Clinical

Veterinary nutritional assessment: the importance of an interprofessional approach

As with any medical intervention, there are always risks of complications and this is no different with nutritional interventions. Minimising such risks depends on regular nutritional assessment,...

The use of behaviourally-active medication in companion animals part 3

Veterinary nurses can play an important role in helping to identify animals that might benefit from behavioural help and, potentially, behaviourally-active medication. They are likely to come across...

Summer poisoning hazards to pets

The European adder, Vipera berus berus is the only venomous snake native to the UK where it is a protected species. The adder generally only bites when provoked (Figure 1), and bites rarely occur...

Summer parasite update 2022

Increasing numbers of imported rescue cats and dogs have been seen over the past few years with associated risk of exotic pathogens entering the UK. These numbers are also likely to be swelled in 2022...

The role of veterinary nurses in canine cataracts

The canine lens is approximately 7 mm thick, 10 mm in equatorial diameter, and has a volume of 0.5 ml (Samuelson, 2013); it divides anterior and posterior segments of the eye and is involved with...

The use of behaviourally-active medication in companion animals part 2

There are a number of different factors that need to be taken into consideration when choosing the most appropriate short-acting behavourally-active drugs for an individual animal. These are outlined...

The role of energy and weight: from conception to adulthood

Adipose tissue is an active organ that produces a large range of hormones and protein factors called adipokines. One such hormone is leptin, which plays a pivotal role in reproduction. Leptin levels...

Endotracheal intubation of the dog and cat

Intubation of the trachea is one of many ways of ensuring the provision of oxygen to the respiratory system but is more usually used primarily to ‘secure the airway’; meaning to prevent foreign...

How to protect the joints of the growing dog

Advice on how to exercise the growing dog should vary depending on breed size, as this affects the timeframe for longitudinal bone growth and growth plate closure. While load-bearing exercise is...

The use of behaviourally-active medication in companion animals part 1

While behaviourally-active drugs comprise several different classes of medication, they can be divided into two main types: short-acting drugs that can be given as needed (Box 1), and drugs that need...