Discover
Vet Sessions

Vet Sessions
Author: Tiffany Durzi
Subscribed: 85Played: 795Subscribe
Share
© Copyright 2025 Tiffany Durzi
Description
Vet Sessions is a Canadian veterinary medical podcast based out of Guelph, Ontario. This podcast is for anyone interested in learning more about small animal veterinary clinical medicine and especially primary care. Follow along with Dr. Omar Khan, Dr. Shannon Gowland, and Dr. Tiffany Durzi as they tackle common clinical questions and dissect what it means to be a primary care veterinarian. Podcast produced by Sherry Lin. Podcast artwork by Michelle Lai, Sammie Wu, Andrea Wanlin Jia, and Shirley Wei Chen.
77 Episodes
Reverse
In this episode, Dr. Lynn Henderson joins us to talk about the growing field of community medicine and how it’s helping reshape both veterinary care and education. She shares her experience working as the director of the Kim and Stu Lang Community Healthcare Partnership Program (CHPP) at the Ontario Veterinary College. This program gives veterinary students real-world experience in community-based care throughout all four years of the DVM program. We get into how CHPP helps students connect with underserved populations, better understand the social factors that impact health, and learn what it really means to build trust and make a difference outside the clinic. This conversation highlights the importance of bringing healthcare beyond the clinic and into the communities that need it most.
Join Dr Shannon Gowland as she chats with OVC Graduate Dr Nicole Iarusci. Nicole shares her insights about the challenging experience of failing the NAVLE exam, finding the support and inspiration to start studying again and the approach she used to pass on her second attempt. It is a reassuring listen for anyone who has worried about failing the exam and how to support ourselves and our friends when we don't succeed the first time.
Welcome back to a new season of Vet Sessions! Thank you listeners for continuing to support us, we can't believe we are starting Season 5! This week, we are joined by special guest Dr. Paul Woods, a leading veterinary oncologist and professor at the Ontario Veterinary College. A graduate of the Ontario Veterinary College, Dr. Woods has built an impressive career spanning clinical practice, advanced training in oncology, and groundbreaking cancer research. He co-founded the Institute for Comparative Cancer Investigation and played a key role in developing the Mona Campbell Centre for Animal Cancer—Canada’s most comprehensive animal cancer treatment and research facility. In this episode, we’ll focus on canine mast cell tumors, including how they're diagnosed, treated, and what current research means for the future of care. We hope you enjoy!
Have that one patient who can't seem to lose weight no matter what you try? This week we have two guests, RVT Shoshana Verton-Shaw and Dr. Adronie Verbrugghe to talk about OVC's new Hill's Pet Nutrition Weight Care Program! The Ontario Veterinary College is launching a holistic referral weight care clinic, encompassing both physical rehabilitation and nutritional counselling to help your patients meet their goals. The new Hill’s Pet Nutrition Weight Care Service will launch alongside the existing OVC Health Science Centre’s Fitness and Rehabilitation service within the Hill’s Pet Nutrition Primary Health Care Centre at the OVC. Any veterinarian in Ontario can refer patients to this program! Tune in to the last episode of Season 4 for more information!
Ever wonder how the tests we perform on patients came to be? Join Dr. Omar Khan and Dr. Geoffrey Wood as they discuss microRNA's and ground-breaking investigation into their use in developing tests for osteosarcoma and hemangiosarcoma in dogs. Dr. Wood is the Assistant Co-Director at the Institute for Comparative Cancer Investigation and a board certified veterinary pathologist. He is also currently an Associate Professor at the Ontario Veterinary College. Tune in to hear more about how this work could revolutionize early cancer detection, monitoring, and treatment decisions in veterinary oncology.
Ever wonder when you should be spaying or neutering an animal? Well look no further as who better to ask than OVC's own Theriogenologist, Dr. Michelle Caissie! After graduating from AVC in 2015, Michelle completed a large animal rotating internship at OVC. During this time, her passion for reproduction (theriogenology) flourished and she continued on as a DVSc student in Theriogenology. She successfully completed both her theriogenology board certification examination and her DVSc in 2019. In this episode, Dr. Gowland chats with Dr. Caissie about the benefits of spaying and neutering, and also how to come to a decision as to when you should be performing these procedures.
This week we have 2 special guests joining us on Vet Sessions! We have Dr. Jason Coe who some of you may remember from our podcast about the AVM value matrix. We also have Dr. Jane Shaw joining us from Colorado State University. Dr. Jane Shaw is an expert in veterinarian-client-patient interactions, Professor, University Distinguished Teaching Scholar, and Director of Veterinary Communication for Professional Excellence at CSU. Dr. Coe and Dr. Shaw have published a book called "Developing Communication Skills for Veterinary Practice" filled with useful information on how to best approach communication in practice. Their book can be found on Amazon and on Wiley.com (https://www.wiley.com/en-us/Developing+Communication+Skills+for+Veterinary+Practice-p-9781119382713) We hope you enjoy this week's episode!
Dr. Matt Kornya is back with us this week to talk all about urinary obstructions in cats! Dr. Kornya breaks down the causes, symptoms, and most importantly, the treatments available for this serious condition through some cases presented by Dr. Gowland. Whether you’re a veterinary student or general practitioner, this episode is packed with expert insights to help you manage these cases!
In this episode, Dr. Liz Goodale explores veterinary otitis, a common ear issue affecting pets. Dr. Goodale discusses the different types of otitis in dogs and cats, how to spot the symptoms, and the best treatment options to ensure your furry friend stays comfortable. If you've ever wondered how to care for your pet’s ears or prevent ear infections, this episode is a must listen!
Join us this week as we invite Dr. Jason Coe to dive into the Value Matrix, a powerful visual aid that’s transforming shared decision-making in veterinary practices! Dr. Coe is a professor at the Ontario Veterinary College and currently holds the VCA Canada Chair in Relationship-Centred Veterinary Medicine. In this episode, Dr. Coe explains how the Value Matrix supports the Spectrum of Care model, helping veterinarians guide clients through the decision-making process with clarity and confidence. Tune in to learn how this tool fosters better communication, improves patient care, and enhances client satisfaction.
Curious as to how feeding tubes can help improve patient care? Join us this week on Vet Sessions as Dr. Omar Khan chats with Dr. Sarah Abood about all things tube feeding for cats and dogs! This is Dr. Abood's third time on our podcast, and she always gives a lot of excellent information on veterinary nutrition! Be sure to check out our other podcast featuring Dr. Abood.
Welcome back listeners! We hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season. This week, please join us for part 2 of the topic of managing diabetic patients with Dr. Erin Phillips. If you haven’t heard Part 1 yet, be sure to listen to that first! We hope you enjoy!
This week we welcome back Dr. Erin Phillips! Our guest this episode has been on several previous episodes of Vet Sessions. Dr. Phillips is a board-certified specialist in Small Animal Internal Medicine, and is working toward a PhD in the RCVM@OVC lab. This episode, she talks about managing diabetic patients. This episode is intended to be a guide for phase 4 students, interns, residents, and any other practitioner who needs help with managing diabetic cases. We hope you enjoy this week's episode!
Did you know disease surveillance is important in primary care veterinary practice as well? This week we welcome Dr. Lauren Grant who teaches us all about how general practitioners can help with disease surveillance. Dr. Grant is an Assistant Professor of Environmental and Public Health and Epidemiologist in the Department of Population Medicine at the Ontario Veterinary College. Veterinarians can significantly contribute to broader disease data sets, aiding in early detection and management of outbreaks that affect both pets and public health. Tune in to learn how general practitioners can get involved in this critical work! We hope you enjoy the conversation.
This week we welcome back Dr. Sarah Abood! As some of you may recall, Dr. Abood is the recipient of the Nestlé Purina Professorship in Companion Animal Nutrition and currently serves as the OVC Nutrition Service Section Chief. This episode, Dr. Abood talks all about her recent trip to Ireland for the 28th European Nutrition Congress which lasted for two and a half days. A lot of novel research was presented at the congress, including pet food sustainability and insect diets! We hope you enjoy listening to this unique experience!
Welcome back to Vet Sessions! This week we welcome Dr. Sara Ritzie to talk about the spectrum of care in veterinary medicine. Dr. Ritzie worked in general practice in BC for three years before moving back to Ontario to join Royal Canin, where she has held various technical, scientific, and leadership roles. Throughout her time at Royal Canin she’s been an active volunteer with several organizations providing veterinary care to underserved populations. When a new DVSc Residency in Community Medicine was created at the OVC, she couldn’t resist the opportunity to expand her involvement in the community medicine space. Through her research Dr. Ritzie is focused on helping general practitioners find financially sustainable ways to expand access to veterinary care, and examining the link between a spectrum of care approach and mental wellbeing. As well, tune into our Instagram @vetsessions to discover more resources from Dr. Ritzie! We hope you enjoy this week's episode!
Did you know September was pain awareness month? This week we welcome a special guest, Dr. Mike Dutton, to chat with us about pain management in exotic animals. Dr. Dutton is a Diplomate of the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners in Avian Practice, Exotic Companion Mammal Practice, and Canine/Feline Practice. He has completed a post-doctoral Master’s Degree in Pain Management, and is also a Certified Pain Practitioner by the International Veterinary Academy of Pain Management (IVAPM). He also co-founded the Association of Exotic Mammal Veterinarians, which now has over 900 members. Dr. Dutton lectures and publishes primarily on exotic pet medicine/surgery and small animal pain management. Currently, he is the medical director of New Hampshire Veterinary Centre for Wildlife (https://nhwildlifecare.org/). We hope you enjoy this week's episode!
Welcome back to a brand new season of Vet Sessions! We hope everyone had a wonderful and restful summer. On our very first episode of Season 4, we welcome back Dr. Andria Jones to discuss the updated American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) guidelines for veterinary intern and resident wellbeing. Dr. Andria Jones is an OVC Professor of Epidemiology in the Department of Population Medicine, and her research focus is the epidemiology of mental health and wellbeing in agricultural and veterinary sectors. She is the current chair of the AAVMC wellbeing task force, who developed the evidence based guidelines as discussed in this podcast. We hope you enjoy this episode!
Welcome everyone to the last episode of Season 3! Join us this week to learn more about infectious disease testing with OVC's internal medicine team, Dr. Erin Phillips and Dr. Matt Kornya. Keep listening for some fun case studies at the end, and if you haven't already, make sure to take a listen to Part 1 as well! We hope you enjoy listening!
This week we have two special guests joining us on Vet Sessions! OVC's internal medicine doctors, Dr. Erin Phillips and Dr. Matt Kornya, return to talk about infectious disease testing with Dr. Shannon Gowland. Listen on to learn all about test selection and interpretation, what tests are available, and some tests to consider avoiding! We hope you enjoy this week's episode!