Continuing Education at Hope Animal Hospital in Fenton, Missouri. A state of the art Veterinary Animal Hospital serving St. Louis, MO.

Continuing Education

Our staff and veterinarian constantly review and update their skills and technology so that we can make sure that we can offer you the highest level of care at all times. We take great pride in our high standards of pet and client care.

Upcoming Events:

May 11, 2006

Dr. Linda Beisswenger, Lea Canada, and Rennie Bodien plan to participate in a teleconference entitled 'The Itchy Dog'. Presented by Dr. Jerry Wilson, this teleconference discusses one of the most common and often misdiagnosed skin diseases - atopic dermatitis ( allergies ).

Dr. Linda Beisswenger, Lea Canada, Rennie Bodien, and Micki Adelsberger are scheduled to participate in a dinner course entitled 'Diagnostic and preventive strategies for vector-borne disease: a clinical perspective'. The speaker will be Richard Ford, DVM, MS, DACVIM who is a professor at North Carolina State University. Topics to be discussed include: tick biology, new prevalence studies, diagnosis of tick diseases, testing, prevention, and treatment options. Since tick-borne diseases have been found in every U.S. state, Hope Animal Hospital routinely tests for ehrlichia and Lyme disease with heartworm testing. We want to receive the most current information in this important area.

Events Attended in 2006

April 11, 2006

Dr. Linda Beisswenger, Lea Canada, and Rennie Bodien participated in a teleconference given by IDEXX Laboratories entitled 'Ehrlichiosis and anaplasmosis: common questions and concerns'. Ehrlichiosis is the most common tick borne disease in Missouri so we always interested in the newest treatments. We are proud that at Hope Animal Hospital we test for Ehrlichia and Lyme at the same time any dog receives a heartworm test.

March 26, 2006

Dr. Linda Beisswenger, Lea Canada, Rennie Bodien, and Micki Adelsberger attended the Veterinary Professional Development Day at the Humane Society of Missouri given by the House Rabbit Society of Missouri and sponsored by the Greater St. Louis Veterinary Medical Association. The conference was entitled "Raising the Bar on Rabbit Health". Dr. Linda Beisswenger and Rennie Bodien attended Section 2 for previous attendees. Lea Canada and Micki Adelsberger attended Section 1 for new attendees.

March 22, 2006

Dr. Linda Beisswenger, Lea Canada, and Rennie Bodien participated in a teleconference entitled 'Diagnosing Canine Pancreatitis'. Pancreatitis is difficult to diagnose and faster, more accurate tests are now available. Treatment was also discussed.

March 15, 2006

Dr. Linda Beisswenger, Lea Canada, and Rennie Bodien participated in a lunch and learn seminar with Nick Huff from Bayer HealthCare. We learned about new information researchers are finding out about fleas, ticks, and mosquitoes and how to protect our pets.

March 11-12, 2006

Dr. Linda Beisswenger and Rennie Bodien traveled to Columbia, Missouri to participate in a dental seminar at the University of Missouri - College of Veterinary Medicine. It included two half days of lecture and two half days of hands on practice.

Dr. Beisswenger and Rennie had a weekend full of practical education and experience focusing on performing dental x-rays, evaluating when a tooth can be saved, and dental extractions causing the least pain and complications. The second day was originally for veterinarians only, but due to low attendance Rennie was able to attend the whole seminar. Dr. Beisswenger and Rennie where able to learn directly from Curt Coffman, DVM a fellow of the Academy of Veterinary Dentistry; Richard Meadows, DVM Diplomate American Board of Veterinary Practitioners from the University of Missouri - Columbia; and Steven Holmstrom, DVM Diplomate, American Veterinary Dental College. Dr. Holmstrom is the author of veterinary books on dentistry and has instruments named after him. What a treat to learn among these teachers. We were given individual attention to answer all our questions.

March 8, 2006

Dr. Linda Beisswenger, Lea Canada, and Rennie Bodien participated in a lunch and learn seminar with Kenny Marbury from Novartis. We discussed roundworms, hookworms, whipworms, and fleas. It is always good to renew your learning on these old enemies.

March 7, 2006

Dr. Linda Beisswenger, Lea Canada, and Rennie Bodien participated in an American Animal Hospital Association Staff Meeting Audio Conference. The conference topic was 'Implementation of the 2006 AAHA Canine Vaccine Guidelines'. During this event we discussed why the guidelines have been updated as well as what the major differences are between the 2003 and 2006 versions.

March 3,4, and 5, 2006

Noah's Wish is a not-for-profit animal welfare organization that only responds to disasters. Lea Canada attended Noah's Wish Volunteer In-Field Training in St. Louis. She camped for the weekend and learned disaster response skills.

Lea had a great time at the Noah's Wish training weekend. She made great contacts in the rescue world, learned disaster response techniques, and was certified by Noah's Wish in animal CPR. The whole weekend was spent in a simulated disaster environment. Lea appeared on Channel 4 news demonstrating her CPR technique. Click here for more information about Noah's Wish.

February 28, 2006

Dr. Linda Beisswenger, Lea Canada, and Rennie Bodien participated in a Web Conference entitled ‘Integrate Urine Protein/Creatinine Ratios into Your Practice and Uncover Early Renal Disease’. This seminar taught us how to diagnose kidney disease in stage 1 and 2. Up until now we could only diagnose kidney disease when it was in stage 3 or 4 and less than 25% of the kidney function was left. Early diagnosis and treatment will lead to longer lives for our beloved pets.

February 22, 2006

Dr. Linda Beisswenger, Lea Canada, and Rennie Bodien participated in a lunch and learn seminar with Mike Gruendler from Schering-Plough Animal Health Corporation. We learned more about the importance of pet identification and were reminded how easy it is in a disaster to become separated from your pet.

February 13, 2006

Dr. Linda Beisswenger, Lea Canada, Rennie Bodien, and Micki Adelsberger trained with Linda Hoff, an Imaging Specialist from Radiologic Resources Inc. Training covered how to take the best x-ray image, automatic processor care, and radiographic safety. Getting the best x-ray for our patients is important for proper diagnostic evaluations.

January 12, 2006

Dr. Linda Beisswenger attended a round table discussion in Wentzville, MO led by Richard Meadows, DVM, Diplomate, ABVP from the University of Missouri - College of Veterinary Medicine. Topics included Managing Microbes, Update on Standards of Protocol for Parasiticides, Immunization, and Pain Management.