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How to approach the bleeding patient, part 4
Parts one, two and three in this coagulation series have gone over history, physical exam, signalment, and primary and secondary coagulation. In this part, we are going to delve deeper into secondary...
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Mistakes, pt 1: dealing with the fear
When we polled young veterinarians about what their career concerns were, more than half of the respondents listed worrying about making mistakes as one of their biggest problems. This is not...
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Hirudotherapy – not just for the movies
Hirudotherapy is the use of leeches in a medically controlled environment to treat medical and surgical problems. Within the veterinary world, Hirudotherapy is less commonly used than in human...
View ArticleTitles: no dearth of directors
For a change, I won’t be heading into the history books for this column and discussion on the use of titles for veterinary staff. Yes, names and titles are a huge part of my RCVS research but, as...
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Mistakes, pt 2: when it hits the fan
Part one of this series looked at how to think about making mistakes, and how to not let the fear of mistakes stop us from extending ourselves. But what do we do when what we fear happens? When you’ve...
View ArticleMistakes, pt 3: speaking to the client
What do you say to clients when a mistake has occurred? Do you tell the truth; just discuss the basics, but leave out any incriminating facts; or go full Donald Trump mode? Studies into what influenced...
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Urinalysis: the neglected test
Urinalysis is an important diagnostic tool in veterinary practice. It is indicated for any patient that presents with polyuria or urinary tract signs, but also a necessary test to perform in...
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Receptionists – the first port of call
Whether it’s when rushing through the veterinary practice door, or via a telephone call for help, receptionists are the first line of contact when dealing with a veterinary emergency. As vets and...
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Don’t rush: a systematic approach to x-rays
One of my responsibilities in our emergency hospital is the training and mentoring of vets new to the field of emergency and critical care. FIRST LOOK: The patient was bitten by another dog and...
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In context: The Archers and contextualised care
I am afraid this month’s article sees us returning to the village of Ambridge, set in the beautiful county of Borsetshire, England (yes, The Archers, once again, is the inspiration for a blog post)....
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Highlighting oesophageal foreign bodies on radiographs
Lateral feline chest radiograph before contrast. QUICK TIP: Need to know if there is an oesophageal foreign body but can’t be certain on radiographs? We have all been in the scenario where we are...
View ArticleDealing with abusive clients
I’ve written before about client complaints and how to deal with them, but what about truly abusive clients? We’ll differentiate between the two by classifying your standard “complaining client” as...
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Do vets get a holiday?
I think the phrase “busman’s holiday” adequately describes a vet’s inability to leave work behind at work no matter how hard we try. It was on a recent holiday to Greece where this really hit home –...
View ArticleET tubes in cats – can you cuff it?
Is cuffing endotracheal tubes during cat anaesthesia an old wives tail, or can we CATapult some new ideas into the modern day? From day one as a veterinary nurse or vet, it is drilled into us to use...
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The dangers of casts and bandages
Casts and bandages are frequently used to treat orthopaedic conditions, especially in situations where clients have financial constraints that rule out surgical treatment. Necrotic foot: a complication...
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Triage, pt 1: primary survey
The art of triage takes time to master – particularly in emergency hospitals, where critical patients arrive in quick succession to the crash area. Patients need to be examined quickly and effectively...
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Triage, pt 2: secondary survey
Secondary survey refers to the detailed physical examination performed after the primary survey, and should only be performed once the patient has been adequately stabilised. It is always important to...
View ArticleDog bite wounds – the tip of the iceberg
Dog bite wounds are one of the most common presentations in both general and emergency practice, and can often be challenging cases. Once you have stabilised the patient, it is time to speak to the...
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Sustainability: adapting how we work
As we all know, global warming is a major current crisis, which has been a hard road to tackle. Many companies are doing their part to help overcome this, but within the veterinary industry this can be...
View ArticleThe problem-free consult
Earlier this month, I closed a big chapter of my career when I sold my shares in the emergency clinic I started almost a decade ago. Any big change lends itself to a period of reflection, and I’m...
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Trust: the second key feeling
Welcome back to the series on the CTR-C method for complaint-free consults. My previous post covered the first essential step in perfect consults – establishing a connection. Now, let’s look at the...
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And so it begins…
Initially, I thought my neighbour was creating some sort of musical out of putting her bins out. However, it soon became clear I was, in fact, “enjoying” the first local fireworks display of the season...
View ArticleTrust, part 2: competence
The previous post wrapped up with tips to help you build confidence, keeping in mind that we’re not focusing on confidence just for our own sake – we’re using confidence as a building block towards...
View ArticleJakob or Justin?
Following on from my recent Archers post, now seems as good a time as any to explore the differences between pragmatic and contextualised thinking (stick with me here…). First, I will say that neither...
View ArticleTrust, part 3: communication
Most complaints you’ll face in your career will not be about something you did, but about something you said. Or didn’t say, or because of how you said it, or how it was heard, perceived or...
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How running has helped my life as a new graduate
There are very few things that can force the off switch in my brain. When it comes to my spare time outside of practice, it is very easy to find my mind drifting back towards work. There are even...
View ArticleLearn to teach (to learn)
It has been proven that you learn better and recall more information when you are expected to teach someone, compared to when you are expecting to be examined on it. So, how can you take advantage of...
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Pulling up a seat at the table
VN Times welcomes a student-specific seat on the editorial board each year to ensure student voices are heard loudly and clearly and to encourage wider participation across the community. Following...
View Article4 quick tips to improve ultrasound guided aspirates
The ultrasound is an incredibly useful diagnostic tool that is increasingly being used in general practice. Other than for diagnostic imaging, the ultrasound is also very useful for diagnostic...
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Nominative determinism and novel names
As we reach the end of 2024 and I am reaching the end of my veterinary history PhD, I thought it was time for a light-hearted look at some of the fun things from my research. Yes, a PhD is a serious...
View ArticleWorking over Christmas
Well, Christmas 2024 is coming. If bluetongue and bird flu don’t get us, I imagine it will be another busy Christmas for everyone in practice. Over the years I have heard several veterinary Christmas...
View ArticleBoxes of Christmas past…
January. Nothing more to say on that front. It too will pass. What’s on my mind is the annual chocolate box disappointment. Yes, the economic situation as demonstrated by Quality Street et al. The size...
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Cost Rica Wildlife – animal-related injuries versus human-related injuries
In January of this year, I took myself (and my factor 100 sunscreen) to the beautiful country of Costa Rica – specifically to Alturas Wildlife Sanctuary, where I completed a month-long wildlife...
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Luckiest unlucky girl
Out of hours is often regarded as a law unto itself, bringing with it a wide range of weird and wonderful cases you might not normally see on your regular 9 to 5. Even with this in mind, as a new...
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Cat distribution network
Billy entered Jane’s life – and her house – this time last year. I fear that 2024 will be the year I recall as the year I broke the cat distribution network (CDN). As I enter 2025, with no pets, it is...
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