Vet Times

Tag: exotics

  • 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…

  • Clients’ perception of pain in their pets

    Clients’ perception of pain in their pets

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    I’ve been hearing a classic client phrase a little too much recently. I realise it can be difficult for some people to get – that animals feel physical pain just like we do – but when the evidence is staring you straight in the face (or even trying to bite your hand), why can people…

  • RCVS VN council election manifesto: Matthew Rendle RVN

    RCVS VN council election manifesto: Matthew Rendle RVN

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    MATTHEW RENDLE RVN Senior clinical VN, London Zoo T: 07947 812630 E: matthew.rendle@zsl.org Matthew’s VN career kicked off in 1989 at The Park Veterinary Centre in Watford, a busy mixed and exotics 13-vet practice. It was here he completed his training and here in 1994 where he became senior theatre nurse. Leaving in 2003, Matthew…

  • Prepping for pets: be prepared for anything

    Prepping for pets: be prepared for anything

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    If you haven’t heard the name “prepper”, a whole sub-culture is passing you by. These are the people prepared for an apocalypse, not just some really bad weather. And I don’t just mean they have a few cans of beans and a camping stove set aside – these people are serious. They stockpile enough food…

  • Rabbiting on at London Vet Show

    Rabbiting on at London Vet Show

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    Well, I finally did it. Like Christopher Reeve in Superman III, I am using my superpowers for evil. I’m not suggesting I am planning to melt anyone with laser eye beams (though if I had them, they would be great for amputating limbs), but I did agree to write this blog post for a pet…

  • How I know what hell’s going to smell like

    How I know what hell’s going to smell like

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    I hoped for many things when I embarked on a career in veterinary medicine, including fame, fortune and power. All have now, of course, come to pass (except for those three), but there have been many unforeseen benefits on this rocky road. For instance, I had no idea what an exciting new world of smells…

  • Hypothermic snakes

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    Reptiles, being cold blooded, are dependent on the environment to provide sufficient heat. If they get cold, their metabolism can become so sluggish that they cannot defend themselves, not even against a mouse. Careless owners of small snakes have been known to toss a live mouse in with the snake and then not supervise. If…

  • Total CPD immersion – from breakfast to lights out

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    For a long time before graduation, I held a special interest in “exotics” – a term I take to include birds, amphibians, invertebrates, wild animals and rabbits, even though the latter should be included in the “small animal” speciality. I even registered and studied for the CertZooMed before coming up hard against the requirement to gain…

  • Don’t remove a mass without knowing what it is

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    I came across a paper that advised we should know exactly what a mass is before surgery. The rationale being as follows (Ettinger, 2015): “Do something: aspirate or biopsy, and treat appropriately. “Why diagnose early? Obtaining a definitive diagnosis with cytology or biopsy early and before excision will lead to improved patient outcomes for superficial…

  • Tips to get the best from your microscope

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    I do a fair amount of dermatology in our practice, so I use the microscope on a regular basis. I recently came across these top tips to keep your microscope in good working order, so thought I’d share them. Keep the scope clean. Twice-daily cleaning is ideal – along with cleaning whenever the scope is…