The program of the Internal Medicine Course is created to give the chance to participants to deepen their knowledge in medical sciences of companion animals. The courses will be at an advanced level, in case-oriented and problem-solving approaches; each week will focus on a specific “discipline” of small animal internal medicine in order to give to attending veterinarians basic as well as advanced competences in most important topics of the daily practice. By attending to all courses, the participants are expected to achieve an adequate level of skills to be able to solve problems in the most important medical sciences, including all disciplines that are closely interconnected to internal medicine, such as oncology, cardiology, neurology and intensive care.
The complete training programme consists of seven periods of 5 days each; the entire programme will be given from 2018 to 2024. International guidelines and most recent scientific literature will be discussed in lectures, cases will be given to participants in practical sessions; attending vets will be fully responsible to find adequate management plans and reach the diagnosis in practical sessions. Theoretical and practical sessions will allow participants to achieve a level of knowledge and expertise that capacitate them to manage medical cases.
Part 1: Cardiology
The aim of this part of the course is to provide participants with a solid and practical foundation in small animal cardiology, focusing on a structured clinical approach to cardiovascular diseases in dogs and cats. The course will start with the principles of cardiovascular examination and thoracic auscultation, with special emphasis on the recognition and interpretation of heart murmurs and abnormal cardiac sounds.
Participants will learn to identify the main clinical signs that indicate when a cardiological examination is required and how to approach these patients efficiently in daily practice. The most common and clinically relevant cardiac diseases will be discussed in detail, including canine mitral valve disease, feline cardiomyopathies, dilated cardiomyopathy, pericardial diseases, congestive heart failure, and feline arterial thromboembolism.
Teaching will be highly case-oriented, with daily discussion of real clinical cases to strengthen clinical reasoning, diagnostic decision-making, and therapeutic planning. This part of the course is ideal for veterinarians who wish to gain a confident, practical, and immediately applicable approach to cardiology in small animals.
Part 2: Emergency and Critical Care
The aim of this part of the course is to equip participants with the essential knowledge and practical skills required to manage small animal patients in emergency and critical conditions. The course will begin with the fundamentals of emergency medicine, including triage, prioritization, and the establishment of a minimum diagnostic database to stabilize patients during emergency admissions.
Participants will learn how to use key diagnostic and monitoring tools commonly available in the emergency room, such as ECG, pulse oximetry, capnography, systemic arterial pressure measurement, blood gas analysis, and point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS). The interpretation of these tools and their role in clinical decision-making will be emphasized.
The course will cover the management of the most frequent emergency scenarios, including shock syndromes, dyspnoea, trauma, neurological emergencies, metabolic disturbances, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Fluid therapy, nutritional support in critical patients, and emergency management of complex cases will be discussed using practical examples and interactive clinical cases.
