Show Notes
Episode 1: Surgical Oncology, Canadian Identity, Keynotes & Comedy with Dr. Sarah Boston. In this fun and thoughtful reboot of the Global Veterinary Surgery Podcast, Dr. Jolle Kirpensteijn welcomes his first guest: the brilliant and hilarious Dr. Sarah Boston, a veterinary surgical oncologist, author, and stand-up comedian.They kick things off with Jolle’s confession about ghosting his own podcast for a year (he blames only himself… and maybe podcasting burnout), and how a passionate resident fan reignited his commitment to bringing it back.Topics covered include: Surgical Oncology: Dr. Boston talks about her career, her work at Capital City Specialty & Emergency Animal Hospital in Ottawa, and her passion for innovation in surgery. The “Boston Plasty”: A clever, simplified approach to managing distal radial osteosarcoma in dogs using carpal arthrodesis—designed to be accessible, cost-effective, and practical. Being a Proud Canadian: With humorous takes on being from Canada, a sovereign country that never will be the 51st state, Sarah brings her signature wit while making a case for strong Canadian veterinary voices. Preparing for Keynotes: Jolle and Sarah discuss the emotional rollercoaster of preparing for big talks, from imposter syndrome to storytelling strategies (spoiler: PowerPoint slides with only photos and no words might be the way to go). Failures & Real Talk: Sarah shares insights from her “failure bio” and emphasizes the importance of being open about setbacks to inspire younger vets. Cats, Comedy & Ethics: Her keynote on feline-centered stories and the lessons they taught her takes center stage, and we learn how stand-up comedy can co-exist with clinical compassion (even when someone says “vagina” at a symposium). They wrap with favorite articles: Dr. Boston highlights a pivotal paper on mitotic index and mast cell tumors, as well as her own groundbreaking study on radical mandibulectomy in cats—despite the spicy letter to the editor it once earned.
The Veterinary Surgery Podcast is a first of its kind podcast that focuses on surgical advance in veterinary medicine with host Dr. Jolle Kirpensteijn. Jolle is a diplomate of the American and European Colleges of Veterinary Surgery and has lots of experience in veterinary surgery. Jolle will interview fellow surgeons, review articles that are recently published and will discuss 2 books he will be working on in the near future. You can also follow Jolle on his Global Veterinary Surgery Facebook or Instagram pages.
More from Veterinary Surgery Podcast
This podcast episode featured Dr. Jolle interviewing Dr. Jody Lulich about their recent study published in JAVMA titled "Lorazepam Reduces Recurrence of Urethral Obstruction in Male Cats." Dr. Lulich, who is head of the Minnesota Urolith Center that analyzes approximately 100,000 stone submissions annually, discussed their groundbreaking prospective randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study involving 80 cats. The study found that cats treated with lorazepam (a skeletal muscle relaxant) and a therapeutic urinary diet had zero re-obstructions compared to 14-15% recurrence rate in the placebo group, demonstrating the effectiveness of a multimodal approach including diet modification, pain medication, and environmental enrichment. Dr. Lulich explained that surgical removal of urinary stones actually leaves stones in about 20% of cases, making medical dissolution a more compassionate and effective treatment option. The discussion also covered the historical shift away from surgical intervention for struvite stones, the limitations of previous smooth muscle relaxant drugs like prazosin, and the significant cultural challenge of changing veterinary practices despite clear evidence supporting non-surgical approaches.
This Week's Episode: A Look Back — 1995 and the Skin Fold Advancement Flap
Dr Jolle is back with a short episode because he will be in NYC this week. He is discussing Chapter 10 of his new reconstruction book, focusing on complications in reconstructive surgery. He also looks at some news about veterinary surgery in the various general journals. More info about his book: https://www.routledge.com/Colour-Atlas-of-Reconstructive-Techniques-in-the-Dog-and-Cat/Kirpensteijn-Stanley-terHaar/p/book/9780367029999
This episode of the Vet Surgery Podcast hosted by Dr. Jolle Kirpensteijn is featuring Dr. Elizabeth Maxwell (Assistant Professor of Surgical Oncology, University of Florida) and Dr. Federico Vilaplana Grosso (Associate Professor in Diagnostic Imaging, University of Florida), who co-authored a recent JAVMA article. Topic: Differentiating 360° GDV from Simple Gastric Dilatation The discussion centered on the caudal esophageal "twist sign" — a funnel-shaped appearance in the lower esophagus that helps identify 360-degree gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV), which is notoriously difficult to distinguish from regular gastric dilatation on radiographs. Key findings from the study: The research compared 29 dogs with 360° GDV to 38 dogs with simple gastric dilatation. The twist sign was present in all dogs with esophageal dilation, except when the esophagus had been decompressed by tube placement. Unlike typical 180° GDV cases (which show classic signs like abnormal pylorus positioning), 360° twists return the stomach to its normal anatomic position, making radiographic diagnosis much harder. Clinical perspectives: Dr. Maxwell noted that unsuccessful oral gastric tubing and endoscopy attempts were more common in 360° cases. Dr Vilaplana Grosso shared that the funnel sign was not part of his standard diagnostic approach before collaborating with Dr. Maxwell. The group discussed differing institutional practices on whether to image first or decompress first in emergency GDV situations.
In this episode of the Veterinary Surgery Podcast, Dr. Jolle Kirpensteijn sits down with repeat guest Dr. Sarah Boston, a veterinary cancer surgeon, for a wide-ranging conversation. They start with recent literature on staphylectomy techniques before turning to the contentious topic of continued French Bulldog breeding given the breed's well-documented health complications. Dr. Boston walks through her path into veterinary medicine, from deciding on the career at age six to finally landing a surgical residency on her third attempt. The discussion then moves into her own research contributions: a new diaphragmatic hernia repair technique she calls the "BostonPexy," which uses a kidney plug method, and a combined-approach mandibulectomy technique developed for large dogs. The episode closes with Dr. Boston naming the veterinary surgery papers that shaped her thinking most, citing Duncan Lascelles' work on maxillectomy approaches and Charles Koontz's research on vaccine-associated sarcomas.