Clinical

Parasite roundup for 2021

ESCCAP UK & Ireland continues to advise that all UK cats and dogs be treated at least every 3 months to reduce egg shedding. High risk groups (cats and dogs on raw unprocessed diets, those that hunt...

The importance of preventative healthcare: what 10 years of research from the Centre for Evidence-based Veterinary Medicine reveals

Researchers within the Centre for Evidence-based Veterinary Medicine initially used broad-based approaches to identify the research priority areas for the veterinary profession. This involved direct...

Osteoarthritis in small animals: tools for diagnosis and monitoring

There are many available, validated, client metrology instruments for canine patients. The most readily accessible in the UK are the Liverpool Osteoarthritis in Dogs (LOAD) questionnaire, the Helsinki...

A surgical approach to the reptile patient

The reproductive physiology of reptiles varies depending on the order to which the reptile belongs (Lock, 2000). Oviparous reptiles, such as chelonia, produce eggs, whereas squamates can be oviparous...

CPD article: Biofilms and surgical site infections

A surgical site infection is a nosocomial infection temporally associated with a particular surgical procedure. A bacterial wound infection can be defined as the presence of more than 105 bacteria per...

Tremorgenic mycotoxicosis in dogs

Mouldy foods, particularly mouldy dairy products (Figure 1), are common sources of tremorgenic mycotoxins (Box 1), but any food waste, including composted waste (Figure 2), rotting, fallen fruits and...

Avian reproductive disorders

Reproductive disease is common in birds. Medical management, such as the use of GnRH agonists can be useful in the treatment of some disorders. However, a considerable amount of further research is...

Stress-free vet visits: considering the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic

The process starts at reception when the patient is booked in. Information about the animal's previous behavioural history at the practice should be logged, alongside a relevant medical history. The...

Understanding and managing pain in the arthritic synovial joint: an update

It is well-recognised that synovial joints are innervated by pain-transmitting nerves (nociceptors). These nociceptors are thinly myelinated Aδ-fibres or unmyelinated C-fibres, with their cell bodies...

Reducing medication errors in practice: part 2

Where possible, configuring the practice management system to block dispense certain products to certain patients, for example paracetamol to a cat, could be a worthwhile consideration. Pop-up alert...

Feline blood pressure measurement: when is it needed?

Systemic hypertension is a potentially life-threatening condition and four body systems are especially vulnerable to the damaging impact of high systemic blood pressure. These so-called target organs...