Neurology for the General Veterinarian:
Getting Your Synapses Firing on All Cylinders

Missy Carpentier, DVM, DACVIM (Neurology)
Owner, Minnesota Veterinary Neurology

Dr. Missy Carpentier, DVM, DACVIM (Neurology) is a veterinary neurologist and the owner of Minnesota Veterinary Neurology. Dr. Carpentier enjoys all aspects of neurology, however, utilizing her skill set to improve any animal’s quality of life will always be at the forefront of her dedication to the veterinary field. Recently, she has developed a strong interest in myopathies and neuropathies. With collaborations with other veterinarians across the country, she has recently helped identify genetic variants that are responsible for two separate inherited conditions in French Bulldogs and Great Danes, respectively. 

Neurology for the General Veterinarian: Getting Your Synapses Firing on All Cylinders

8:30 am-9:00 am
Onsite attendees: Registration and Continental Breakfast
Online attendees: Log into WebEx

9:00 am-9:50 am-Localization Before Treatment: The Art of the Neurologic Examination
The primary purpose of the neurologic examination is to accurately neurolocalize the lesion in your patient. Without proper neurolocalization, it is difficult to develop an appropriate list of differential diagnoses or determine the most appropriate next diagnostic and treatment steps. This talk will guide general practitioners through the neurologic examination and demonstrate how to use the information gathered to effectively neurolocalize the lesion in their patients.

10:00 am-10:50am-Vestibular Disease: Getting Balance Back on Track
Vestibular disease can make our heads spin just like it does for our patients. In this talk, we will focus on how to differentiate peripheral, central, and paradoxical vestibular disease so that you can more accurately diagnose and effectively treat your patients.

11:00 am-11:50 am-My Patient Had a Seizure — Now What? A Practical Approach to Seizures and Anti-Seizure Medications
Seizures originate in the brain, but there are numerous underlying causes that can trigger the abnormal brain activity leading to a seizure. This presentation will cover seizure recognition, potential underlying etiologies, recommended diagnostic approaches, and current treatment options.

11:50 am-1:00 pm-Lunch

1:00 pm-1:50 pm-Inflammatory Diseases of the Nervous System: Decoding the Alphabet Soup
Inflammatory diseases of the nervous system in dogs and cats can be complex and confusing, with many acronyms such as MUO, MUE, SRMA, and EME. In this talk, Dr. Carpentier reviews these inflammatory neurologic conditions and explains how they present in canine and feline patients. The discussion will cover the most common clinical signs, recommended diagnostic approaches, and treatment options.

2:00 pm-2:50 pm-The Cervical Patient: The Clinical Significance of Neck Pain  
Patients with cervical myelopathies may present with severe cervical hyperesthesia and sometimes show no other obvious neurologic deficits. This can give practitioners a false sense of reassurance that nothing significant is occurring within the cervical spine, when in fact the opposite may be true. In this discussion, we will review how to recognize both subtle and apparent signs of neck pain, explore common differential diagnoses, and discuss recommended diagnostic approaches and treatment options.

3:20 pm-4:20 pm-The Down Dog: IVDD Leads the List, but Many Other Causes Exist
In this session, we will discuss the most common reason a canine patient may be unable to walk. A thoracolumbar myelopathy—most commonly due to intervertebral disc disease (IVDD)—should be high on your differential list, and we will review these etiologies in detail. However, it is also important to recognize several “great pretenders,” including polyarthropathies, myasthenia gravis, and aortic thromboembolism, which can present with similar clinical signs.

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