Vet Times

Tag: bacterial

  • Rabbit versus IV

    Rabbit versus IV

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    For small, fluffy, adorable creatures, rabbit care can actually be a huge challenge in the veterinary practice. They are seen to be more difficult and fragile than the standard cat or dog, and some of the veterinary team are unsure of the best protocol when handling and hospitalising. Rabbit anaesthetics and their recovery carry a…

  • Blood transfusions, pt 3: how much?

    Blood transfusions, pt 3: how much?

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    Now that you know how to spot the signs of when a blood transfusion is needed and what blood product to administer, this article will focus on the volume of blood to give. What PCV should I aim for? To start us off, no real benefit exists in increasing a PCV above 30%, unless you…

  • Pancreatitis, pt 2: treatment and prognosis

    Pancreatitis, pt 2: treatment and prognosis

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    Last week we covered diagnosing pancreatitis and the challenges associated with doing so. This week we look at management. The treatment of pancreatitis largely involves supportive care and monitoring for potential complications. Here, we recap the fundamentals. IV fluids IV fluids are critical in the acute phase to restore perfusion to core organs and correct…

  • 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…

  • Idiopathic AHDS in dogs: treat with antibiotics or not?

    Idiopathic AHDS in dogs: treat with antibiotics or not?

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    Idiopathic acute haemorrhagic diarrhoea syndrome (AHDS) – previously known as haemorrhagic gastroenteritis – remains the one disease where constant debate exists as to whether antibiotics should be used as part of the standard treatment. The logic behind using antibiotics to prevent bacterial translocation is sound, and if AHDS is truly initiated by Clostridium species or…

  • Emesis: a thing of the past?

    Emesis: a thing of the past?

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    Until I started researching this Tip of The Week, I did not know the medical profession has abandoned the routine use of emesis in oral poisoning. This is based on multiple medical literatures that have proven emesis induction does not influence the clinical severity of poisoning, the length of hospitalisation and the clinical outcome or…

  • Bacteria

    Bacteria

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    “…and scattered about it… were the Martians — dead! — slain by the putrefactive and disease bacteria against which their systems were unprepared; slain as the red weed was being slain; slain, after all man’s devices had failed, by the humblest things that God, in his wisdom, has put upon this Earth.” HG Wells, War…

  • Neutrophils

    Neutrophils

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    The next time you’re feeling a little rough from a cold, injury or abrasion, spare a thought for the humble neutrophil – the workhorse first responders of the immune system. The minor inconvenience you’re impatiently waiting to get better from has spelled the end for thousands of these plucky little cells. Here’s one of them…

  • The big eater

    The big eater

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    If I were a leukocyte, I know what I’d be… I’d be a band neutrophil. Inexperienced, rushed out from the bone marrow before I was really ready, one of the first into the fray, clueless and surrounded by terrified comrades. It wouldn’t even be the bacterial toxins that finished me off. My uselessness in the…

  • Use of Convenia for treatment of cat bite abscesses

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    OK, a potentially controversial one this… There is a lot of evidence highlighting resistance to antibiotic therapy both in the human and veterinary fields. My understanding is that this is, in part, due to poor compliance. I’ve certainly come across clients who have difficulty giving tablets to their cat, and have also seen cases that “appear” to…