Myerscough College BSc(Hons) and FdSc Veterinary Nursing Course Tutor and Lecturer, Lancashire, UK
Veterinary nurses want to be able to care for their patients with humanity and give patients the same kind of care they would want for their own companions. For many staff, such a desire may have been...
Clients need time to adjust to the idea that their companion may have a terminal illness. Chun and Garrett (2007) suggested that small ‘sound bites’ work well when advising an owner that there may be...
The vast majority of sharps incidents in human surgery occur in the operating theatre and most are due to scalpel and suture needle injuries, which is not surprising given that these are the two most...
Assessment of the senior patient may take a number of forms including:.
Improvements in nutrition, health care and management have led to many companion animals living to increasingly greater ages. Unfortunately the risk factors for developing a number of diseases...
Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common chronic musculoskeletal disease and causes lameness in dogs (Henrotin et al, 2005). The therapeutic management of OA in dogs has tended to be dominated by the...
The moment of recognition that a cure is unattainable defines the beginning of palliative or hospice provision in an animal's care. When highly-bonded pet owners acknowledge this moment, it is normal...
Veterinary personnel have a loyalty to their dying patients which creates an ethical dilemma. Villalobos (2009) stated that veterinary surgeons have taken an oath to prevent suffering and been advised...
When used appropriately, social network sites do provide valuable opportunities to share information and can contain useful educational resources. Regardless of age, gender, religion or profession, a...
It must however be noted that this acronym does not necessarily describe all of the signs that may be associated with CDS in dogs since an increase in anxiety, a decrease in hygiene, altered appetite...
Elderly patients are less able to tolerate periods of inappetence (Urquhart, 2001). Although lower exercise levels and a reduced metabolism will result in some degree of obesity, inappetence in any...
The term hospice comes from the Latin word hospitium, which means to host. Hospice is defined as a facility or programme designed to provide a caring environment for supplying the physical and...