Clinical Professor

Dr. Marcella Ridgway received her veterinary degree at the University of Pennsylvania and completed a small animal internship, small animal internal medicine residency and MS degree in Veterinary Clinical Medicine at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine. She is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (Small Animal Internal Medicine) with special interests in canine performance and canine occupational health. Currently, she is Clinical Professor and Service Head in Small Animal Internal Medicine at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine, where she has served as a Faculty member since 1997. In addition to her activities at the University, Dr. Ridgway is a search-and-rescue K-9 handler in the specialty of trailing.

Know Better, Do Better I: Debunking Heath Stroke Myths

For decades, veterinarians have been trained to MIS-handle heat stroke patients on the basis of misinformation that has permeated lectures, textbooks and other literature. The goal of this presentation is to ‘set the record straight’ and correct misunderstandings about diagnosing and managing heat stroke in dogs. Improved understanding and care means better outcomes.

Know Better, Do Better II: Identify and Managing Snake Envenomations

Snakebite kills or disables over a half-million people worldwide each year. The impact on domestic animals is less clear and likely underdiagnosed and under-reported. In the U.S., native snakes of concern are the pit vipers (multiple rattlesnake species, copperheads and cottonmouths/water moccasins) and coral snakes, with marked regional differences in incidence and predominant species. Management of snakebite is another area of veterinary care fraught with myth and misunderstanding, leading to suboptimal management of snakebite victims. This presentation outlines best practices for diagnosis and treatment of snake envenomation and provides information on critical resources for snakebite management.