Schedule

Kristine Gonzales DVM, DACT, Guide Dogs for the Blind This session will focus on the resources, instrumentation, and guidelines used during labor and delivery in a 24-hour whelping facility. There will be an emphasis on GDBs approach to handling whelps with known small litter sizes. Dr. Gonzales will offer alternatives to prescriptively taking a dam to cesarean section with a small litter. Statistical whelping data from GDBs breeding colony that manages 10-12 whelps per month will be discussed.

Natalie Ergler, Guide Dogs of America The goal is to give practical, sustainable advice when managing puppy socialization practices and procedures. Upskilling volunteers to give individualized experiences to puppies. Creative thinking and making socialization work with limited time, staff, and resources.

Using devices pups wear, we capture data that can help us better predict success and help raisers to be more successful by understanding the environmental influences on success. Using “smart collar” technology to collect data during puppy testing while puppies are being raised in a puppy raising program, artificial intelligence is then applied for predictive outcomes that can lead to cost savings for programs and production planning.

Dana Hunter, Assistance Dog International

Tom Lewis, PhD Canine atopic dermatitis is a common but complex condition that represents the most common health related reason for withdrawal for Guide Dogs. This study utilised SNP data on 347 dogs to determine genomic heritability and identify genes with potential influence on the disease.

Frances Chen, DVM PhD Assistant ProfessorBioinformatics & Integrative BiologyUMass Chan Medical School,Karlsson Lab, Vertebrate GenomicsBroad Institute of MIT and Harvard, IWDRC

Dr. Richard G Lea PhD SFHEA, University of Nottingham

Stephen Shaw BVetMed CertSAD DVD PhD PgCAP FHEA MRCVS Clinical Associate Professor in Veterinary Dermatology, University of Nottingham 1. What is atopic dermatitis, and how can we make a diagnosis? 2. Developing tools for bigger studies involving results, behavior, the effects of the environment, genetics 3. The power of big data - why it is worth contributing to breeder and public surveys!

Hannah Lawrence, Royal Canin, Cert CFVHNut Hannah is a Scientific Communications Manager for Royal Canin, who has spent the last 14 years working for the company; firstly, in a Retail Business Management role and more recently within the Corporate Affairs department working on various pieces for the national press, trade publications, trade shows, consumers and customers to increase knowledge and education around pet nutrition. Hannah completed her Certificate in Canine and Feline Veterinary Health Nutrition in 2015