Clinical

Update on Toxocara species and toxocarosis

Female Toxocara spp. are prolific egg layers, with each worm able to lay up to 20 000 eggs. Eggs are passed into the environment within faeces and take a period of time to develop within the egg,...

Obesity and the health and welfare of the leisure horse

Obesity is a qualitative term (Wyse et al, 2008), defined as the accumulation of excess fat (adipose tissue) within the body (Thatcher et al, 2012). It has also been defined as a disease in which...

Preventative healthcare in companion animals: understanding owner triggers and changing behaviours

Pet ownership is known to have a number of positive impacts on the health and wellbeing of owners. According to a 2005 paper written for the British Medical Journal (McNicholas et al, 2005), benefits...

Oral pathology in dog and cat: overview of selected problems

The only way to reveal oral pathology is through a thorough examination. An oral examination should always begin in a conscious patient (Wiggs, 1997; Gorrel, 2008). If the patient (due to aggression...

Percutaneous transvenous coil embolisation as treatment for intrahepatic portosystemic shunts

Medical management of IHPSS is only palliative with a life expectancy of a few months to 3 years (Watson and Herrtage, 1998) and so surgical correction is preferred to improve long-term prognosis...

The use of negative pressure wound therapy in veterinary wound care

Indications for NPWT in animals include: treatment of large, open, contaminated wounds; dehisced surgical wounds, (with or without exposed orthopaedic implants or bones), degloving injuries and skin...

Analgesia in veterinary patients — opioids part two

Pure or full μ-agonists can produce maximal activation of the receptor when bound, and the subsequent cellular processes produce a maximal analgesic effect. Clinically, the full μ-agonist opioids are...

Critical care of the pet ferret (Mustela putorius furo)

In the author's experience, it is advised to consider equipping a veterinary practice with some particular items to assist with caring for sick ferrets, such as small scales, baby bottle warmer,...

Canine atopic dermatitis: diagnosis and management

CAD is a complex interaction between genetic, immunological, environmental and microbial factors. CAD has recently been described as: ‘…a genetically predisposed inflammatory and pruritic allergic...

Patient care report for a patient undergoing screening of the vertebral column

This Border Collie had trouble rising and a gradual worsening of general stiffness. Clinical examination localised his discomfort to the lumbar-sacral areas with bilateral hip and cervical pain. A...

Common toxicoses in small animal practice: a guide for the veterinary nurse

A toxicant is any poison, while a toxin is a poison that comes from a biological origin (e.g. tetanus toxin and toad toxin). Most toxicants produce an acute onset of clinical signs, although there are...