Vet Times

Tag: Dogs

  • Veterinary aromatherapy: the good, the bad and the ugly

    Veterinary aromatherapy: the good, the bad and the ugly

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    Don’t run away! I’m not entering into the complementary and alternative medicine debates… I’ve just been thinking about the lovely smells of the vet world that make me feel good. Following a Twitter conversation with fellow blogger Nick Marsh back in 2017, I’ve been keeping a little list – a secret list. But I’m now…

  • Home visits: improving lives for vets, owners and pets

    Home visits: improving lives for vets, owners and pets

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    We were disappointed to read Nick Marsh’s recent assessment of home visits as “frustrating and scary”. As the UK’s largest home visit service provider, we are concerned about owners who cannot easily take their animals to the vet. As we are all too familiar with, travelling to the vet can be a traumatic experience for…

  • Breeding hate of caesareans

    Breeding hate of caesareans

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    They should be joyful operations – from a distressed, painful dog in a potentially life-threatening situation, to a fixed one, in less than an hour, with none of that unsatisfying mucking about with blood gasses or puzzling over blood results. The surgery itself is relatively simple and rather fun. To top it off, you (ideally)…

  • Cats versus dogs – the ultimate speciesism?

    Cats versus dogs – the ultimate speciesism?

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    It seems ages ago now, but the August bank holiday brought many treats this year – it was sunny, I didn’t have to pick up a dead cat from the gutter and a special edition of This Morning aired. For anyone who has had to recuperate from surgery like me then This Morning becomes a…

  • Schedule 3 – evidence of our role secured

    Schedule 3 – evidence of our role secured

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    As well as traditional Halloween high jinks, 31 October 2017 marked a truly happy day for veterinary nurses, as the RCVS published results of its survey into VNs and vets‘ knowledge and use of – as well as future wishes for – the VN role under Schedule 3. As the full document is more than…

  • Aggressive patients

    Aggressive patients

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    I’ve discussed before the massive emotional shift that seems to occur in the transition from a student to a new graduate – namely due to the responsibility – but the transition to being an actual vet also means being on the front line when it comes to aggressive patients. As a student, you are often…

  • If only they could talk

    If only they could talk

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    “It must be so difficult,” the old woman says, as I listen to her cat’s chest. As ever, this puts me in the awkward position of either taking the stethoscope out of my ears and interrupting my clinical exam, or politely ignoring her so I can listen. As usual, I opt for the third, least…

  • Reflection rebranded

    Reflection rebranded

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    Reflection. Yep, it’s the R word again. Now, don’t turn off, because I’m actually thinking we need a rebrand. Bear with me. As an idea, reflection seems to cause a whole heap of negativity in people. But, when you think about it, isn’t it just a process of reviewing new information and applying it to…

  • SNAP cortisol test

    SNAP cortisol test

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    While hyperadrenocorticism is not an uncommon incidental finding in patients presenting to our emergency clinic, hypoadrenocorticism is a lot less common. Or, possibly, more frequently underdiagnosed. Textbook clinical presentations combined with haematology and biochemicial changes can make diagnosis straightforward, but not all patients will present with all the classic signs. To complicate things further, hypoadrenocorticism…

  • Giardia SNAP test

    Giardia SNAP test

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    Following last week’s discussion about pancreas-specific lipase tests, this week we look at Giardia SNAP tests. Giardia is an important differential diagnosis in domestic species presenting with gastrointestinal disease, with a reported prevalence varying between 10% in household dogs and up to 100% in canine shelters and breeding colonies. Younger animals – particularly younger than…