Improving Surgical Techniques: Choosing The Best Suture Type, Suture Pattern And Knots In Soft Tissue Surgery

It can be all too easy to slip into the habit of always using the same suture material and the same technique for specific surgical procedures, forgetting at times why you ever made those choices in the first place. This habitual behaviour can be a positive factor in improving surgical technique according to RCVS recognised and European Specialist is Small Animal Medicine Alison Moores BVSc (Hons) Cert SAS Dip ECVS MRCVS who led this webinar.

Immune Mediated Haemolytic Anaemia

Immune mediated haemolytic anaemia (IMHA or AIHA) may be primary immune-mediated or secondary. In primary IMHA, the cause is not known and there may be genetic influences in certain breeds of dogs, eg Cocker spaniels, Poodles, Old English Sheepdogs.

Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis in the Dog and Cat

West Highland White Terriers (WHWT) in their ‘twilight’ years presenting with a cough and crackles on thoracic auscultation are surely only suffering from one condition, Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis IPF. According to Professor Brendan Corcoran, who led last week’s webinar covering IPF, I’m surprisingly not too far off the mark.

Hydrotherapy - The Power of Water

Listening to speakers as passionate about their subject as Sue and Sara made participating in this webinar on hydrotherapy a real pleasure. Sue Hawkins founded Hawksmoor hydrotherapy in Warwickshire and works alongside long-term colleague Sara Marlow, a qualified vet nurse. Being new to the world of webinar speakers, both Sue and Sara confessed to being understandably nervous, but you really wouldn’t have known it, they did a fantastic job.

How To Support Your Grieving Client

Euthanasia is unfortunately a significant part of our job and although I believe my handling of euthanasia is caring and compassionate, I do detach myself from the emotion of most cases and can sometimes forget just how traumatic it can be for an owner. This is reflected in last week’s veterinary webinar organised by ‘The Webinar Vet’ led by Caroline Hewson (The Pet Loss Vet) who cited a study of 500 owners having experienced their pet being euthanased.

Helping Vets in Developing Countries

Chasing up overdue bills from clients is one of the least pleasurable part of running a veterinary clinic. But for some vets living in developing countries, getting paid at all is a blessing. Imagine that you are called out to a cattle ranch somewhere in rural Africa. The farmer wants his cows to be artificially inseminated, because his livelihood is dependent on it.

Has My Pet Been Poisoned? Toxicology Testing Made Easy

Being confronted by a dog or cat which has ingested poison can be quite daunting, especially for those who have taken the phone call, so knowing and understanding the resources available to best manage these cases is vital. ‘The Webinar Vet’ organised for Nick Carmichael, an RCVS Recognized Specialist in Clinical Pathology, to lead a veterinary webinar discussing the available resources necessary to deal with any case of poisoning in pets.

Feline Triaditis

RCVS Specialist in Feline Medicine, Professor Danielle Gunn-Moore from Edinburgh University, delivered a practical webinar on how to successfully diagnose and manage triaditis in cats by using her very own Bengal female cat  ‘Ninny’ as a perfect example of how to approach these challenging cases. It also becomes clear listening to Ninny’s amazing story that feline triaditis does not often present purely as a singular condition but usually develops as a result of ongoing gastrointestinal problems, and once triaditis has been established a myriad of other conditions may then develop including diabetes, lymphoma and hepatitis.

Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease: Focus on Causes and Management

We were in for a real treat as Professor Danièlle Gunn-Moore from Edinburgh University took to ‘The Webinar Vet’ stand to deliver a practical and information packed webinar on a disease we see all too much of in practice, Feline Lower Urinary Tract disease (FLUTD). Many of us are likely to have participated in CPD covering this topic over the years but as our host Anthony Chadwick stated, what was accepted as the correct treatment for an FLUTD cat five or even two years ago could now be deemed as the wrong course of action.

Feline Diabetes Mellitus

Any CPD I’ve encountered that has been delivered by RCVS recognised feline specialist Danielle Gunn Moore has always proved invaluable and last week’s webinar covering Diabetes mellitus (DM) did not disappoint. Danielle’s extensive knowledge and hands on experience means she has the ability to offer practical tips on managing this sometimes challenging condition and any advice which makes the diagnosis and management of DM that much easier has to be a step in the right direction.

Feline Dental Disease

Dental disease in cats is very common with conditions such as periodontal disease, gingivitis and stomatitis, and resorptive lesions being seen in practice. Bacterial plaque is the cause of periodontal disease. If the plaque persists for a prolonged period, it can become calcified to form calculus.

Feline Conjunctivitis: It's All About Herpes And Stress

Feline conjunctivitis can be a challenging condition to treat, both for vet and owner. Its tendency to recur often leads to client frustration, with vets understandably performing a number diagnostic tests and reaching for multiple treatments. Ron Ofri DVM, PhD, DECVO, who led last week’s webinar, questioned if these diagnostic tests and multiple treatments were really necessary and whether, in some cases, they could actually be making the situation worse.