At the end of the lecture, the attendees should know the anatomic changes causing brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome, surgical treatment options to improve airway anatomy, and medical and anesthetic recommendations to reduce the risk of perioperative regurgitation and postoperative airway obstruction.
Dr. Alejandro (Alex) Alvarez was born in Caracas, Venezuela, moved to the United States at the age of four, then moved to Tenerife, Spain, when he was 12. He completed his veterinary degree at the University of Cordoba in southern mainland Spain. After internships in France, Ireland, and Prince Edward Island, he completed a combined surgical residency and Master of Science degree at Oregon State University (OSU). His research focused on sentinel lymph node mapping in dogs with mast cell tumors and laboratory techniques to detect mast cell tumor lymph node metastasis.
Dr. Alvarez enjoys soft tissue surgery, orthopedics, and surgical oncology. He has a special interest in minimally invasive surgeries, like thoracoscopy, laparoscopy, and fracture repairs. He is dedicated to fostering a collaborative and inclusive surgery department and enjoys teaching surgery to veterinary students and surgical trainees.
Following his residency, Dr. Alvarez joined the Boundary Bay family to continue helping animals through surgery. He moved to the lower mainland with his wife, who is also a small animal veterinarian, and their two cats, a tuxedo named Pierre and an orange medium-hair named Charlotte. Shortly after moving, they adopted a mixed-breed dog from the BC-SPCA, named Alonzo. Dr. Alvarez enjoys soccer, overlanding, hiking, trail running, mountain biking, and most importantly, fly fishing.
