The potential benefit of local anaesthetics during routine ovariohysterectomy

Woolf (2011) defined the three types of pain as: neurological, this stems from the nervous system because of abnormal function; nociceptive, this is a result of a noxious stimulus damaging the...

Does meloxicam provide adequate pain management as a post-operative analgesic in canine ovariohysterectomy patients?

All procedures were performed in compliance with relevant laws and institutional guidelines and the research project was approved by University Centre Askham Bryan ethics committee. All owners gave...

Cystic ovarian disease in female guinea pigs

Cystic ovarian disease is very common in sows over the age of 1.5 years, an incidence of 76% has been reported at post mortem (Keller et al, 1987). Puberty occurs at around 2 months of age in females...

Spaying bitches: why, when, how?

In Sweden, until 2012 it was illegal to spay a bitch (other than for a medical reason). Although that law has now been slightly relaxed, a study during that time showed that approximately 25% of...

To spay or not to spay: the nurse's role in owner education

When admitting an animal for a surgical procedure the code of conduct dictates that consent must be obtained from the owner, which must be ‘informed’, meaning the pet owner must understand what will...

Evidence-based update on neutering options in bitches — a laparoscopic point of view

From the nursing point of view the position of the animal and the settings of the specific equipment (camera, light source, monitor and insufflator) are of particular interest. Patients are positioned...

A clinical audit to identify factors contributing to surgical wound healing complications

Primary closure should theoretically only be used where the wound has been created in an aseptic manner (Anderson, 1997) and this technique is therefore appropriate for clean surgical wounds, such as...