feeling frail?

2-hour webinar from the Chronic Pain Symposium 2026, presented by Prof. Natasha Olby, Dr. Sherry Rafatpanah, and Dr. Kady Gjessing.
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2 hour cpd

12 months' access
to the recording

what's included...

  • 2-hour Presentation
  • Downloadable Lecture Notes
  • Multiple-choice Quiz
  • CPD Certificate

presentation overview

Frailty is a defined clinical syndrome that has only recently been described in companion animals. This presentation will help dog owners and veterinary and allied professionals recognize early signs of frailty, understand how frailty differs from normal aging, and appreciate why small stressors such as minor illness or routine procedures can have a disproportionate impact on frail dogs. Emphasis will be placed on observable, real-world changes at home and on how early recognition can support better quality of life and care planning.

meet the presenters

prof. natasha olby

Natasha Olby completed her veterinary degree at Cambridge University in the UK in 1991. After a brief period spent in mixed general practice, she returned to Cambridge University to complete a PhD and post-doctoral fellowship in spinal cord injury and a surgical training. Following completion of her PhD and post-doctoral research, she moved to North Carolina State University to do a neurology and neurosurgery residency and she has stayed on the faculty at NCSU. She is currently a Professor of Neurology/Neurosurgery and holds the Dr. Kady M. Gjessing and Rhanna M. Davidson Distinguished Chair in Gerontology.

She is a past president of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine Neurology specialty and has published over 200 scientific papers, as well as more than 35 book chapters. She is co-editor of the BSAVA Manual of Canine and Feline Neurology.

While much of her career has focused on spinal cord injury, she has long had an interest in aging of the nervous system, and she now runs the Canine Neuro-Aging Program and is the Director of the Center for Healthy Aging at NCSU. Her research uses clinical cases to generate translational data and she focuses on training future clinician scientists.
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Vet MB, PhD, MRCVS, DACVIM (Neurology)

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DVM, DVSc

dr. sherry rafatpanah

My name is Shaghayegh (Sherry) Rafatpanah Baigi, and I am a veterinarian from Iran. I earned my DVM from Ferdowsi University of Mashhad and completed a residency in Veterinary Surgery at the University of Tehran. I worked as a surgeon with a strong interest in neurology in private practice in Iran for 5 years.

 I am a Neurology Research Intern at NC State University, contributing to the Longitudinal Study of Canine Neuroaging. My research interests include aging and cognition, neurodegenerative diseases, and epilepsy.

I have been involved in veterinary education, delivering webinars and workshops on small-animal neurology to veterinary students in Iran. I aspire to become a veterinary neurologist and clinician-scientist.

dr. kady gjessing

Dr. Heather Bacon is a veterinarian and Dean of the Veterinary School at the University of Central Lancashire. She has worked internationally on veterinary education and animal welfare projects for over 15 years. She was previously responsible for developing and teaching animal welfare, behaviour and veterinary ethics to veterinary and postgraduate students at the University of Edinburgh, and in developing the Jeanne Marchig International Centre for Animal Welfare Education as a founding member of the team.

Additionally, she works with many charities, veterinary and other organisations to develop veterinary educational initiatives around the world, with a focus on improving the welfare of dogs, cats and captive and free-ranging wildlife. Heather’s research interests include changing human behaviour to improve the welfare of animals, and supporting the development of effective veterinary education.
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dvm

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