Vet Times

Tag: Renal

  • Hyperkalaemia, pt 1: clinical signs and causes

    Hyperkalaemia, pt 1: clinical signs and causes

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    Hyperkalaemia is a relatively common electrolyte abnormality encountered in the clinic and always requires immediate attention, as myocardial toxicity can occur when serum potassium concentration gets sufficiently high (exceeding 5.5mmol/L). Hyperkalaemia causes clinical signs due to its effect on the resting membrane potential. The increase in potassium causes depolarisation of this potential, which, in effect,…

  • Fluid therapy part 4: ongoing losses

    Fluid therapy part 4: ongoing losses

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    This month, we will look at the final part of a fluid therapy plan – accounting for ongoing losses. This can be challenging, but some general rules can be helpful. First, let’s recap the four parts of a fluid therapy plan: Perfusion deficit Hydration deficit Maintenance requirements Ongoing losses When considering ongoing losses, try to…

  • Christmas dangers

    Christmas dangers

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    Christmas can be a busy time for vet clinics, so here is a list of common intoxications and conditions to keep an eye out on during the festive period. Chocolate Numerous online calculators can determine whether a toxic dose has been consumed and they are a great place to start. I always perform emesis in…

  • Isoflurane and oxygen: the dangers of 2 and 2

    Isoflurane and oxygen: the dangers of 2 and 2

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    It is a common practice to place all patients on 2% isoflurane and 2l/min oxygen flow rate, but blanket isoflurane saturations and oxygen flow rates can be dangerous. Without a doubt, the majority of patients seem to do just fine at these levels; but every patient is different, and simply placing all patients on 2%…

  • Crazy pet myths

    Crazy pet myths

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    I’m hoping to move home soon, but it’s been a long time since I moved with a pet. I’m considering Prof Edward Coleman’s feelings in this far more than my own; he likes to wander to other gardens and, although he settled quickly here, I’m moving nearer a busy road, so I’m thinking of ways…

  • Two cats: a tale of diametric treatments

    Two cats: a tale of diametric treatments

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    I thought I would take well to emergency work; I’m a night owl, and when animals crashed or bled in general practice I kept my cool and worked logically, but quickly, to discover the problem and fix it – or at least, attempt to. I had recently left my post as clinical director, and picking…

  • Ludicrous layouts: no space for anything and everything out of place

    Ludicrous layouts: no space for anything and everything out of place

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    I’m probably going to come over all “feng shui”, but working in some different spaces recently has got me thinking about how we choose where things go in the veterinary clinic – especially in converted buildings that were never intended to be a veterinary practice. Do we really “choose” where things go, or do we…

  • AFAST, part 1

    AFAST, part 1

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    AFAST = Abdominal Focused Assessment with Sonography for Trauma In the emergency setting, focused ultrasound examinations are increasingly being used as extensions of the physical examination. The goal is the identification of life-threatening conditions – such as internal bleeding or organ rupture – but can also assist in tracking conditions over a period of time.…

  • Handling an Addisonian crisis – part 2

    Handling an Addisonian crisis – part 2

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    Managing an Addisonian crisis can be daunting, especially when the patient looks like it is about to check out and its baseline bloods show a sodium of 110mmol/L, a potassium of 8mmol/L and a glucose of 2.3mmol/L. That is enough to make anyone’s brain explode. The patient can be treated in many ways, but I…

  • 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…