Companion collection - How to...

  Dental disease is a common syndrome in pet rabbits and high on the differential list in any rabbit presenting with reduced appetite, anorexia or pseudo-anorexia (not eating but showing interest in food).1Elisabetta Mancinelli, of Valley Veterinary Hospital in Cardiff, provides a comprehensive approach to diagnosing and effectively managing dental disease in rabbits.

  In this the second part of a two-part series, Mellora Sharman of VetCT describes the management of chronic diarrhoea.

 Eoin Kilkenny, from Highcroft Veterinary Referrals, provides a summary of the 2019 ACVIM consensus guidelines applied to general practice.

 Matthew Oxford, of New Forest Dental Service, discusses how to approach this relatively common traumatic injury in cats.

  This month, Alasdair Hotston Moore, RCVS Advanced Practitioner (Small Animal Surgery), offers his own views on good choices of suture material for different soft tissue applications (although many other opinions are available).

 Ashton Hollwarth, of Great Western Exotics, explains how to handle hamsters and highlights common clinical techniques.

 Nicola Bates, of the Veterinary Poisons Information Service, discusses how to handle this serious toxicity.

  In this article, Tom Dutton, of Great Western Exotics, summarizes his approach to a number of emergency avian presentations.

  Based on common questions from referring vets, oncology specialist Owen Davies, from Highcroft Veterinary Referrals, presents his view on dealing with a canine mast cell tumour in this, the first part of a two-part series.

 Claire Hargrave, an ASAB certificated clinical animal behaviourist and a member of, and honorary secretary to, the Fellowship of Animal Behaviour Clinicians, explains how puppy and kitten breeders can best prepare their young charges for their new forever homes.

 Alexandra Taylor, ‘The Cat Nurse’, discusses how and why cats should be handled so carefully in veterinary clinics.

 Christine Magrath of the Veterinary Defence Society offers advice on dealing with these sensitive situations.

 Linda Ryan, a Veterinary Technician Specialist in Behaviour, and in Oncology, and a Certified Clinical Animal Behaviourist, offers advice on making your clinic ‘dog-friendly’, highlighting in-clinic considerations to help reduce the stress canine patients experience when visiting your practice.

  Have you experienced impostor syndrome as a vet or nurse? Recovered impostor syndrome sufferer Katie Ford has written this article to raise awareness of impostor syndrome to help fellow veterinary professionals understand the phenomenon in themselves and others, know how to approach and identify the signs and when they may arise, and be clear on where and when to seek further help. To move forward it is important to start with explaining its origins, history and how it might present. Katie explains…

 Nicola Bates from the Veterinary Poisons Information Service (VPIS) discusses how to manage the dog with a sweet tooth.

  Sally Polson and David Yates work together at the Bolton RSPCA Clinic. They are both graduates from Liverpool University and have common interests in anaesthesia, pre-pubertal neutering and improving patient welfare using tight charity budgets. In this article, they provide supporting evidence that PPN is a safe and humane procedure and one that could be considered more often in private veterinary practice.

  In this article, EBVS Specialist in Veterinary and Comparative Nutrition, Cecilia Villaverde, explains the pros and cons of feeding dry or wet food to cats.

 Mark Lowrie is the Clinical Director at Dovecote Veterinary Hospital and in this article highlights some Cavalier King Charles Spaniel neurological disease predispositions with tips on diagnosis and management.

  The management and prevention of thrombosis was recently the subject of evidence-based guidelines. One of the authors, Robert Goggs, explains how to prevent and manage this challenging problem.

  VDS Training advisor, Kirsty Sturman, offers advice on how to get the quiet clients to open up and how to conclude the consultation without appearing rude.

  Mark Westman of Sydney University has written a two-part series on feline leukaemia virus. In this first article, Mark discusses when to test cats for FeLV, options for follow-up FeLV testing, and current terminology used to describe the different categories of FeLV infection, with the aim of making the next step in this clinical scenario a little easier for veterinarians working in private practices and shelters.

   Through the Small Animal Medicine Society (SAMSoc) Fergus Allerton and Andrew Kent of Willows Veterinary Centre and Referral Service in Solihull are launching a collaborative study comparing different durations of antibiotic (amoxicillin-clavulanate) in the management of presumed urinary tract infections in female dogs. This study is aimed at veterinarians working in primary practice and it is hoped that it will provide a large number of vets with the opportunity to participate in clinical research.

  In this article Ian Wright, European Scientific Counsel Companion Animal Parasites (ESCCAP) Guideline Director, provides an update on the threat from ticks to our pets in the UK.

 Hilda Mulrooney, dietitian and Associate Professor of Nutrition at Kingston University, discusses the similarities between humans and animals when it comes to this challenging topic.

 Tim Partridge, Lead Veterinary Surgeon at Vale Wildlife Hospital and Rehabilitation Centre in Gloucestershire, addresses the questions we should be asking ourselves when a hedgehog appears in the waiting room.