Vet Times

Tag: tips

  • Top dressings tips

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    I attended a meeting held by the RCVS with representatives from the Veterinary Defence Society who warned that dressings can be problematic in terms of complaints and litigation. I’ll be totally honest here: I don’t like doing dressings. I was talking to Laura the other day (one of our team of fantastic RVNs) and, because…

  • 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…

  • The lost art of tortoise husbandry

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    In the role of client, I found myself praised and then shamed in equal measure when taking my tortoise for a check-up this week. Being a paranoid RVN pet owner, I was getting a bit worried because Bridget seemed considerably smaller than a friend’s female tortoise of the same type. After being quizzed on her housing, feeding,…

  • 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…

  • Using a probiotic and antibiotic at the same time

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    I had the privilege of attending the North American Veterinary Community Conference in January. The experience provided me with a number of top tips, which I thought I would pass on to you in the coming few weeks. For those of you who are skeptical of the role professional experience plays in establishing evidence, many authors accept…

  • Top tips from the reception desk

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    As I’ve done quite a few clinical tips now, I thought it would be interesting to ask our receptionists what their top tips from the front line would be. Sara, one of our excellent branch manager team, says communication is essential. Passing on as much information as possible to the clinical team can sometimes be…

  • Immunotherapy in atopic dogs is a valuable tool

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    My colleagues and I use immunotherapy on a fair number of dogs to treat atopic dermatitis. Research tells us it can be a valuable tool in some dogs, but at the same time up to a third of dogs respond poorly. We are lucky in our practice as anecdotally we find the majority of dogs…

  • The key to your new career

    The key to your new career

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    Regular vetsonline users (or at least those with an interest in changing their career path) may have noticed a change to the site in the past couple of months – specifically our recruitment section. What was initially a fairly basic affair with a handful of job listings has been transformed into an all-singing, all-dancing recruitment platform that is set to…

  • Paging Doctor Google

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    Something I have noticed in the past few years (and mentioned in my last post) is that people are leaving sick animals longer before bringing them to the vet. I wonder if other colleagues have noticed a change too? In the early noughties the norm in canine and feline practice used to be a day or…

  • Chocolate, tea and respect

    Chocolate, tea and respect

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    I’m getting old. I can see that. People greet me not by saying “you look great” but by saying “you’re getting greyer”. The worst part of that is not that it’s rude, but that they seem to think it’s funny. I’ve been in this profession a long time, and I have seen quite a bit.…