I Really Don’t Want to Get Bit Today (Sedation of Fearful & Fractious Patients)
with Marie Hopfensperger, DVM, MBA, DACVB
Prefer to join us live? Don’t miss the opportunity to engage with experts in real-time on Thursday, October 9, 2025, at 8 PM EST to earn live CE credit! Gain valuable insights, ask questions, and walk away with actionable strategies to enhance your veterinary practice. Secure your spot now!
1 Hour RACE-Approved CE Credit
I Really Don’t Want to Get Bit Today (Sedation of Fearful & Fractious Patients)
Fearful and aggressive behavior in the clinic can put patients, clients, and veterinary teams at risk. This case-based course provides practical guidance for safely and effectively sedating fearful and fractious dogs and cats. You'll learn how to assess the severity of a patient’s behavior, select appropriate pre-visit medications, explore alternative administration routes, and implement sedation protocols that reduce stress while improving safety and outcomes. Whether you're looking to build confidence or refine your approach, this course offers real-world strategies you can apply right away.
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What You'll Take Away From This Lecture:
01
Pharmaceutical Prep
Understand the benefits and limitations of pre-visit medications for patients with varying levels of aggression, and how to set realistic expectations for their effects in practice.
02
Sedation Techniques
Explore alternative administration routes and techniques for delivering sedatives to fearful or aggressive patients safely and effectively.
03
Protocol Selection Confidence
Learn how to tailor sedation protocols based on the severity of a patient’s veterinary-related aggression to ensure safer, lower-stress visits.
Meet Your Teacher
Webinar Host Marie Hopfensperger, DVM, MBA, DACVB
Dr. Hopfensperger is a board-certified veterinary behaviorist whose areas of clinical expertise include sedation of fearful and fractious companion animals, behavioral pharmacology, canine and feline aggression, and feline inappropriate elimination.
Dr. Hopfensperger received her undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan, DVM from Michigan State University, and MBA from Central Michigan University. She served as an assistant professor at the Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine for more than a decade and was honored to have been named MSU’s Zoetis Distinguished Veterinary Teacher of the Year in 2021. Dr. Hopfensperger was the first veterinarian ever to be selected as Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Fellow. Her focus during this fellowship was on developing a One Welfare model of animal-assisted therapy, such that programming is beneficial for both human and animal participants.
Dr. Hopfensperger is currently in private practice part-time at Oakland Veterinary Referral Services in metropolitan Detroit, MI and mentors private practice behavior residents in the midwest region. She enjoys doing vet-to-vet consultations nationwide through Vespecon and locally via her own consulting service.