VetEmCrit: The Veterinary Emergency & Critical Care Podcast

Episode 19: Hemostasis

The VetEmCrit Academy built for ER vets who want to grow, level up, and learn together: https://academy.vetemcrit.com/join [https://academy.vetemcrit.com/join] In this episode, Dr. Lance Wheeler, DVM, DACVECC continues building on the previous episodes' triage and serial-assessment foundations and shifts the focus to one of the most consequential physiologic systems in emergency and critical care — hemostasis. Drawing from Chapter 3 of Small Animal Critical Care Medicine (3rd edition) by Ronald Lee, Lance walks through hemostasis in a practical, stepwise way: the three stages of platelet activation (initiation, extension, stabilization), the cell-based model of coagulation (initiation, amplification, propagation, termination), the vitamin K–dependent factors, the tenase and prothrombinase complexes, fibrinolysis and its endogenous inhibitors, and the increasingly important concept of immunothrombosis and neutrophil extracellular traps in sepsis. Along the way, he weaves in the most current veterinary evidence — including 2024–2025 studies on trauma-associated coagulopathy, hyperfibrinolysis in cats, the TXA hemorrhagic shock trial in dogs, and the link between sepsis, fibrinolysis inhibitors, and NETs — and closes with a high-yield rapid-fire board review covering every key number worth memorizing. If you enjoy this episode and want the full experience — weekly deep-dives, interactive simulators, and clinical algorithms you can use on shift — come join us inside the VetEmCrit Academy.

Episode 18: The Daily Physical Exam in the ICU

The VetEmCrit Academy built for ER vets who want to grow, level up, and learn together: https://academy.vetemcrit.com/join [https://academy.vetemcrit.com/join] In this episode, Dr. Lance Wheeler, DVM, DACVECC builds on the previous episode's triage discussion and shifts the focus to one of the most underappreciated skills in modern emergency and critical care — the daily physical examination of the critically ill patient. Drawing from Chapter 2 of Small Animal Critical Care Medicine (3rd edition) by Timothy Hackett, Lance makes the case that no monitor, point-of-care ultrasound, or laboratory analyzer can replace a structured, intentional bedside exam — especially when it comes to assessing perfusion, hydration, and overall trajectory in real time. If you enjoy this episode and want the full experience - weekly deep-dives, interactive simulators, and clinical algorithms you can use on shift - come join us inside the VetEmCrit Academy.

Episode 17: Journal Club (Hyperammonemia in seizures, fluids in cardiac tamponade, antibiotics in pneumonia)

The VetEmCrit Academy built for ER vets who want to grow, level up, and learn together: https://academy.vetemcrit.com/join [https://academy.vetemcrit.com/join] This episode is a free preview of what VetEmCrit Academy members get every month — in-depth journal clubs, case-based simulators, algorithms, and practical teaching tools designed for emergency and critical care veterinary professionals. In this episode, we break down four recent papers in veterinary ECC. First, we explore the link between hyperammonaemia and feline seizures, including prevalence data and possible mechanisms. Next, we revisit pericardiocentesis — this time examining whether an IV fluid bolus before the procedure improves outcomes. Then we dive into SGLT2 inhibitors for managing diabetes in cats traditionally considered poor candidates for conventional therapy. Finally, we review a meta-analysis on antibiotic duration for bacterial pneumonia, asking whether shorter courses are just as effective. If you enjoy this episode and want the full experience — weekly deep-dives, interactive simulators, and clinical algorithms you can use on shift — come join us inside VetEmCrit Academy.

Episode 16: Triage by Dr. Wheeler

The VetEmCrit Academy built for ER vets who want to grow, level up, and learn together: https://academy.vetemcrit.com/join [https://academy.vetemcrit.com/join] This is the first episode in a new long-form series by Dr. Lance Wheeler, DVM, DACVECC, working systematically through the core topics in small animal emergency and critical care medicine - starting with the foundations and building toward the more advanced concepts. The series is designed for ECC residents preparing for boards, technicians pursuing their VTS (ECC), and any clinician who wants a structured, practical review of high-yield emergency and critical care. In this first episode, he tackles one of the most fundamental skills in ECC: evaluation and triage of the critically ill patient. He starts with the primary survey - respiratory, cardiovascular, and neurologic - and walk through how to recognize early decompensation before a patient crashes. He covers practical thresholds you'll actually use on shift: oxygenation and ventilation targets, hypotension and shock index cutoffs, glucose, sodium, and potassium alert values, and the criteria that distinguish septic peritonitis, uroperitoneum, and bile peritonitis on point-of-care ultrasound. Along the way, he incorporates recent literature.  If you enjoy this episode and want the full experience - weekly deep-dives, interactive simulators, and clinical algorithms you can use on shift - come join us inside the VetEmCrit Academy.

Episode 15: Stewart Approach to Acid-Base

The VetEmCrit Academy built for ER vets who want to grow, level up, and learn together: https://academy.vetemcrit.com/join [https://academy.vetemcrit.com/join] Welcome back to the VetEmCrit Podcast! Today, we are sharing a special sneak peek from our brand-new "Nontraditional Acid-Base Analysis" training, now available inside the VetEmCrit Academy. In this audio lesson, we are exploring the fascinating origins of the Stewart approach and the physicist who completely turned the traditional bicarbonate model on its head. If you’ve ever felt like the classic acid-base model doesn't quite explain what's happening with your sickest ICU patients, this episode will lay the crucial groundwork for understanding a more precise, quantitative method.