Clinical

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...

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,...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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)....

Small mammal herbivores, part 2: nutrition for wellness

A brief discussion of nutrients and their role in the herbivore diet will provide the basis for understanding nutritional assessment..

Computed tomography acquisition for veterinary diagnostic imaging

CT images are captured by a series of detectors that move in tandem with a generator in a circle around the patient. The patient lies on the table or couch as it moves through the gantry (Garnett,...