Clinical

RVN's perceptions of confidence levels of veterinary professionals when assessing pain in rabbits

In human medicine, doctors can rely on their patient's ability to communicate where the pain is and how much pain they are in, however, we cannot communicate in the same language as animals and so we...

Diabetes mellitus in dogs and cats and its associated complications

Diabetes mellitus impairs the body's ability to produce or respond to the hormone insulin, resulting in abnormal metabolism of carbohydrates and elevated levels of glucose in the blood and urine (Niaz...

Feline transfusion medicine for registered veterinary nurses

Feline blood types are determined using the AB blood system, which consists of three blood groups: A, B or AB. The clinical significance of feline blood groups is mainly because of the high level of...

Understanding canine atopic dermatitis

Canine atopic dermatitis is diagnosed initially with the clinical evaluation of a combination of criteria that are closely associated with the disease (DeBoer and Hillier, 2001). Once it is certain...

Third eyelid laceration in a cat

Outdoor, male neutered, 3 year old, Domestic Shorthair cat from a multi-cat household presented on the evening of the 23 September 2023 with mucopurulent ocular discharge and head-shy behaviour with...

Care bundles to reduce surgical site infections and promote positive outcomes

SSIs affect large numbers of veterinary patients each year and are infections that occur at, or near, to the surgical site up to 30 days post surgery, or up to 1 year after implants have been placed...

Multidrug resistance 1 (MDR1) gene mutation in dogs

An overview of genotype possibilities is included in Table 1. In summary, these are homozygous normal (unaffected), heterozygous or homozygous mutations (affected). Offspring can inherit this gene if...

Triage: is it safe to wait?

Clients will typically call their veterinary clinic if they are concerned their pet has become unwell or injured. Triaging over the telephone determines if the pet requires immediate attention or if...

Anatomical evaluation of brachycephalism in cats and rabbits

Brachycephalic animals can be identified by their distinctive skull shape with a high cephalic index. Cat breeds affected by extreme brachycephaly include Exotic Shorthairs, Himalayans and Persians....

The importance of the team in small animal CPR

The leader is one of the most influential CPR team factors. Leaders require effective delegation, observation and time management skills (Haskey, 2016). Leaders allocate roles to the team, ensuring...

Ear base swellings in rabbits

Unlike canine and feline patients, rabbits do not have a distinct vertical or horizontal ear canal. The external ear possesses cartilaginous plates and a blind-ending diverticulum which is separated...