Feline Ophthalmology –Practical Tips for Diagnosing and Treating Common Cat Conditions
1.0 CE Credit Hour / Rachel Allbaugh, DVM, MS, DACVO
Rachel Allbaugh, DVM, MS, DACVO
Dr. Rachel Allbaugh is a veterinary ophthalmologist at Iowa State University, where she also received both her BS and DVM degrees. After graduation, she completed a private practice internship in North Carolina and a veterinary ophthalmology residency and master’s degree at Kansas State University. She was on faculty at Kansas State University until 2011, then returned home to Iowa and is now a full professor in ISU’s Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences and the Lora and Russ Talbot Endowed Professor in Veterinary Medicine.
Rachel’s passion for veterinary ophthalmology began with her childhood cat’s nearly blinding eye disease. Since that time, she has been devoted to the field, enjoying clinical practice, teaching, and research. She is passionate about sharing knowledge and helping advance veterinary medicine through education efforts and scholarly pursuits with 70 peer reviewed publications and 200 presentations. Rachel also helps to serve the profession through active participation and leadership roles in numerous professional organizations with her varied professional efforts earning her numerous awards.
In her free time, Rachel loves spending time with her family and friends, as well as being outside riding her horses, hiking, watersports, and any other outdoor activity.
Overview:
Diagnosis and management of feline ophthalmic issues will be addressed. Topics include conjunctivitis, ulcers, corneal sequestrate, eosinophilic keratitis, uveitis, iris melanoma, glaucoma, and hypertensive retinopathy. Pictures and brief discussion will also highlight a few less common but unique feline ocular conditions.
Learning Objectives:
- Recognize feline conjunctivitis is commonly due to an infectious cause and plan appropriate treatment
- Develop a treatment plan for corneal ulceration
- Identify corneal sequestrum based on clinical appearance
- Investigate uveitis ocular and systemic signs then plan management strategy
- Gain confidence evaluating feline fundi to recognize signs of hypertensive retinopathy
This course is RACE-approved for 1.0 continuing education credits hours in jurisdictions that accept RACE-approval.
