Renal pelvis dilation and azotemia in cats: is it always the kidneys' fault?

By: Serge Chalhoub DVM, DACVIM (SAIM) & Søren Boysen DVM, DACVECC

Description: A feline patient presents with acute onset of vomiting, anorexia, and decreased activity. Initial evaluation identifies severe azotemia. Oh no!!!!!! Is it the kidney’s fault (the criticalist thinks so), or is the problem pre- or post-renal in origin (the internist likes to consider everything and everything and everything)? Is the patient producing urine? Can a non-specialist veterinarian diagnose renal pelvic dilation with a degree of accuracy? Point-of-care ultrasound can help answer all the right questions. In this highly entertaining and banter-filled educational webinar, the dynamic duo will demonstrate how easy it is to get accurate, reliable information so you can manage your patients more effectively. Award winning speakers and lecturers Drs. Boysen and Chalhoub will tackle these questions and more. With over 30 published POCUS research papers and book chapters, Drs. Boysen and Chalhoub are now co-editors of their newest veterinary POCUS textbook: “The Essentials of Veterinary Point of Care Ultrasound: Pleural Space and Lung.”

By the end of the session, attendees will be able to:

1. Define acute kidney injury.
2. Know the 3 main differentials for AKI in cats.
3. Understand possible therapeutic decisions based on AKI etiology.

Speaker Info: Dr. Chalhoub graduated from the DVM program at the Faculté de médecine vétérinaire (FMV) of the Université de Montréal in 2004. Serge followed this with a one-year rotating small animal clinical internship at the same institution. After working for two years as a general practitioner and emergency veterinarian in Montreal, Serge pursued a residency in small animal internal medicine at the Animal Medical Center (AMC) in New York City. Once his residency completed in 2009 he stayed on at the AMC as their first renal/hemodialysis fellow and then as a staff doctor.

Dr. Chalhoub has been a faculty member at the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (UCVM) since 2012 and currently holds the rank of Associate Professor (Teaching). He was the recipient of the 2021 and 2013 Canadian Veterinary Medical Association’s Teacher of the Year Award, the 2015 University of Calgary Team Teacher of the Year Award, the 2017 Carl J. Norden Distinguished Teacher Award, and is a 2024 3M National Teaching Fellowship recipient recognizing Canada’s outstanding teachers.

Serge is the coordinator of a community outreach-service learning program (UCVM-CUPS Pet Health Clinic) for disadvantaged Calgarians. He has authored and co-authored numerous scientific articles and book chapters on veterinary point of care ultrasound, renal and urinary medicine, and lectures around the world on these topics. Drs. Chalhoub, Søren Boysen and Kris Gommeren published The Essentials of Veterinary Point of Care Ultrasound: Pleural Space and Lung in 2022 (available on amazon.com or Edra Publishing). He is a member of the National Issues Committee (NIC) of the CVMA and a Council Member for the Alberta Veterinary Medical Association.

Dr. Søren Boysen is a distinguished veterinarian specializing in emergency and critical care. He earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) from the University of Saskatchewan in 1996, followed by a small animal internship at the Atlantic Veterinary College and a residency at Tufts University. In 2003, he became a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care. Dr. Boysen has held significant academic positions, including serving as Chief of Small Animal Emergency and Critical Care at the University of Montreal and currently as a Full Professor at the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. His research focuses on hemorrhage, coagulation, perfusion, and point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS), for which he has received prestigious awards, including the Jack Mara Scientific Achievement Award for “Advances in Point of Care Ultrasound.” As a co-founder of the veterinary emergency and critical ultrasound (VECCUS) working group, steering member of the veterinary POCUS consensus group, and co-lead on the POCUS in CPR RECOVER guidelines, he is a global leader in advancing veterinary POCUS. An internationally recognized speaker, Dr. Boysen is celebrated for his contributions to veterinary education and research.