Clinical

Factors associated with steam sterilisation failure

Human error is cited as the main cause of steam sterilisation process failures, followed by equipment mal-function and steam quality/performance (Figure 1) (Chandrapati, 2008)..

A hail damaged Eastern Long-neck turtle: a case study

On the day after the storm Tatiana, a 13-year-old female Eastern Long-neck Turtle, was presented to the Karingal Veterinary Hospital after her owners found her seeking shelter under some trees in...

How to recognise fear in canine inpatients

‘Fear is defined as an unpleasant emotion caused by threat, danger or harm (Oxford Dictionary, 2013). This is a natural response to any perceived aversive stimuli and is related to a natural survival...

Causes, examination and treatment of dental disease in rabbits

Rabbits are obligate herbivores and their cyclical digestive process requires high amounts of fibre to meet nutritional needs. In the wild, rabbits primarily consume tough fibrous grasses and leafy...

Nursing the portosystemic shunt patient

Purebred dogs are at increased risk for PSS. EHPSS are most frequently diagnosed in young (under 1 year of age) toy/miniature breeds dogs such as Yorkshire Terrier, Shih Tzu, Lhasa Apso, Maltese and...

Understanding the mechanisms behind acute pain in dogs and cats

Nociception is the process by which a signal caused by a noxious stimulus is communicated from the site of tissue injury to the brain (Farquhar-Smith, 2008). There are four basic steps involved in...

Exotic ticks and tick-borne diseases: the need to remain vigilant

Ticks are temporary ectoparasites as they attach to a host for a short period of time to take a blood meal. They are haematophagous and have a remarkable ability to transmit a wide variety of...

The role of antimicrobials in wound dressings

The evolution of antibiotic resistant bacteria such as meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and the clinical challenge they pose to wound management has been well publicised (Guyot and...

An introduction to fish diagnostics

House calls for fish cases are the preferred method for investigating fish diseases for several reasons including the ability to view the fish in its natural environment, having access to chemicals...

Reducing the risk of gossypiboma and other retained items during surgery

A gossypiboma is the direct result of iatrogenic harm, as the act of leaving a swab in situ arises from a failure to account for all the swabs at the end of a surgical or other invasive procedure...

Intensive nursing care provided to a patient with permethrin toxicosis

The patient was found collapsed outside the owner's home and was presented to the hospital with cold extremities, profuse diarrhoea and active muscle tremors. The owner had applied a canine...

What is FIV and what does it mean for FIV positive patients?

FIV is a retrovirus that causes immunodeficiency in cats. It is in the same subfamily (lentiviruses) as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (Irwin, 2011). It was initially named the Feline...