There are various techniques of debridement in veterinary practice. Knowledge of these techniques is essential to choose the ideal method or combination of methods required to successfully manage a wound. This article gives an overview of the main techniques available in veterinary practice that may aid wound management for veterinary nurses.
I t's hard not to have got caught up in the football fever, even for someone like me, who is not usually particularly interested. There's something about feeling part of a group that's irresistable, and at a recent Lightning Seeds concert, I heartily sang ‘Football's coming home’ with the rest of the crowd. The feeling of comaraderie was strong, we were all happy, we all wanted the same thing!
Despite the increase in popularity of cats as pets, there has not been a similar increase in the amount spent on feline veterinary healthcare. The stress experienced, both by the cat owner and cat, has an impact on the willingness of owners to bring their cat to a veterinary clinic. There are many ways veterinary clinics can minimise stressors, and even small changes can make a big difference for the cat and their owners, which strengthens the bond with the owner and increases the welfare of the cat.
Following on from part one, which discussed the aetiology, heritability, diagnosis and treatment options for the canine hip dysplasia patient, this article looks in depth at the role rehabilitation can play in management of the condition, both by the veterinary nurse in practice, and after referral by the rehabilitation therapist.
As a companion animal, the cat (10.3 million) has overtaken the dog (9.3 million) for top position in popularity in the U.K. Yet, when compared with the canine companion, the cat has lived in close proximity to man for a relatively short period of time. Has this shorter period for domestication affected the nature of the cat's level of domesticity? If there are limitations to the level of behavioural flexibility that companion cats can offer, whose responsibility is it to assist a cat in maximising that flexibility? This article considers these questions with specific emphasis on how the cat's genetics can place considerable restrictions on its capacity to relax with and interact with other cats, humans and a human environment.
With the continual advancement in veterinary medicine, rabbits have the care they need to live longer. While rabbits of all ages have similar needs, geriatric rabbits can have a longer, better quality of life with proper identification and management of age-related diseases. Important considerations for elevated quality of life for geriatric patients include: adjustments in husbandry and nutrition, and medical management of age-related diseases such as congestive heart failure, chronic renal insufficiency, and a wide variety of mobility issues. Becoming familiar with signs of age-related medical complications is extremely important due to a rabbit's natural instinct to hide signs of illness. Supportive care at home is key to the ongoing wellbeing of geriatric pets with health conditions. It is also important to be prepared to discuss the delicate subject of end-of-life care and euthanasia with owners of geriatric rabbits. Humane and stress-free euthanasia is important for all species, including pet rabbits.
It's been a busy year for the RCVS Mind Matters Initiative, and there are further events, awards and training sessions to come, as Lisa Quigley explains.
Background:To reduce stress of hospitalised cats, literature advises providing cats with the opportunity to hide using either a box, or partially covering the cage front. While studies have found benefits of the box method, there is currently no evidence for efficacy of the partial cover.Aim:To investigate whether providing hospitalised cats with either a box or a partial towel cover to the front of the cage reduced stress levels, and whether each of these methods was sufficient in prodiving hiding opportunity.Methods:To investigate this, 42 healthy pet cats that were admitted to a veterinary practice for routine neutering were provided with either a hide box, a partial towel cover to the front of the cage or neither treatment. Behavioural observations were taken for 60 minutes recording: 1) Kessler and Turner's Cat Stress Score (CSS), 2) Location within the cage, 3) Hide seeking behaviour, and 4) Use of treatment.Results:The results showed a significant difference in CSS between cats with a box and the control cats (p=0.007), but not between cats with towel cover and the control cats (p=0.069). There was no significant difference in CSS between box cats and towel cats (p=0.406), but those with a box hid in it 68% of the time, significantly more than the towel cats used the towel (n=30%) (p=0.027). There was a significant difference in hide seeking behaviour between all treatments (p=0.016). A positive correlation was found between CSS and hide seeking behaviour within all groups (rs=0.673), and this was stronger when analysed in control cats only (rs=0.829).Conclusions:Findings suggest that a box provides opportunity to hide and appears to reduce behavioural signs of stress. Though a partial cover may also help, there is not significant evidence for its efficacy in providing hiding opportunity or reducing stress.
This report highlights the complications associated with acromegalic patients in diabetic crisis, and suggests recommendations for the appropriate management and care. Outlined are the concepts of asymptomatic hypoglycaemia, the welfare implications of frequent pinna blood sampling and coma scale monitoring. It also discusses the benefit of using the nursing process for ongoing evaluation of the critical patient.