Tag: Pain Management
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Induced vomiting from the nurse’s perspective
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New RVN author Dale Gillies starts off her Vet Times blogging career with a tasteful little piece about the best ways to make a dog revisit its last meal…
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The ubiquity of pilchards
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Despite saying I’m a one-cat household with my hospice foster Moxie, we have recently been sharing our household with a new friend. Moxie may be a geriatric lady, but this hasn’t stopped a large tom cat from following her through the cat flap. Billy, as he is now known, is a 6kg big-cheeked hunk, but…
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Oh, CR*P! Using point-of-care C-reactive protein tests
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Few companies now offer affordable point-of-care tests for canine C-reactive protein (CRP). As we did when we recently received our new box of CRP slides, you might soon be asking the question: what do we even do with this stuff? Here’s what we’ve learnt… CRP is one of the acute phase proteins produced by the…
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Ionised hypocalcaemia, pt 2: eclampsia
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As discussed in part one of this blog series, a myriad of disease processes can lead to ionised hypocalcaemia (iHCa). Despite this, only hypocalcaemia caused by eclampsia and hypoparathyroidism (primary or iatrogenic – post-surgical parathyroidectomy) are severe enough to demand immediate parenteral calcium administration. Hypoparathyroidism is quite rare, so this blog will not explore the…
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Dystocia, pt 4: caesarean tips
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Prolonged hypoxaemia, hypotension and hypoventilation are the top three causes of periparturient fetal mortality – for these reasons, all precautions must be taken to avoid it. As soon as authorisation has been obtained to proceed with a caesarean section, the patient should be stabilised immediately. This includes having perioperative blood work performed, and clinical hypoperfusion…
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Dystocia, pt 1: labour stages
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Now most female canine patients are spayed, it comes as no surprise reproductive emergencies are not as common. One confusion seems to be not knowing how to determine a true dystocia emergency – especially when given advice over the telephone – from the process of normal parturition. Another concern is how to confidently form a…
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Pancreatitis, pt 2: treatment and prognosis
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Last week we covered diagnosing pancreatitis and the challenges associated with doing so. This week we look at management. The treatment of pancreatitis largely involves supportive care and monitoring for potential complications. Here, we recap the fundamentals. IV fluids IV fluids are critical in the acute phase to restore perfusion to core organs and correct…
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Pancreatitis, pt 1: diagnosis
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Pancreatitis is one of the most common exocrine conditions seen in small animal practice. It is caused by premature activation of enzymes (zymogens) within the pancreas leading to autodigestion, and can result in severe morbidity with the potential to lead to mortality. To this day, the diagnosis of pancreatitis remains a challenge – especially in…
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The dreaded client complaint
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Regardless of how well you conduct yourself and how thorough you are in your work, it’s inevitable you’ll occasionally find yourself on the receiving end of a client complaint. This will always suck. When someone criticises you, it’s very natural to feel a strong negative emotional response. The emotional control centres of your brain interpret…
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Thoracentesis, part 1: indications, equipment and protocol
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Thoracentesis is a relatively straightforward and life-saving technique for seriously dyspnoeic animals with pleural space disease, and is a valuable diagnostic tool. Here are my tips for getting the most out of your approach to performing a thoracentesis. Indications Therapeutic – relieve respiratory distress caused by pleural effusions and pneumothorax. Diagnostics – cytological examination of…