8 October 2026 Thursday
Specialist Day
The Diplomat Day of the ECEIM Congress 2026 will take place on Thursday, 8 October, and promises to be an inspiring and knowledge‑packed event. This year’s theme—pain management and adult critical care, with a special emphasis on the gastrointestinal patient—brings together an exceptional lineup of experts ready to share their insight and experience.
Participants can look forward to a dynamic programme covering:
- The forefront of pain recognition and management in the horse, including advanced analgesic techniques
- Pain assessment and treatment strategies for the donkey, addressing the differences between donkeys and other equids
- The latest recommendations for fluid therapy for critically ill patients
- Strategies to combat systemic inflammation, including anti‑inflammatory treatments, anti‑coagulation, and laminitis prevention
- Support of intestinal function, from promoting intestinal healing to understanding the microbiome and the role of prokinetics
- Metabolic monitoring and therapeutic support for the adult critical care patient
- A concise review of biomarkers relevant to the critically ill adult
In addition, panel discussions will tackle key challenges such as managing, monitoring, and preventing complications in acute colitis cases. Audience interaction will be encouraged throughout, ensuring a collaborative learning experience.
Speaker line up and topics:
Janny De Grauw
- Pain recognition in horses to include pain scoring and management options
- Adjunctive analgesic techniques in adult horses -complemented by a demonstration session focussing on epidural catheter placement
Ellie McGoldrick
- Pain recognition and management options in donkeys
Bettina Dunkel
- Current recommendations for fluid therapy
- Metabolic monitoring and support of the adult critical care patient
Gayle Hallowell
- Combating systemic inflammation (anti-inflammatory treatments, anticoagulation and laminitis prevention)
- Supporting intestinal function in the adult critical care case (to include intestinal healing, microbiome, prokinetics etc)
Isabelle Desjardins
- Minireview of biomarkers in the adult critical care patient and their use in diagnosis and prognosis
Panel Discussion
All speakers