Thursday, February 12 | Sessions

Companion Animal 1
Companion Animal 2
Veterinary Technician
Bovine
Public Health
Federal Accreditation
Swine

Companion Animal Session 1
Room - Bishop C
Sponsored by Elanco
8:30-9:30am - Beyond the Crisis: Approach to Chronic Addison's Management - Dr. Chris George
In this session attendees will gain a foundational understanding of the pathophysiology of Addison’s disease and learn to recognize its diverse clinical signs and physical exam findings. While acknowledging the importance of acute stabilization, this lecture will primarily focus on developing strategies for the long-term management of affected animals. We will explore critical decision-making for ongoing care, including appropriate pharmacological interventions, monitoring protocols, and supportive measures to ensure sustained patient health and quality of life.
9:30-10:00am BREAK
10:00-11:00am -  Canine Cough Conundrum: Getting a Handle on CIRDC– Dr. Chris George
This program provides an overview of canine infectious respiratory disease complex (CIRDC), updates in treatment recommendations, and vaccination guidance.  Diagnostic workup for CIRDC will be discussed through case examples as well as supportive care and antimicrobial treatment guidance. Social and host risk factors for CIRDC will be reviewed along with vaccine discrepancies and vaccine guidance for disease prevention.
11:00-Noon - A Shot at Survival: Monoclonal Antibody Therapy for Canine Parvovirus - Dr. Chris George
This program provides an overview of canine parvovirus (CPV) and Elanco’s Canine Parvovirus monoclonal antibody (CPMA).  This discussion includes a brief review of disease state for CPV, standard of care inpatient and outpatient treatment options, and a review of multiple treatment options discussed in recent literature. An updated review of recent studies involving CPMA will also be provided.
Noon-1:30pm LUNCH
1:30-2:30pm - Biopsy and Mass Removal - Dr. Megan Mickelson
Tips and Tricks from a Surgical oncologist.
2:30-3:30pm - Wound Management Advice - Dr. Megan Mickelson
The good, the bad, the ugly.
3:30-4:00pm BREAK
4:00-5:00pm - Updates in Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Surgery - Dr. Megan Mickelson

Veterinary Technician Session - Dr. Alexus Urbanik
Room - Skinner A
Sponsored by Hill's Pet Nutrition
8:30-9:30am - Basic Nutrition
Understanding canine and feline nutrition requires a review of the six major nutrient classes—water, protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals. The optimal balance and quality of these components vary significantly due to the distinct physiological needs of dogs and cats, which are rooted in their evolutionary histories.
9:30-10:30am - Pet Food Labels 101
Numerous misunderstandings surround the composition of pet food. This seminar will assist you and your team in deciphering the pet food aisle to fully comprehend the information that can and cannot be ascertained from a pet food label.
10:30-11:00am BREAK
11:00-Noon - Weight Cannot Wait
Understand the pet obesity epidemic, its harm to pet health and longevity, and how to calculate ideal body weight using the Body Fat Index (BFI) chart. Learn to determine Resting Energy Requirements and incorporate life stage factors for creating effective diet plans, along with strategies for discussing weight management with clients.
Noon-1:30pm LUNCH
1:30-2:30pm – The Joint Journey
The seminar addresses Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD) and Osteoarthritis (OA) in pets. Effective management is multimodal, including weight control and physical therapy. Nutrition, especially Omega-3 fatty acids, is critical to disrupt the cycle of inflammation and cartilage breakdown. Studies show that Omega-3 supplemented diets are
highly effective for managing DJD.
2:30-3:00pm BREAK
3:00-3:30pm - Leading the Way in Client-Centric Veterinary Care
This seminar is meticulously crafted for veterinary professionals who are committed to elevating their practice by focusing on client-centric strategies. The session centers around three pivotal elements: nutrition for pets across different life stages, mastering seamless communication with pet owners, and integrating convenient home delivery services in your clinic.
3:30-4:00pm - Wellness Nutrition and Life Stage Exercises
This seminar will be a collaborative effort by the speaker and attendees to review the wellness nutrition concepts and define various life stages.
4:00-5:00pm - Therapeutic Nutrition Case Workshop
The attendees will work through 2-3 cases, depending on time, that cover feline weight management, canine urinary disease and canine dermatopathy.
 
Companion Animal Session 2 Morning Session- Dr. Joy Campbell
Room - Polk County
Sponsored by WINPRO Pet
Plasma Functional Proteins: A Tool for Whole Body Pet Health
8:30-10:00am – Session 1: Plasma Functional Proteins for Pets – How it’s Made and Mode of Action
This session will provide veterinarians with an overview of how plasma ingredients are produced and processed to preserve bioactive components. Attendees will learn the key mechanisms through which plasma proteins modulate inflammation, reinforce gut barrier function and influence the microbiome. As a well-researched ingredient with decades of scientific study, plasma provides a strong evidence-based foundation for supporting overall pet health and resilience.
10:00-10:30am BREAK
10:30-Noon – Session 2: Plasma Functional Proteins for Pets – Insights from Companion Animal Research
This session will review recent studies in pets demonstrating the health benefits of plasma functional proteins. Attendees will explore evidence on microbiome, immune modulation, mobility and systemic resilience. With a robust body of research behind it, plasma is a scientifically validated ingredient, and this session will additionally highlight practical applications in pet foods, treats, and supplements to enhance wellness and support evidence-based clinical recommendations.
 
Federal Accreditation Session – Afternoon Session
Room - Polk County
1:30-2:30pm - Module 5: Vesicular Diseases - Dr. Andrea Holmes
The first part of this module addresses the importance of foot-and-mouth disease, vesicular stomatitis, swine vesicular disease, vesicular exanthema of swine and Senecavirus A in the United States. Clinical signs associated with vesicular diseases and specific biosecurity measures are included. The second part of this module takes the veterinarian through an interactive scenario investigating a possible vesicular disease outbreak on a swine farm. Veterinarians learn the process of reporting a possible vesicular disease case and the chain of events that occur in a foreign animal disease investigation.
2:30-2:45pm BREAK
2:45-3:45pm - Module 41: New World Screwworm (NWS)- Dr. Bailey Goos
This module will cover New World Screw Worm’s potential impact on our food supply as well as animal and human health. Accredited veterinarians will learn about the life cycle of NWS, clinical signs seen in animals infested with NWS, methods of control, and the accredited veterinarian’s role in the control and eradication of New World Screwworm.
3:45-4:00pm BREAK
4:00-5:00pm - Module 8: International Movement of Horses - Dr. Jessica Young
This model illustrates the scope of international horse travel and the economic factors associated with its growth, including examples of disease outbreaks that have occurred throughout the world. Proper completion of health certificates for temporary or permanent movement is included. An interactive scenario that demonstrates the process for permanently exporting a horse internationally is presented. Emphasis is placed on the role of the accredited veterinarian, isolation procedures, the required laboratory tests, and accurately completing an international health certificate.
 
Bovine Session
Room - Skinner B
Morning Session Sponsored by IDEXX
8:30-9:30am - Driving BVDV out of the herd - Dr. Jim Rhoades
What will you learn in this session? 
Disease History and Biology – Structure, host reservoir and transmission
Production and Economic Losses – Cow/calf, Dairy, Finishing Sector
Testing and Control Options – ELISA, PCR
9:30-10:00am BREAK
10:00-11:00am - Avoiding a Wreck! Diagnostics Options for Identifying Open Cows and Why She is not Pregnant – Dr. Rafael Paiva
11:00-Noon - A New Approach to Trichomoniasis Management and Control – Dr. Jim Rhoades
What will you learn in this session today?
Disease; History and Biology
Basics of Tritrichomonas foetus (T. foetus) as a disease
Disease herd impacts and risk assessment on the farm
Testing options and Regulatory requirements
Control options for Trich in cattle
Sampling and transport of samples
Proper sampling, shipping and packaging best practices
Noon-1:30pm LUNCH
1:30-2:15pm - Asian Longhorned Tick and Theileria Orientalis in Iowa - Dr. Matt Brewer
Haemaphysalis longicornis, the Asian Longhorned Tick (ALHT), is an invasive tick that has been present in the United States for over a decade. This tick was initially found in the Eastern United States, but was discovered on cattle in Iowa in 2025. ALHT serves as a vector for the protozoan Theileria orientalis, which has caused mortality events and has a clinical presentation that is similar to anaplasmosis. This session will discuss tick biology, the unique aspects of ALHT, recent data from the state of Iowa, and a discussion of forecasted expectations for ALHT and T. orientalis.
2:15-3:00pm - Continued Vigilance for New World Screwworm - Dr. Matt Brewer
For over 50 years, the new world screwworm (NWS, Cochliomyia hominivorax) was considered eradicated from the United States. By continuing a successful sterile fly release program, this pathogen was slowly pushed out of Central America. In recent years, NWS reemerged in Panama and adjacent countries, eventually being found in Mexico in 2024 and 2025. This session will outline the current NWS situation and information for continued vigilance in safeguarding veterinary species from this pest.
3:00-3:30pm BREAK
3:30-4:30pm - IDALS Update – State Response & Vaccination Plans for FMD - Dr. Jeff Kaisand Foreign animal diseases like Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) can spread quickly, impacting operations of any size. Staff from IDALS will share updates on state plans for FMD, including what to expect and plans for vaccination during a response, producer responsibilities, available resources to consider, and possible gaps in preparedness.
4:30-5:00pm – Updates on PC Research Grants
Dr. Sara Chaplin - Update on the Iowa Cow-Calf Herd Performance Benchmarking Project
Dr. Megan Hindman - Update on targeted deworming and anthelmintic resistance in an intensive rotational grazing system 
 
Public Health Session
Room - Grandquist
Sponsored by Elanco
8:30-9:30am – Beyond the Bite: From Pests to Pollinators – Dr. Jenna Bjork
Arthropods, including insects and arachnids, are the largest group of animals on earth. While most species are harmless or even beneficial, a small number can negatively impact human and animal health. Integrating a combination of control strategies can manage pests in an effective and sustainable way that minimizes harm to unintended species, like honey bees.
9:30-10:30am - Treating Parasites: Difficult Cases or True Drug Resistance? - Dr. Matt Brewer
Parasitic organisms cause challenges in animal health among all species of veterinary interest. Over the past 40 years, scientific discovery has led to exciting advancement in the availability and reliability of antiparasiticide compounds. At the same time, selection pressure has led to the development of drug resistance. This session will present the known extent of drug resistance in parasites of both food and companion animals. There will be a focus on the recent emergence of resistance in hookworm, heartworm, and tapeworms. We will discuss the difficulty in differentiating true drug resistance from cases of reinfection or complex life cycles.
10:30-11:00am BREAK
11:00-Noon - Parasiticide Stewardship: Easier Said Than Done - Dr. Matt Brewer
Antiparasitic drugs are important tools for controlling veterinary and zoonotic diseases. While chemical control of parasites will remain crucial, the veterinary community will have to give more thorough discussion to the strategic use of antiparasiticides in the face of increasing drug resistance. This session will present considerations for parasiticide stewardship. We will consider how parasite biology leads to differences in strategic decision making that can be different than considerations made for antimicrobial resistance in bacteria. We will review the development and availability of antiparasitic drugs in a historical context, and how alternate control strategies should continue to be a strong part of veterinary intervention. We will discuss old and emerging technologies for detection of resistance and resources for practitioners encountering difficult cases.
Noon-1:30pm LUNCH
1:30-2:30pm - Bats and Cows and Dogs - Oh My! From Bite to Decision: Rabies Risk in Practice  - Dr. Katie Rumsey & Dr. Andrew Hennenfent
This session will prepare veterinarians and veterinary technicians to confidently triage suspected rabid animals and take the right next steps. This session draws on Iowa Department of Health and Human Services and Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship guidance to cover how to recognize true rabies exposures, assess species-specific risks, and apply quarantine or testing protocols. Through practical case scenarios, attendees will learn clear decision-making strategies for handling bites, bat encounters, and livestock exposures, ensuring they can protect both animal and human health when rabies risk arises.
2:30-3:00pm BREAK
3:00-4:00pm - Japanese Encephalitis: An Australian perspective on an emerging arboviral zoonosis - Dr. David Williams
4:00-5:00pm -  Biting Back: Use of Mosquito & Tick Surveillance to Understand Vector-Borne Disease Risks in Iowa - Dr. Ryan Smith
Mosquitoes and ticks are crucial vectors for transmitting a variety of pathogens that affect human and animal health across the globe. In Iowa, evolving environmental and land-use patterns are reshaping vector ecology and influencing disease transmission dynamics that ultimately shape disease risk. This seminar will summarize statewide surveillance for mosquitoes and ticks, highlighting their changing abundance and the implications for vector-borne disease transmission, including West Nile virus, Lyme disease, Rickettsiosis, and other emerging pathogens. In summary, attendees will learn how vector surveillance data provides insight into the dynamics and epidemiology of vector-borne disease transmission, as well as its implications for veterinary and public health intervention.
 
Swine Session
Room - Skinner C
Sponsored by BestBiosecurity
8:30-9:00am - A lot of Exciting Goings On At the ISU VDL! - Dr. Rodger Main
Dr. Main will provide a timely update on the many new and exciting goings on in and around the ISU VDL.  This presentation will provide some insight into composition of the current ISU VDL faculty and staff, areas of focus, new diagnostic service offerings, and the status of the VDL Building project.
9:00-9:20am - National Swine Health Strategy - Dr. Meredith Petersen
This session will be an update of the National Swine Health Strategy, a collaborative, producer-led initiative designed to create a measurably healthier swine herd and improve the lives of both pigs and people.
9:20-9:40am - Advancing Swine Health and Biosecurity through Targeted Research Programs - Dr. Lisa Becton
An overview of SHIC will be provided covering activities including research initiatives and outcomes and other key program areas.
9:40-10:00am - Hydroxyl Air & Surface Sanitation in Swine Facilities: Science, Efficacy, Safety, and Scale for PRRSV/PEDV and Ammonia Challenges - Dr. Connie Araps
Swine production facilities face persistent challenges from airborne pathogens and toxic gases that traditional ventilation cannot fully resolve. This presentation explains and compares reactive air-cleaning technologies, their efficacy, safety, and scale-up. In particular, it will focus on hydroxyl air cleaners and how they mimic nature’s atmospheric cleansing by using ultraviolet energy to photolyze water vapor into hydroxyl radicals. Unlike other airborne technologies, hydroxyls rapidly produce a "Cascade Effect" by generating more stable organic peroxy radicals that “travel” throughout large spaces via chain reactions with ambient volatile organic chemicals (VOC), sanitizing both air and surfaces. Radical chain lifetimes of over 12 minutes enable dependable scale-up to large spaces. We will review microbiological data showing significant reductions of a broad range of airborne pathogens, demonstrating that OH/ROO sanitization is not selective but can kill all pathogens. In particular, data demonstrating a 97.9% reduction in Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) virus and over 99% reduction in E. coli and Salmonella will be reviewed. Finally, we will discuss the 13-week FDA GLP toxicology study, which confirms that these natural concentrations are safe for continuous use in occupied environments.
10:00-10:30am BREAK
10:30-10:45am - Using Diagnostic Data to Generate Between and Within-Production-Systems Epidemiological Information  - Dr. Giovani Trevisan
10:45-11:00am - VDL Website updates - Dr. Katie Woodard
11:00-Noon - IDALS Update – State Response & Vaccination Plans for FMD - Dr. Jeff Kaisand
Foreign animal diseases like Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) can spread quickly, impacting operations of any size. Staff from IDALS will share updates on state plans for FMD, including what to expect and plans for vaccination during a response, producer responsibilities, available resources to consider, and possible gaps in preparedness. 
Noon - 1:30pm LUNCH
1:30-2:15pm - Applications and Insights of HPAI H5N1 Research in Swine and Bovine - Dr. Bailey Arruda
The outcomes of multiple HPAIV inoculation trials in swine, naive cows, convalescent cows, and calves will be presented in relation to on farm implications and vaccine evaluation. 
2:15-2:45pm - Online Tools for Assessing PRRSV ORF5 Data: A Guided Example  - Dr. Michael Zeller
This session will walk participants through the use of publicly available tools to analyze PRRSV ORF5 sequence data generated by a diagnostic laboratory. Attendees will learn how to use their own sequencing data to identify similar cases processed by the Iowa State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, compile sequences into a FASTA-formatted file, and generate homology tables and phylogenetic trees using online resources. This session will also provide an overview of PRRSV diversity and describe how nomenclature has evolved over time. The format of this presentation will be a live demonstration, and attendees are encouraged to bring their own laptops to follow along with provided example data.
2:45-3:30pm – Characterization of PRRSV diversity and other pathogens found in LVI used for breeding herd stabilization programs - Dr. Mariamawit Mohammed
This presentation discusses the variability in LVI preparation practices, characterizes the genetic diversity of PRRSV, and investigates additional pathogens identified in the LVI samples.
3:30-4:00pm - Current status of PEDV in the United States and the strategic plans toward national elimination.- Dr. Jianqiang Zhang
Brief description: Current status of PEDV in the USA based on PCR and sequence data will be presented. Strategic plans for PEDV elimination in the USA will be discussed.