Vet Times

Tag: Abscess

  • Leave no stone unturned

    Leave no stone unturned

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    Although I have lots of clinical experience and have developed my diagnostic skills to a high level, at times I will be thrown a curveball, so I should never get complacent. The more unusual cases are the ones I tend to enjoy most, as they really get my brain working and force me to look…

  • Abdominal ultrasound, pt 1: equipment controls

    Abdominal ultrasound, pt 1: equipment controls

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    Abdominal ultrasound is an invaluable diagnostic tool that can give us far more information about abdominal organs than radiographs. It can also be a very daunting procedure – especially for clinicians unfamiliar with how the machine operates. One of the biggest frustrations with using the ultrasound machine stems from not knowing what each button is…

  • Cat bite abscesses

    Cat bite abscesses

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    Cat bite abscesses are one of the most common presentations in general practice. Even in an emergency setting, I see a number of these patients. Usually they are obvious, but, occasionally, they’re not so obvious and the patient comes in lethargic, inappetant and often “painful”. Overly dramatic? One thing I’ve learned in my time is…

  • 10 minutes

    10 minutes

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    I have been doing this for a little while; at a conservative estimate, I have carried out more than 60,000 consultations during my career. Sixty thousand. That makes me feel a little strange (and a lot old). For the majority of my time in practice, my allotted consulting time has been 10 minutes. Sixty-thousand 10-minute slots…

  • CPD – why we do it

    CPD – why we do it

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    The door closes behind the client and you breathe a sigh of relief. The last three appointments are booked off, and even with this extra unexpected cat bite abscess, you’re going to finish in time; you might be there 10 minutes late, but you’ll make it. That’s when your receptionist pops his or her head…

  • Four legs good

    Four legs good

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    Every so often, something reminds me – and I start to wonder. When I start to wonder, I begin to feel a sense of moral panic that threatens to underline pretty much all my life choices – so I generally stop thinking about it as soon as I can. Here’s the latest thing: at the…

  • Red in tooth and claw

    Red in tooth and claw

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    If you’d told me that at some point last year I’d be watching a group of killer snakes chasing an iguana, I’d have assumed you meant I had, once again, fallen asleep watching the Horror Channel. If you’d then told me it would be one of the most gripping and emotional pieces of television I…

  • Work hard, play hard

    Work hard, play hard

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    At the end of January I travelled down to Nottingham for the third annual Student Equine Veterinary Association (SEVA) symposium. The weekend was crammed with lectures, practicals and seminars relevant to horses in particular, for equine enthusiasts from all UK vet schools – and even some from further afield. Auspicious start Any congregation of vet…