Clinical

RSPCA staff at Millbrook Animal Centre bathe one of a litter of Lurcher puppies found abandoned with a skin condition.

The impact of COVID-19 on rescue shelters

During the COVID-19 pandemic, RSPCA National Centres have been shut to members of the public. Only staff and volunteers have been on site to care for the animals and rehoming has mainly been done...

Understanding the pharmaceutical approach to pain management in canine osteoarthritis

Identifying the ‘type’ of pain requiring management will enable an appropriate choice of analgesia. Inflammatory nociception is always present in osteoarthritis. Indicators of pain and pathology will...

Figure 2. Right parasternal long axis echocardiographic view with colour flow Doppler showing regurgitant flow through the compromised mitral valve. LA=left atrium, LV=left ventricle.

Anaesthetic management of dogs with myxomatous mitral valve disease

This disease is progressive and degenerative, causing distortion of the mitral valve structure and consequent disruption to the normal haemodynamic function of the heart. In a normal heart, the two...

Figure 1. Massage is applied using a gentle compress and release technique to the iliopsoas area.

Rehabilitating the canine hip: a practical guide

There are a number of surgical procedures which have been suggested to assist with the management of issues relating to the hip. The most common surgical procedures performed around the hip include...

Figure 2. Osteoarthritis should be considered as a differential diagnosis for chronic weight loss in pet guinea pigs.

Osteoarthritis in pet guinea pigs: an update on diagnosis, treatment and management

Although there have been significant advances in recent years in the field of pet rabbit medicine, pet guinea pig conditions are unfortunately less well documented and our understanding of their...

Figure 3. Checking for a pulse in a tortoise over the lateral neck using a Doppler monitor

Considerations for humane euthanasia in exotic pet species

The euthanasia of pet animals always poses ethical, emotional and practical challenges. These may be compounded in the case of exotic pet species because of:.

Anaesthesia of the patient with chronic kidney disease

In order to fulfil all its functions, each kidney filters a large amount of water and solutes from the blood, reabsorbing the substances needed and secreting the waste products into the convoluted...

Figure 1. Hair loss on the limb of a cat during recovery following exposure to laundry detergent. The container had fallen from a work surface and spilled on the floor near where cats were sleeping. They had detergent on their legs and feet but were not treated promptly and developed chemical burns. One cat was euthanised with severe respiratory signs and the other recovered.

Poisons affecting the skin

Detergents are very common household chemicals. They are found in a variety of cleaning products such as washing up liquids, toilet cleaners and fabric washing products and come in the form of...

Figure 1. Place cats in a raised location and cover carriers to ease stress (Picture courtesy of Swanbridge Veterinary Hospital).

Dos and don'ts for reducing feline anxiety in the veterinary environment

This article has demonstrated a number of practical strategies that can be easily adopted and implemented within the veterinary environment. By making small changes and anticipating the cat's...

Figure 10. Feline cowpox infection

Diagnosis in canine and feline dermatology

The approach to diagnosis is based upon completing the following steps:.

Figure 3. Contouring. The computed tomography images obtained during treatment simulation are imported by specialised software to contour organs at risk (eg brain – yellow line), and the tumour (red line). The pink line represents the planning target volume (ie the volume of tissue to receive the prescribed treatment dose). This volume includes the tissue affected by the cancer and an additional safety margin to account for potential variation associated with patient setup or internal movement of organs.

Radiation therapy in veterinary medicine: a practical review

Normal tissue cells, similarly to cancer cells, are susceptible to the damaging effects of ionising radiation (Ward, 1988; Stewart and Dorr, 2009; Hill and Bristow, 2013). The risk, type, and severity...

Figure 1. Alopecia and erythema on the ventral aspect of the neck of an English Bulldog. This dog had atopic dermatitis and presented with an acute flare.

Management of canine atopic dermatitis

Treatment of acute flares It is a recognised phenomenon that dogs with atopic dermatitis will suffer acute flares when exposed to an allergen to which they are hypersensitive (e.g. flea saliva,...