Practical

How to carry out initial treatment of traumatic wounds: assessment, preparation and lavage

Most of the wounds seen in veterinary practice are as a result of trauma. The initial triage and assessment of trauma patients focuses on the major body organ systems; the ‘ABCD’ of triage focuses on...

How to nurse the intensive care unit ventilator patient

Ventilators are machines that are programmed to do the work of breathing (either all or some). There are many types of ventilators available for use in clinical settings and it is beyond the scope of...

How to manage seizures

In spite of the underlying cause of the seizure activity, consent to treat the patient must be obtained from the owner along with a thorough clinical history.

How to maintain dental machines and instruments

Most compressor driven dental machines should be mounted on four castor wheels to facilitate their movement around the operating table, and the height adjustment knob should be checked for correct...

How to carry out artificial insemination using fresh semen

There are three main methods of AI: vaginal insemination; trans-cervical insemination [TCI] also commonly known as uterine insemination; and surgical insemination. In addition, and depending on the...

How to blood type and cross-match

Dogs and cats, like humans, have blood types — these are species specific..

Practical avian venipuncture: how to take blood from birds

Venipuncture is necessary to obtain a diagnostically relevant sample, free of contaminants and collection artifacts that occur with the more traditional toe claw clip (Fudge, 2000). Toe claw clip...

How to place and maintain a jugular catheter

There are a number of contraindications to using a jugular catheter. These include:.

How to care for the bite wound patient

A multi-modal approach to analgesia should be selected in the bite wound patient, the first line analgesic of choice being an opioid, either pure agonist, such as methadone or morphine, or a partial...

How to manage the veterinary dispensary

Veterinary practices that hold medications for supply purposes must be registered with the RCVS. The veterinarian must also be registered with the RCVS to prescribe medications. There are two options...

How to set up a vivarium: maintaining the health and welfare of reptiles

The design and construction material of a vivarium varies greatly. The essentials of a good vivarium for captive reptiles, apart from obviously being appropriately sized and escape proof, are that it...

How to achieve effective hand hygiene

Portner and Johnson (2010) highlight that there is a substantial amount of information and recommendations regarding incidence and control of nosocomial (hospital-acquired) infections in the human...