Friday
(7 March 2014) |
9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Welcome
Vickie Fisher,
TICA
President
Introduction of the International
Delegation of the World Cat Congress and Presentations by the Delegates
Eric Reijers, President of the
World Cat Congress
Keynote Speaker
Dr. Niels Pedersen, Professor
Emeritus, Center for Companion Animal Health, University of California
at Davis
Development of kittens' immune system from birth until adult age
Craig Datz, DVM, MS, DABVP, DACVN
Colostrum, immunity and feline infectious diseases
Emmanuel
Fontaine, DVM, MSc, PhD, Dipl ECAR
Lunch
Immunological challenges in cats and current guidelines for feline
vaccinology
Dr.
Alice Wolf
Roundtable
discussion with our
panel of speakers on virology, vaccinology, and ensuring the
immunological health of our cats
featuring
Dr. Heather Lorimer, Associate Professor of Molecular Biology and
Microbiology at Youngstown University and member of TICA’s Genetics
Committee
Preserving the Native Breeds of Thailand
Dr.
Cristy Bird
Royal
Canin presentation
Question
and Answer Session with the delegates of the World Cat Congress
Closing Remarks
Vickie Fisher, TICA President
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Royal Canin Educational
Seminar and Open Meeting
Explore
a wide range of topics associated with the ability of cats to resist
disease, including breeding practices, nutrition, vaccines, and
genetics.
We are beyond excited to welcome Dr.
Niels Pedersen as our keynote speaker! Dr. Pedersen created
the
Center for Comparative Medicine, the Center for Companion Animal
Health, and the Koret Shelter Medicine Program at the University of
California at Davis. He has been the Director of their Veterinary
Genetics Laboratory since 1997. Well known to cat fanciers worldwide,
Dr. Pedersen is an international authority on infectious disease and
feline immunological disorders. One of his current areas of research
focuses on Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP) and the role of feline
genetics in this complex, immune-mediated disease. Recent advances in
research into the molecular biology of FIP and its mechanism of
infection will be discussed, including the potential for identifying
cats that may be genetically susceptible to this devastating disease.
Dr Craig Datz will help us understand the development of a kitten's
immune system from birth through maturity. Dr. Datz
is a 1987 graduate of the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of
Veterinary Medicine. He was in private companion animal practice in
Virginia and Arkansas until 2001, when he joined the faculty at the
University of Missouri College Of Veterinary Medicine working in the
areas of Community Practice and Clinical Nutrition. In 2012 he joined
Royal Canin USA as the Nutrition and Scientific Affairs Manager. Dr.
Datz is board-certified by the American Board of Veterinary
Practitioners in both Canine/Feline and Feline Practice and currently
serves as the Residency Chair and Symposium Chair. He is also
board-certified by the American College of Veterinary Nutrition and has
a master’s degree in biomedical sciences. He is a consultant for the
Veterinary Information Network in parasitology and
immunology/infectious disease and has published a variety of articles
and book chapters.
Dr Emmanuel Fontaine DVM, MSc, Dipl ECAR graduated from the Toulouse
Veterinary School in 2004. From 2005 to 2011, he worked at the Centre
d’Etude en Reproduction des Carnivores (CERCA) [Research Centre for
Reproduction in Carnivores], a unit of the Alfort Veterinary School
(Paris) specializing in pet
breeding assistance. He has a Master Degree in Biology of Reproduction
and Development. Emmanuel Fontaine is also qualified at the European
College for Animal Reproduction (ECAR). His presentation will
focus on colostrum, immunity, and feline infectious diseases.
Dr. Alice M. Wolf will then speak on the
immunological challenges in
cats and the current guidelines for feline vaccinology. Dr.
Wolf received her DVM
degree from the University of California at Davis, interned at Angell
Memorial Animal Hospital in Boston, MA and returned to U. C. Davis for
her residency in Small Animal Internal Medicine. Dr. Wolf spent 3 years
in private practice in Albany, CA in the San Francisco Bay Area and the
next 24 years as a Professor of Small Animal Medicine at the College of
Veterinary Medicine at Texas A&M University. Dr. Wolf has been
a speaker at numerous local, regional, national, and international
veterinary meetings and has twice received the “Speaker of the Year”
award from the North American Veterinary Conference (NAVC). Dr. Wolf
has published numerous journal articles, book chapters, and is a
reviewer and editor for several veterinary publications. She is
presently an Adjunct and Emeritus Professor at Texas A&M
University, Chief Medical Consultant for the Veterinary Information
Network, and in addition works as a private consultant and lecturer in
Feline Medicine worldwide.
The
cats of Southeast Asia will be highlighted in a presentation by Dr.
Cristy Bird. With the goal of expanding the genetic diversity of the
Burmese breed, the World Cat Congress cat registration bodies have been
asked to consider re-opening the studbooks of this well established
breed to new imports. The history and current status of the native cat
breeds of Thailand and neighboring geographical areas will be
discussed, including the Siamese, Thai, Burmese, and Khao Manee. Dr.
Bird’s research in epidemiology at the University of California at Los
Angeles focused on the relationship between environmental factors and
disease, including the role of nutrition. She brings a unique insight
into the maintenance of a healthy breeding population of cats and is a
well-respected mentor worldwide to those working with these unique
breeds. She will be sharing her first-hand experiences in Thailand
interacting with the cats and people of this country.
The
traditional highlight of the educational seminar associated with this
event every year is the ability of attendees to learn about the
different cat registries around the world by asking questions of their
representatives, the World Cat Congress delegates. The focus of this
year’s discussion will be the different registration, importation, and
quarantine policies that breeders experience worldwide and their effect
on the genetic diversity of our breeds. Recent changes in importation
policies overseas and the facilitation of communication through the
Internet have connected breeders and bloodlines in a manner never
before experienced in the history of our hobby. However, breed
definitions, standards, and breeding policies differ widely between,
and even within, countries. The more we know about each other, the
better we can understand each other in order to work together to secure
the future of our breeds.
The cost to attend,
including lunch, is $65. Due to the great interest we have
already had in this seminar, we expect a large turnout, so please
register early as the room (while large) does limit capacity, and we
have a number of VIP attendees to include in that count.
Please
contact Laura Heineck (coonslady@aol.com) to
register. If we fill to capacity, we will keep a waiting list
in case seats open up.
Location: MACC-1 (Convention
Center )
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