The importance of lavage in wound care

Lavage is fundamental in breaking down bacterial biofilms, which occur when a group of microorganisms (bacteria, fungi, parasites and viruses) attach themselves to a surface to create a colony,...

Ear cytology for the veterinary nurse

An assessment of the dog's ear condition prior to attempting to take a sample is important to try to gain an understanding of the severity of the otitis. While some infections such as with Malassezia...

Which skin preparation technique is most effective to minimise bacterial contamination?

The gold standard provision in veterinary care is to utilise evidence-based medicine to help evaluate the weight of evidence and guide clinical decision making which will ultimately increase animal...

Antibiotic resistance in small animal veterinary practice: veterinary nurses as antibiotic guardians

Mechanisms for antibiotic resistance may be categorised as intrinsic resistance or acquired resistance (Umber and Bender, 2009). Some bacteria are inherently resistant to certain antibiotics due to...

The canine microbiome

Identification of bacteria within the canine GI tract has traditionally been achieved by culture of faecal samples. This method has, however, now been recognised as being ineffective with large...

Antibiotic resistance in veterinary practice: a veterinary nurse's perspective

The first antibiotic penicillin was discovered by Alexander Fleming in 1928 (Fleming, 1929), and more than 100 compounds have been found since, but no new class has been found since 1987 (Ling et al,...

The use of probiotics as dietary supplements in dogs

Gastrointestinal complaints are are a common presentation in veterinary practice. Physiologic states such as infection and chronic inflammation can decrease levels of beneficial bacteria (Rastall,...