Clinical

Early training and the impact of fear

The peak socialisation period for puppies is between 6 and 12 weeks of age. This is the key period where new sounds, smells, sights and experiences all combine to inform the young dog what is to be...

Managing passive regurgitation in patients under general anaesthesia

In orthopaedic practice, an increase in incidence of gastro-oesophageal reflux reported in patients undergoing surgery has been recognised. Possible causes include longer anaesthesia duration, patient...

Never fear when a rabbit stasis patient is near

A hands off exam of the patient in its carrier should be performed first. From this the veterinary nurse can assess if the patient is collapsed or dyspnoeic, which would require immediate critical...

Nursing a patient with feline urethral obstruction

Feline urethral obstruction is a potentially life-threatening condition. The maintenance and monitoring of the patient's electrolyte levels and fluid balance, and urinary catheter management, as well...

Propofol wastage in anaesthesia: implications and environmental outcomes

A labelled box was placed in the hospital prep room and all staff were asked to dispose of any waste propofol syringes into the box once they had finished their anaesthetic and handed their patient...

The risk of emerging infections in pets

Since 2020, there has been an increasing number of reports of B. canis infection in dogs. Most of these have been in dogs directly imported into the UK from Eastern Europe, or in close contacts of...

Myasthenia gravis and the role of the veterinary nurse

The antibody titre test is a blood test to detect the presence of autoantibodies against the acetylcholine receptors. These antibodies are thought to be present in around 98% of dogs with myasthenia...

Fluid therapy for emergent and critical cases: hypovolaemia vs dehydration

King and Boag (2018) stated that the average patient's body weight is made up of the weight of dry matter (40%), such as tissues and bones, and also fluid (60%). Fluid can then be further subdivided...

Nutritional management of the critical vomiting canine

Critically ill patients are at an increased risk of gastrointestinal compromise, including those where gastrointestinal compromise is not their primary condition. Gastrointestinal compromise can be...

Rehabilitation following surgical management of canine osteoarthritis

Surgical management of osteoarthritis is indicated for patients severely affected by osteoarthritis for which conservative management alone is not achieving the desired results. The joint(s) of the...

Salbutamol toxicosis in dogs

Salbutamol in often available in a pressurised aluminium cannister which can be easily pierced by a dog..

The importance of peri-anaesthetic temperature management: part 2

Commonly a result of an inability to dissipate heat, increased heat production/provision or a combination of both, hyperthermia can have significant deleterious impacts on the body (Thomson et al,...