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Tag: exotics

  • RCVS VN council election manifesto: Matthew Rendle RVN

    RCVS VN council election manifesto: Matthew Rendle RVN

    MATTHEW RENDLE RVN

    Matthew Rendle RVN.

    Senior clinical VN, London Zoo

    T: 07947 812630

    E: matthew.rendle@zsl.org

    Matthew’s VN career kicked off in 1989 at The Park Veterinary Centre in Watford, a busy mixed and exotics 13-vet practice. It was here he completed his training and here in 1994 where he became senior theatre nurse.

    Leaving in 2003, Matthew headed to the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) to pursue his interest in zoo and wildlife nursing, where he remains.

    Matthew is a regular lecturer to veterinary nursing and veterinary surgeon undergraduates at the RVC, and lectures on herpetology throughout Europe and America.

    Why is he standing?

    Matthew says he has “dedicated his life” to being a VN for 25 years, and has observed “many changes” that have taken place during this time.

    “Our role and the general understanding of it has improved significantly within my time in the profession and it continues to,” he said. “I am passionate about veterinary nursing and consider myself very lucky to work at ZSL. With my experience and background, I am in a fortunate position to help educate and support the next generation of VNs.”

    Matthew said it would be a “great honour” to be elected to council, as will be having the opportunity to represent UK VNs and “contribute to the advancement of our profession”.

    “I would relish the opportunity to promote the vital role of the RVN,” he said.

    Hustings highlights

    In Matthew’s video, he said he feels there needs to be a “greater understanding” of the roles of a modern VN and, while these roles are “misunderstood” by the public, VNs are “too keen to blame this on everybody else”.

    “I think a lot of it is our own fault,” he said. “We need to raise our profile and demonstrate professionalism wherever possible, and during my time on council I would really like to push forward on that.”

    As a male VN, he would also like to work on diversity within the profession. “I’ve been a VN for more than 25 years now,” he said. “I’ve always really enjoyed it, and haven’t felt at any point that being male has held me back in any way, but again I think this comes down to public perception of what VNs are.”

  • Hypothermic snakes

    Snake
    Image: Thomas Picard

    Reptiles, being cold blooded, are dependent on the environment to provide sufficient heat. If they get cold, their metabolism can become so sluggish that they cannot defend themselves, not even against a mouse.

    Careless owners of small snakes have been known to toss a live mouse in with the snake and then not supervise. If the snake is cold, the mouse can eat the snake alive and the snake cannot retaliate.

    If the snake survives such an attack, it may have such a fear of mice that it will no longer eat. It can take a year of tube feeding before the snake gains the confidence to face another mouse.

    Be warned!

  • Don’t remove a mass without knowing what it is

    I came across a paper that advised we should know exactly what a mass is before surgery. The rationale being as follows (Ettinger, 2015):

    “Do something: aspirate or biopsy, and treat appropriately.

    Needle biopsy
    Vet performing a needle biopsy on a cocker spaniel. Image ©iStock.com/Paolo_Toffanin

    “Why diagnose early? Obtaining a definitive diagnosis with cytology or biopsy early and before excision will lead to improved patient outcomes for superficial masses. Surgery is likely curative for the majority of superficial tumours when detected early, when they are small – especially benign lesions and locally invasive tumours with a low probability of metastasis. If tumours are removed with complete surgical margins, the prognosis is often good with no additional treatments needed.

    “Pet owners need to be aware of the ‘pea’ size requirement to have masses evaluated, and veterinarians must measure and document the size of the mass to compare growth.

    “If more than 1cm (or the size of large pea) and present for a month, the mass should be aspirated or biopsied.

    “Knowing the tumour type prior to the first surgery will increase success of a curative-intent surgery.”

    In all honesty, I rarely do this for masses booked in for surgery and I suspect as lipomatosus, and for masses that visually appear consistent for histiocytoma – but there are tips here I will follow in the future.

    Reference
    Ettinger S (2015). Top Ten Oncology Mistakes and How to Avoid Them, North American Veterinary Conference: Small Animal & Exotics Proceedings, Gainsville, Florida.

  • Tips to get the best from your microscope

    microscope
    Image ©iStock.com/The-Tor

    I do a fair amount of dermatology in our practice, so I use the microscope on a regular basis. I recently came across these top tips to keep your microscope in good working order, so thought I’d share them.

    1. Keep the scope clean. Twice-daily cleaning is ideal – along with cleaning whenever the scope is used. In addition, it’s helpful to have the scope professionally cleaned and lubricated once or twice a year. It will make a huge difference in the functionality of your instrument.
    2. Keep the scope covered when not in use. All hospitals tend to be dusty and have hair floating about, which can damage the scope.
    3. Use a different microscope for faecal examinations. Faecal solutions (sugars, salt solutions, etc) are quite caustic if they come in contact with the microscope lens or get “spilled” onto the slide platform.
    4. Adjust the scope (at least once daily) for Köhler illumination. This will help to “focus” your scope for use.

    However, after reading through these, I realise it’s a case of “doing what I say and not what I do” – so I’m off to give the microscope a good clean!

    References
    Noxon J O (2015). Cytology and Cultures Successful Tips and Techniques to try tomorrow, Small Animal and Exotics Proceedings of the North American Veterinary Conference, Gainesville, Florida.

  • Dealing with children and other animals

     

    Image ©iStock.com/Photo_Concepts

    Not everyone loves children and, certainly, a proportion of people who choose to become vets would rather avoid them and stick to dealing with animals.

    However, it’s important to realise early on that, depending on the type of vet you become, you’re likely to see a large number of worried pet-owning children walk through your consulting room door.

    Practice types

    In general practice, farm vets are most likely to have adult clients to deal with, although some children will be very involved in the family business from an early age and may attend appointments.

    Equine vets will treat a lot of children’s ponies and, as such, may be expected to discuss the pony’s health and prognosis with the child as much as the parents.

    However, it is the small animal practice vet who is most likely to meet children as the owners of small, caged pets, as well as part of family units worried about their dog or cat.

    Appropriate communication

    Not everyone is comfortable with children, but you must be able and willing to hold a conversation with them to ensure you fully explain the care and treatment of their beloved pet and the importance of their role in that.

    If the thought of this causes panic, consider becoming a farm vet rather than a small animal vet, where you are likely to encounter young owners most often.

    If a child is obviously interested and asking lots of questions about pet care, try not to get frustrated and do your best to answer in a way the whole family can understand. Remember, you are providing a service to all the family, not just the bill payers.

    Saying goodbye

    Unfortunately, many young owners attend with older, ailing small pets, including rodents and rabbits. Treatment options in these cases can be limited and humane euthanasia may be required.

    Parents may have anticipated this. However, life and death is a difficult concept for children, and the family may prefer to outline the situation their own way.

    If possible, before proceeding, allow parents a few minutes alone with their children, so they can explain the fate of the pet in a way they are comfortable with.