Current Vet

In this episode, Dr. Lottie chats with Ashley Farmer, LVT. Ashley is a licensed veterinary technician, hospital manager and currently works in an emergency clinic.

She shares her journey from being an aspiring zookeeper to getting into vet tech, what the role involves and the skills that make a great vet tech (or nurse)! We also dive into how anyone interested can get into the field, as well as the more negative aspects of the job so you know exactly what to expect. To our aspiring vet techs / nurse, this episode is for you!

Ashley’s Instagram and TikTok: @ashleythevetnurse

Find us on TikTok & Instagram: @veterinaryvista

Timeline:
00:00 Intro
01:07 Ashley the Zookeeper
12:57 What Do Vet Techs Do?!
21:46 Qualifications vs Learning on the Job
26:41 What Makes a Great Tech?
32:46 The Vet / Vet Tech Relationship
44:56 Sooo… What Are The Downsides?
51:00 How Can I Become a Vet Tech?
58:08 Final Qus
01:02:19 Outro

Resources Mentioned

• Exotic Veterinary Academy – exotic-animal education by Dr Zoltan Szabo
• VetAhead – online exotic-animal training for vet professionals
• Penn Foster Veterinary Technician programme – an online veterinary technology programme

Current Vet is an educational podcast intended for veterinary students, veterinary professionals, and individuals with an interest in veterinary medicine.

All content provided in this podcast and its associated materials is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended as, and must not be considered a substitute for, professional veterinary advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Any clinical cases discussed in this podcast are fictional, and are designed to reflect typical or likely clinical scenarios for educational purposes. They do not represent specific real-life cases, clients, or animals.

While every effort is made to ensure accuracy and alignment with current evidence at the time of publication, veterinary medicine is a rapidly evolving field, and recommendations may change over time.

In this episode of Current Vet, Dr. Lottie talks about bovine viral diarrhoea (BVD), the clinical signs that develop (not just diarrhoea!), how persistently infected calves are created and why treatment should NOT be attempted for these animals.

CLICK HERE TO VISIT OUR BRAND NEW WEBSITE!

Find us on TikTok & Instagram: @veterinaryvista

Timeline:
00:00 Intro
00:36 Case
01:35 Aetiology & Pathogenesis
07:10 Clinical Signs
08:42 Diagnosis
11:02 Treatment
12:13 Prevention
13:28 Key Points
14:37 Outro

References

• Lanyon, S.R. et al. (2014) ‘Bovine viral diarrhoea: Pathogenesis and diagnosis’, The Veterinary Journal, 199(2), pp. 201–209. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tvjl.2013.07.024.
• Lindberg, A.L.E. (2003) ‘Bovine viral Diarrhoea virus infections and its control. A review’, Veterinary Quarterly, 25(1), pp. 1–16. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/01652176.2003.9695140.
• Walz, P.H. et al. (2020) ‘Bovine viral diarrhea virus: An updated American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine consensus statement with focus on virus biology, hosts, immunosuppression, and vaccination’, Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine, 34(5), pp. 1690–1706. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1111/jvim.15816.
• Grooms, D.L. (2004) ‘Reproductive consequences of infection with bovine viral diarrhea virus’, Veterinary Clinics: Food Animal Practice, 20(1), pp. 5–19. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cvfa.2003.11.006.
• Wang, Y. and Pang, F. (2024) ‘Diagnosis of bovine viral diarrhea virus: an overview of currently available methods’, Frontiers in Microbiology, 15, p. 1370050. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2024.1370050.

Current Vet is an educational podcast intended for veterinary students, veterinary professionals, and individuals with an interest in veterinary medicine.

All content provided in this podcast and its associated materials is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended as, and must not be considered a substitute for, professional veterinary advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Any clinical cases discussed in this podcast are fictional, and are designed to reflect typical or likely clinical scenarios for educational purposes. They do not represent specific real-life cases, clients, or animals.

While every effort is made to ensure accuracy and alignment with current evidence at the time of publication, veterinary medicine is a rapidly evolving field, and recommendations may change over time.

In this episode of Current Vet, Dr. Lottie talks about gastric dilatation volvulus, why the condition is an EMERGENCY, the key clinical signs to recognise and how to treat these cases when they present.

CLICK HERE TO VISIT OUR BRAND NEW WEBSITE!

Find us on TikTok & Instagram: @veterinaryvista

Timeline:
00:00 Intro
00:34 Case
01:55 Aetiology & Pathogenesis
05:49 Clinical Signs
06:37 Diagnosis
08:08 Treatment
12:51 Prevention
13:43 Key Points
14:56 Outro

References

• Mazzaferro, E.M. and Monnet, E. (2023) ‘Gastric Dilatation Volvulus’, Small Animal Soft Tissue Surgery. John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, pp. 53–74. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119693741.ch7.
• Williams, J.M. (2016) ‘Gastric dilatation-volvulus’, Companion Animal, 21(3), pp. 178–185. Available at: https://doi.org/10.12968/coan.2016.21.3.178.
• Zacher, L.A. et al. (2010) ‘Association between outcome and changes in plasma lactate concentration during presurgical treatment in dogs with gastric dilatation-volvulus: 64 cases (2002–2008)’, Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 236(8), pp. 892–897. Available at: https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.236.8.892.
• Ullmann, B. et al. (2016) ‘Gastric dilatation volvulus: a retrospective study of 203 dogs with ventral midline gastropexy’, Journal of Small Animal Practice, 57(1), pp. 18–22. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1111/jsap.12406.
• Mackenzie, G. et al. (2010) ‘A Retrospective Study of Factors Influencing Survival Following Surgery for Gastric Dilatation-Volvulus Syndrome in 306 Dogs’, Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association, 46(2), pp. 97–102. Available at: https://doi.org/10.5326/0460097.
• Lhuillery, E. et al. (2022) ‘Outcomes of dogs undergoing surgery for gastric dilatation volvulus after rapid versus prolonged medical stabilization’, Veterinary Surgery, 51(5), pp. 843–852. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1111/vsu.13763.
• Bruchim, Y. and Kelmer, E. (2014) ‘Postoperative Management of Dogs With Gastric Dilatation and Volvulus’, Topics in Companion Animal Medicine, 29(3), pp. 81–85. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1053/j.tcam.2014.09.003.

Current Vet is an educational podcast intended for veterinary students, veterinary professionals, and individuals with an interest in veterinary medicine.

All content provided in this podcast and its associated materials is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended as, and must not be considered a substitute for, professional veterinary advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Any clinical cases discussed in this podcast are fictional, and are designed to reflect typical or likely clinical scenarios for educational purposes. They do not represent specific real-life cases, clients, or animals.

While every effort is made to ensure accuracy and alignment with current evidence at the time of publication, veterinary medicine is a rapidly evolving field, and recommendations may change over time.

In this episode of Current Vet, Dr. Lottie talks about strangles, the complications that can develop, how to manage both complicated and uncomplicated cases, and how best to prevent spread between horses.

CLICK HERE TO VISIT OUR BRAND NEW WEBSITE!

Find us on TikTok & Instagram: @veterinaryvista

Timeline:
00:00 Intro
00:25 Case
02:05 Aetiology & Pathogenesis
05:15 Clinical Signs
06:41 Diagnosis
09:41 Treatment
14:33 Prevention
17:35 Key Points
18:59 Outro

References

• Boyle, A.G. (2017) ‘Strangles and its complications’, Equine Veterinary Education, 29(3), pp. 149–157. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1111/eve.12568.
• Mallicote, M. (2015) ‘Update on Streptococcus equi subsp equi Infections’, Veterinary Clinics: Equine Practice, 31(1), pp. 27–41. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cveq.2014.11.003.
• Chhabra, D. et al. (2023) ‘Strangles in equines: An overview’, Microbial Pathogenesis, 178, p. 106070. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.micpath.2023.106070.
• Durham, A.E. et al. (2018) ‘A study of the environmental survival of Streptococcus equi subspecies equi’, Equine Veterinary Journal, 50(6), pp. 861–864. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1111/evj.12840.
• Waller, A.S. (2014) ‘New Perspectives for the Diagnosis, Control, Treatment, and Prevention of Strangles in Horses’, Veterinary Clinics: Equine Practice, 30(3), pp. 591–607. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cveq.2014.08.007.
• Boyle, A.G. et al. (2018) ‘Streptococcus equi Infections in Horses: Guidelines for Treatment, Control, and Prevention of Strangles—Revised Consensus Statement’, Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine, 32(2), pp. 633–647. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1111/jvim.15043.

Current Vet is an educational podcast intended for veterinary students, veterinary professionals, and individuals with an interest in veterinary medicine.

All content provided in this podcast and its associated materials is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended as, and must not be considered a substitute for, professional veterinary advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Any clinical cases discussed in this podcast are fictional, and are designed to reflect typical or likely clinical scenarios for educational purposes. They do not represent specific real-life cases, clients, or animals.

While every effort is made to ensure accuracy and alignment with current evidence at the time of publication, veterinary medicine is a rapidly evolving field, and recommendations may change over time.

In this episode of Current Vet, Dr. Lottie talks about scabies, the mites that cause the condition, how we should approach diagnosis and what to warn owners about when it comes to zoonotic infections 

CLICK HERE TO VISIT OUR BRAND NEW WEBSITE!

Find us on TikTok & Instagram: @veterinaryvista

Timeline:
00:00 Intro
00:48 Case
03:00 Aetiology & Pathogenesis
07:10 Clinical Signs
08:44 Diagnosis
11:33 Treatment
16:47 Zoonosis
19:27 Prevention
20:19 Key Points
22:06 Outro

References

• Beigh, S.A., Soodan, J.S. and Bhat, A.M. (2016) ‘Sarcoptic mange in dogs: Its effect on liver, oxidative stress, trace minerals and vitamins’, Veterinary Parasitology, 227, pp. 30–34. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vetpar.2016.07.013.
• Curtis, C.F. (2013) ‘Canine sarcoptic mange (sarcoptic acariasis, canine scabies)’, UK Vet Companion Animal, 17(8). Available at: https://www.magonlinelibrary.com/doi/10.1111/j.2044-3862.2012.00222.x (Accessed: 18 June 2026).
• Bond, R. (1998) ‘Diagnosis and treatment of canine scabies’, In Practice, 20(6), pp. 308–315. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1136/inpract.20.6.308.
• Becskei, C. et al. (2016) ‘Efficacy and safety of a novel oral isoxazoline, sarolaner (SimparicaTM), for the treatment of sarcoptic mange in dogs’, Veterinary Parasitology, 222, pp. 56–61. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vetpar.2016.02.017.
• Arther, R.G. (2009) ‘Mites and Lice: Biology and Control’, Veterinary Clinics: Small Animal Practice, 39(6), pp. 1159–1171. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cvsm.2009.06.009.

Current Vet is an educational podcast intended for veterinary students, veterinary professionals, and individuals with an interest in veterinary medicine.

All content provided in this podcast and its associated materials is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended as, and must not be considered a substitute for, professional veterinary advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Any clinical cases discussed in this podcast are fictional, and are designed to reflect typical or likely clinical scenarios for educational purposes. They do not represent specific real-life cases, clients, or animals.

While every effort is made to ensure accuracy and alignment with current evidence at the time of publication, veterinary medicine is a rapidly evolving field, and recommendations may change over time.

In this episode, Dr. Lottie chats with Dr. Emily Hall, a new grad equine vet, to discuss her journey so far as an ambulatory vet! Em talks all about her experiences as a new grad, how she felt starting her role, how she has developed since diving straight into the deep end and what her learnings have been looking back on her first year in the job.

For anyone considering working in equine practice, those who have had their heads turned by the cushy life of car karaoke and takeaway coffees, or anyone just interested in learning more about this area of vet med, this is the episode for you!

LINK: Debra Archer’s Handbook of Equine Emergencies

Em’s Instagram: @emtheequinevet
And TikTok: @em.the.equine.vet

Find us on TikTok & Instagram: @veterinaryvista

Timeline:
00:00 Intro
01:03 Em into Equine
05:45 Day-to-Day Life
11:30 The New Grad Learning Curve
21:43 ACTUALLY Balancing Work as a New Grad
30:36 Em Gets Out the Crystal Ball
35:50 Tips for Aspiring Equine Vets
48:43 Quickfire Qus
54:38 Outro

Current Vet is an educational podcast intended for veterinary students, veterinary professionals, and individuals with an interest in veterinary medicine.

All content provided in this podcast and its associated materials is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended as, and must not be considered a substitute for, professional veterinary advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Any clinical cases discussed in this podcast are fictional, and are designed to reflect typical or likely clinical scenarios for educational purposes. They do not represent specific real-life cases, clients, or animals.

While every effort is made to ensure accuracy and alignment with current evidence at the time of publication, veterinary medicine is a rapidly evolving field, and recommendations may change over time.

In this episode of Current Vet, Dr. Lottie talks about kennel cough, what diagnostics and treatments we should be using (if any?!), which pathogens can be implicated in the condition and when antibiotics may be needed.

CLICK HERE FOR WAITLIST SIGNUP or visit veterinaryvista.com

Find us on TikTok & Instagram: @veterinaryvista

Timeline:
00:00 Intro
00:26 Case
01:42 Aetiology & Pathogenesis
04:23 Clinical Signs
05:40 Diagnosis
08:13 Treatment
11:33 Prevention
13:33 Key Points
14:56 Outro

References

• Reagan, K.L. and Sykes, J.E. (2020) ‘Canine Infectious Respiratory Disease’, The Veterinary Clinics of North America. Small Animal Practice, 50(2), pp. 405–418. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cvsm.2019.10.009.
• Priestnall, S.L. et al. (2014) ‘New and Emerging Pathogens in Canine Infectious Respiratory Disease’, Veterinary Pathology, 51(2), pp. 492–504. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1177/0300985813511130.
• Erles, K. et al. (2004) ‘Longitudinal Study of Viruses Associated with Canine Infectious Respiratory Disease’, Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 42(10). Available at: https://doi.org/10.1128/jcm.42.10.4524-4529.2004.
• Lappin, M. r. et al. (2017) ‘Antimicrobial use Guidelines for Treatment of Respiratory Tract Disease in Dogs and Cats: Antimicrobial Guidelines Working Group of the International Society for Companion Animal Infectious Diseases’, Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine, 31(2), pp. 279–294. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1111/jvim.14627.
• Day, M.J. et al. (2020) ‘Aetiology of Canine Infectious Respiratory Disease Complex and Prevalence of its Pathogens in Europe’, Journal of Comparative Pathology, 176, pp. 86–108. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcpa.2020.02.005.

Current Vet is an educational podcast intended for veterinary students, veterinary professionals, and individuals with an interest in veterinary medicine.

All content provided in this podcast and its associated materials is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended as, and must not be considered a substitute for, professional veterinary advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Any clinical cases discussed in this podcast are fictional, and are designed to reflect typical or likely clinical scenarios for educational purposes. They do not represent specific real-life cases, clients, or animals.

While every effort is made to ensure accuracy and alignment with current evidence at the time of publication, veterinary medicine is a rapidly evolving field, and recommendations may change over time.

In this episode of Current Vet, Dr. Lottie talks about equine sporadic exertional rhabdomyolysis, how it’s different from other forms of rhabdomyolysis, which management factors can predispose to the condition and what signs to watch out for in horses 

CLICK HERE FOR WAITLIST SIGNUP or visit veterinaryvista.com

Find us on TikTok & Instagram: @veterinaryvista

Timeline:
00:00 Intro
00:30 Case
01:10 Aetiology & Pathogenesis
03:21 Clinical Signs
04:07 Diagnosis
05:52 Treatment
07:54 Prevention
09:13 Key Points
10:21 Outro

Recommended Reading:

• Equine Sports Medicine and Surgery (Hinchcliff, Kaneps & Geor)
• Large Animal Internal Medicine (Smith)
• AAEP Proceedings: Diagnostic Approach to Muscle Disorders (Valberg, 2006)
• Diagnosis and management of equine rhabdomyolysis (in ‘In Practice’ journal)

References:

• Valberg, S.J., 2006. Diagnostic approach to muscle disorders. In: Proceedings of the 52nd Annual Convention of the American Association of Equine Practitioners, San Antonio, Texas, December 2–6, 2006. American Association of Equine Practitioners, pp.327–334.
• Hinchcliff, K.W., Kaneps, A.J. and Geor, R.J., 2013. Equine Sports Medicine and Surgery. 2nd ed. St. Louis: Elsevier Saunders.
• Valberg, S.J., 2025. Sporadic and recurrent exertional rhabdomyolysis. Veterinary Clinics of North America: Equine Practice, 41(1), pp.111–124. doi:10.1016/j.cveq.2024.11.003.
• Reed, S.M., Bayly, W.M. and Sellon, D.C., 2018. Equine Internal Medicine. 4th ed. St. Louis: Elsevier.
• Keen, J., 2011. Diagnosis and management of equine rhabdomyolysis. In Practice, 33(2), pp.66–73. doi:10.1136/inp.d454.
• Ememe, M.U., 2025. Exertional rhabdomyolysis in horses: a review. IOSR Journal of Agriculture and Veterinary Science, 18(4), pp.12–19. doi:10.9790/2380-1804011219.

Current Vet is an educational podcast intended for veterinary students, veterinary professionals, and individuals with an interest in veterinary medicine.

All content provided in this podcast and its associated materials is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended as, and must not be considered a substitute for, professional veterinary advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Any clinical cases discussed in this podcast are fictional, and are designed to reflect typical or likely clinical scenarios for educational purposes. They do not represent specific real-life cases, clients, or animals.

While every effort is made to ensure accuracy and alignment with current evidence at the time of publication, veterinary medicine is a rapidly evolving field, and recommendations may change over time.

In this episode of Current Vet, Dr. Lottie talks about dermatophytosis, why this fungus targets the superficial skin layer, what diagnostic tests are available and how we can treat the infection.

CLICK HERE FOR WAITLIST SIGNUP or visit veterinaryvista.com

Find us on TikTok & Instagram: @veterinaryvista

Timeline:
00:00 Intro
00:36 Case
02:08 Aetiology & Pathogenesis
04:58 Clinical Signs
06:39 Diagnosis
10:23 Treatment
14:03 Zoonotic Potential
14:54 Prevention
15:46 Key Points
16:55 Outro

References

• Weese, J.S. and Yu, A.A. (2013) ‘Infectious Folliculitis and Dermatophytosis’, Veterinary Clinics: Equine Practice, 29(3), pp. 559–575. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cveq.2013.09.004.
• Paryuni, A.D., Indarjulianto, S. and Widyarini, S. (2020) ‘Dermatophytosis in companion animals: A review’, Veterinary World, 13(6), pp. 1174–1181. Available at: https://doi.org/10.14202/vetworld.2020.1174-1181.
• Guarnieri, E. and Sauvé, F. (2022) ‘Bovine dermatology: How to approach skin diseases in this species’, The Canadian Veterinary Journal, 63(9), pp. 973–978. Available at: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9377282/ (Accessed: 30 May 2026).
• Łagowski, D. et al. (2021) ‘Real-Time PCR as an Alternative Technique for Detection of Dermatophytes in Cattle Herds’, Animals, 11(6), p. 1662. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11061662.
• Gudding, R. and Lund, A. (1995) ‘Immunoprophylaxis of bovine dermatophytosis.’, The Canadian Veterinary Journal, 36(5), pp. 302–306. Available at: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1686876/.

Current Vet is an educational podcast intended for veterinary students, veterinary professionals, and individuals with an interest in veterinary medicine.

All content provided in this podcast and its associated materials is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended as, and must not be considered a substitute for, professional veterinary advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Any clinical cases discussed in this podcast are fictional, and are designed to reflect typical or likely clinical scenarios for educational purposes. They do not represent specific real-life cases, clients, or animals.

While every effort is made to ensure accuracy and alignment with current evidence at the time of publication, veterinary medicine is a rapidly evolving field, and recommendations may change over time.

In this episode, Dr. Lottie chats with Dr. Brooke Schampers to discuss emergency veterinary medicine! This has become increasingly popular over the last few years and is something that many new grads are choosing to go into so it’s definitely a topic to cover. They talk about what types of cases a common in ER; if some personalities are better fitted to this work; how to triage patients; and whether ER vets should be performing surgery.

Brooke is based in Australia and went straight into emergency after finding a love for it while on vet school placements. Over a decade later, she received her membership qualification with the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists (MANZCVS) and has found a love for teaching the new generation of vets.

Where to find Brooke:
Instagram: @doctor_brooke

Find us on TikTok & Instagram: @veterinaryvista

Timeline:
00:00 Intro
01:51 Brooke Getting into Vet Med
09:53 What Actually Happens in the ER?
25:44 Juggling Multiple Cases
31:34 Emergency Surgeries
46:46 Triage
58:20 Emotions in Emergency
01:17:06 Who Should Be in ER & How to Get There
01:28:28 Final Qus
01:33:20 Outro

Current Vet is an educational podcast intended for veterinary students, veterinary professionals, and individuals with an interest in veterinary medicine.
All content provided in this podcast and its associated materials is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended as, and must not be considered a substitute for, professional veterinary advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Any clinical cases discussed in this podcast are fictional, and are designed to reflect typical or likely clinical scenarios for educational purposes. They do not represent specific real-life cases, clients, or animals.

While every effort is made to ensure accuracy and alignment with current evidence at the time of publication, veterinary medicine is a rapidly evolving field, and recommendations may change over time.