The current VIN date & time: Eastern

VIN LAMS103-1021: Backyard Hobby Farm Medicine Basics

The lectures for this course will be presented in an audio format using a webinar platform.

Presenters: Jean Feldman, DVM
Stacey Byers, DVM, DACVIM
Course Open: October 25, 2021-December 2, 2021
Real Time Sessions (RTS): Mondays, November 1, 8, 15, and 22, 2021; 7:00-9:00 pm ET (USA) World Clock Converter
Total CE Credit: 8
RACE Category: 8 hours Medical

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Course Information:
We are seeing more and more people starting to raise farm animal species in backyard hobby type environments. Because of the small numbers of animals involved in the herd, they are often viewed more as pets than as production animals, even though they may be being kept primarily for meat, milk or fleece. When these animals become injured or ill, the owners are turning to their local family veterinarian for assistance, even though many small animal practitioners have very little to no experience with farm animal medicine or with how to treat animals that are being used in food production. This course is intended to help those veterinarians and their technicians become more familiar with diagnosing and treating conditions of farm animals commonly encountered and how to approach those farm calls.

Learning Objectives:
Upon completion of the course, the participant should be able to
  • perform a thoughtful clinical examination of a farm animal with an emphasis on checking for common issues frequently found in covered species.
  • understand the basic restraints needed to perform various common procedures, including drawing blood, performing a physical examination and trimming feet.
  • understand the basics of appropriate housing and fencing for the various animals covered.
  • understand that farm animal pets can have many of the same medical issues that dogs and cats have, and that the thought process involved in diagnosis is the same.
  • identify common medical and surgical problems in small ruminants, determine appropriate treatment options, and be able to discuss pros/cons of each with a client.
  • identify common emergencies and what to do with them
  • identify IV, SC, and IM injection locations, know best locations for drawing blood and placing an IV catheter.
  • discuss common vaccines and medications, including withdrawal times and banned medications.
  • discuss basic herd health issues with a client – breeds, use/purpose, zoonoses, biosecurity, common problems.
  • discuss infectious and non-infectious diseases in llamas and alpacas.
  • discuss anesthetic protocols and common surgical problems encountered in llamas and alpacas.
  • discuss reproductive issues commonly encountered in llamas and alpacas and the assessment of neonates.
  • discuss basic herd health issues with a client – breeds, use/purpose, zoonoses, biosecurity, common problems.
  • discuss basic flock health issues with a client – breeds, use/purpose, zoonoses, biosecurity, common problems.
  • recognize the common diseases and disorders seen in backyard poultry.
  • explain the medications and restrictions of these medications for use in poultry.

Level and Prerequisites: This basic VIN CE course is open for enrollment to veterinarians, and veterinary support actively interested in basics of farm animal medicine.
Accreditation: This course is approved for 8 hours of continuing education credit by RACE for veterinarians, and veterinary support. (RACE 20-851295)

Course Agenda:

Week 1 (Real Time Session November 1, 2021): Species Overview

Week 2 (Real Time Session November 8, 2021): Small Ruminants

Week 3 (Real Time Session November 15, 2021): Small Camelids

Week 4 (Real Time Session November 22, 2021): Poultry

Successful completion (scoring 80% or better) on the end-of-course test is required to earn a certificate of completion for the course. To learn more about the requirements for earning a CE certificate, please refer to Receiving Your CE Credit and Course Completion Certificate.

Course Materials: Course materials will be available in the course library prior to each Real Time Session.
Required Textbook(s): There is no required textbook for this course.


Enrollment is closed.


Tuition: Member $184 ($166 early bird special if enrolled by October 11, 2021)
Non-Member $292 ($263 early bird special if enrolled by October 11, 2021)
Prices are listed in US dollars.

*To ensure participants are ready and prepared for classes, enrollment will close on November 1, 2021 at 5 pm ET (USA) or when the maximum number of participants is reached.

*For more information on how online CE works, see the Participant Resource Center.

  1. Enrollment qualifications: VIN CE courses are open to VIN member and non-member veterinarians. Veterinarians enrolling in a VSPN CE course must be a VIN member. Veterinary support staff must be a VSPN member to enroll in a VSPN CE or a VIN CE course open to VSPN member enrollment.
  2. Each enrollee must be able to receive emails from @vspn.org and @vin.com addresses. Email is our major form of communication with participants; personal emails are highly recommended rather than clinic/hospital email addresses.
  3. For further assistance call 800-846-0028 ext. 797 or email . Please include the course title, your full name, and contact information in your correspondence.

Course withdrawal and refund policy: A complete refund of the paid course price will be issued when your withdrawal request is received prior to the listed start date of the course. If you wish to withdraw after the start date please contact the VIN office 800-846-0028 ext. 797 to discuss eligibility for a pro-rated refund.

*For more information on VIN's upcoming CE courses, check the VIN Course Catalog.

Katherine James, DVM, PhD, DACVIM (SAIM)
VIN Education Director

VIN CE Services:
800-846-0028 or 530-756-4881; ext. 797
or direct line to VIN/VSPN from the United Kingdom: 01 45 222 6154
or direct line to VIN/VSPN from Australia: 02 6145 2357