UK Vet Companion Animal

Figure 2. A superficial, partially embedded corneal foreign body in a dog. This piece of plant material was forcibly rinsed from the corneal surface.

Dealing with penetrating foreign bodies in the eyes of small animals

Ocular injuries are observed more frequently in young dogs of less than 5 years of age, as well as in hunting and working breeds such as English Springer Spaniels and Labrador Retrievers. Injuries...

Figure 1. Cysto-colic view in a dog positive for free fluid. Free fluid is seen as an ill-defined anechoic area (arrow) cranial to the bladder apex

Diagnosis and initial management of uroabdomen in dogs and cats

Prompt recognition and early treatment of uroabdomen are essential to maximise the likelihood of a successful outcome. Clinical signs are often not specific and might not appear in the first 24 hours...

Figure 8. Bacterial pyoderma in a rabbit. While there is extensive ulceration of the skin. The animal was overgrooming at time of examination, although it was felt this sign of pruritus was a secondary change as overgrooming was not noted until later in disease progression. Crusting also appeared secondary to ulceration. Impression smears assisted in identifying bacteria and an associated cellular response. There was a good response to medium-term antibiosis, and an underlying cause was not identified.

Dermatological diseases of small mammals

As Osler said, ‘Listen to your patient, he is telling you the diagnosis’. This is no less true in veterinary medicine. As such, the following should always be noted:.

Figure 1. A less common presentation of feline otitis externa.

Otitis externa: a review

The normal ear canal (Figure 4a) has an L shape, is lined with epithelium and has ceruminal glands which make cerumen, containing many immunologically active substances. The canal ends in the tympanic...

Figure 1. The results of classical conditioning – a frightened Spaniel seeks her ‘safe place’ on seeing a camera, that predicts a ‘flash’ that mimics thunder and that predicts loud thunder or firework type sounds.

Sound sensitivity in dogs: protecting emotional welfare and the human–pet bond

With minor variations for breeds with floppy or folded ears, the basic structure and functioning of the majority of dogs' ears is very similar. Designed to capture and funnel sound down the ear canal,...

Figure 1. Cutaneous skin lesions associated with leishmaniosis in a dog. Photo courtesy of Pedro Serra, Nationwide labs.

Summer parasite update 2022

Increasing numbers of imported rescue cats and dogs have been seen over the past few years with associated risk of exotic pathogens entering the UK. These numbers are also likely to be swelled in 2022...

Figure 2. Try and allow a cat time to acclimatise in the clinic before blood pressure measurement and keep them as relaxed as possible.

Secondary hypertension and its treatment in cats

The aim of treatment is to reverse or ideally prevent target organ damage from occurring, therefore treatment of cats with moderate to high risk of target organ damage is recommended. Clinicians may...

UK parasite risk factors and control challenges

A variety of exotic parasites and their vectors have been diagnosed in travelled UK cats and dogs recently. Of note are the aforementioned ticks and tick-borne diseases, the protozoa Leishmania...

Figure 2. a) Marked amount of echogenic bile positioned centrally in the gall bladder surrounded by thin hypoechoic rim. b) Moderate amount of mildly organised echogenic bile centrally positioned in the gall bladder surrounded by thick hypoechoic rim. c) Mildly heterogenous well organised echogenic bile that occupies the entire gallbladder lumen. d) Echogenic bile organised into a typical stellate pattern characterised by radiating hyperechoic striations alternated by anechoic bile.

A review of gallbladder mucocele – part 1: aetiopathogenesis and diagnosis

The gallbladder is a round organ situated between the quadrate and right medial liver lobes consisting of a fundus, body and neck (Evans and de Lahunta, 2013). The gallbladder connects to the duodenum...

Figure 1. 14-week old British Shorthair with wet feline infectious peritonitis.

Current treatment options for feline infectious peritonitis in the UK

The two drugs discussed in this first section are injectable remdesivir and oral GS-441524, both nucleoside analogues. These treatments are legal in the UK, although they are not licensed – therefore,...

Figure 2. Severe crusting and small erosions on the nasal planum and bridge of the nose in a cat with pemphigus foliaceus.

Pemphigus foliaceus in cats

Pemphigus foliaceus is an antibody-mediated autoimmune skin disease. Autoantibodies belonging to the IgG subclass attack and destroy the desmosomes, the special structures connecting one keratinocyte...

Figure 1. The constant feedback loop between our environment and our behaviour. The figure shows how, given a specific environment/situation we will have particular emotions and feelings based on how a situation meets or does not meet our needs. This information is interpreted by our brains and will result in a behaviour. Our behaviour will result in a change in environment and the cycle will then start anew. Adapted from Rosenberg's (2015) non-violent model of communication.

An exploration of setting healthy personal boundaries as a veterinary professional – part 1: at work and beyond

Personal boundaries are the emotional and behavioural metaphorical walls that we need to maintain healthy relationships with ourselves, other people and our environment. We need to set a boundary when...