Clinical

Chronic pain in small animals: how to create a pain management plan

Traditionally, pain was regarded as chronic when it lasted or recurred for more than 3–6 months (Merskey and Bogduk, 1994). This definition presents some limitations, as it does not take into account...

Figure 1. Body condition scoring chart for dogs.

Malnutrition in dogs and cats

There is clear evidence that malnourished people have poorer outcomes in a number of diseases. There is similar evidence in canine and feline medicine to support the notion that malnourished patients...

Endocrine disease in guinea pigs: a review on hyperthyroidism

It is widely agreed that hyperthyroidism in guinea pigs is relatively rare and clinically underdiagnosed (Brandão et al, 2013; Künzel and Mayer, 2015; Di Geronimo and Brandão, 2020). In a study by...

Figure 5. Transverse computed tomography projection showing a heterogeneous contrast-enhancing markedly enlarged metastatic sub-lumbar lymph node (red star)

Managing canine apocrine gland anal sac adenocarcinoma

English Cocker Spaniels, Labradors and German Shepherds, followed by Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, were over-represented in a study of British dogs with AGASAC (Polton et al, 2006). Among those...

Canine pheochromocytoma: diagnosis and surgical management

Clinical signs associated with pheochromocytomas are secondary to the release of catecholamines, local infiltration and metastatic disease (Gilson et al, 1994b; Barthez et al, 1997). Catecholamine...

Figure 1. A Comparison of Maslow's (1943) hierarchy of needs and Levin's boundary pyramid (Levin, 2020).

An exploration of setting healthy personal boundaries as a veterinary professional. Part 2: how to set and maintain personal boundaries

Figure 1 shows a comparison between Maslow's hierarchy of needs (Maslow, 1943) and Levin's boundary pyramid (Levin, 2020). Our survival may depend on our ‘bottom line’ boundaries being met. As our...

Figure 2. Leishmania promastigotes, courtesy of Virbac.

Leishmania: case management and UK transmission

The signs associated with Leishmania infection are immune mediated and in dogs commonly include lymphadenopathy, alopecia, dermatitis, hyperkeratosis, dermal ulcers, anorexia, weight loss,...

Figure 1. Gallbladder mucocele.

Gallbladder mucocele part 2: treatment and prognosis

Although many gallbladder mucoceles are discovered during abdominal ultrasonography while screening for other diseases, patients with mature gallbladder mucoceles or gallbladder rupture can present as...

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...