In this episode, we’re looking at another less common, but really challenging disease to care for - tetanus infection in dogs and cats.

The first tetanus case I ever saw was as a locum nurse at an out-of-hours hospital. The vet and I are examining this dog, who was starting to become stiff and had the classic tetanus grin, knowing we needed to refer them ASAP before things got a lot worse.

And now that I’m in referral practice, I see the other side of this. I see our ICU nurses working tirelessly to support these patients, using countless skills in the process, and making all the difference in how these patients recover.

Caused by the neurotoxin-producing bacterium Clostridium tetani, this disease might be uncommon, but it’s life-threatening, and it needs early recognition, aggressive management, and really intensive nursing to give patients the best chance of survival.

But to do that well, we need to understand how tetanus affects our patients, and the interventions they need to recover - and that’s exactly what we’re talking about today.

---

BRAND NEW ways to learn with me:

📲 Join the Medical Nursing Library Club

📲 Join me for the next live webinar: IV access 101, how to hit those tricky veins!

---

More free ways to learn with me:

📲 Grab the show notes and references from today’s episode

📲 Follow me on Instagram

🖥️ Learn more about medical nursing

---

This podcast does not replace a veterinary surgeon's advice, and its content is provided only for information. A veterinary surgeon must diagnose all conditions, and veterinary nurses and technicians must ensure they work within local legislation and regulating body guidelines at all times. Any products or treatments discussed are for information only and do not constitute endorsements of products or services.

In this episode, we’re chatting about a condition that’s been on our radar for a few years now, and is both incredibly challenging and frustrating to manage - and that’s cutaneous and renal glomerular vasculopathy, or as it’s better known, Alabama rot.

CRGV first appeared in the UK in 2012, and we’ve seen cases pop up every year since. It’s difficult to predict, still poorly understood and comes with high morbidity and mortality rates. However, as nurses and technicians, we play a vital role in identifying it early, educating our clients, and supporting our patients throughout their hospitalisation. And we’ll be chatting all about how to do just that throughout today’s episode.

---

Resources mentioned this episode:

📲 Alabama Rot information site & case tracker

---

BRAND NEW ways to learn with me:

📲 Join the Medical Nursing Library Club

📲 Join me for the next live webinar: IV access 101, how to hit those tricky veins!

---

More free ways to learn with me:

📲 Grab the show notes and references from today’s episode

🖥️ Grab the free webinar, podcast AND resource library access

📲 Follow me on Instagram

🖥️ Learn more about medical nursing

---

This podcast does not replace a veterinary surgeon's advice, and its content is provided only for information. A veterinary surgeon must diagnose all conditions, and veterinary nurses and technicians must ensure they work within local legislation and regulating body guidelines at all times. Any products or treatments discussed are for information only and do not constitute endorsements of products or services.

In this episode, we’re chatting about a disease that - if you’re lucky - you won’t see often, but unfortunately, one that’s on the rise - and that’s metabolic bone disease.

There are a few causes of metabolic bone disease, and we’ll focus mainly on the most common one today, which is nutritional secondary hyperparathyroidism. This disease is frustrating, unbelievably sad, and completely preventable - and we play a huge role in caring for patients with it.

We’ll also touch on renal secondary hyperparathyroidism, which many of us will have seen in our CKD patients - so you can advise your clients confidently, and make dietary recommendations that truly meet the patient’s needs.

So whether you’re on the way to a shift, heading home after a busy day in the hospital, relaxing with a cup of coffee or walking the dog, let’s spend the next 20-30 minutes getting nerdy together.

---

Resources mentioned in this episode:

📲 Balance.It nutrition checker

---

BRAND NEW ways to learn with me:

📲 Join the Medical Nursing Library Club

📲 Join me for the next live webinar: IV access 101, how to hit those tricky veins!

---

More free ways to learn with me:

📲 Grab the show notes and references from today’s episode

🖥️ Grab the free webinar, podcast AND resource library access

📲 Follow me on Instagram

🖥️ Learn more about medical nursing

---

This podcast does not replace a veterinary surgeon's advice, and its content is provided only for information. A veterinary surgeon must diagnose all conditions, and veterinary nurses and technicians must ensure they work within local legislation and regulating body guidelines at all times. Any products or treatments discussed are for information only and do not constitute endorsements of products or services.

When I worked in general practice, I had no idea IMPA was even a thing. Until I started in referral as a brand new medicine nurse, and suddenly had a very lame, very pyrexic black labrador to care for. I was completely confused why we were seeing a lameness case - until we tapped the joints, found inflammation, and I learned just how much damage the immune system can do.

My patient needed a LOT of nursing - recumbency management, potent analgesia and a lot of supportive care. And through looking after him, I learned just how vital nurses are in managing this condition.

In today’s episode, we’ll cover:

• What IMPA is and how it develops

• The signs we tend to see in patients with it

• How we accurately diagnose and differentiate IMPA

• How we successfully treat and manage it

• The skills we can use to support these patients - both in the hospital, and long-term.

So if you’re ready to do more to support your IMPA patients, episode 86 has got you covered.

---

BRAND NEW ways to learn with me:

📲 Join the Medical Nursing Library Club

📲 Join me for the next ‘Evidence Files: Live!’ call

---

More free ways to learn with me:

📲 Grab the show notes and references from today’s episode

🖥️ Grab the free webinar, podcast AND resource library access

📲 Follow me on Instagram

🖥️ Learn more about medical nursing

---

This podcast does not replace a veterinary surgeon's advice, and its content is provided only for information. A veterinary surgeon must diagnose all conditions, and veterinary nurses and technicians must ensure they work within local legislation and regulating body guidelines at all times. Any products or treatments discussed are for information only and do not constitute endorsements of products or services.

In episode 85 of the Medical Nursing Podcast, we’re finishing our infectious disease series with a group of diseases that are increasingly common but often overlooked, and that’s tick-borne disease.

I had NO idea what these were when I worked in general practice. The first time I ever heard of it was when a dog from a nearby rescue centre we worked with had a bleeding disorder, and the vet mentioned Ehrlichia. I had no idea what it was, but the patient needed a lot of care.

Tick-borne disease is on the rise, and there’s a good chance you’ll see it - particularly if you work in first opinion practice, internal medicine, emergency and critical care, or rescue and rehoming settings.

When I say tick-borne disease, I’ll cover four main conditions. These are:

• Borrelia burgdorferi, which causes Lyme disease

• Anaplasma phagocytophilum

• Ehrlichia canis

• And Babesia species, most commonly Babesia canis

In the episode, we’ll look at what each of these diseases causes, how they present, how we test for and treat them, and - most importantly for us - what we can do as nurses and technicians to care for these patients.

---

BRAND NEW ways to learn with me:

📲 Join the BRAND NEW Medical Nursing Library Club

📲 Join me for the next ‘Evidence Files: Live!’ call

---

More free ways to learn with me:

📲 Grab the show notes and references from today’s episode

📲 Follow me on Instagram

🖥️ Learn more about medical nursing

---

This podcast does not replace a veterinary surgeon's advice, and its content is provided only for information. A veterinary surgeon must diagnose all conditions, and veterinary nurses and technicians must ensure they work within local legislation and regulating body guidelines at all times. Any products or treatments discussed are for information only and do not constitute endorsements of products or services.

In episode 84 of the Medical Nursing Podcast, we’re chatting about a rare but often controversial disease - canine brucellosis.

And before you hit pause thinking ‘that’s great, Laura, but I’ll never see that’ - let me gently stop you there. Even if you’re not seeing brucella cases, there’s a good chance you’ll be testing for it. It’s a disease gaining more and more attention in veterinary medicine, particularly with the rise of travelling dogs and international adoption from endemic countries.

And if you see a positive result on your in-house test, it comes with a very long list of clinical, legal, ethical, and personal considerations, which can be really challenging to deal with.

So in this episode, we’re going to cover:

• What brucellosis is and how it affects our patients

• Where the current evidence stands on testing and treatment

• The real risks to human health

• What you need to do when you suspect or are managing a brucellosis patient

• And how to advocate for safety while still giving great care

---

Resources mentioned in this episode:

📲 The Brucella Canis RVN

---

BRAND NEW ways to learn with me:

📲 Join the BRAND NEW Medical Nursing Library Club

📲 Join the ‘Can’t Pee, Won’t Pee’ webinar

📲 Join me for the next ‘Evidence Files: Live!’ call

---

More free ways to learn with me:

📲 Grab the show notes and references from today’s episode

📲 Follow me on Instagram

🖥️ Learn more about medical nursing

---

This podcast does not replace a veterinary surgeon's advice, and its content is provided only for information. A veterinary surgeon must diagnose all conditions, and veterinary nurses and technicians must ensure they work within local legislation and regulating body guidelines at all times. Any products or treatments discussed are for information only and do not constitute endorsements of products or services.

In episode 83 of the Medical Nursing Podcast, we’re talking all things CIRDC - canine infectious respiratory disease complex - or to use its old name, “kennel cough”.

We see these patients super commonly - but it’s not always a case of ‘just’ a bit of kennel cough. That name undersells how complex, contagious (and at times serious) this disease can be.

In this episode, we’re going to look at what CIRDC actually is, the different pathogens that can cause it, and the signs we see in patients with it - as well as the nursing care these patients need, and the skills we can use when delivering that care.

So if you’re ready to give even better care to these patients, this episode is for you.

---

BRAND NEW ways to learn with me:

📲 Join the BRAND NEW Medical Nursing Library Club

📲 Join the ‘Can’t Pee, Won’t Pee’ webinar

📲 Join me for the next ‘Evidence Files: Live!’ call

---

More free ways to learn with me:

📲 Grab the show notes and references from today’s episode

📲 Follow me on Instagram

🖥️ Learn more about medical nursing

---

This podcast does not replace a veterinary surgeon's advice, and its content is provided only for information. A veterinary surgeon must diagnose all conditions, and veterinary nurses and technicians must ensure they work within local legislation and regulating body guidelines at all times. Any products or treatments discussed are for information only and do not constitute endorsements of products or services.

Today we’re talking all about a disease I hope you never see (because it’s awful) - but one that’s hard to spot and even harder to nurse - canine distemper virus.

Thankfully, due to vaccination, it’s rare - but we do see it, and when we do, it’s a real challenge.

To care for these patients confidently, and stop the spread of this incredibly contagious disease, we first need to understand it - and that’s what I’m here for today.

In the next 20 minutes or so, we’ll discuss what distemper virus is, how it progresses and the impact it has on our patients, as well as how we spot it early, test for it, and - most importantly - give patients with it the best care we can.

So if the only time you’ve seen distemper mentioned is in your college notes or when discussing vaccinations - listen on, because I’ve got you covered.

---

BRAND NEW ways to learn with me:

📲 Join the BRAND NEW Medical Nursing Library Club

📲 Join the ‘Can’t Pee, Won’t Pee’ webinar

📲 Join me for the next ‘Evidence Files: Live!’ call

---

More free ways to learn with me:

📲 Grab the show notes and references from today’s episode

📲 Follow me on Instagram

🖥️ Learn more about medical nursing

---

This podcast does not replace a veterinary surgeon's advice, and its content is provided only for information. A veterinary surgeon must diagnose all conditions, and veterinary nurses and technicians must ensure they work within local legislation and regulating body guidelines at all times. Any products or treatments discussed are for information only and do not constitute endorsements of products or services.

Let’s face it - lepto is basically everywhere, and it’s often frustrating to manage. These patients aren’t straightforward to care for, and the PPE and barrier nursing only makes it more challenging.

There’s a lot we can do to support these patients, though. So if you’ve ever found yourself caring for a lepto patient and wondering what you can do to REALLY help them, seen one go south and want a bit of a confidence boost, or you feel like you want to do more to care for these patients than administer treatments and tick boxes on a hospital sheet, then this episode is for you.

In episode 81 of the Medical Nursing Podcast, we’ll look at what lepto is, how it affects our patients, the common complications we see and how we diagnose and treat it - and, most importantly, the top 4 things YOU need to be doing as a nurse or technician when caring for a leptospirosis patient.

---

Resources mentioned in this episode

📲 Join me for this month’s medical nursing webinar!

---

More free ways to learn with me:

📲 Join the Foundation Award in Medical Nursing

📲 Grab the show notes and references from today’s episode

🖥️ Grab the free webinar, podcast AND resource library access

📲 Follow me on Instagram

🖥️ Learn more about medical nursing

---

This podcast does not replace a veterinary surgeon's advice, and its content is provided only for information. A veterinary surgeon must diagnose all conditions, and veterinary nurses and technicians must ensure they work within local legislation and regulating body guidelines at all times. Any products or treatments discussed are for information only and do not constitute endorsements of products or services.

In episode 80 of the medical nursing podcast we’re taking a long, hard look at two of the worst infectious diseases we see - parvovirus in dogs, and its not-so-distant cousin, panleukopenia virus in cats.

These patients are often critically ill and need a great deal from us as nurses and technicians. In this episode, we’ll explore exactly how these diseases impact our patients and the nursing care and treatment they require, so that you can care for these patients with confidence.

---

Resources mentioned in this episode:

📲 2024 WSAVA vaccination guidelines

---

More free ways to learn with me:

📲 Grab the show notes and references from today’s episode

🖥️ Grab the free webinar, podcast AND resource library access

📲 Follow me on Instagram

🖥️ Learn more about medical nursing

---

This podcast does not replace a veterinary surgeon's advice, and its content is provided only for information. A veterinary surgeon must diagnose all conditions, and veterinary nurses and technicians must ensure they work within local legislation and regulating body guidelines at all times. Any products or treatments discussed are for information only and do not constitute endorsements of products or services.