate and Cyanide Field Tests" and a case module on a recent case of Arsenic toxicosis. Because in-person meetings are questionable with each new Covid variant, it is imperative to improve audio and video so virtual attendees feel like "participants" rather than "viewers". I am currently reviewing upgrades to the audio system in the UKVDL auditorium including better microphones and a "ceiling array" to pick up audience questions and discussion. It is important to continue the use of remaining funds for recruitment of expert speakers not just in health and disease but also nutrition and animal husbandry to help direct food animal producers appropriately. Both continuing education conferences are tentatively planned for 2022 back in the UKVDL auditorium.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
A major goal of this project is to educate veterinarians through interesting cases submitted to the diagnostic laboratory in addition to lectures presented at the annual Winter and Summer Food Animal Conferences. For the case modules, the history and videos of the affected animal submitted by the owner or referring veterinarian are coupled with the necropsy, histopathology and ancillary test results from the laboratory to arrive at a diagnosis. In addition, a lecture about that specific disease is included in the teaching module to discuss the specifics of disease transmission, risk factors, collection of appropriate samples, treatment and prevention. To date, approval of the module for online CE credits has been acquired through submission to The Registry of Approved Continuing Education (RACE). RACE has recently changed to "CE Broker" which has its own set of new requirements foronline CE that are more complicated to meet and expensive. To meet the requirements, we are using the University of Kentucky's Canvas Catalog Learning Management System (LMS) to house the courses, administer and grade the quiz and issue a printable CE certificate. UK has revised its charges downward to $5 per registered user, formerly $30 per user, per year so this change will allowour program to easily continue beyond the grant period. Unfortunately, when UK changed the price, the whole Catalog system was reset so all previously registered veterinarians have to sign up again. To re-introduce the new system, we are again offering participants free registration by entering a code in the payment window. To date, there are 16 courses now available for a total of 18.5 credit hours in the Canvas Catalog and these may be accessed anytime over a 2-year period at the website: https://uk.catalog.instructure.com/browse/agriculture-food-and-environment/veterinary-diagnostics-laboratory . In addition, there are several modules under various stages of development. There are 41 veterinarians and technicians that have accessed these courses and 131 continuing education credits have been awarded through online learning. The following list contains the title of the course, the lecturer and his or her affiliation, CE credits available, number of views for credit and the specific objectives of the grant effort met through this course offering. Basic Nutrition: Things to Remember (Jason Edmonson-ADM; 1 CE credit)-12 registered, 7 completions [Objectives 1,5] BRD: Treatment and Control (Dan Cummings-Boehringer Ingelheim; 1 CE credit)-10 registered, 4 completions [Objectives 1,2] BVD Virus Research Update (Paul Walz-Auburn; 1.5 credits)-10 registered, 5 completions [Objectives 1,2,3] Parasites in Ruminants (David Pugh-Auburn (ret); 1 credit)-13 registered, 11 completed [Objectives 1,2,4] The New Pinkeye Bugs (Randy Shirbroun-Newport Labs; 1 credit)-13 registered, 10 completed [Objectives 1,2,3] Understanding the Forage Analysis (Jennifer Tucker-UGA; 1 credit)-10 registered, 7 completions [Objectives 1,5] Current Diagnostic Strategies for Detection of Leptospirosis and Case Presentation (Jarlath Nally-USDA; 1.5 credits)-5 registered, 4 completed [Objectives 1,2,3] Pinky's Story: What's Your Diagnosis? [Swine Respiratory Disease Complex] (Al Loynachan-UK; 1.5 credits)-22 registered, 15 completions [Objectives 1,2,4] Common Nutritional Disorders of Swine for Veterinarians and Case Module (Laura Greiner-Iowa State; 1.5 credits)-2 registered and completed [Objectives 1,2,4,5] Current Thinking: The Role of Vaccination in Beef Production (John Richeson-West Texas A & M; 1 credit)-4 registered, 3 completed [Objectives 1,2] Practical Applications of Data Management in Building a Beef Practice (John Groves-Missouri; 1 credit)-2 registered and completed [Objectives 1,2,3] Top Ten Cattle Toxicants (Megan Romano-UK; 1.5 credits)-20 registered, 15 completed [Objectives 1, 3, 5] "Spot Problems"-Improving the Feeding and Watering of Cattle and the Surrounding Environment (Steve Higgins-UK; 1 credit)-3 registered and completed [Objectives 2,5] Common Causes of "ADR" in Small Ruminants (Beth Johnson-Office of the KY State Veterinarian; 1.5 credits)-3 registered and completed [Objectives 1,2,3,4] Johne's Disease Diagnostics (Mike Collins-Wisconsin; 1.5 credits)-1 registered [Objectives 1,2,3,4] Lectures from the 2021 Fall Food Animal Conference: (Lectures are posted but CE credit is pending so credits are not yet available for online viewing)- 3 registered Bovine Respiratory Disease/Emerging Heart Issues (Brian Vander Ley-University of Nebraska by Zoom) [Objectives 1, 2, 3] Histophilosis (Joyce Van Donkersgoed-Alberta, Canada by Zoom) [Objectives 1,2,3] Bovine Respiratory Disease/Introduction to NuPlura (Robin Falkner-Elanco in person) [Objectives 1,2,3] Feeding Distillery Slop? Know the Risks and how to Avoid Them (Dr. Jeff Lehmkuhler-UK) [Objectives 1,2, 5] Beef Cattle Genetics for Veterinarians (Dr. Darrh Bullock-UK) [Objectives 1, 2] The OSV and Food Animal Veterinarians (Dr. Alex Hagan-Office of KY State Vet) [Objectives 1,2,3] Johne's Disease in Beef Cattle and Small Ruminants (Dr. Mike Collins-University of Wisconsin) [Objectives 1,2,3,4] Another success made possible from this grant has been recruitment of experts to deliver presentations by zoom. Veterinarians are invited to either watch the lecture live or view the recorded video and take a quiz but either way counts for CE credit. In December 2020, Dr. Beth Johnson delivered a lecture on small ruminant diseases attended by 38 veterinarians. In February 2021, Dr. Mike Collins delivered a lecture on Johne's in Beef Cattle attended by 55 veterinarians. Funds that used to be used for travel expenses to bring speakers in are now being used to pay the speaker for time and expertise. Contact with these experts has resulted in collaborative efforts with the UKVDL and potential research projects. In 2021, 14 CE credits were offered in the Spring and Fall Food Animal Continuing Education conferences. In May, 24 practicing veterinarians, 2 veterinary students, and 7 speakers/sponsors were in attendance at Lexington's Blue Grass Stockyards for a reproductive ultrasound and liver biopsy wet lab on live cattle. This workshop was normally offered as a 2-day event and cost $850 per participant plus travel expenses but I was able to get ReproScan and Multimin to condense it to a one-day training for free. The Fall meeting was held in September, again at Blue Grass Stockyards due to Covid restrictions at UK. This was my first attempt at a hybrid meeting with both a virtual (17 participants) and in-person (26 participants) audience as well as four in-person and three virtual speakers. There were some definite challenges with audio but the more we do these types of meetings, the better we become at addressing the needs of those attending virtually. Another goal of this project is to put useful tools in the veterinarians' hands for use in the field. A collaborative effort between Dr. Megan Romano (Toxicologist, UKVDL) and Dr. J.D. Green (UK Weed Specialist) and myself produced an Extension publication entitled "Guide to Plants of Kentucky Potentially Poisonous to Livestock" (in press). Dr. Romano and I are working on an expanded version for veterinarians including diagnostic and treatment options not available in the extension publication.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/19 to 08/31/20
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience for this project is Food Animal veterinarians in Kentucky, specifically those in remote areas of the state. These practitioners have little chance to stay current with the advances and changes in the food animal sector of veterinary medicine, especially in diagnostic testing and regulatory requirements. A focus within the target audience is on young graduates who have been in practice for less than 5 years, especially those in solo practices. They know the basics but need assistance with complex or complicated investigations and have no one within easy reach to discuss their findings and next steps. Since we began trying to reach these clinicians, these veterinarians now text pictures and videos of their cases to members of the faculty and get advice on how to proceed. In turn, these videos are added to the collection of field videos for the case-based modules. All new practitioners are added to the established contact list immediately so they will begin receiving information through emailincluding invitations for upcoming events, news bulletins from the diagnostic laboratory, and pertinent information from the University as it becomes available. Increasingly, food animal veterinarians are becoming more familiar with the professionals and specialists at the University of Kentucky and are not hesitant to pick up the phone and call if he or she has a challenging case. Changes/Problems:The only major change was the 1 year no-cost extension granted due to the challenges presented byCovid. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The recruitment of nationally recognized experts to deliver 1-hour lectures by Zoom in his or her area of expertise has offered a tremendous opportunity for training and professional development. Although these lectures were originally intended to be recorded and offered only as videos online, we decided to offer them live as well with the ability to ask questions of the presenter. The first webinar by Dr. Jarlath Nally on Leptospirosis Diagnostics drew 47 attendees for the live presentation. The second webinar by Dr. Laura Greiner from Iowa State University on Common Nutritional Disorders of Swine drew 20 live attendees. Several veterinarians commented they preferred the 1-hour lecture format for CE because they did not have to do anything complicated with the computer to attend. A Zoom webinar license upgrade, funded through the grant, has facilitated this type of CE because it automatically tracks participation and sends the CE certificates to participants. This project again provided a tremendous professional development opportunity for Dr. Michelle Arnold to attend the National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) meeting held in San Antonio in February prior to Covid restrictions. Sheserved as a representative for KY on several cattle healthcommittee meetings. Although all travel essentially ceased in March 2020, grant funds were used for Dr. Arnold to attend the virtual AABP Annual Conference in September. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Veterinarians are widely accepted as the most well-respected source of information for food animal producers.The results of our efforts have reached food animal veterinarians and, ultimately, their clients through the CE online lectures, the CE case modules, and the Food Animal Conferences. The relationships made through these various methods have opened lines of communication to the diagnostic lab so veterinarians know they can call or text while on the farm to ensure they gather the correct samples and order the right diagnostic tests given the clinical signs and possible diagnoses. This is especially true in potential cases of poisoning; many veterinarians call on the expertise of the toxicologist for advice on sample collection and guidance on treatment. Further, veterinarians frequently use email to follow-up on cases and to obtain more in-depth information to distribute to their clients. Of note, the veterinarians currently using the online CE course modules are, for the most part, younger and have not attended the in-person conferences. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Covid poses unique challenges to reaching the goals of this project in the manner originally outlined. In the next and final reporting period, the plan is to have the ten continuing education modules finished and available that are currently in development. Because few in-person meetings are taking place, there is plenty of free online CE available from many sources so it is imperative to keep our topics interesting and useful for food animal veterinarians. Therefore, we will soon request to move project travel funds to a different funding category to secure additional experts for guest lectures by Zoom and continue production of new case modules. In addition, both continuing education conferences are tentatively planned for 2021, depending on the University guidelines. Finally, the Canvas learning management system is not an easy platform to navigate for those individuals who are not computer-savvy. We will continue to work on alternative methods for them to access program materials or at least provide an easier registration process, perhaps through direct enrollment by invitation.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
A major goal of this project is to educate veterinarians through interesting cases submitted to the diagnostic laboratory in addition to lectures presented at the annual Winter and Summer Food Animal Conferences. For the cases, the idea is to use videos of the affected animal submitted by the owner along with the information surrounding the animal's death and couple those videos to the necropsy, histopathology and ancillary test results from the laboratory to arrive at a diagnosis. In addition, a lectureis included in the teaching module to discuss the specifics of disease transmission, risk factors, collection of appropriate samples, treatment and prevention. There are many steps involved in the creation of a case modules and each step presented its own set of challenges to address. The Registry of Approved Continuing Education (RACE) is the program accepted by most state boards that reviews and approves continuing education (CE) programs. RACE requires a 70% passing score on a quiz for any non-interactive, online CE completed (5 questions required for 1 CE hour; 10 questions for 1.5 CE credits) and records must be kept by the provider for a minimum of 4 years. To meet the requirements, we have been using the Canvas Learning Management System (LMS) to house the courses, administer and grade the quiz and issue a printable CE certificate. Canvas could not consistently deliver the certificate of completion, despite various methods attempted for correction. Fortunately, we discovered Canvas Catalog, an enhanced version of Canvas that is used by universities to offer continuing education programs to professionals outsidethe University system. The University of Kentucky (UK) just purchased Canvas Catalog this year and allowed us to have a subcatalog account. UK charges $30 per registered user per year for unlimited access so this change allows our program to continue beyond the grant period. To introduce the new system, we offered participants free registration by entering a code in the payment window. We produced and distributed a 2 minute video on how to sign up the first time and how to access the courses: https://youtu.be/ScNM_KNk5Ro . The other major challenge faced this year was technical support due to a university-wide hiring freeze, split work shifts, and quarantines due to Covid. Fortunately, the PI (Dr. Arnold) did attend Adobe software training last year and was able to producemodules remotely. Unfortunately, the programs utilized for this project are very large and a new laptop is currently on order with the speed and memory to handle the programs and videos. To date, there are 11 courses now available for a total of 13 credit hours inCanvas Catalog and these may be accessed anytime over a 2-year period at the website: https://uk.catalog.instructure.com/browse/agriculture-food-and-environment/veterinary-diagnostics-laboratory . In addition, there are 10 modules under various stages of development. There are 31 veterinarians and technicians registered and, to date, 27 CE credits have been awarded since its introduction in August 2020. The following list contains the title of the course, the lecturer and his or her affiliation, CE credits available, number of views for credit and the specific objectives of the grant effort met through this course offering. From the 2020 Winter Conference: Basic Nutrition: Things to Remember (Jason Edmonson-ADM; 1 CE credit)-4 views [Objectives 1,5] BRD: Treatment and Control (Dan Cummings-Boehringer Ingelheim; 1 CE credit)-3 views [Objectives 1,2] BVD Virus Research Update (Paul Walz-Auburn; 1.5 credits)-1 view [Objectives 1,2,3] Parasites in Ruminants (David Pugh-Auburn (ret); 1 credit)-1 view [Objectives 1,2,4] The New Pinkeye Bugs (Randy Shirbroun-Newport Labs; 1 credit)-2 views [Objectives 1,2,3] Understanding the Forage Analysis (Jennifer Tucker-UGA; 1 credit)-1 view [Objectives 1,5] Case Modules: Current Diagnostic Strategies for Detection of Leptospirosis and Case Presentation (Jarlath Nally-USDA; 1.5 credits) [Objectives 1,2,3] Swinre Respiratory Disease Complexand Case Presentation "Pinky's Story: What's Your Diagnosis?" (Al Loynachan-UK; 1.5 credits)-5 views [Objectives 1,2,4] From the 2020 Summer Conference: Current Thinking: The Role of Vaccination in Beef Production (John Richeson-West Texas A & M; 1 credit) [Objectives 1,2] Lectures: Top Ten Cattle Toxicants (Megan Romano-UK; 1.5 credits)-4 views [Objectives 1, 3, 5] "Spot Problems"-Improving the Feeding and Watering of Cattle and the Surrounding Environment (Steve Higgins-UK; 1 credit)-1 view [Objectives 2,5] Upcoming Modules: 10 under development -Practical Applications of Data Management in Building a Beef Practice from the 2020 Summer Conference (John Groves-Missouri; 1 credit)-Finished and will upload as soon as new computer arrives [Objectives 1,2,3] -Common Nutritional Disorders of Swine for Veterinarians and Case Module (Laura Greiner-Iowa State; 1.5 credits) Under review at RACE [Objectives 1,2,4,5] -Remaining lectures from Summer Conference (Falkner, Blue, Winslow) Some technical difficulty with recordings so not certain if will be able to use. -Johne's Disease Diagnostics (Mike Collins-Wisconsin) [Objectives 1,2,3,4] -Ostertagia case (Ray Kaplan-UGA) [Objectives 1, 2,4] -Botulism and Balage (Jimmy Henning-UK) [Objectives 1, 2, 3,5] -Histophilus somni septicemia (Joyce Van Donkersgoed-Alberta) [Objectives 1, 2, 3] -RFID application from Summer 2020 conference (Beth Johnson-OSV) [Objective 3] -BVD: The Hard Questions Producers Ask (Julia Ridpath-USDA (retired)) [Objectives 1, 2, 3] -Pasture Plant Identification (Ray Smith, UK) [Objectives 1,5] On the successful side, utilizing a "UKVDL E-Learn" YouTube channel to house the videos and embedding a video link in the training has saved memory space which greatly improves the download speeds. The videos are "unlisted" on YouTube, meaning the public cannot access them which is crucial due to the sensitive nature of the content. YouTube also automatically provides closed captioning which we are able to correct when there are errors in spelling or word interpretation. Another success has been recruitment of nationally recognized disease experts to deliver the 1-hour presentations by zoom. Veterinarians are invited to either watch the lecture live or view the recorded video in the case modules, either way counts for CE credit. Contact with these experts has resulted in some collaborative research efforts with the UKVDL and potential veterinary student summer projects.Lastly, necropsy training for Lincoln Memorial University veterinary students was completed using the necropsy camera and Zoom when Covid restrictions halted in-person instruction. This benefitted veterinary students but also added to video footage from the necropsy floor for case modules. In 2020, 16 CE credits were offered in the Winter and Summer Food Animal Continuing Education conferences. In February, 73 practicing veterinarians attendedin Lexington and 13 at the Breathitt Veterinary Center in Hopkinsville, KY by livestream. Due to Covid, the annual summer meeting could not be held at the UKVDL but we were allowed to assist Elanco Animal Health with an in-person CE meeting held at Blue Grass Stockyards Lexington in August. Enrollment was severely limited with 41 veterinarians allowed to attend. Both summer and winter meetings were recorded and many of the lectures are now available for CE credit online. Another goal of this project is to put useful information in the veterinarians' hands for use in the field. Somecourse modules contain additional information to view, download or print. For example, the course "Top Ten Cattle Toxicants" includes a pdf summary of the information presented in the lecture and a postmortem toxicologic sample collection table available to print for reference. These additional materials help to meet objectives 1-5 of the project.
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Progress 09/01/18 to 08/31/19
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience for this project is Food Animal veterinarians in Kentucky, specifically those in remote areas of the state. These practitioners have little chance to stay current with the advances and changes in the food animal sector of veterinary medicine, especially in diagnostics and regulatory requirements. A focus within the target audience isthe young graduates who have been in practice for less than 5 years, especially those in solo practices. They know the basics but need assistance with complex or complicated investigations and have no easy way to discuss their cases. The veterinariansare able to text the co-investigatorswith pictures and videos of their cases and get advice on how best to proceed. In turn, these videos are added to the collection of field videos for the case-based modules. All new practitioners are added to the established contact list immediately so they can receive notificationsfor upcoming events, news bulletins from the diagnostic laboratory, and pertinent information from the University as it becomes available. Increasingly, food animal veterinarians are becoming more familiar with the professionals and specialists at the University of Kentucky and are not hesitant to pick up the phone and call if he or she has a challenging case. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?This grant has afforded excellent opportunities for training and professional development for those working on the project as well as those receiving its products. Dr. Janes (Co-PI) attended the Academy of Veterinary Pathologists meeting inWashington DC in 2018. Sheattended an informative session on toxic plants in livestock and alsoa session on risk factors associatedwith man made and natural disasters such as water contamination. Dr. Arnold (PI) attended the National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) meeting in New Orleans and, once again,served as a voting representative for KY in the Emerging Cattle Health and Research Issues Working Group, the Herd Security/Bovine Viral Diarrhea (BVD) Working Group and theCattle Health and Well-Beingcommittee meeting.The chance to interact with peers from around the United States working on the same issues using different approaches is priceless for developing more effective outreach. Professional development for practicing veterinarians and their technicians included the two Food Animal Conferences that offered a total of 16veterinary continuing education credit hours free of charge. Of note was the workshop provided by Dr. Julia Ridpath on BVD diagnostic options that explored the accuracy and usefulness of the many tests available. A session presented in the summer conference by Dr. Ray Smith (UK Forage Extension Specialist) was a hands-on learning experience where participants learnedhow to identify various types of grasses and, therefore, how to begin the conversation with clients about the need for pasture improvement when the grasses have largely been replaced by weeds. Dr. Arnold presented an in-depth review of Johne's Disease and diagnostic options at Morehead Clinic Days to many food animal practitioners in the eastern portion of the state. The project has provided training in both web-based training (WBT) module development and video editing for Dr. Arnold, two skills that definitely were not in her skill set prior to this year. Although it was training that arose due to the the loss of the information technology person on the grant, it has provided some unexpected benefits. Watching the necropsy videos and matching the audio and close captioning to the actualpicture seems to bea very effectiveteaching tool. In the future, itmay prove to be a worthwhile exercise for thestudents in veterinary pathology. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Veterinarians are the most well-respected source of information for producers of food animals.The results of our efforts have reached food animal veterinarians and, ultimately, their clients through the Food Animal Conferences held at the UKVDL and simulcast to the Breathitt Veterinary Center, and through one-on-one communication either face to face, by phone, email or text message. The lecturers in the Food Animal Conferences are experts in their respective fields and address situations a practicing veterinarian is likely to encounter. These lectures are well-attended, the audience is engaged and there is time allowed for plenty of question and answer as well as discussion. The relationships made through these conferences have opened lines of communication to the diagnostic lab so veterinarians know they can call or text, even while on the farm, to ensure they gather the correct samples and order the right diagnostic tests given the clinical signs and possible diagnoses. This is especially importantin potential cases of poisoning; many veterinarians call on the expertise of the toxicologist for advice on sample collection and guidance on treatment. Further, veterinarians frequently use email to follow-up on cases and to obtain more in-depth information to distribute to their clients. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?In the next reporting period, the plan is to have at least one and hopefully severalcompleted continuing education modules as the project has a new information technology specialist as well as a technicianto assist with module assembly. These will be loaded on the learning platform Canvas for any veterinarian wishing to obtain CE credits or looking for other types of information such as diseasefact sheets. Looking forward, these will be excellent teaching tools for veterinarians and veterinary students. In addition to the case modules, both continuing education conferences are already planned and speakers are committed for 2020. More fact sheets are in progress; the next one planned is how to write a veterinary feed directive (VFD) for small ruminants.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
To retain food animal veterinarians inrural practice settings, they needaccess to current disease and diagnostic information to take to their clients in the field. Young veterinarians, in particular, are still building the knowledge and skills needed to feel confident in a wide variety of situations. A major goal of this project is to educate veterinarians on common diseases seen at the diagnostic laboratory and the techniques and tests available to diagnose them. The two Food Animal Veterinary Conferences held at the UKVDL in February and August provided tremendous opportunities for rural veterinarians to learn from Dr. Julia Ridpath, one ofthe leading experts in Bovine Viral Diarrhea (BVD) virus in the world. She delivered 2.5 hours of lecture on how to recognize this disease in the field and control methods to address it. The February meeting also providedinformation on judicious use of antimicrobials, nutrition updates on distiller's co-product feeds, pain control and a presentation from Regulatory Service inspectors of common Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD) mistakes they had encountered and how to avoid them. It is this type of cooperation between Regulatory entities and veterinarians in the field that will lead to better compliance and give veterinarians the resources they need when a questions arise. The August meeting featured a return visit from Dr. Julia Ridpath who presented a workshop on BVD diagnostic options. Other topics from the day-long meeting includedan update on intranasal vaccines, and a hands-on assessment of forages to help practitioners recognize poor quality forages and the disorders resulting from them. The August meeting was recorded and is currently being edited into teaching modules. Both conferences were simulcast by "Zoom" to the Breathitt Veterinary Center in western KY to reach practitioners in that area of the state. Major goals 1-3 of the project were addressed through these opportunities. A series of two "Frequently Asked Questions" fact sheets were produced and distributed for veterinary use and a third for veterinarians to distribute to clients that specifically addressed the goals of the project. "Johne's Detection-Frequently Asked Questions" was designed to explain recognition of this disease, risk factors and types of tests available to diagnose this serious and potentially zoonotic disease in cattle, sheep and goats (Goals 1-4). "Ionophore Toxicosis in Beef Cattle-Frequently Asked Questions" addresses Goal 5 of improving knowledge of common toxicants in feed. It is a more-in depth exploration of disease presentation, when it is most likely to occur and how to approach the diagnosis. A third fact sheet entitled "Anaplasmosis-Frequently Asked Questions" was written for producers but distributed to veterinarians for use in educating their clients on this complex disease. This fact sheet addresses Goals 1-3 of the project in addition to providing client education. Case module development for distance learning is progressing although the loss of the information technology specialist in January 2019 has delayed production of the finished product. Dr. Arnold attended web-based training (WBT) courses and video editing course offered through UK in order to keep on track with module development. The first step in WBT construction is to write a "storyboard" or outline to lay out the topics to cover and how theywill flow. The outlines currently under construction areAnaplasmosis, Top Ten Cattle Toxicants, Pig Emaciation, Monensin Toxicosis, Bovine Respiratory Disease, Nitrate Toxicosis, Histophilus somni Encephalitis, Ostertagiosis, and Leptospirosis. The lectures from the Summer Food Animal Conference are also being edited into modules. This video education is new territory for the diagnostic laboratory and is not without challenges, mostly technical in nature. Learning how to usethe necropsy camera and combining these video clips with case information has resulted in some large files that will have to be broken down further to allow them todownload quickly. When the first module is completed,the others should flow very quickly because the pieces are already in place and this will also make it much simpler for future case module production. The final accomplishment this fiscal year was the launch of a pilot survey on food animal veterinary retention. The literature states there are sufficient numbers of new graduates willing to do farm animal work, either mixed practice or large animal exclusive, but the main problem is retaining veterinarians in farm animal practice. Although a 2010 US Study found emergency duty, time off, salary, practice atmosphere and family concerns were the most important reasons to leave, Generation Y was the youngest category included. A 2014 study in the United Kingdom described a downward spiral among new veterinary graduates due to a lack of support and exposure to farm animal work in the transition into practice whichled to many giving up farm work early on in their careers. This pilot survey was designed to help determine the most important factors for increased retention of food animal veterinarians in underserviced areas, with special focus on young veterinarians. It was delivered as a hard copy to participants of the Morehead Veterinary Conference in June 2019 and offered online as well. Response rate is a problem for nearly every survey produced, especially when it is available online. However, 33 responses have been received and the survey isnow being further modified to make it shorter and therefore faster to complete based on this pilot data. The survey can be accessed at: https://is.gd/FarmVetSurvey (case-sensitive).
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Progress 09/01/17 to 08/31/18
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience for this project is Food Animal veterinarians in Kentucky, specifically those in remote, sparsely populated areas of the state. These practitioners havelittle chance to stay current with the advances and changes in the food animal sector of veterinary medicine, especially indiagnostics and regulatory requirements. A focus within the target audience is on new graduates entering into rural practice areas. These new practitioners are added to the established contact list immediately so they willbegin receivinginformation in their inboxesincluding invitations for upcoming events, news bulletins from the diagnostic laboratory, and pertinent information from the University as it becomes available.In this manner, food animal veterinariansare becoming more familiar with the professionals and specialists at the University of Kentucky and are not hesitant to pick up the phone and call if he or she has a challenging case. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The project provided a tremendous professional development opportunity for Dr. Michelle Arnold to attend the National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) meeting. Sheserved as a voting representative for KY in the Emerging Cattle Health and Research Issues Working Group, the Herd Security/Bovine Viral Diarrhea (BVD) Working Group and theCattle Health and Well-Beingcommittee meeting. Topics on the agendas included traceability issues, the Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) vaccine bank, review of the Secure Beef Supply plan, updates on Bovine Viral Diarrhea (BVD), Salmonellosis , Bovine Leukosis Virus (BLV) and cattle fever ticks, and a discussion on implementation of the new Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD) and antibiotic use issues in beef. Dr. Arnold was able to bring these topics back to KY and present a summary at the February 2018 Winter Food Animal Veterinary Conference continuing education meeting. In addition, she has used this information when consultingone-on-one with practitioners about client herds. For example, Dr. Dan Grooms from Michigan State University gave an excellent summary of their work on Bovine Leukosis Virus (BLV), funded through a NIFA grant opportunity. Exposure to this virus is extremely common in cattle and has been regarded as an incidental occurrence with no health effectsexcept for the small percentage (2-5%)that go on to develop solid tumors (cancers) later in life. However, Dr. Grooms explained many of the subtle effects of the virus that are difficult to detect but definitely present, the modes of transmission, diagnostic test options and, more importantly, interpretation of the results and recommendations for the affected animals and the herd in general. Since attending that lecture, Dr. Arnold has consulted with many veterinarians concerning test results and implications, including 3 herds with over 90% BLV test positive animals. These veterinarians were able to take this information back to the farm, and explain to the client that the information came from a scientific working group at NCBA. In addition to emerging health issues, the regulatory issues facing food animal veterinarians is a growing concern among old and young practitioners alike. The VeterinaryFeed Directive (VFD) took effect in January 2017 which requires producers to obtain a VFD (similar to a prescription for medication) from their local veterinarian in order to purchase antibiotics designed to be mixed in feed.Many food animal veterinarians have declined to write VFDs because they felt it was not worth the risk of prosecution and potentially losing their license to practice if they filled this form out incorrectly. Information from the Emerging Cattle Health and Research group meeting allowed Dr. Arnold to help veterinarians complete these forms correctly and build confidence in their ability to do this legally for their clients. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results of our efforts have reached food animal veterinarians and, ultimately, their clients through the Food Animal Conferences at the UKVDL and through one-on-one communication either face to face, by phone, email or text message. The lecturers in the Food Animal Conferences are selected based on their expertise in an area of food animal medicine that a practicing veterinarian is likely to encounter in the field. These lectures are well-attended, the audience is engaged and there is time allowed for plenty of question and answer as well as discussion. Additionally, Dr. Arnold makes it very clear to the veterinarians in attendance that the faculty at the UKVDL are available to help them and they know how to reach us for advice on difficult cases. At this point in time, it is not unusual for a veterinarian to call or text while he or she is still on the farm to ensure they gather the correct samples and order the right diagnostic tests given the clinical signs and possible diagnoses. This is especially true in potential cases of poisoning; many veterinarians call on the expertise of the toxicologist for advice on sample collection and guidance on treatment. Further, veterinarians frequently use email to follow-up on cases and to obtain more in-depth information to distribute to their clients. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
For food animal veterinariansto be effective, profitable, and remain inrural practice settings, they needaccess to current, relevantinformation to provide the most efficient, high quality animal health care to their clients. How to provide this information in a convenient, affordable format, available over the internet, is the overarching goal of this project. The University of Kentucky Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (UKVDL) has a large food animal caseload with a wide variety of disease issues seen at necropsy (the animal equivalent to a human "autopsy")in all major species. The plan is to share the information from these cases with the food animal veterinary community in order to show themwhat health problems are occurring, thetests and the samples required for diagnosis, what abnormalities were seen on necropsy, and to recommend treatment options for those affected in the herd or flock, and effective prevention and control measures to implement going forward. The disease conditions seen at the UKVDL are not simply representative of problems inthis area of the country but most are generalizable to production veterinary medicine throughout the US. The first year milestone was to equip the veterinary diagnostic laboratory with the technology needed to provide veterinary training. To capture relevant tissue lesions and disease processes from the postmortem examination to populate the online case modules, a cutting edge mobile imaging unit, the PathMobile, was purchased from Spot Imaging. This purchase was outlined in our proposed budget. The PathMobile is capable of both still image and video capture with audio capabilities that make it tremendously useful for our purposes. Features such as a 20 megapixel camera, zoom features, and a rotational arm from the unit allow for easy capture of high quality images and video from a variety of angles around the necropsy table. This unit has a battery pack such that it is easily moved around the necropsy floor. Available in the unit software are numerous annotation features (text, shapes, colors etc.) that can be added after images are taken to help highlight lesions of interest for a particular case module. The format of the still images and video are easily incorporated into the online modules. The PathMobile has already been used to capture information from necropsy cases as we optimize our protocols for the purposes of this grant. Although this first year primarily consisted of gearing up to accomplish our objectives, nearly allof the goals of this project have been addressed during this time, mostly through the two food animal veterinary conferences held in February and August of 2018. For example, the grant funds were used to bring Dr. Ray Kaplan, a globally-recognized expert in sustainable parasite control in livestock, as a speaker tothe February meeting.Goal 1 of educating veterinarians on best diagnostic practices was delivered by Dr. Kaplan when he explained the use of a new device developed in Italyto make identification of parasite eggs in their vet practice easier, faster and more accurate than previous methods. Goal 2 of recognition of disease risk factors was accomplished in Dr. Kaplan's lectures through easy to understand visual depictions of parasite life cycles and how resistance to anthelmintics ("dewormers") develops throughmanagement practices that used to be considered correct. Goal 3 was met when Dr. Kaplanexplainedthe serious animal disease threat of anthelmintic resistance and the need to address the issue now through changes veterinarians canput into practice immediately and advise their client base to adopt the changesas well. This information crossed species boundaries as he discussed sustainable parasite control in cattle, horses, and small ruminants (sheep and goats) as described in Goal 4. The February meeting had 88 practicing food animal veterinarians in attendance along with 6 federal and state veterinarians and 7 from UK and 8 senior veterinary students from Lincoln Memorial University. Many veterinarians commented afterwards how much they appreciated his lecture and the practicality of his message.
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