Old Dogs, Fat Cats: Perioperative Pain Management in the Geriatric and Obese Patient

Dr. Jenn Bornkamp is a graduate of Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine. She completed a rotating large animal internship at Iowa State University and a residency in anesthesiology & pain management from the University of Florida. She is certified in veterinary acupuncture and tui-na. Since completing her residency, she has worked as an anesthesiologist at a veterinary teaching hospital, a specialty small animal practice, at a primary care and specialty/emergency center. In 2023 she transitioned to GP/emergency medicine relief in attempt to achieve the elusive work-life balance. She joined the team at VEG Hoboken in 2023. She has lectured about anesthesia at national conferences including VMX Orlando, Western Veterinary Conference, and the AVMA conference in 2020. Her main areas of focus include anesthesia of the geriatric population and patients with co-morbidities and how veterinarians in GP/ER can manage them without a specialist.

When it comes to pain management for our patients, there is the gold standard we are taught in veterinary school versus what is actually available to us in our clinics plus affordable for our clients. Dr. Bornkamp has focused much of her CE lectures on how to provide the best analgesia using a combination of injectable analgesics/anesthetics plus local anesthetic techniques using common medications found in a GP practice. Local anesthetic techniques include simple skills like line block, infiltration, dental to the more advanced skills like brachial plexus, femoral/sciatic, or TAP blocks. There is a comfort level achievable for all veterinarians with even the simple techniques that can improve you patient analgesia/anesthesia. Multi-modal analgesia is achievable in most veterinary patients thru a combination of injectable and local anesthetic techniques.

During the pandemic, Dr. Jenn started working with mobile vaccination clinics and wellness centers to help increase access to affordable veterinary care. She has continued to provide veterinary care by working in urgent care, emergency medicine, as well as in wellness and vaccination clinics. She recently transitioned to being a full-time emergency room doctor and also acts as a relief veterinarian occasionally. Dr. Jenn is passionate about providing accessible veterinary care for pets and their owners.

Adam Christman, DVM, MBA, is the chief veterinary officer for dvm360®—an MJH Life Sciences Company™—who oversees content strategy and development and is the brand voice and personality for dvm360®’s multimedia channels. As a charismatic leader, he brings wit, humor, and authenticity to animal health care as the host of dvm360 Live!™ a new web-based talk show, The Vet Blast Podcast, continuing education webinars, and live media broadcasts.

Christman has also been in private practice and shelter medicine for 18 years and is currently a member and Treasurer of the New Jersey Veterinary Medical Association. He received his DVM degree from Iowa State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine and his MBA from Aspen University.

Christman is a national thought leader, speaker and author on practice management, social media, and rehabilitation, and co-authored, Honey, Have You Squeezed the Dachshund? A Pet Owner’s Guide for Owners Who Are Terrified of IVDD—a book on dogs with disabilities. He has been featured in multiple publications and appeared on various multimedia shows throughout the country sharing his expertise and passion on all things veterinary medicine.

As an avid social media influencer for animal health care, he has over 800K followers on TikTok and 53K followers on Instagram. He loves to engage with fellow pet parents and veterinary professionals across social media. Christman is an advocate of Pride VMC and Pawsibilities. He is also the proud dog dad to 4 dachshunds and believes no one should be deprived of the incredible human-animal bond.