Tag: Pain Management

  • Alternative therapies for pain

    Alternative therapies for pain

    In a previous blog I showed options for nursing care at home for patients in pain. Some clients may wish to do more and some cases may require it. But where can clients go for a holistic approach to their pets’ pain? We must always remember that any referral must abide by RCVS guidelines –…

  • Loss

    Loss

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    You may be thinking, if you read my last blog, I’m not the sort of person who should have a dog. You may even be right. Well, I didn’t know as I was writing it that I would soon be a person who didn’t have a dog anymore… Willow had been quiet for a week…

  • Volunteering in Malawi

    Volunteering in Malawi

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    Last year I spent three months in Blantyre, Malawi. My visit mainly focused on helping Mission Rabies set up its vaccination campaign. Twelve months on and Mission Rabies has done an amazing job; its teams have not only vaccinated more than 70% of the dogs in the city of Blantyre, but also in the entire…

  • WVS call-out reveals choke collar trauma

    WVS call-out reveals choke collar trauma

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    Our team of vets and veterinary nurses in Malawi are as busy as ever, but one of our fantastic vets, Cait Finnegan, has taken the time to share her account of treating a dog that received a neck injury after having a choke collar embedded into its neck. As you can see from the photos,…

  • Don’t you even care?

    Don’t you even care?

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    “I’m telling you, I haven’t got the money! Are you going to leave her like this? She’s in pain! Don’t you even care?” If you haven’t heard this sentence already then don’t worry – you will. The problem with trying to make money out of pain and suffering is… well, frequently, you’re dealing with suffering…

  • Clients’ perception of pain in their pets

    Clients’ perception of pain in their pets

    I’ve been hearing a classic client phrase a little too much recently. I realise it can be difficult for some people to get – that animals feel physical pain just like we do – but when the evidence is staring you straight in the face (or even trying to bite your hand), why can people…

  • Why the internet holds no fear for me

    Why the internet holds no fear for me

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    There was a time in history when it was possible for one person to know the sum total of all humanity’s knowledge. The multitudinous mysteries of science, philosophy, art and commerce all lay within the grasp of a single sage. Those days are long gone. Never mind natural philosophy; nowadays I have serious problems just…

  • To scruff or not to scruff – do we handle cats well?

    To scruff or not to scruff – do we handle cats well?

    How well we know our patients helps us handle them with the minimum amount of stress – but a few recent incidents have had me thinking about how well we really know cats. Head tapping Throughout my years in nursing, I’ve often seen people “head tapping” cats when they’re being restrained. I think the theory…

  • If only it was all about the science

    If only it was all about the science

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    “I just don’t want him messed around with.” In the phrases that make our heart sink in the consult room, this one is up there with “Well, he’s never done that before” and “He’s been nibbling at his back end a lot. Could it be his glands?” There are lots of things we learn very quickly…

  • The wrong end of the telephone

    The wrong end of the telephone

    A couple of weeks ago, I received the phone call I’ve been dreading since moving away to university. My horse had had an accident in the field, hurt her leg, and the vet was on the way. That’s all the information I received until the next call, with the vet on the other end. “Communication…