Fall 2018

Veterinary nurses will learn to identify acute pain in feline patients and understand analgesic options to improve awareness and veterinary care.

152      152SharesWhether you are a part of the 81% who supported or remained neutral on the title change to “registered veterinary nurse” (RVN) or the 19% who preferred “veterinary technician” on the 2017 National Credential Survey, almost everyone agreed that standardizing of the profession’s credential requirements is important. In fact, of the 20% of respondents who …

       As with life, change is constant. For me, life’s changes bring retirement and a “changing of the guard” as the Editor in Chief of Today’s Veterinary Nurse. I am thrilled to pass over the reins of this journal to Kara M. Burns, MS, MEd, LVT, VTS (Nutrition), VTS-H (Internal Medicine, Dentistry), who assumed the position …

When you work in the veterinary profession, taking care of yourself is not selfish; it’s a must to maintain emotional and physical health.

Although the goal of chemotherapy in veterinary patients is to extend the life of the patient without the harsh side effects seen in human oncology patients, side effects still occur regardless of the precautions taken.

149      149SharesMEETING NUTRITIONAL NEEDS Nutrition is an important component of the hospitalized patient’s treatment plan. Nutrition is vitally important to the hospitalized patient. Unfortunately, the nutritional needs of hospitalized patients are often overlooked. Doctors’ orders might not include specific feeding instructions. Patients may be unwilling or unable to eat or may not be consuming adequate calories …

18      18SharesUTI IN A CAT WITH CKD Nurses need to know how comorbidities interact and how treatment for one disease can affect another. Katmandu was a 9-year-old spayed female Bengal cat with a history of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and restrictive cardiomyopathy. She was brought to the clinic for re-examination of a recurrent urinary tract infection …

Banfield Pet Hospital’s new veterinary program helps ensure anesthesia care is safe, effective, and efficient.

Good veterinary nursing care and rapid identification of new or worsening clinical signs in companion animals are key to successfully managing compost intoxication cases.

174      174SharesPERFORMANCE STRESS Most performance horses develop ulcers. Having a dedicated healthcare team to care for these horses is essential to recovery. When considering gastrointestinal problems of horses, colic is probably the first thing that comes to mind. However, one of the most common problems affecting nearly all performance horses globally is gastric ulceration. Recent advances …

26      26SharesLITTERBOX AVOIDANCE Consider Pandora syndrome as the diagnosis rather than feline idiopathic cystitis. Practicing Cat Friendly The articles presented by the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) focus on feline-specific information on cats’ unique behaviors; diagnosis and evaluation of disease and conditions; better approaches and techniques for cats; and strategies to decrease stress associated with …

80      80SharesREDUCING WMSD FACTORS Participatory ergonomics ensures both the operator and patient are comfortable. Participatory ergonomics has been defined as “the involvement of people in planning and controlling a significant amount of their own work activities, with sufficient knowledge and power to influence both processes and outcomes in order to achieve desirable goals,” according to Higgnett …