CERTIFICATION

FECAVA Certificate in Small Animal Anaesthesia and Analgesia

Advance your clinical expertise in small animal anaesthesia and analgesia with short, practical webinars of approximately 30, designed for busy veterinarians. Learn from the best international experts and earn the FECAVA certification in Small Animal Anaesthesia and Analgesia upon completion.

About the Certificate

This certificate program, sponsored by Dechra, is designed for veterinarians working with small animals. The course delivers high-quality, bite-sized webinars that fit into your busy clinical schedule. You will gain evidence-based knowledge and practical strategies to improve patient safety and perioperative pain management in dogs and cats.

Key Details

FORMAT

100% Online (Webinars up to 35 minutes)

PRACTICE-ORIENTED TRAINING

Practical, case-based learning with direct clinical relevance

LEADERS IN ANAESTHESIA EDUCATION

Learn with the best international experts

Who is this program for?

Veterinarians who:

  • Work in small animal practice and manage anaesthesia and perioperative pain in dogs and cats
  • Prefer learning in short, practical sessions integrated into their busy schedules
  • Want to apply evidence-based pain management and anaesthetic strategies
  • Aim to improve patient safety and clinical outcomes
  • Wish to gain Certification from FECAVA whilst completing their further education

Benefits to your career

  •  Acquire practical skills and core knowledge in small animal anaesthesia and analgesia 
  • Access educational content directly from globally recognised anaesthesia specialists
  • Learn about practical protocols for safer anaesthesia and perioperative care 
  • Improve your confidence in handling critical and special patients 
  • Learning in flexible, bite-sized webinars according to your availability 
  • Get a FECAVA Certificate in Small Animal Anesthesia and Analgesia 
  • Join a community of vererinary practitioners who use the best practise in case management 

Programme

Module I - Introduction

Lecture 1: Introduction to content, assessments, grading and deadline

Lecture 2: Pre-anaesthetic Assessment and Patient Preparation

Lecture 3: Ethics in Anaesthesia and Pain management: how far can we go?

Lecture 4: Feline and Canine Patient Handling

Lecture 5: Anaesthetic-induced Morbidity and Mortality in Small Animals

Lecture 6: Promoting Patient Safety Culture: The Power of checklists in Clinical Practice

Lecture 7: Basic Clinical Pharmacology of Drugs Used for Companion Animal Anaesthesia and Analgesia

Lecture 8: Pain management I – Nociception, Pathophysiology, and Classification

Lecture 9: Pain management II – Acute Pain Recognition and Assessment

Lecture 10: Pain management III – The Feline Grimace Scale

Lecture 11: Pain management IV – Principles of Acute Pain Management

Lecture 12: Pain management V – Tools and Toys

Lecture 13: Pain management VI – The Pain clinic

Lecture 14: Premedication, Sedation and Oligoanalgesia

Lecture 15: Case discussion: Premedication and pain management

Lecture 16: Pain management VII – Locoregional Anaesthesia

Lecture 17: Simple and easy Local Anaesthetic Blocks in Small Animal Practice

Lecture 18: Introduction to Ultrasound-Guided ​Local Anaesthetic Techniques

Lecture 19: Injectable Anaesthetics & Anaesthetic Induction

Lecture 20: Anaesthetic Induction and TIVA: case discussions

Lecture 21: Airway Management

Lecture 22: Fundamentals of Ventilation

Lecture 23: Neuromuscular Blocking Agents

Lecture 24: Volatile anesthesia I – Basic Concepts

Lecture 25: Volatile anesthesia II – Applied Clinical Pharmacology

Lecture 26: Balanced Anaesthesia

Lecture 27: Anaesthetic Machine and Delivering Systems

Lecture 28: Breathing Systems and Scavenging

Lecture 29: Monitoring I

Lecture 30: Monitoring II

Lecture 31: Fluid Therapy in the Context of Anaesthesia – Principles and Planning: what to give and when

Lecture 32: Managing the Hypotensive Anaesthetised patient – Treating the cause, not the number

Lecture 33: A practical Clinical Approach to Treating Hypotension in the Anaesthetised Patient – Case discussion

Lecture 34: Acid-base Physiology

Lecture 35: Metabolic Acid-base Disturbances

Lecture 36: Sepsis for the Anaesthetist Part I – define and diagnose

Lecture 37: Sepsis for the Anaesthetist Part II – survive sepsis

Lecture 38: Anaesthetic Complications – Part I (Cardiovascular)

Lecture 39: Anaesthetic Complications – Part II (Respiratory, Emergence and Thermoregulation)

Lecture 40: Anaesthetic Recovery

Lecture 41: Peri-anaesthetic Emergencies and Resuscitation

Lecture 42: Unique Challenges during Feline Anaesthesia

Lecture 43: Euthanasia

Lecture 44: Myths and facts about Small Animal Anaesthesia

Lecture 45: Anaesthetic Management in Cardiovascular Disease

Lecture 46: Anaesthetic Management in Neurologic Disease

Lecture 47: Anaesthetic Management in Respiratory Disease

Lecture 48: Anaesthetic management in Brachycephalic Patients

Lecture 49: Anaesthetic management in Renal Disease

Lecture 50: Anaesthetic Management in C-section and for the Newborn

Lecture 51: Anaesthetic & Analgesic Management in Ophthalmology​

Lecture 52: Anaesthetic Management in Geriatrics

Lecture 53: Anaesthetic Management in Endocrine Disease

All modules are delivered in short webinars (≤35 minutes) for easy integration into your professional schedule.

Meet the Speakers

Learn from internationally recognised specialists. They combine clinical expertise and academic excellence to deliver focused, pactical content for busy veterinarians.

Bradley T. Simon
Anesthesiologist
Bruno Pypendop
Professor & Executive Associate Dean
Bradley T. Simon
Anesthesiologist

Who are we

We believe that high-quality continuing education should be accessible, efficient, and clinically impactful. Our goal is to support veterinarians with the knowledge and tools they need to improve patient outcomes one focused, well-designed learning module at a time.

Paulo Steagall, MV, MS, PhD, DACVAA
Professor of Veterinary Anaesthesia and Pain Management – City University of Hong Kong, FECAVA Scientific Academic Advisor
Denis Novak DVM MRCVS
Founders and Partners of Veterinary Clinic Novak in Belgrade, Serbia FECAVA Scientific Academic Advisor
Sandra Félix, BSc VN, CertVNECC
FECAVA Certificate in Small Animal Anaesthesia and Analgesia Scientific Director

Frequently Asked Questions

This program is designed for any small animal veterinarian who wish to strengthen their knowledge in anaesthesia and perioperative analgesia.
 

Most lectures are around 30-35 minutes long and can be easily integrated into a busy clinical schedule. They are shorter than your favourite streaming show!

 

Yes, you may watch the introduction lecture by Professor Paulo Steagall here.

No. This is a certificate program that provides core competencies and practical knowledge. It is not at a specialist or diplomate level (e.g. American or European College of Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia).

 

There is no final exam. Each lecture includes short multiple-choice quizzes (5 questions). Participants must achieve at least 80% correct answers (4 out of 5) to proceed to the next lecture.

The Certificate is available in English for the moment. We might be able to offer the content in other languages using AI-based captions in the near future.
The certificate includes four modules:
 
  • Module I: Introduction (fundamentals, behaviour, patient safety, ethics, pharmacology)
  • Module II: Acute Pain Management (assessment, analgesia, case discussions)
  • Module III: Foundations of Anaesthesia (drugs, monitoring, complications)
  • Module IV: Special Patients (case discussions)
 

Participants receive an electronic certificate after successful completion of all modules.

Yes. All webinars are recorded and available online for flexible access.

The investment is 300 euros making each lecture cost less than a “grande caffe latte”!

Payment can be made via PayPal or credit card through the FECAVA website.

After registration, participants have up to June 2029 to access the lectures and complete the course.

Your Certificate

Upon successful completion, participants will receive the FECAVA Certificate in Small Animal Anaesthesia and Analgesia.

How to Enroll

1.

Complete the online application form

2.

Submit payment. Course fees are kindly subsidised by Dechra, demonstrating their commitment to high-quality anaesthesia and analgesia education

3.

Receive confirmation email

4.

Get access to the learning platform

Bradley T. Simon

Credentials: DVM, MSc, DACVAA
Institution: Veterinary Dentistry Specialists

Dr. Bradley Simon is a board-certified veterinary anesthesiologist with a distinguished career in clinical service, teaching, and research. He earned both his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and Master of Science degrees from Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine in 2007 and 2016, respectively. Dr. Simon achieved diplomate status with the American College of Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia in 2014 and joined the Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences at Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2015. During his tenure, he served as supervisor of the anesthesia residency program (2018–2022), chief of anesthesiology (2021–2022), and was awarded tenure in 2022. He was honored with the Small Animal Clinical Service Award for his outstanding contributions (2018). Dr. Simon is a nationally and internationally recognized speaker, authoring over 40 peer-reviewed publications and co-authoring four book chapters focused on small animal anesthesia and pain management. In July 2022, he joined Veterinary Dentistry Specialists in Katy, Texas, where he specializes in anesthesia and pain management. He also provides research consultations for veterinary institutions across the U.S. Outside of veterinary medicine, Dr. Simon coaches the Texas A&M Men’s Collegiate Hockey Team and enjoys family adventures in the mountains and at the beach.

Bruno Pypendop

Carl Bradbrook