Canine Medicine & Surgery
26%of exam
GI EmergenciesEndocrineDermatologyOrthopedicsPharmacology
Feline Medicine & Surgery
24%of exam
Renal DiseaseCardiologyInfectious DiseaseToxicology
Equine Medicine & Surgery
15%of exam
ColicLaminitisInfectious DiseaseTheriogenology
Bovine, Swine & Small Ruminant
22%of exam
Metabolic DiseaseHerd HealthDrug WithdrawalReportable Disease
Avian, Exotic & Other Species
12%of exam
PoultryExotic MammalsReptilesZoonoses
Public Health, Ethics & Practice
2%of exam
ZoonosesVCPR & EthicsReportable DiseaseCompetency Domains
Quick Facts
- Exam
- NAVLE
- Body
- ICVA
- Questions
- 360 (12x30 blocks)
- Time
- 7.5 hours total
- Pass Score
- 425 scaled (200-800)
- Format
- CBT at Prometric centers
- Fee
- $825 US/Canada, $1,220 intl
- Attempts
- 5 lifetime maximum
- Blueprint
- 2018 practice analysis
Canine Toxin Red Flags
Grapes, Xylitol, Chocolate, and High-Dose Ivermectin
Grapes: acute kidney injuryXylitol: hypoglycemia, liver failureChocolate: theobromine cardiotoxicityIvermectin: MDR1 collies, Aussies
Open vs Closed Pyometra
Open pyometra
- Patent cervix
- Visible discharge
- Less acute risk
Closed pyometra
- Closed cervix
- No discharge seen
- Higher rupture risk
Closed = more dangerous
Toxin & Drug Contraindication Picker
- MDR1-positive dog needs antiparasitic→Avoid high-dose ivermectin/loperamide(Collies, Aussies, Shelties)
- Dog ingested grapes or raisins→Induce emesis, treat for AKI(Even small amounts toxic)
- Dog ingested chocolate→Assess dose, treat theobromine toxicity(Baking chocolate most dangerous)
- Dog ingested xylitol gum/candy→Monitor glucose and liver values(Rapid, profound hypoglycemia risk)
- Cat given acetaminophen→Emergency treatment, N-acetylcysteine(Often fatal within days)
- Cat exposed to lilies→Aggressive IV fluids 48-72h(Any lily part toxic)
- Cat exposed to dog permethrin→Bathe, treat tremors/seizures(Never use dog products on cats)
Canine GI & Emergency Medicine
- GDV (bloat)
- Surgery + gastropexy, not decompression alone
- Parvoviral enteritis
- Hypokalemia; supplement potassium in fluids
- Hemorrhagic gastroenteritis (HGE)
- Acute bloody diarrhea, hemoconcentration
- Acute pancreatitis
- Fatty-diet trigger, lipase/PLI elevation
- Linear foreign body
- String under tongue, plication risk
GDV vs Simple Bloat
GDV (volvulus)
- Stomach rotated
- Shock, necrosis risk
- Surgery required
Simple bloat
- Gas/fluid only
- No rotation
- Decompression may suffice
Rotation always needs surgery
Canine Endocrine, Dermatology & Oncology
- Hyperadrenocorticism (Cushing's)
- PU/PD, pot-belly, alopecia
- Hypoadrenocorticism (Addison's)
- Hyponatremia, hyperkalemia, low Na:K ratio
- Hypothyroidism
- Weight gain, low energy, alopecia
- Mast cell tumor
- Most common malignant skin tumor
- Multicentric lymphoma
- Generalized lymphadenopathy, B or T
MDR1-Risk vs Standard-Dose Dogs
MDR1-positive breeds
- Collies, Aussies, Shelties
- P-glycoprotein defect
- Avoid high-dose ivermectin
MDR1-negative breeds
- Normal P-glycoprotein
- Standard dosing safe
- Low mutation prevalence
Genotype before high-dose therapy
Canine Orthopedics & Pharmacology/Toxicology
- CCL rupture
- Positive cranial drawer sign
- Hip dysplasia
- Laxity, early-onset osteoarthritis
- MDR1 mutation
- Avoid high-dose ivermectin in collies
- Grapes/raisins
- Acute kidney injury in dogs
- Xylitol
- Hypoglycemia, hepatic necrosis risk
- Chocolate (theobromine)
- Cardiotoxic and neurotoxic in dogs
Feline Toxin Red Flags
Lilies, Tylenol, Permethrin, and Onions Kill Cats
Lily: acute kidney failureTylenol: fatal methemoglobinemiaPermethrin: tremors, seizuresOnion: hemolytic anemia
FeLV vs FIV
FeLV
- Oncoretrovirus
- Young cats
- Casual/close contact spread
FIV
- Lentivirus
- Adult cats
- Bite-wound transmission
Test both before vaccinating
Feline Renal, Cardiac & Endocrine
- Feline idiopathic cystitis
- Sterile, stress-related, not infection
- Isosthenuria
- USG 1.008-1.012, confirms renal azotemia
- Urethral obstruction
- Male cats, true emergency
- Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
- Most common feline heart disease
- Aortic thromboembolism
- Saddle thrombus from HCM
- Hyperthyroidism
- Methimazole may unmask kidney disease
Feline Infectious Disease & Toxicology
- FeLV/FIV
- Test before vaccinating
- FIP
- Confirm via macrophage immunohistochemistry
- Toxoplasma gondii
- Zoonotic; counsel pregnant clients
- Acetaminophen
- Fatal in cats, methemoglobinemia
- Lily (all parts)
- Acute kidney failure in cats
- Permethrin
- Toxic to cats, safe in dogs
Species Emergency Triage Picker
- Horse rolling, distended, painful→Evaluate for colic/GDV(Rectal exam, NG tube)
- Cow recumbent after calving→Check for milk fever(IV calcium borogluconate)
- Male cat straining, not urinating→Treat urethral obstruction now(True emergency, hours matter)
- Dog retching, distended abdomen→Rule out GDV, radiograph(Decompress then surgery)
- Goat blind, head-pressing→Give IV thiamine now(Suspect polioencephalomalacia (PEM))
Equine Colic, GI & Musculoskeletal
- Large colon impaction
- Most common cause of colic
- Equine gastric ulcers (EGUS)
- Omeprazole 4mg/kg once daily
- Enterolith
- Mineral concretion, arid-region horses
- Acute laminitis
- Digital pulses, heat, grain overload
- Navicular disease
- Chronic forelimb lameness, heel pain
- EPM
- Protozoal, asymmetric ataxia differential
Equine Infectious Disease & Theriogenology
- Strangles
- S. equi, LN abscess, isolate
- Equine infectious anemia (EIA)
- Coggins test required, reportable
- Tetanus
- Horses most sensitive domestic species
- Equine anaplasmosis
- Ixodes tick-borne, zoonotic relative
- Caslick's procedure
- Prevents pneumovagina in mares
- Dystocia (red bag)
- Premature placental separation, emergency
Milk Fever vs Grass Tetany
Milk fever
- Hypocalcemia
- Post-calving onset
- S-shaped neck kink
Grass tetany
- Hypomagnesemia
- Lush pasture onset
- Muscle tremors, convulsions
Calcium versus magnesium deficiency
Bovine Metabolic & Herd Disease
- Milk fever
- Hypocalcemia, S-shaped neck, post-calving
- Subclinical ketosis
- BHB testing, before clinical signs
- Grass tetany
- Hypomagnesemia, lush spring pasture
- Left displaced abomasum
- High-pitched ping, left flank
- Bovine respiratory disease
- Mannheimia haemolytica, feedlot stress
- Foot rot
- Fusobacterium, wet muddy ground
Food Animal Pharmacology & Withdrawal
- AMDUCA
- Extralabel use rules for food animals
- Withdrawal time
- Clears residue before slaughter/sale
- Prohibited drugs
- Chloramphenicol, DES, nitrofurans banned
- FARAD
- Withdrawal-time lookup resource for vets
- Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD)
- Required for medically important antimicrobials
Swine, Sheep & Goat Disease
- PRRS
- Blue ears, late-term abortion in sows
- Enzootic pneumonia
- Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae, cranioventral consolidation
- Scrapie
- Reportable prion disease, no cure
- CAE/OPP
- Retrovirus, small ruminant arthritis-pneumonia
- Polioencephalomalacia (PEM)
- Thiamine deficiency, treat IV thiamine
Avian & Poultry Disease
- Velogenic Newcastle disease
- Reportable, high poultry mortality
- Highly pathogenic avian influenza
- Reportable, zoonotic, mass die-off
- Psittacosis
- Chlamydia psittaci, zoonotic pneumonia risk
- Marek's disease
- Herpesvirus, lymphoma in poultry
- Egg binding
- Dystocia, calcium and husbandry issue
Exotic Mammal & Reptile Medicine
- Rabbit GI stasis
- Needs continuous high-fiber hay diet
- Ferret insulinoma
- Hypoglycemia, worsens before fasting/feeding
- Guinea pig scurvy
- Vitamin C deficiency, dietary requirement
- Reptile metabolic bone disease
- Low UVB, low calcium diet
- Reptiles
- Universal Salmonella shedders, zoonotic risk
NAVLE Competency Split
Clinical 70, Prevent 15, Comm 8, Pro 7
Clinical: data + managementPrevent: welfare + public healthComm: client + colleaguePro: ethics + practice mgmt
Reportable vs Endemic Disease
Reportable disease
- FMD, ASF, HPAI
- Mandatory notification
- Foreign/high-consequence
Endemic disease
- Routine treatment
- No mandatory report
- Regionally established
Report before treating further
Reportable Disease Response Picker
- Cattle vesicles on mouth/feet→Report suspect FMD now(Notify state/federal vet)
- Pig sudden high mortality→Report suspect ASF(Isolate herd immediately)
- Poultry mass sudden die-off→Report suspect HPAI/Newcastle(Lock down biosecurity)
- Deer or elk wasting→Report suspect CWD(No treatment exists)
- Sheep or goat tremors/pruritus→Report suspect scrapie(Contact USDA APHIS)
Species Distribution Weights
- Canine
- 25.6% of NAVLE exam
- Feline
- 24.3% of NAVLE exam
- Equine
- 14.7% of NAVLE exam
- Bovine
- 13.3% of NAVLE exam
- Porcine
- 5% of NAVLE exam
- Other small mammals
- 3.3% of NAVLE exam
- Ovine/caprine
- 3.3% of NAVLE exam
- Pet bird
- 2.3% of NAVLE exam
- Poultry
- 2% of NAVLE exam
- Non-species-specific
- 2% of NAVLE exam
- Camelid/cervidae
- 1.7% of NAVLE exam
- Reptiles
- 1.5% of NAVLE exam
- Aquatics
- 1% of NAVLE exam
Top Species Weight Order
Canine -> Feline -> Equine -> Bovine -> Porcine
Canine: 25.6% weightFeline: 24.3% weightEquine: 14.7% weightBovine: 13.3% weight
Competency Domain Weights
- Clinical Practice
- 70% of exam weight
- Data Gathering & Interpretation
- 35% (half of Clinical Practice)
- Health Maintenance & Prevention
- 35% (other half of Clinical)
- Preventive Medicine & Welfare
- 15% of exam weight
- Communication
- 8% of exam weight
- Professionalism & Practice Mgmt
- 7% of exam weight
Zoonoses & Public Health
- Rabies
- Nearly all mammals, fatal, reportable
- Leptospirosis
- Urine shedding, causes Weil's disease
- Brucellosis
- Reproductive discharge, undulant fever risk
- Q fever
- Coxiella burnetii, parturient sheep/goat fluids
- Toxoplasmosis
- Cat feces, risk to pregnant clients
- Ringworm
- Zoonotic dermatophyte, common in kittens
- Psittacosis
- Bird droppings, atypical human pneumonia
Reportable & Foreign Animal Disease
- Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD)
- Cloven-hoofed vesicles, foreign, reportable
- African swine fever (ASF)
- Swine only, no vaccine, foreign
- Highly pathogenic avian influenza
- Reportable foreign disease, wild birds
- Vesicular stomatitis
- FMD look-alike, endemic in US
- Classical swine fever
- Foreign hemorrhagic disease of pigs
- Anthrax
- Reportable, spore-forming, soil-associated bacterium
- Chronic wasting disease (CWD)
- Prion in cervids, no cure
Common Traps
Pass Score vs Pass Rate
425 is a fixed score ≠ ICVA publishes no pass rate
Species Weight vs Competency Weight
Species = which animal ≠ Competency = which task
FeLV Testing vs FeLV Vaccinating
Test identifies infected cats first ≠ Vaccine protects only uninfected cats
Withdrawal Time vs Drug Approval
Withdrawal clears residue only ≠ Approval means legal food-animal use
Reportable vs Merely Treatable
Report to authorities first ≠ Then pursue clinical treatment
Isosthenuria vs Simply Dilute Urine
Isosthenuria mirrors plasma concentration ≠ Confirms renal origin of azotemia
Last Minute
- 1.360 questions in 12 blocks
- 2.7.5-hour total testing day
- 3.Pass score is 425 (200-800)
- 4.Five lifetime NAVLE attempts allowed
- 5.Clinical Practice is 70% weight
- 6.Canine plus feline near half exam
- 7.Test FeLV/FIV before vaccinating cats
- 8.No high-dose ivermectin in MDR1 dogs
- 9.No acetaminophen or lilies for cats
- 10.Report FMD, ASF, HPAI immediately
- 11.VCPR required before prescribing medication
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