Clinical

Understanding and nursing acute kidney injury: a patient care report

AKI is defined as a rapid decline in renal function (Jack and Watson, 2008). It is differentiated from chronic renal disease (CRD) by their different pathologies. In AKI, blood does not adequately...

An evidence-based approach to infection control in the operating theatre

Historically surgical outcomes were poor until the early nineteenth century with the major contributing factor being SSIs (Humes and Lobo, 2009). Some of the major advancements in infection control...

Update on Echinococcus multilocularis with particular emphasis on its impact on humans

Figure 1 shows the range of E. multilocularis in foxes in 2010 (ESCCAP, 2010) with infection absent from Sweden, the Jutland peninsula of Denmark and the north western coast of France. It is now...

Neuromuscular blocking agents — what does a nurse need to know?

Anaesthesia protocols used in veterinary medicine have certain muscle relaxation qualities, however, in order to provide marked muscle relaxation a significantly higher dose of sedative/anaesthetic...

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in veterinary practice part 1: why they do what they do

Prostaglandins are one of the major groups of inflammatory mediators involved in generation of pain, through both contributing to peripheral sensitisation, and also via a direct effect in the central...

Decontamination of cats and dogs with suspected poisoning

Any animal that is exhibiting signs of cardiovascular collapse, respiratory distress, or profound neurological depression should be stabilised before decontamination is attempted. If dermal...

Endodontics in dogs and cats

Standard RCT, or pulpectomy, is indicated when there is irreversible pulp pathology, and is performed in mature, permanent teeth (Holmstrom, 2011). As previously mentioned, it is typically a procedure...

In-home hospice provision — a viable option for veterinary palliative care?

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...

Nursing the feline hyperthyroid patient

The diagnosis of feline hyperthyroidism in most cases is confirmed with an elevated serum concentration of TT4 (Broussard et al, 1995; Baral and Peterson, 2012; Mooney and Peterson, 2012)..

Constant rate infusions — a veterinary nurse's guide

Morphine is a mu-agonist opioid and accordingly provides analgesia suitable for moderate-severe pain. CRIs of morphine have been used and studied widely. Morphine CRIs achieve steady levels of...

Ear cytology in otitis externa: when, why, how?

As discussed, ear cytology should ideally been performed in every case presenting signs of otitis externa, in order to decrease the use of antibiotics and better target specific infections. It is a...

Reducing the risk of anaesthetic complications in patients with brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome

Primary abnormalities include stenotic nares and elongated soft palate, which result in obstruction of the upper airway and reduced flow of air into the trachea. Reduced airflow leads to increased...