Companion collection - How to...

  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.