Clinical

Kirby's Rule of 20: the veterinary nurse's critical patient checklist part 1

Fluid balance refers to a state of total body water (TBW) homeostasis (Kirby and Rudloff, 2017). Physiologically speaking, the body's fluid compartments are divided between intracellular (ICF) and...

How to place a FreeStyle Libre in veterinary patients

The registered veterinary nurse (RVN) has a large role to play in helping manage and monitor diabetic patients. A sound understanding of the disease itself, common clinical signs and the treatment...

Nursing advice for owners of a visually impaired dog

An example of a disease which can cause gradual vision loss is progressive retinal atrophy, a group of hereditary conditions which result in progressive degeneration of the retina and loss of vision...

Vector-borne disease distributions and risks to the UK

Fleas (Ctenocephalides felis and Ctenocephalides canis) are cosmopolitan ectoparasites, feeding on dogs and cats, which act as competent vectors for a high number of pathogens (Traversa, 2013). A...

Complications of diabetes mellitus in canine and feline patients

Traditionally, classification of diabetes mellitus has mirrored that of the human disorder and is categorised into type-1 like and type-2 like diabetes mellitus..

Canine degenerative myelopathy

Degenerative myelopathy affects adult dogs, typically 8 years of age and above (Awano et al, 2009). Although initially reported in the German Shepherd, it affects dogs of several breed including...

Feline idiopathic cystitis: what to suggest

Because of the wide range of symptoms and presentations it is likely that FIC has multiple causes (Forrester and Towell, 2015)..

The role of nutrition in critical care

Nutrition is essential for good health, but it is particularly important to critically ill patients. This is because they can quickly develop malnutrition, or pre-existing malnutrition is aggravated...

Anaesthetic management of paediatric and neonatal patients

Although young patients are capable of rapid repair, it was stated by Rigotti and Brearley (2016) that these patients have a reduced capacity to compensate in response to physiological changes that...

Acute pancreatitis in canine patients

Pancreatitis is described as the most common exocrine disease affecting both canines and felines (Steiner, 2020). Premature activation of digestive enzymes results in pancreatic autodigestion, leading...

How to get the most from blood samples: a guide to producing diagnostic blood smears

Preparation begins with the selection of appropriate microscope slides which should be premium, pre-cleaned slides, frosted at one end to adequately label the smear with the patient's details (Figure...

Factors driving lungworm spread and the need for ongoing diagnosis and prevention

A. vasorum has spread rapidly over the past 20 years from endemic foci in Wales, the South West and South East of England across the whole of the UK. Increased reporting of cases has been seen in...