The Cairn Podcast: Marking the Trail for Veterinarians

Join Dr. Corinne Goldman and Dr. Dan Hall at the rounds table, as they meet to discuss the use of cannabinoids in veterinary medicine. We discuss the endocannabinoid system and its three main components, as well as evidence (or lack thereof) for potential benefit of cannabidiol (CBD) in conditions such as epilepsy, pain management, atopic dermatitis and anxiety. Episode resources: Ukai et al. The...

Join us for this exciting discussion as we welcome Dr. Joshua Stern, DVM, PhD, DACVIM (Cardiology) to discuss results of the recently completed RAPACAT trial, evaluating the effects of delayed release rapamycin on left ventricular wall thickness in cats with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). Dr. Stern is the Associate Dean for Research & Graduate Studies and Professor of Cardiology at North C...

Join us for an incredible and inspirational discussion with Dr. Jennifer Bonovich, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and Master of Science in Veterinary Forensics. Dr. Bonovich has an extensive background and ongoing involvement with the military, public service sector, and other volunteer positions, in addition to her full time duties as a head shelter veterinarian. Listen as Dr. Bonovich details her...

Join Dr. Laura Smallwood as we discuss kindness. Specifically, how does 'kindness' differ from 'being nice'. We discuss how true kindness originates from love and interconnectivity, whereas being nice is based on transactional motivation, where we are hoping for a specific outcome based on our actions. As Dr. Laura states: "When my heart is oriented toward kindness,  my th...

Join Dr. Corinne and Dr. Dan as we refresh our understanding of acute kidney injury with a focus on early recognition, the value of POCUS (point-of-care ultrasound) in the identification of renal injury, therapeutic interventions, and the role of hemodialysis. Please see Dr. Goldman's supplemental slides!

Join Dr. Corinne Goldman and Dr. Dan Hall as they meet at the rounds table, reviewing recent literature from the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine regarding the role of alimentary disease in the development, progression, and persistence of respiratory disease in dogs. Well beyond a discussion of brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome, this podcast delves into the recent One Health review...

Join Dr. Laura Smallwood as we move beyond the foundations of mindfulness practice and into practical applications, and explore mindfulness of stress. Mindfulness of stress involves understanding our differing stress responses to various circumstances or environmental triggers. We discuss "good" vs. "bad" types of stress, polyvagal theory, acute vs. chronic stress, the  importa...

Join us for Part 2 as we finish our diabetes discussion with Dr. Patty Lathan, including practical use of Bexacat™ the new SGLT2 inhibitor for use in feline diabetes mellitus management. Dr Lathan is a co-author on the 2018 AAHA Small Animal Diabetes Mellitus Management Guidelines as well as the 2022 consensus statement on Agreeing Language in Veterinary Endocrinology (ALIVE): Diabetes mellitus in...

Join us for Part 1 of this epic diabetes discussion as we we sit down with our dear friend, classmate, and colleague Dr. Patty Lathan, VMD, MS, DACVIM (SAIM), Small Animal Internist and endocrinologist, and associate professor of small animal internal medicine at Mississippi State University to discuss Bexacat™ the new SGLT2 inhibitor for use in feline diabetes mellitus management. Listen in as Dr...

Join Dr. Laura Smallwood as we explore the fourth and final foundation of mindfulness. Mindfulness of mental phenomena involves learning from what we notice during our meditation practice as well as our lives, including what leads to more stress, suffering or well being. Or as Dr. Smallwood hilariously puts it: Mindfulness of "How's That Going For Ya?" We discuss the five universal...

Join us for Part 2 of this wonderful episode, as we finish our discussion with Dr. Melinda McCall to discuss her career as a large animal veterinarian. Melinda recounts how she became involved with local and state boards, animal rescue (of all shapes and sizes), and how giving back to her community has been so rewarding for her. We also discuss challenges ahead for farmers, shortages of large anim...

Join us for Part 1 of this insightful, hilarious, and heartwarming episode, as we welcome Dr. Melinda McCall to discuss her career as a large animal veterinarian. Melinda discusses how her early childhood experiences on a farm encouraged her to pursue her dreams despite some discouragement from friends and family. We also discuss her experiences as a younger veterinarian, including one of the craz...

Join Dr. Laura Smallwood as we explore mindfulness of thinking and the phenomenon of meta awareness, a characteristic unique to humans (as far as we know!). Mindfulness of thinking is the 3rd foundation of mindfulness practice, and involves observing our thoughts in a nonjudgmental way, without added analysis. We continue our journey in building upon skills learned from mindfulness of the breath,...

Join us as we conclude our entrepreneurship discussion with Dr. Tim Loonam. We discuss soft skills to improve staff enthusiasm, tips for networking, following your values, and how to build mutually beneficial relationships with local vendors, rescue organizations, veterinary specialists, and primary veterinarians. See Part 1 for episode resources.

Join us for Part 1 of another fantastic discussion with Dr. Tim Loonam. We discuss changes to the veterinary profession catalyzed by the KPMG and Brakke Megastudy of 1999. We then go on to discuss the current landscape for veterinary practice start-up and ownership - it's easier than you think! Veterinary specific lenders such as Provide understand our profession better than typical banks, an...

Join for us for part 2 of this amazing episode with Jennifer Rogers and Melissa Payne from PAALS. We continue discussing specific PAALS programs, and how you can get involved to support this organization through fundraisers, fun events, volunteering, and even foster opportunities for dogs that are in training. With the incredible leadership at PAALS and community support, we can all be a part of m...

Join us for Part 1 of this beautiful two-part series as we welcome Jennifer Rogers and Melissa Payne from Palmetto Animal Assisted Life Services (PAALS). Jennifer is the founder of PAALS and current director of training, and Melissa is the executive director.  PAALS is the only Assistance Dog International (ADI) accredited organization based in South Carolina, and is a founding member of Animal As...

Join Dr. Laura Smallwood as we explore mindfulness of feeling tones, including the three basic feeling tones that we should practice paying attention to. We discuss how learning to recognize pleasant, unpleasant and neutral feeling tones can help us respond better to life's changing circumstances. A guided meditation by Dr. Smallwood on mindfulness of feeling tones can be found here . Dr. Sma...

Happy National Heartworm Awareness month! Join us as we discuss cardiorenal syndrome and dive into some of the unusual heartworm positive cases we have seen in April. Before diving into our cases, we discuss pathophysiology of heartworm-induced renal disease, prevalence of heartworm disease, current treatment options for heartworm disease, and the interplay of the cardiovascular and renal systems....

Join us for Part 2 as we continue our leadership discussion with Dr. Tim Loonam. We explore how the specific mindset and approach of a professional athlete can be applied to those of us in the veterinary profession, and the importance of a team-oriented mindset. This concludes an invaluable discussion for anyone interested in building their own resiliency, leadership and longevity, in any professi...

Join us for a brief recap as we discuss our journey so far, look forward to what's ahead, and invite our listeners to participate in future episodes! We revisit the importance of mindfulness as a foundation for daily life and work, preview future veterinary and mindfulness topics, and reflect on whether we have honored our mission so far.

Join us for Part 1 of this amazing two-part series as we welcome Dr. Tim Loonam to discuss building resiliency and leadership qualities. Dr. Loonam is a former army ranger, veterinary practice owner, and still practices as a mixed animal veterinarian while lecturing at veterinary schools across the country. We specifically discuss servant leadership, why it is so effective, and how its absence fro...

Dr. Goldman and Dr. Hall discuss how veterinary point of care ultrasound techniques can be employed to benefit veterinary patients. AFAST, TFAST and VetBLUE are standardized focused ultrasound protocols currently offered through FASTVet . We also discuss several veterinary studies examining the accuracy of these techniques and how they can be used in complement with other diagnostics, in various a...

Join Dr. Laura Smallwood as we further explore mindfulness of the body, including techniques we can use  to improve body awareness. Improving body awareness helps us to become more present, focused, and connected with the external world. Additionally, improved body awareness can help improve overall health, detect early disease and reduce the chance of injuries. Guidance for the body scan meditati...

Join Drs. Paige Mackey and Ashleigh Seigneur as they discuss their experiences in transitioning from full time veterinary internists to locum and mobile specialty work, serving multiple hospitals in different locations. Dr. Dan Hall also discusses his gradual transition from a full time staff cardiologist to a mobile practitioner. We explore the factors that led to our transition away from being f...