Vet Times

Tag: Pain Management

  • Hormones in practice, part 2: common conditions

    Hormones in practice, part 2: common conditions

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    In part one, we broached the taboo of “women’s problems”. A bit of reading about Endometriosis Awareness Month in March and I was staggered about the huge impact our hormonal fluctuations can have on us as individuals, business and the economy. As the editor of Veterinary Woman, it’s my aim to support women in the…

  • The other side of the consult table, part 2

    The other side of the consult table, part 2

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    Never have I seen my cat so happy as the days post-operation when she was flying high on pain relief (I personally remember being quite grumpy the days after I had a tooth removed, but Bluebell seemed entirely unphased), but that doesn’t mean bringing an animal home from an operation is plain sailing. The initial…

  • Throw it away?

    Throw it away?

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    Comfort blanket or paperweight? Should you or shouldn’t you? It’s question that could be asked of so many things in our vet lives, but this is a biggie: should you throw away your revision notes? This is both an emotional and practical issue – you slaved over those notes with blood, sweat and tears, but…

  • Chasing waterfalls

    Chasing waterfalls

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    Sticking to what you’re used to is both safe and comfortable; getting to where I am now was neither of those things. All through secondary school, people told me trying to become a vet was too much effort – that if I was having to try as hard as I was, then maybe it wasn’t…

  • Eosinophils: worms, wheezes, and weird diseases

    Eosinophils: worms, wheezes, and weird diseases

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    Unless you’re a parasitic nematode (and I suspect the majority of you reading this aren’t) or suffer from an allergy (probably a bit more likely), it’s hard not to be a little bit excited when you see an eosinophil. Just like their brothers-in-arms, the neutrophils, eosinophils are part of the front-line defences of the immune…

  • Overcoming impostor syndrome

    Overcoming impostor syndrome

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    Are you used to doing things well, with certain skills coming naturally to you? Often, when you do come up against something that is more of a struggle, or you have to work harder to accomplish your aim, you then doubt your worth and whether you really are good enough. If something is difficult, then…

  • 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…

  • Pitfalls of pet insurance

    Pitfalls of pet insurance

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    Nowadays, insurance is not the be all and end all. It is no longer the all-singing, all-dancing green light to work up a case to “gold standard” without financial restraints. So many companies are out there with so many variations in policies that it’s seemingly impossible to keep up. The question “is he insured?” is…

  • Commonly held beliefs that don’t do us any good, pt 2

    Commonly held beliefs that don’t do us any good, pt 2

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    Belief #2: if you can’t afford to care for an animal then you shouldn’t have one You, young doctor or nurse – living in your privileged society of excess, with your years of study, working in an industry that exists largely to minimise animal suffering – have certain expectations of what “taking care of an…

  • Shopping – it’s not that much of a mystery

    Shopping – it’s not that much of a mystery

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    I’ve just read a breakthrough email – not a huge fanfare of exams passed or a lottery win, but something that, nevertheless, made me realise how far I’ve come over the past few years. The email was a simple one: “You are still on our list for XYZ role, but we haven’t used you in…