Tag: test
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Don’t talk to clients about free T4 evaluations
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We recently had an elderly cat that presented with typical signs of hyperthyroidism. However, as is sometimes the case, total T4 proved stubbornly normal on two estimations a couple of weeks apart. So we suggested it would be a good idea to send a blood to the lab for free T4 estimation – and you…
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Blood testing for E cuniculi in rabbits
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Antibodies to E cuniculi in rabbits can be detected on a blood test. Hence, a rabbit that has been infected by E cuniculi will produce antibodies that will produce a positive test. However, some rabbits appear to clear the infection completely and over time their blood test will become negative again. Have or have not Until…
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Compromise: learning the ‘art of veterinary medicine’
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It was my first day at work. I was nervous as heck, keen to impress, and desperate to prove to myself I could actually function as a veterinary surgeon (and, ideally, without writing my car off in the first week, which is what my university mates had voted me the person most likely in the…
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Take note of high Hgb and Hct levels on pre-anaesthetic bloods
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Have you ever noticed that, sometimes after starving, the haematocrit (Hct) and haemoglobin (Hgb) levels appear a little high on pre-anaesthetic bloods prior to a surgical procedure that morning? If so, make sure you look at the figures. If, like us, your laboratory machine produces a band with a red marker in the middle indicating some…
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Treatment of cat ringworm carriers
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Cats, particularly long-haired varieties, can be carriers of ringworm but show no clinical signs at all. Diagnosis in the absence of skin lesions is made by either Wood’s lamp over the entire body (only 50-60% of positives will fluoresce), or by taking coat brushings and incubating the hairs, follicles and debris in a dermatophyte test…
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Is our perfectionism making us ill?
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My name is Jo and I’m a perfectionist. Perfectionism is a big part of who I am. I am grateful to that facet of my personality for many of my achievements, but I can see it has also caused issues in my personal and professional life. I read comedian Jon Richardson’s book It’s Not Me, It’s You about his…
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Value is in the eye of the beholder
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“Price is only a concern in the absence of value” – I saw this pinned to the wall in a practice I visited, and to a large extent believe it to be true. But what is value? Take inanimate objects: their value to us is not only in their functionality, but also in their meaning to…
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Communication and memory
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I often see new graduate workshops and tutorials advertised where the seminar leaders address the problems of communication. Similar events are offered to older codgers, too. I’ve been to a couple; the Veterinary Defence Society points out the majority of complaints it handles involve some form of breakdown in communication. The speakers often lay the blame squarely…
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Check tear production in cases of facial paralysis
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We recently saw a 10-year-old, West Highland white that had developed a middle ear infection and facial paralysis. Following treatment and further investigation, it turned out the poor little chap had concurrent hypothyroidism. Several weeks later, I noticed the eye the same side as the ear infection had developed a mucopurulent discharge and mild keratitis. On checking its Schirmer…
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What’s causing the recurrent pyoderma and pruritus?
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Given my interest in dermatology a lot of itchy canine and feline individuals are passed in my direction. They often have a history of recurrent microbial skin infections either in the form of Staphylococcal pyoderma or Malassezia dermatitis, which is treated as and when it occurs. I’m often surprised to find these individuals are not receiving routine parasite…