Vet Times

Tag: otitis externa

  • Physician agency – striking the right balance

    Physician agency – striking the right balance

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    I was terrified when I started my consulting career. As I walked out to call in my first client, I was full of doubt, just as everyone is. Could I do it? I wasn’t very good in most social situations – was this the right career for me? In the end, consulting actually came naturally…

  • ICU later

    ICU later

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    In a few recent blogs, I have reminisced nostalgically about how things have changed in the profession since I qualified in the distant misty-swirled lands of the last millennium. However, there’s something I don’t miss: blearily sleepwalking my way through morning surgery in the numb haze only familiar to chronic insomniacs, those with young children,…

  • Unpredictability: the spice or stress of life?

    Unpredictability: the spice or stress of life?

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    It is said variety is the spice of life – although, as much as I like fiery food, I’m sometimes just as happy with a sandwich. Unpredictability isn’t exclusive to veterinary medicine, of course, but I sometimes fantasise enviously about people who know what they will be doing from the moment they enter work until…

  • Some notes on notes

    Some notes on notes

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    This is going to be a preachy one, I’m afraid, and I hate getting preachy unless it’s about something close to my heart (such as all the things Tim Burton’s remake of Planet of the Apes got wrong, or why The Force Awakens being basically a remake of A New Hope is no bad thing…

  • Cytology better than swabs for culture in cases of otitis externa

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    This one’s a little controversial, but some evidence exists that taking swabs for culture from cases of otitis externa can lead to poor reproducibility. Swabs taken from the same ear may produce different isolates, and even when the isolates agree, they may have different (antibiotic) susceptibility patterns (Bloom, 2015; Graham-Mize et al, 2004; and Schick, 2007). Bloom (2015),…

  • Fill the ear canal with topical ointments when treating otitis externa

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    Have you ever wondered how easy (or not) it is for our clients to administer prescription topical ear therapy to their companions? I would suggest this may be further complicated by data sheets that provide instructions such as “apply 8 drops once daily”. Paul Bloom at the North American Veterinary Conference advocated filling the ear…

  • Aural haematomas: an alternative to surgery

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    It occurred to me the other day I hadn’t seen an aural haematoma for some time. Saying that, I now expect three to come along in Monday-morning surgery. I also recall a time when we immediately resorted to surgery as the primary treatment. However, lately we have drained the ear and injected dexamethasone into the space. If you…