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Tag: Cats

The importance of pre-purchase nurse clinics – the missing piece?
It is a renowned fact among the veterinary profession that the number of brachycephalic breeds in rehoming centres is soaring.

As veterinary nurses it needs to be our role to educate owners-to-be on which breed of dog is the most suitable for their circumstances. This allows owners to make informed decisions when opting to either purchase a puppy or rehome a dog.

Statistics

In September 2017, Battersea Dogs and Cats Home published a press release featuring the story of Piccalilli the French bulldog, which also contained information on how the rehoming centre was experiencing an increase in the number of brachycephalic breeds needing homes. In 2017, it took in 29 French bulldogs for rehoming, whereas in 2014 only 8 were taken in.

“The French bulldog had overtaken the Labrador retriever as the UK’s most registered puppy for the first time, with 8,403 French bulldog puppies registered in the first quarter of 2018, compared to 7,409 Labradors.” Image © otsphoto / Adobe Stock

The Kennel Club (KC) also published data stating the amount of registrations for French bulldogs has also increased greatly. In 2007, 692 French bulldogs were registered. Whereas, by 2016, 21,470 were registered – that’s 20,778 more French bulldogs in the space of nine years.

In June 2018, The KC revealed the French bulldog had overtaken the Labrador retriever as the UK’s most registered puppy for the first time, with 8,403 French bulldog puppies registered in the first quarter of 2018, compared to 7,409 Labradors.

All in all, the breed has seen an “astronomical” 2,964% increase in the past 10 years, The KC said.

Why is this happening?

Pugs, French bulldogs and bulldogs – collectively known as “brachycephalic” breeds – are widely deemed as “fashionable” due to the number of celebrities who own and flaunt them on social media platforms.

The influence from celebrities and the media, such as TV adverts, are having a strong impact on the public’s demand and want for these breeds. They are being bred uncontrollably to emphasise the large bulging eyes, tight skin folds and extremely short snouts causing their distinctive “snorting” noise. These features on the pug and French bulldog are all considered as cute by members of the public, and demand is high for them – and where there is demand, there will always be supply.

Unrecognised health issues

The reason why we are seeing the increase of brachycephalic breeds in rehoming centres is due to the health problems owners are unaware of, and the lack of funding to afford the veterinary bills to manage or correct them.

When these dogs are bred irresponsibly (for example, to exaggerate the “flat face” look), they can incur a whole lot of health risks. The most common is brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome, which occurs in all brachycephalic breeds to a greater or lesser extent.

Other health problems in these breeds include:
- entropion
- luxating patella
- hip dysplasia
- skin disease
- uroliths
- intervertebral disc disease
Owners are not being made aware substantially of these health risks and the seriousness of them – most of the disorders listed require either surgical correction/repair or life-long medication, which, in turn, costs a fair amount of money.

What can VNs do?

I believe nurse clinics are one of the most important aspects of our job.

“In clinics, we are given the opportunity to build up a rapport with clients and, consequently, a trust relationship with them.” Image © Monkey Business / Adobe Stock

In clinics, we are given the opportunity to build up a rapport with clients and, consequently, a trust relationship with them. Often – as opposed to vet consultations – we can spend more time with our clients in a more relaxed setting. These are a great opportunity to educate clients and use tools to demonstrate our knowledge as VNs.

Done incorrectly, the prospect of pre-purchase consultations with nurses could come across to clients as “lecture-like” or monotonous, but they don’t need to be like this. Instead, they could be based on a puppy party structure, but for pre-puppy or dog owners.

Clarification for clients

To begin, prepare a questionnaire for them to fill out in advance, taking details of their home circumstances, then bring together a group of three or four clients to discuss different breeds and their suitability.

Informational leaflets can be designed for prospective owners, explaining how to choose a healthily bred puppy and what to ask breeders; and fact sheets could include details of breed health pre-dispositions, how much food and exercise certain breeds require, as well as information on training and puppy classes. A “pre-parent pack” could be put together containing this information.

If we can educate owners on health problems – not just brachycephalic breeds – it could deter clients from purchasing breeds inappropriate for them or their lifestyles, and provide accurate information on how to purchase responsibly. This could contribute to breaking the “supply and demand” cycle of irresponsibly bred dogs.
July 13, 2018
How to survive your first weeks as a new grad
You’ve done it – five long years of hard work and study have paid off and you’ve graduated as a fully fledged vet. Welcome to the veterinary community.

And it is just that – a community of people who’ve all been there and had a first day as a vet. You’ll find that everyone (meaning more senior vets than you, which is basically any vet) is happy to offer what I consider “well-being” advice, such as “don’t be too hard on yourself, you will make mistakes” or “don’t be afraid to ask if you don’t know”.

Now, while this sort of advice is true, I don’t think it’s practically helpful for getting you through those first few weeks. No matter how much positive encouragement you receive from other vets, you will probably still be terrified for your first day/week/month.

Practical advice

“Familiarise yourself with the drugs in the dispensary. At uni, you learn drug names, now you’re in practice you will have to learn the brands.” Image © JackF / Adobe Stock

Having been there only a year ago, I have some practical tips and tricks to help get you through the day during those first few weeks:

In-practice consultations
- Make sure you know where things are kept in the consult room, so you don’t have to open every drawer in front of the client to find the syringes on your first consult.
- Likewise, familiarise yourself with the drugs in the dispensary. At uni, you learn drug names, now you’re in practice you will have to learn the brands.
- Make a note of the vaccination protocol used at the practice and the most common recommended flea/worm treatments (such as those on the pet health plan, if your practice has one).
- Note down anything you may want to look up quickly, particularly premed doses. Depending on how your practice works, nurses may draw up premeds and have vets check before giving them, which can sometimes just be a waft in the vet’s direction for assertion – don’t panic and agree just because you don’t know what the dose is off the top of your head.
- Keep a health plan or puppy/kitten package leaflet handy for when clients ask about them.
- The stethoscope is one of the most useful tools for allowing yourself time to think without the client bombarding you with questions.
- ALWAYS leave something essential outside of the consult room (a thermometer, fluroscein or tear test strips, for example). This gives you an excuse to leave the room have a flick through a book or ask another vet (don’t do it too many times in one consult).
- If it’s something you want another vet to look at, most owners respond well to getting a second opinion. Alternatively, take photos “for comparison” then go and show another vet (be careful here – you need permission from the owners and check your practice policy regarding GDPR. You may be okay to use a work phone/camera, but not a personal one).
- If you want to remove the animal from the owner – either to get another vet to look or for thinking space – ask if you can go and get a nurse to help restrain.
Being on-call/farm visits
- Open things before your first equine/farm visit (gloves, lube, etc) to avoid awkwardly trying to rip open boxes while the farmer is waiting.
- Save dropped pins on Google maps or your satnav for your main farms or big equine clients. Again, work within GDPR, which may only allow this on work phones.
- Make a cheat sheet for the car detailing drug doses for the most common things you use on farm – to avoid the inevitable mind blank resulting in an inability to do simple mental maths while staring at the bottle of Pen and Strep with the farmer staring at you. I made one for a 300kg/500kg/750kg size horse for quick reference.
- If you need to call a colleague for advice while on farm, make an excuse to go back to the car. I would go to examine the animal first with minimal kit (just a stethoscope, for example) then, if necessary, make a call when I had to go back for a thermometer or relevant meds.
- Make a note of who to contact regarding out-of-hours, door codes and alarm codes – and make sure you have practice keys.
- Be prepared to be tired. It doesn’t last forever, but working as a vet is very tiring to begin with – don’t make too many plans for week nights or weekends for the first couple of weeks to allow you to relax when you get home.
- Plan easy, quick meals so you don’t end up ordering a takeaway every night.
General advice
- Have a pocket-sized notebook and pen at all times, and hold on to that pen for dear life. Pens have a habit of wandering in vet practices.
- Take a look at one of my previous blogs on language (Fake it ’til you make it) for some handy phrases to help assert your ability when you don’t really have a clue what’s going on.
- “Plan easy, quick meals so you don’t end up ordering a takeaway every night.” Image © serguastock / Adobe Stock
  
  Have a couple of books handy for quick reference when you need a memory jog. I use 100 Top Consultations in Small Animal General Practice and Gerardo Poli’s The Mini-Vet Guide for small animal, but I hear good things about the “Nerdbook” as well. For equine, I find the Handbook of Equine Emergencies great for quick reference on the go, along with the Saunders Equine Formulary.
- Make lunch in advance to start with. It may be that you always get a lunch break, but sometimes things are manic, so ensure you have food to keep you going.
- Take part in any work social activities and get to know your team – it will make the working day much more fun if you get on with those around you.
- Book a holiday for three months time. You will need it.
Handy resources

Make use of the vast range of apps and websites out there. Here are some I found really helpful:
- BSAVA app for the formulary (it’s quicker to search drugs than flicking through the paper formulary).
- BEVA apps – which features drug doses, certain procedures and joint blocks.
- NOAH Compendium – there isn’t an app (at the moment), but the mobile version of the website works well. Open the NOAH website on your computer before a consulting session starts – practice computers are notoriously slow and I guarantee it will freeze when you’re desperately trying to do a quick search for doses while the client is waiting.
- Norbrook app – for drugs not on NOAH.
- BHA Vaccination Date Calculator for horses saves a lot of time when working out vaccine validity.
- MSD Vet for the Merck manual.
- Vet Calculator for various calculations, particularly the heart rate counter.
While the word “survive” carries negative connotations about veterinary practice (and I have previously discussed how this sort of language can be harmful), I do think you feel like you’re firefighting in those first few weeks.

There’s no doubt it is a steep learning curve, but I’m confident you’ll come out the other side and thrive on the challenges of being a new grad.

Good luck and enjoy finally being able to say you’re a vet.
July 2, 2018
Supporting new grads: are you up to the job?
As I discussed in my previous blog post, if you are a boss, partner or practice manager, it’s important to consider whether your practice is suitable for a new graduate, before taking one on.

Perhaps you’re considering taking on a new grad for the first time, or maybe you’ve employed them before, but are struggling to attract candidates for your job vacancies – or it might be your new grads are leaving you after a short spell of employment.

If any of these apply, or you’re simply looking for inspiration on what you could do to offer support to new grads, I’d like to offer some suggestions from the new grads themselves.

Friendly face of support

Every new graduate looks for “support” in his or her first (or, in my case, second) vet role, but what exactly does that look like?

By far the most important aspect of support is communication – we’re all different, and the key to a great working relationship with a new grad is asking him or her the kind of support wanted or needed, and discussing how you can provide that.

This should also be considered a fluid, flexible conversation that continues through the first few months of employment – the rate at which a new grad gains confidence and experience will vary due to individual personalities, but will also greatly depend on caseload.

Being patient, friendly and answering questions are all important when dealing with a new grad. Image © .shock / Adobe Stock

Never assume

If your practice doesn’t see many cats, your new grad’s first cat spay might not happen for several months, and you can’t just assume having performed a lot of other surgeries, he or she will be fine to just get stuck in, when he or she may never have used a flank approach before.

On the contrary, some new grads can be dangerously over-confident, and that’s where your clinical and character judgement will be vital in ensuring the safety of their patients.

It can be a very delicate balancing act between pushing a new grad to improve, and not letting him or her charge in all guns blazing without the right skills.

Suggestions

The answer is not straightforward – no “one size fits all” new graduate induction plan exists – but a number of areas can be considered to help your new grad settle in.

I’m not suggesting you action all of them, or even that they’d all be suitable for every new grad or practice – they’re just ideas to think about.
- Provide a booklet with practice protocols – for example:
  - vaccine protocol
  - neutering advice (ages)
  - treatment protocols for common ailments (as a starting point)
  - what should be included in estimates for operations
- Order uniform or name badges and have them ready for the first day. It may seem trivial, but it symbolises being part of the team. Being asked 10 times a day who you are, or “are you new here?” gradually chips away at what little confidence you have as a new grad.
  Ordering a name badge for your new grad can help him or her feel part of the team. Image © kegfire / Adobe Stock
- Have him or her spend a morning on reception to learn how to book appointments and other tasks, to get used to the computer system.
- Put a nurse or receptionist in consults with the new grad to help him or her navigate charging for consults, saving notes, making up estimates and so on.
- Have the new grad observe some consults or accompany other vets on call-outs to help him or her grasp how the practice runs and to introduce some of your regular clients.
- Allow the new grad to pick up consults from a general list at his or her own pace.
- Book out double appointments for the new grad initially, then shorten these as he or she gets more confident – and, therefore, faster.
- Always have a more experienced vet available (in the prep room, perhaps) to answer those quick questions while the new grad is consulting. He or she need not be twiddling his or her thumbs, but, if performing procedures, ensure your new grad knows he or she can pop in and ask without feeling like an inconvenience.
- Decide on a maximum length of time for a consulting block and allow breaks for the new grad to catch up or have five minutes to gather his or her thoughts.
- Assign a formal buddy or mentor within the practice (not the boss) for him or her to go to as a first port of call for any problems – clinical or non-clinical.
- Provide regular constructive feedback – we don’t know if we’re doing okay unless you tell us!
- Have formal scheduled progress review meetings to let the new grad discuss any issues in a fair manner (the boss informally asking “how are you doing?” in front of half the staff will not always elicit an honest response).
- Have a working list of procedures or cases your new grad wants to gain experience in so all staff know to try to involve him or her if they get one in. Similarly, have a list of procedures he or she is happy to do alone (and an expected timescale) so reception staff don’t book in three bitch spays on day one.
- Supervision for operations – ask your new grad whether he or she wants someone scrubbed in, either in the same room or just within shouting distance, for different procedures.
- Have goals for the new grad to work towards without pressurising him or her.
- Show the new grad respect. Don’t undermine him or her in front of clients, even if he or she is in the wrong – better ways of addressing it exist without shattering the new grad’s confidence and credibility.
  Assigning your new grad a buddy or mentor can help as a first port of call for any problems he or she may encounter. Image © michaeljung / Adobe Stock
- Take on board any suggestions the new grad may have in practice discussions – he or she will have the most up-to-date knowledge, and it can be a huge confidence boost to have your ideas taken up.
- Try not to put your new grad to the bottom of the pile for holidays. In fact, some bosses almost force new grads to book a holiday after two months because they know they’ll need it.
- Give the new grad a Christmas at home (or at least the choice of doing so). Nobody wants to work at Christmas, but is it advisable to have a stressed out new grad – who will likely still need backup in December – on call for the busiest “my dog’s eaten the Christmas pud” poisoning fest of the year? He or she will have likely moved a long way from home and will be particularly lonely at this time of year.
- Have formal second on-call in place for as long as the new grad needs. Don’t assume he or she will be fine after six months – this will vary greatly depending on caseload.
Making a difference

From discussing our varying inductions and levels of support with my university friends, by far the most important thing is just being patient and friendly – even when it’s crazily busy.

Taking 30 seconds to answer a question will make a huge difference for the new grad, rather than letting us spend ages unable to find the answer in an ancient textbook.

If you take an interest in your new grad’s learning and development, rather than just employing us for cheap labour, you’re already heading in the right direction and your efforts to welcome us into the profession will be greatly appreciated.
February 27, 2018
What to do when on call

When you’re on call during the week, by the time you’ve got home (if you get straight home without being called), eaten and vegged out in front of the TV, you do not have much time to be bored before heading to bed.

However, weekends on call have a lot more time to fill between carvings and telling the third client in a row we outsource small animal out-of-hours work.

Sleepless nights

I barely slept the first few times I was on call. Even without being called, I would toss and turn, worrying about what could be on the end of the telephone. When I eventually fell asleep, I’d wake up several times in a panic thinking I’d missed the call. I’m not a fantastic sleeper anyway, but always having half an ear open to the telephone makes things so much worse.

Jordan’s new-found feline friends have kept her company while on call.

I had been “on call” throughout university or while on externship EMS, but someone else was always there to do the triage and tell me what to do. Being the person on call is a totally different ball game. Even with backup, being the first one to speak to a panicked owner or farmer is still daunting.

The first weekend I was on call, I was paired with another vet, but fell asleep on the sofa after a morning of small animal consults, and an afternoon spent drenching and injecting sick cows.

Trapped

Since I live almost as far from my practice as is acceptable for being on call, I was scared to leave the house, not wanting to be any further away. I felt trapped, not able to go anywhere and not wanting to start doing anything constructive in case I had to drop it for a call-out.

I couldn’t go for a cycle ride or run unless I essentially stayed within a five-minute radius of home, which would be pretty boring.

I still hadn’t got round to sorting out a gym membership, so couldn’t plonk myself on a treadmill and leave when duty called. Despite having a knack for baking and cooking, I didn’t want to start anything I’d have to leave unfinished and ruin the perfect dinner or cake.

I had, however, gained some on call buddies in the form of kittens, so they provided moral support while I essentially dithered, not achieving anything while waiting for the telephone to ring.

My next weekend on call pretty much consisted of binge watching Grey’s Anatomy (yes, I know, I’m late to that game) and having a catch-up with a couple of friends, who came over to my house with the knowledge I may have to leave at any time to attend to a potential disaster. I was lucky we were not disturbed, but I still had my eye on the telephone and was half-expecting it to buzz at any moment.

Carving out pastimes

To while away the hours, Jordan combined her love of Game of Thrones with a bit of pumpkin carving and produced the House Targaryen coat of arms.

This weekend, however, I thought of something a bit more fun to do while waiting for the telephone to ring.

After a reasonable Saturday surgery and seeing to a horse’s wound, I went shopping (still within a reasonable distance) and found a pair of perfectly sized pumpkins to carve. If the telephone rang, I could stop mid-pumpkin and come back to it later – ideal.

Up for the challenge, my better half and I spent an obscenely long time on our masterpieces. I think they turned out pretty well – mine following on from a line of Game of Thrones-themed pumpkins in previous years, his reflecting the excitement for the new series of Blue Planet in the form of an angler fish.

Last resort

Someone once told me in a lecture weekends on call were good for cleaning and catching up on laundry. I have, so far, managed to avoid resorting to this, but that may well be the plan for the next one.

Before long, I expect I’ll be spending my on call weekend decorating a yet-to-be-found Christmas tree (now that’s a scary thought – how is it already that time of year?).

I’m still looking for inspiration on how to enjoy being housebound. What do you do with your weekends on call?

October 30, 2017
Aggressive patients

I’ve discussed before the massive emotional shift that seems to occur in the transition from a student to a new graduate – namely due to the responsibility – but the transition to being an actual vet also means being on the front line when it comes to aggressive patients.

As a student, you are often given the “nice” patients to practise blood sampling or catheterising – or even just examining. If a pooch utters a slight growl, the muzzle will be on, with a confident RVN holding for you at worst, but, in most cases, the vet would just take over to keep you out of harm’s way.

As such, when I started out as a “real vet”, this meant I had very little experience in dealing with the more difficult patients.

Exposure

At vet school, we were shown how to make a bandage muzzle if all else failed and practised stuffing a cuddly toy cat into a cat bag, but, again, we were rarely involved with any real-life angry cats or dogs.

Obviously, this was in the interests of our safety, and I’m not suggesting they put us in dangerous situations deliberately, but in the real vet world, we are now the ones who ultimately need to gain that blood sample, despite flailing paws and teeth.

Safe handling of aggressive, or often just scared or nervous, patients who lash out from fear is something that can only be gained from experience – which, as a new grad, is fairly limited at this point. Drawing on ideas from your colleagues and nurses is probably the best way to learn – especially for behaviour-related things that aren’t necessarily taught very well at university.

Near misses

Dealing with difficult patients on the front line is “quite a scary place to be”. IMAGE: jonnysek / fotolia.

Nearly being bitten by a little dog with severe dental disease (who could blame it for not wanting me to touch its mouth), that then seemed immune to sedation and therefore needed a general anaesthetic to even examine its mouth, was my first taste of having to make a call based on my own safety, but also the need to make an accurate assessment.

I’ve also had a few near misses with horses – in particular, one that really did not fancy a nerve block and decided to fling its front legs at mine and the other vet’s head height instead.

Support each other

Being a vet can be a dangerous job, since we work with unpredictable living creatures better equipped with natural defences than us, and often a lot bigger and heavier. We just need to help each other work as safely as possible around them. But, if you’re on your own with bared teeth, it’s still quite a scary place to be.

Just another thing to add to the list of “things they don’t teach you at vet school”.

October 16, 2017
Cats reunited

The day-to-day working life of a vet can be tough for a multitude of reasons, but sometimes it’s the simple things that make it all worthwhile – for example, something as simple as a microchip.

While dog microchipping is now compulsory, cat owners retain the freedom to decide whether they wish to chip their beloved felines.

Accident(al) reunification

Recently, a concerned member of the public brought a cat into my practice that had, unfortunately, been hit by a car. Once establishing the injuries weren’t life-threatening, on scanning the chip and searching the pet ID database, we were able to get in contact with the owner.

It transpired the cat had been missing for three years and travelled an impressive distance before coming under our care. After some emotional telephone calls, owner and cat were reunited.

But this isn’t an isolated case.

Déjà vu

Just a month previously, I was visiting another practice when a cat was bought in by a lady who’d taken it in as a stray and looked after it temporarily.

When the cat’s microchip was identified, she was more than happy to try to find its previous owner. However, the chip was registered to someone who’d given the cat to a friend. Despite, this, the person who’d last owned it was eventually tracked down.

Having been missing since 2010 – and, therefore, assumed dead and reported to the pet database – as such, they were shocked and delighted to discover the cat had resurfaced after so many years of getting up to God knows what.

Chip importance

In my short time in practice so far, I have personally witnessed these two long lost cat scenarios – on separate occasions, two felines were reunited with their respective families several years after having gone missing. The cats, having been found by members of the public, had been scanned and identified thanks to their microchips. The joy and gratitude these owners had was so heartwarming to witness.

As a cat owner who has personally experienced the trauma of having cats go missing, there is no question whatsoever of whether to chip.

Luckily, in the second case, the owner was still found, despite the details registered to the chip having not been updated. This just highlights the importance of not only chipping, but also ensuring the details registered are accurate.

However, it is surprising how many owners still don’t bother. If these anecdotes don’t persuade potential cat owners to chip their pets, I don’t know what will.

September 30, 2017
SNAP FeLV antigen/FIV antibody test

The past decade has seen a significant shift in the prevalence of both FeLV and FIV in most European countries. This, coupled with a better understanding of the viral dynamics of FeLV, will influence the interpretation of the results of in-house diagnostics tests of these viral infections.

FeLV is an RNA virus that undergoes classic retroviral replication that incorporates its own genes into the host genome, known as provirus. Of those infected, approximately 30% to 40% will not be able to mount an effective immune response and will become persistently viraemic (“progressors”).

The SNAP FeLV antigen/FIV antibody test.

These cats will have a high proviral load, remain persistently antigen-positive and eventually succumb to the disease. These cats have a poor prognosis, with 70% to 90% succumbing to the disease within 18 to 36 months.

The remaining infected cats will become “regressors”. These cats will be able to mount an effective immune response and, eventually, become antigen-negative; however, will still be provirus-positive as these cannot be completely eliminated.

In extremely unusual circumstances, these cats may recrudesce and become viraemic again later in life – previously known as “latent” infection – but these cases are extremely rare. Cancer and corticosteroid-induced immunosuppression is thought to be responsible in these cases.

FeLV prevalence

The prevalence of FeLV is now much lower compared to 10 to 15 years ago, with successful culling and selective breeding programmes meaning the risk of false positive results is increased.

A positive result could be because it is a true positive (FeLV-associated disease), transient positive or false positive. A much higher chance exists of a true positive within at-risk groups – young cats with lymphoma, anaemia or leukopenia, and cats with unusual infection or unexplained wasting diseases.

A positive result in healthy cats should be considered suspicious. These cats could be regressors and should be retested 12 weeks later, where the result should become negative. Alternatively, it could be a false positive and an external lab should be used to confirm infection, preferably using an alternative method – such as DNA PCR – to test for the presence of provirus.

FIV prevalence

The interpretation of FIV test results, both in light of new disease prevalence data as well as epidemiological evidence, needs to be revised.

The prevalence of FIV in Australia is a lot higher than previously thought. In a study based on cats from the inner Sydney area, the prevalence of FIV is 16% in domestic cats with outdoor access, 21% to 25% in two feral cat colonies and up to 32% among some populations of “sick” cats (Norris et al, 2007). An owner survey revealed almost 80% of Australian cats spend some time outdoors, posing most cats at a high risk of FIV exposure.

Although no current statistics exist on the percentage of cats vaccinated for FIV, an increased vaccination rate will have a significant impact on the reliability on the results from in-house tests.

Combination test

As the name suggests, the SNAP combination FeLV antigen/FIV antibody test detects the presence of FIV antibodies. This test cannot distinguish antibodies from those naturally infected, vaccinated or derived from maternal antibody. To add to the confusion, antibodies can take anywhere between two to four weeks – and sometimes up to six months – to develop after initial infection.

To overcome this problem, PCR is needed to determine the presence of viral RNA (ELISA-positive, PCR-negative).

It should be noted the presence of FIV antibodies in naturally infected individuals is only indicative of a persistent infection. It is not correlated with the presence of immunodeficiency or diseases directly related to FIV. In fact, new epidemiological evidence shows FIV infection does not cause illness in most cats and does not seem to cause reduced lifespans.

Summary

Any cat having a FeLV-positive SNAP test result is considered to be actively shedding virus, regardless of its health status. A cat that has a FeLV-negative SNAP test means it is not viraemic, thus not shedding virus, but does not necessarily mean it is free from infection.

On the other hand, the true FIV status of a cat remains difficult to determine in-house. A positive result could mean persistently infected, maternal antibody, vaccine-induced antibody or a false positive, whereas a negative result could mean true negative, early infection or false negative.

Regardless of the result, the true relevance of the FIV status in the acute management of an otherwise healthy cat is questionable, considering the new epidemiological findings.

June 19, 2017
New year, new us

With the Christmas festivities over and 2017 already upon us, many of you will have taken the time to make a new year’s resolution you won’t keep.

Image © chrisberic / fotolia.

It is estimated only 8% of people succeed in achieving or keeping their new year’s resolution (so the odds are against you), but if you feel this is your year to make a difference, why not incorporate your four-legged friend into that lifestyle change?

Fat cats and dumpy dogs

A lot of resolutions will be along the lines of trying to lose weight or get fitter, and while the human population has a weight problem, obesity is also rife in the UK pet population.

Headlines and statistics are forever telling us our pets are overweight, and my parents are sick of me enforcing a diet every time I go home to find my cats a little rounder than a few months previously. However, it wasn’t until I spent a few days consulting in first opinion small animal practice, as part of one of our final year rotations, that the problem really hit me.

I’m used to seeing overweight pets in the consult room while on placement with other vets and I’ve witnessed the weight loss conversation more times than I can count. But on one particular morning, when I had similar conversations myself with four out of five clients, I saw the future of my veterinary career flash before me: overweight dog after overweight dog coming through the door.

Cruel is the new kind

Despite sounding like a broken record, I can only hope my words did not fall on deaf ears. So many owners didn’t even realise their animals were overweight – “that’s just his shape”. And yet others are fully aware, but just can’t ignore their pets’ begging.

Why not substitute pet treats with a healthy alternative such as carrots, Jordan suggests.

Unfortunately, sometimes you have to be “cruel to be kind” and ignore those big round eyes that are trying to melt your heart – your dog will be better off long term being denied those extra treats, but having a healthier lifestyle.

If you think your pet may be on the larger side of normal, vets will often run free weight clinics with the veterinary nurses to allow accurate monitoring and adjustment to diet and exercise.

Everyday changes

General advice would be to cut down on meal sizes and cut out treats, or at least substitute them with a healthy alternative such as carrots. Exercise should be determined on an individual basis, dependent on any existing health conditions (such as joint problems), breed and lifestyle.

There may be a medical reason for retaining weight, so if the aforementioned doesn’t seem to be working, seek veterinary advice.

This new year, even if you can’t keep your own resolution, why not make one for your pet and help them achieve the lifestyle they deserve? Or if you’re trying to lose weight or gain fitness yourself, why don’t you and your pet do it together?

January 4, 2017
Cat-proofing the Christmas tree

Having acquired two new bundles of fluffy joy this year, our Christmas tree is looking a little worse for wear. Now six months old, our kittens’ new favourite game is trying to de-decorate said tree at lightning speed.

Many clients are aware of the edible dangers to pets at Christmas time, but the tree itself, while one of the most prominent symbols of Christmas time in many homes, may not immediately come to mind as one of the seasonal hazards for our animals.

For cat-owning clients, here’s some top tips on cat-proofing the tree this Christmas:

Fake snow

There have been some reports of adverse reactions in cats who have ingested the fake snow found on some artificial trees. If cats are seen licking or chewing the tree, clients should watch for any unusual behaviour (vomiting or seizuring, for example) and seek veterinary advice ASAP.

Anchoring

Ensure the tree has a sturdy base or is attached to a wall to prevent toppling if the cat climbs it. A tree skirt can hide an unsightly base (but my cats tend to try to destroy these too).

Positioning

Placing your tree at a distance from any “launch pads” such as shelves or the arm of the sofa may discourage cats from taking a leap at the tree.

Choose decorations with care

Avoid fragile glass decorations or baubles that are likely to smash – these may cause injury if your cat does climb and topple the tree.

Pine cones

It appears cats don’t like walking on pine cones, so placing them under the tree can discourage nosy pets from getting too close. I can’t vouch for the success of this one, however, as I haven’t tried it…

Beware of foreign bodies

Tinsel is irresistible to cats but may result in a linear foreign body, so watch out for persistent vomiting. Even if no symptoms are seen, but you suspect your cat is steadily chewing through your supply of tinsel, a check with the vet may be worthwhile.

Baubles that break easily can cause a whole heap of problems… IMAGE: fotolia/tibanna79.

Likewise, fake berries and other dangling decorations may end up in cats’ stomachs, so keep an eye on what your cat is keeping an eye on.

Wires

If your tree looks like a flashing beacon you may want to protect any loose wires around the base of the tree to prevent them from being chewed. This can easily be done using cardboard tubes from the centre of kitchen roll, for example. This will protect your cat from injury and keep your tree lighting the room.

Suspending the wires can avoid damage if your cat urinates under the tree. However, if your cat chews the wires hidden in the boughs of the tree itself, consider abandoning tree lights altogether.

Avoid chocolate decorations

Cats are less likely to raid chocolate gifts and decorations than dogs, but I still wouldn’t take the risk of having something poisonous dangling from the tree, which are just asking to be chewed by your moggie.

Have a wonderful Christmas everyone, obviously, but remember – among the madness of it all – to keep your pets safe among the madness of it all.

December 15, 2016
How to anaesthetise a reindeer

I’ve written before about omnicompetency, but the word is mostly used in the sense of vets being able to work in mixed practice and tackle the veterinary care of horses, dogs, cats and farm animals in the same day – certainly, the first thing to come to mind would not be a reindeer.

However, on my recent equine placement, the staff were met with quite the challenge when a reindeer was referred in.

“Reindeer aren’t something you’d expect to see every day in practice,” says Jordan.

With a history of acute coughing/regurgitation, the reindeer in question had a suspected food impaction in the cranial oesophagus. Conscious radiographs and an ultrasound scan (he was a very well-behaved reindeer) confirmed suspicions of foodstuff, but it didn’t seem to be in the oesophagus.

Collaborative anaesthesia

The equine team – with help from one of the farm vets and some phone calls to other colleagues and practices that had dealt with reindeer before – came up with an anaesthetic protocol and proceeded to surgery.

The reindeer was induced with ketamine and xylazine before a gastroscope was used to try to visualise the larynx and trachea.

There appeared to be a diverticulum or outpouching from the oesophagus at the level of the larynx, which is where the food impaction had settled.

This discovery triggered a discussion as to whether our findings could be normal in some reindeer – similar to the Zenker’s diverticulum in people – since its appearance suggested a congenital, rather than acquired, defect.

A gastroscope was used to aid placement of an endotracheal tube and the reindeer was, subsequently, maintained under anaesthesia with isoflurane. He was positioned carefully in consideration of the rumen and ventilated throughout the procedure, which was to incise into the pouch using a lateral approach and remove the impacted food material.

Back to his reindeer games

He recovered well from the anaesthesia and was happily bounding around a paddock before long, eating some specially imported moss provided by his owner.

Reindeer aren’t something you’d expect to see every day in practice, but it was a great example of how veterinary knowledge can be adapted and applied to new situations, with the added benefit of working together with others with varying levels of experience to come up with a solution.

June 30, 2016