Looking for practical clinical insight without stepping away from your practice? The Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory, TVMDL, Clinical Connections webinar series offers a convenient, one-hour virtual learning experience open to veterinary professionals, students, and animal health partners everywhere. Texas veterinarians can also earn one hour of continuing education (CE) credit while gaining diagnostic knowledge they can immediately apply in practice.
Clinical Connections provides accessible, practical education delivered by TVMDL diagnosticians and subject-matter specialists. These interactive online sessions help attendees stay up to date on diagnostic advances, disease trends, and best practices.
In the first session, “Canine and Feline Urolithiasis: Cause, Diagnosis, and Treatment for Common Uroliths,” TVMDL veterinary diagnostician Michael Piccione, DVM, provided a practical overview of urinary stone disease in dogs and cats.
During the session, Piccione guided attendees through the key concepts clinicians encounter in everyday practice.
Understanding urolith formation
- How urinary stones develop within the urinary tract
- The role of urine supersaturation and crystal formation
- Underlying metabolic and disease factors contributing to stone development
Common urolith types discussed
- Struvite
- Calcium oxalate
- Cystine
- Ammonium urate
Clinical reognition and diagnosis
- Patient signalment trends and clinical signs
- Diagnostic imaging considerations
- Advanced stone analysis using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR)
Treatment and prevention takeaways
- Importance of accurate stone identification
- Addressing underlying disease processes
- Strategies to reduce recurrence and improve long-term patient outcomes
Through programs like Clinical Connections, TVMDL strengthens partnerships with veterinary practitioners by delivering timely education, diagnostic guidance, and practical tools that support better patient outcomes. Upcoming sessions continue to expand on clinically relevant topics, offering veterinary professionals convenient opportunities to learn directly from the experts behind their diagnostic testing.
To register for the next Clinical Connections session, visit agriliferegister.tamu.edu. To view previous sessions, visit the Clinical Connections page of the TVMDL website.
For questions regarding event details, please contact the event organizer tvmdlevents@tvmdl.tamu.edu.
