Clinical

Pre-anaesthesia preparation in cats and dogs – recent evidence

Although this paper focuses on pre-anaesthesia preparation, it is important to understand factors that affect complications related to anaesthesia. Several studies have been published determining the...

Winter poisoning hazards for pets

A common antifreeze ingredient is ethylene glycol (also known as ethanediol). It is not toxic itself, but is metabolised to toxic compounds by the action of alcohol dehydrogenase. This enzyme oxidises...

Pruritus in dogs and cats part 2: allergic causes of pruritus and the allergic patient

In modern general practice, because of regular use of efficient ectoparasiticides, the main cause of ectoparasite-linked pruritus likely to be encountered is a hypersensitivity to flea saliva, as...

Figure 4. Maintenance on oxygen and inhalant gas delivered via a T-piece and a tight-fitting mask.

Anaesthesia in small rodents

The pre-anaesthetic phase comprises a thorough pre-anaesthetic evaluation to include a clinical history and a physical examination, as well as selecting the appropriate pre-anaesthetic drugs and...

Leishmania: case management and UK transmission

The signs associated with Leishmania infection are immune-mediated and in dogs commonly include lymphadenopathy, alopecia, dermatitis, hyperkeratosis, dermal ulcers, anorexia, weight loss,...

Figure 1. Thermal burn to the ventrum of a dog caused by jumping into a hot bath, showing a superficial partial-thickness burn. The dog's head is to the top of the image.

Understanding the approach to animals with thermal burns

Local burns are unlikely to lead to systemic derangements and aggressive therapy is not typically required. When the injury is directly witnessed, cold water can be applied to cool the wound. This...

Figure 5. This guinea pig is suffering from dental disease. The crowns of the mandibular jugal teeth have grown into a ‘bridge’ over the tongue, entrapping it. Surgical intervention is required, and this patient will likely need nutritional support prior to and after surgery.

Small mammal herbivores part 3: taking a dietary history and providing nutritional support

Taking a thorough history is a cornerstone of exotic animal medicine: estimates of the prevalence of husbandry-related diseases vary depending on the study, but it is generally agreed that inadequate...

Figure 1. Multimodal anaesthesia, or total intravenous anaesthesia, can be administered by syringe drivers at set rates while being closely monitored by appropriately trained personnel.

Working towards a greener future in veterinary anaesthesia

The climate crisis is the largest and most prolonged threat to global health ever described (Costello et al, 2009). The rising temperatures documented over recent centuries are attributed largely to...

Permanent transvenous pacemaker placement in a Terrier with sick sinus syndrome

Species: Canine.

Castrating dogs: why, when, how?

A minimally invasive ‘field surgical’ technique for castration has been proposed. Pin hole castration involves utilising a very small incision to ligate and cut the ductus deferens and testicular...

Figure 2. Skin scraping taken from the dorsum of a Sheltie with diffuse scaling and erythema; note how the dislodged epidermal material adheres to the sharp edge of the scalpel blade because it is coated with liquid paraffin and also that the skin has been scraped repeatedly by the pet to cause erosion of the epidermis.

Pruritus in dogs and cats part 1: what is pruritus and how do we approach the pruritic patient?

It is worth emphasising that pruritus in a patient can be the result of several co-existing pruritogenic processes combining together to push the individual over what is known as the pruritic...

Awareness and management of canine cognitive dysfunction

Owners may note a decrease in responses to well established cues (Landsberg and Araujo, 2005). This may result from dwindling eyesight and hearing (Landsberg and Ruehl, 1997; Szabó et al, 2018)....