Wednesday, January 30, 2008

The NAVC - Exhibit Hall

The North American Veterinary Conference is HUGE. It has been held in central Florida for 25 years, and grows every year. It is internationally known among veterinarians as a premiere event, for education, networking, and socializing. It attracts people from all over the planet. This year, 6000 veterinarians attended. With veterinary technicians and other support staff, vendors, and guests, the total group was something like 15,000. It is so big, it has to be held in three different facilities. I have gone three times now, and each time I go, I remember why I don't go every year. It is BIG! And exhausting. And HUGE!

Here are some photos of one of the two exhibit halls:




Check out what your veterinarian may be buying -

microscopes

endoscopes

left- blood chemistry analyzer
center- anesthesia machine with built-in ECG monitor
right- digital radiography (X-ray) unit

plates, pins, and screws
for fracture repair


surgical retractors

- and what s/he probably won't be buying, unless your vet wins the state lottery.

doggy (and kitty) CAT scan

underwater treadmill,
for physiotherapy (rehab) after orthopedic surgery


hyperbaric chamber, with stuffed dog
pretending to be Michael Jackson


And you wonder why your vet bills grow every year!

4 comments:

Julie Zickefoose said...

So, how would a veterinary CAT scan machine be any different from a human one? Which leads to a corollary question: are human CAT scan machines ever recruited for those cases where a simple diagnosis might be possible if only you could get a CT scan? Like, if you knew an ER doc really well, could you sneak an ailing Lab into the hospital on a quiet night?

Kathi said...

The vet unit is smaller than the people one. This model doesn't show a "bed" so I'm not sure what one would look like, but I think it would have some differences.

Before they started making pet CT's and MRI's (and probably still in places where they aren't readily available) it was/is common to strike a deal with a human facillity to scan pets.

Thanks for asking.

~Kathi

Susan Gets Native said...

Well, I hope my vet (ahem, YOU) wins the lottery so she can get a CT scanner.

But I have to point out that if the dog was pretending to be Michael Jackson, the dog would have been white.

; )

Anonymous said...

Oooh...kind of like holistic health fairs and Rakasa East are for me! Isn't it fun to walk around looking at new and innovative stuff for the field your heart belongs to? Even if it is exhausting!

Have you ever heard of BodyWorlds? Gunther Von Hagen? The exhibit only toured a few major US cities 2 years ago and I missed it, was so upset thinking I probably would never have a chance to see it. BodyWorlds 2 is now touring and is in B'more and ***I'M GOING NEXT THURSDAY!!!!*** (caps for emphasis and screaming!) Ethan and I are going to meet my classmates from the class I just finished and see the exhibit. I can't wait.