This year we are providing hands-on lab experiences with orthopedic fracture and joint instability repair, dental radiograph positioning, and physical medicine for pain management including laser therapy. General conference registration is not required for lab registration. However, general conference registration is required for any lecture or exhibit hall entry. If you are interested in a lab that is at full capacity, please email us to be put on the wait list.
Orthopedic Lab – Wednesday Nov 5, 2025
Fracture Skills – Essentials to Fracture Repair for General Practitioners
General practitioners are now able to successfully repair a variety of fractures in dogs and cats with a good outcome and few complications. Locking plates, headless compression screws, pins, cerclage wires and a pin and tension band will be used to repair fractures of the radius, humerus, femur and tibia using saw bone models. Fracture repair is fun and will give you a new skill set to jump start your career and give you another source of revenue. This course will teach you the essential principles to repair simple and comminuted fractures. The techniques learned in this lab are an important stepping-stone to other procedures such as TPLO.
Course Objectives:
1. To learn how to repair fractures of the growth plate
2. Understand the features of locking plates and screws, headless compression screws, cerclage and pins.
3. To learn how to stabilize transverse and oblique fractures of the radius and tibia.
4. To learn how to stabilize comminuted fractures using the simple technique of indirect reduction.
5. To learn how to stabilize articular fractures
Schedule:
8:30 Locking bone plates – simple to use and affordable
8:50 Essentials to repair of simple fractures (2 fragments)
9:15 Break
9:30 Lab 1 Direct Reduction
– Transverse fracture repair – radius
– Oblique fracture repair – tibia
10:30 Simple repair of comminuted fractures
11:00 Lab 2 Indirect Reduction
– Comminuted fracture repair – femur
12:00 Lunch
1:30 Simple Elbow Fractures
1:50 Lab 3 Articular Fracture
– Lateral condyle fracture – humerus
3:25 Physeal fractures in growing dogs and cats
3:45 Lab 4 Fracture of the Growth Plate
– Tibial tuberosity and physeal fracture – tibia
5:00 End of course
Instructors Brian Beale and Don Hulse
Sponsored by Movora / Veterinary Orthopedic Implants
Orthopedic Lab – Thursday Nov 6, 2025
Joint Instability Skills – Essentials to Restoring Stability to Unstable Joints
Joint instability is a common problem that can be the result of trauma or developmental abnormality. This course will use a variety of implants to return stability to joints of the hindlimb. The course begins by treating the most common cause of hindlimb lameness in dogs – CCL tears and MPL. Hip dislocation will be treated by open reduction and stabilization in a hip having normal conformation and FHO in a shallow or arthritic hip. Tarsal injures leading to instability and dysfunction are common in dogs. This course will teach how to stabilize tarsometataral instability using a partial arthrodesis. Collateral ligament injury is also common. An OrthoSta prosthetic ligament will be used to repair tears of the MCL.
Course Objectives:
1. To learn how to place an OrthoSta medial collateral ligament.
2. To learn how to plan and perform an isometric CCL repair in dogs.
3. To learn how to plan and perform basic MPL repair techniques in dogs.
4. To learn how to treat hip dislocation using a prosthetic round ligament.
5. To learn how to perform an FHO.
6.To learn the indications and how to perform a partial tarsal arthrodesis.
Schedule:
8:30 Implants systems used to stabilize joints
8:50 Extracapsular CCL repair using a knotless prosthetic ligament
9:15 Break
9:30 Lab 1 CCL Extracapsular Repair
– Isometric CCL OrthoSta Repair
10:30 MPL – many techniques …. How do I choose?
10:50 Lab 2 MPL Repair
– Trochlear groove deepening (SCRT and TBR)
– Tibial Tuberosity Transposition
12:00 Lunch
1:30 Hip Dislocation – do I repair or FHO?
1:50 Lab 3 Hip Dislocation Repair
– Round ligament OrthoSta toggle repair
– FHO
3:00 Tarsal Instability Beale
3:20 Lab 4 Repair of Instability of the Tarsus
– Partial Tarsal Arthrodesis
– MCL OrthoSta repair
5:00 End of course
Instructors Brian Beale and Don Hulse
Sponsored by Movora / Veterinary Orthopedic Implants
Dental Radiograph Positioning Lab – Thursday Nov 6, 2025
Dental radiographs are an essential part of the oral exam. The crown is just the tip of the iceberg. Approximately 42% of dental pathology is found subgingivally or below the gumline. Radiographs will help diagnose pathology that is not visible with the naked eye, confirm suspect pathology, as well as help demonstrate the pathology to the client. Dental radiographs can improve the standard of care in your practice and increase your clinic’s revenue. Learn full mouth positioning on a dog and cat, troubleshoot common errors, and labial mounting.
Learning Objectives:
1. Realize the factors necessary for a diagnostic dental radiograph
2. Understand how to identify the appropriate teeth in the radiograph
3. Learn to correctly position the animal, sensor, and tube head for diagnostic radiographs
4. Recognize normal artifacts that may be found
Full lab runs from 8:00am – 11:00am on Thursday 11/6
Instructor Denise Rollings, CVT, VTS (Dentistry)
Partial sponsorship by iM3
Pain Management and Physical Medicine Workshop – Thursday Nov 6, 2025
Learn how to start adding physical medicine modalities to your practice as soon as you get home! A basic understanding of how non-pharma modalities work, and how to start using them in a safe and sensible way before you dive into full certification programs, or to compliment skills you have already developed.
It remains important to blend physical medicine with standard pharmaceuticals and surgical techniques as well as addressing the role and limitations of herbal supplements. Cases will be addressed with an integration of physical and pharmacological skills.
Workshop runs from 11:30am – 2:30pm on Thursday 11/6
Instructor Bonnie Wright, DVM, DACVAA
Laser Therapeutics Lab – Thursday Nov 6, 2025
Learn more on laser therapeutics and hands-on laser practice with live animals. Open to vets, vet techs, and support staff.
Lab runs from 3:00pm – 5:00pm on Thursday 11/6
Instructor Jake Brown, VMD, CCRP, cVMA
Sponsored by Cutting Edge
Fish Workshop – Wednesday & Thursday Nov 5-6
If you are a veterinarian considering expanding your practice to include aquatic animals, this opportunity is for you! This workshop will provide participants with a combination of lectures and hands-on experience that will strengthen core competencies in aquatic animal practice and increase confidence in providing services to aquaculture producers and private fish owners.
Please see full workshop details here. Lectures will be held all day Wednesday Nov 5 from 8am-5pm and Thursday Nov 6 from 8am to 11:30am. The wet lab will be held on Thursday Nov 6 from 1-5pm at Halawa Valley. Transportation and lunch will be provided for all wet lab registrants.
Please register by emailing HDOA.AquaVet@hawaii.gov. Web lab capacity is limited to 15 attendees, and priority will be given to Hawaii-licensed vets practicing in Hawaii.