Medical Nursing Podcast | CPD for Veterinary Nurses

In episode 67 of the Medical Nursing Podcast we're talking all about a very common, very frustrating, and in my opinion a very under-appreciated condition - chronic rhinitis. Chronic rhinitis is one of those conditions that can easily fly under the radar - we often think lots about nursing our cat 'flu cats for example, but there are many patients who suffer with chronic nasal disease that can sig...

In this episode of the Medical Nursing Podcast we're talking about a really common, commonly misunderstood and often frustrating disease - feline respiratory disease complex, aka FRDC or cat 'flu. When I think about those 'flu cases, I think back to sweating in PPE in a makeshift isolation room in my earlier nursing days, spending countless hours cleaning nasal discharge, creating steam baths outs...

Nasal disorders are common in practice, and the nursing care these patients need is vast. From those snuffly cat 'flu patients who are really miserable, dehydrated and anorexic, to lifelong diseases like rhinitis, there's a lot to think about when managing these patients. In episode 65 of the Medical Nursing Podcast, we'll introduce the common nasal disorders seen, the problems they cause, and the...

If you've ever seen an older Labrador struggling to breathe, a Retriever making that distinctive "roaring" noise, or an older dog with noisy breathing and vocal changes, there's a good chance you've encountered laryngeal paralysis. This disease - as the name suggests - affects the larynx, preventing it from opening properly and restricting airflow. In mild cases, it causes noisy breathing and exer...

In episode 63 of the Medical Nursing Podcast, we're tackling a big topic and increasingly common problem in practice: Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome (BOAS). If you've ever worked with a snorty Frenchie, a struggling Pug, or a Bulldog that just can't seem to catch their breath, you'll know first-hand the issues that BOAS can cause.  This condition has become increasingly common with the...

We know that respiratory patients are often very challenging. They tend to be really stressed, and teetering on a knife-edge, balancing their increased demand for oxygen with a disease impacting their oxygenation. And this means that careful handling, supportive care and approaching these patients confidently, the right way, are absolutely essential to give them the best care and avoid complicatio...

Gastrointestinal neoplasia is something we see very commonly in practice - but what tumours do our patients get, how do we diagnose them, and how can we support these patients as veterinary nurses? And, of course - what skills can we use in the process? In episode 61 of the medical nursing podcast, I'm joined by Inge Breathnach, a PGCert and VTS holder in Oncology. Together, Inge and I are breakin...

Does every constipated patient just need a bit more lactulose?! Not really. There are a TON of different causes of constipation - and actually, it can lead to pretty significant consequences for our patients, like obstipation, megacolon, abdominal pain, vomiting, dehydration, electrolyte abnormalities and much more. Giving great care to these patients includes providing appropriate nutritional sup...

Ever seen a patient need HUGE amounts of their intestine removed because of an awful foreign body? Or an intusussception? If so, you may well have come across short bowel syndrome before (and if you haven't, bank this info, because you'll likely need it in the future). Short bowel syndrome is a severe disorder that occurs due to massive intestinal resection. These patients can't absorb water, elec...

What happens when our patient's pancreas doesn't work properly?! Well - they get exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, aka EPI.  This is a disease where the pancreas can't make and release digestive enzymes normally, meaning our patients don't properly digest and absorb nutrients from their food. The result? Polyphagia, weight loss, VERY poor body condition, awful faeces and many vitamin deficiencies...

In the first of a 2-parter on pancreatic disease, we're talking all about managing pancreatitis patients. Pancreatitis is the most common pancreatic disease we see in practice. These patients are often severely unwell and risk developing complications like SIRS and MODS, and need intensive nursing care.  In episode 57 of the Medical Nursing Podcast, we'll look at what pancreatitis is, how it affec...

In episode 56 of the Medical Nursing Podcast we're talking all about protein-losing enteropathy - quite possibly the worst chronic GI disease we see.  Though these patients are often severely unwell, they need a LOT of intensive nursing care and that means there are lots of skills we can use in the process. But what is PLE, and how does it affect our patients? Let's take a look. --- 📲 Grab the sh...

In episode 55 of the Medical Nursing Podcast, we're continuing our gastrointestinal series and diving into chronic enteropathies.  These are some of the most common gastrointestinal diseases we see in practice and some of the most misunderstood. Today, though, we're changing that - looking at the types of chronic enteropathies we see, how they affect our patients, and how we diagnose, treat and nu...

Would we be talking about GI disease if we weren't talking about intestinal foreign bodies?! From strings to balls to bones to toys and pretty much everything in between, we've seen it all - and whilst most of these patients are pretty well on presentation, we know that foreign body patients aren't always smooth sailing. In episode 54 of the Medical Nursing Podcast, we'll get stuck in to the commo...

Today, we're talking about quite possibly the worst GI disease of them all - parvovirus. Yep, these patients are often a winning combination of tiny, horrifically behind on fluids, poorly tolerant of nutrition and dealing with severe gastrointestinal signs. There's a lot we need to do to support these patients, and we're diving into all of it in this episode. --- 📲 Grab the show notes and referen...

In episode 52 of the Medical Nursing Podcast we're talking all about managing GI ulcers. From simple NSAID overdoses to patients with nasty ulcerative chronic GI diseases, we see this disease more often than you might think - and in severe cases these patients can present with marked anaemia from GI blood loss, (even requiring transfusions) or gastrointestinal perforation and sepsis! Today, we're...

Gastric dilation-volvulus (GDV) patients are often a real challenge to nurse. They're often severely unwell on presentation and there is a high risk of postoperative complications. But there are also lots of skills we get to use when caring for these patients! Giving them great care starts with understanding how GDVs occur and their impact on our patients, which is exactly what we'll be diving int...

In episode 50 of the Medical Nursing Podcast, we're talking about one of the most challenging oesophageal disorders to manage - oesophageal foreign bodies. Patients with oesophageal foreign bodies can vary from being well at the time of presentation to ones with significant, chronic obstructions where patients are significantly unwell at the time of presentation.  Removal is risky, and complicatio...

Ever seen a megaoesophagus patient before? These patients can be really tough to nurse - they've often got severe regurgitation and aspiration pneumonia, and alongside assisting with diagnosis and providing nutritional support, need intensive respiratory support too. Giving great care to these patients starts with understanding what megaoesophagus is, the types we see, and how we treat and nurse t...

We know that gastrointestinal diseases are amongst the most common diseases we see in practice. And giving great care to these patients starts with understanding how the GI tract works, which is precisely what we're exploring in the first episode of our brand-new series on GI disease. --- 📲 Grab the show notes and references from today's episode: http://www.veterinaryinternalmedicinenursing.com/p...

Today is a first for the podcast - we're using a case study to discuss how we can provide even better care to our haematology patients! From performing initial diagnostic tests to running a blood donation and transfusion and everything in between, we'll break it all down in this episode - so you can walk away and give confident care to your own haematology patients. --- 🎉 ENROL ON THE FOUNDATION...

Let me ask you this. Who does the blood transfusions in your practice? The vets? Or the nurses?  Yes, it will be us monitoring the patient and collecting the vitals, but who… Calculates the blood? Prepares it? Performs the donations? Cares for the donors? If it's not the nurses, I'm going to suggest it should be - because there's no reason for us not to do all of these things (as long as we run ou...

Anticoagulant rodenticide toxicity is one of the most common toxicities reported in dogs and can cause severe bleeding if not identified and managed quickly. These patients often present as emergencies and can require intensive treatment and nursing care - and how to deliver that care is exactly what we'll be diving into in this episode of the Medical Nursing Podcast. --- 📲 Join the academy from...

Got a young patient who just won't stop bleeding from their microchip site, vaccine site, or gingiva after deciduous tooth loss? There's a good chance they have a coagulopathy. We see two types of coagulopathy in practice - congenital and acquired - and it's those congenital ones we're discussing today. It's important we pick up on these as soon as possible in the patient's life, to prevent severe...

Picture this: you're on the admit shift on a Tuesday morning, and your next patient is a 6-month-old Doberman for routine neutering. Is there anything you'd be particularly worried about before surgery? Is there anything you'd discuss with the client or any tests you'd speak to your vet about? Dobermans are a classic breed affected by von Willebrand's disease, which is a disease that sits somewher...