Practical

How to place commonly used feeding tubes in dogs and cats

NO and NG tubes provide short-term enteral nutritional support, generally for up to 5 to 10 days, and are suitable for use in patients for whom sedation or general anaesthesia is contraindicated...

How to maintain joint health in the ageing canine

Obesity can be defined as the accumulation of body fat in excess of what is necessary to maintain optimum condition and health. While this condition may appear obvious in a grossly obese individual,...

How to manage intraosseous catheters in exotic species

Sadly, many exotic patients are critically ill by the time they reach a veterinary clinic. This is probably due to the fact that many of these animals are prey species. As an evolutionary survival...

How to manage a difficult airway

In order to provide safe anaesthesia, the anaesthetist must be able to maintain adequate respiratory function (Grimm et al, 2015). Part of this entails securing a clear airway and endotracheal...

How to manage pain in the dental patient

Pre-emptive analgesia is analgesia given before the pain response is triggered with the aim of avoiding ‘wind up’, the development of peripheral and central sensitisation (Lantz, 2003). Stimulation of...

Nosectomy in the dog and cat

Patient preparation is fairly self-explanatory — the care team should discuss analgesia prior to surgery and be aware that hospitalisation is generally required for 48–72 hours following surgery. An...

How to hand feed newborn puppies

There are essentially two means of providing nutrition to newborn puppies: orogastric (‘stomach’) tube feeding and teat feeding (Harmar, 1974; Baines, 1981)..

How to run a successful nurse clinic

Nursing clinics provide a lot of benefits to all involved. VNs derive high levels of job satisfaction from being able to use their knowledge and skills to a higher level (Harris, 2012) to assist in...

How to use IPPV during veterinary surgery

Manual IPPV is an inexpensive and effective method of providing regulated ventilation to an anaesthetised patient, both if the patient is unable to spontaneously ventilate, or is having difficulty...

How to catheterise the female canine

There are many catheter types in all lengths and sizes. Most veterinary hospitals have red rubber catheters in stock and these can easily be used for urinary catheterisation of female dogs. They vary...

How to use an ECG machine

ECG machine configuration and functionality varies from basic machines to complicated top range models. If unsure how to use the practice machine, refer to the user manual and practice using it as...

How to suture — types and patterns in veterinary surgery

Choice of appropriate suture material and its gauge is dependent on the anatomical location of the wound, the tissue type to be sutured, the tension of the tissue and the length of time the suture is...