Clinical

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...

Diagnosis and surgical management of idiopathic bile duct cysts in a bearded dragon (Pogona vitticeps)

A 12-year-old female bearded dragon that weighed 390 g presented at the clinic with anorexia, straining and lack of defaecation. The animal was housed on sand and had provision of both heat and UVB...

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...

CPD article: Felid lungworms: from complete strangers to major parasites

The cat lungworm A. abstrusus remains the most important respiratory nematode affecting cats, although T. brevior and C. aerophila are gaining attention in feline clinical practice..

CPD article: Puppy nutrition: weaning and beyond

Weaning is an important life stage for puppies. It is a high-risk time for them (Grellet et al, 2012) and must be managed carefully. At 4 weeks of age, the dam's milk no longer provides all the...

CPD article: Guiding the owner: the use of supplements in canine osteoarthritis management

Veterinary professionals are well aware of the differences between medications and supplements, but it may be important to highlight this to owners when having these discussions. It should not be as...

A review of mitochondrial disease in dogs

The aetiology of mitochondrial diseases classically involves inheritable genetic mutations in mtDNA and nDNA coding for mitochondrial components, as well as de novo mutations within the individual...