In episode 75 of the Medical Nursing Podcast, we’re talking about a messy, sort of gross, but oh-so-satisfying respiratory disease…

Yep, today we’re chatting all things pyothorax nursing.

Pyothorax is probably the second most common pleural space disease we see. These patients often present in respiratory distress, needing a LOT of nursing support. 

In this episode, we’ll discuss what pyothorax is, the common causes, and the clinical signs, diagnostics, and nursing management - so you can care for these patients confidently.

Plus, I’ll share the biggest lessons I’ve learned from (too many!) years of caring for these patients, so you can spend less time learning the hard way, and more time using your skills (and giving great care whilst you’re at it).

---

Resources mentioned in this episode:

📲 Chest drain nursing resources inside the free resource library (if you need the password, it’ll be sent to you when you join the #medinerd email list!)

---

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 74, we’re diving straight into pneumothorax - what it is, how it presents, and most importantly, how you can help manage it as a veterinary nurse.

We see these patients commonly, and they’re usually a real nightmare to manage. From big dogs with ruptured pulmonary bullae, to post-RTA patients with continuous air leakage, they’re a real test of our nursing skills - but in reality, there’s so much we can do to help them.

So, let’s go through everything you need to know to feel more confident nursing a pneumothorax patient - so that YOU can give better care to yours.

---

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.

Pleural space disease is a really common cause of respiratory distress in many of our patients, from traumatic pneumothorax patients to pyothorax cats and everything in between.

And it’s also a very nursing-heavy disease, with many ways we can use our skills to better care for these challenging patients.

In this episode (the first in a mini-series on pleural space disease), we’ll look at what the pleural space is, why it should be there, and what happens when things end up there when they shouldn’t.

We’ll touch on the common causes, the signs to look out for, and the diagnostic, treatment, and nursing care needs these patients have, so that you can make more of a difference to them in practice.

---

Resources mentioned in this episode:

📲 Chest drain resources: access the resource library here.

---

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.

Whether you’re managing a patient with aspiration pneumonia, pulmonary oedema or trauma causing haemorrhage and bruising, patients with lung disease can decompensate quickly and need intensive nursing care.

Knowing what to look out for and the nursing considerations these patients need is vital - and that’s exactly what we’re discussing in this episode.

We’ll be breaking down the different pulmonary diseases we see, the impact they have on our patients, and how we can manage them successfully as nurses and technicians.

Plus, I’m sharing six of my all-time top tips to help you care for these patients confidently (whilst using a load of nursing skills).

So if you’ve ever felt unsure about pulmonary pathophysiology or felt like you could do more to help your respiratory patients, this episode is for you.

---

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 71 of the Medical Nursing Podcast we’re following on from last week’s feline focus and taking a look at lower airway diseases in our canine counterparts. 

We might not see them as often, and they might appear more stable - well, most of the time - but these cases are anything but boring, requiring lots of nursing care, both in the clinic and long-term.

Just like our asthmatic cats, it’s good quality nursing that makes all the difference, and to give that great care, we need to understand the lower airway diseases we see, and the impact they have on our patients - which is exactly what we’re covering in this episode.

---

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 70, we’re talking about some of the most difficult patients we see - dyspnoeic cats.

Yep, there’s nothing like that dyspnoeic cat emergency - they arrive SO stressed, and it feels almost counterintuitive that staying AWAY from them is actually the thing that helps them most in those early stages.

The majority of dyspnoeic cats we see have feline asthma - a form of lower airway disease. This disease is pretty misunderstood and is far more complex than ‘just’ being asthma, so in this episode of the Medical Nursing Podcast, we’re looking at exactly what it is and how to manage these patients confidently and calmly from start to finish.

---

Resources mentioned in this episode:

📲 Inhaler training videos for cats

📲 Inhaler training article

---

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.

If you’ve ever seen an overweight Yorkie honking like a goose, then there’s a good chance you’ve dealt with tracheal collapse before.

It’s a progressive and often challenging condition to manage and can make breathing a real struggle for our patients. But by managing these patients well and providing client education and support, we can make a significant difference to these patients.

Plus, in severe cases, there are some cool interventions we can perform - and therefore skills we can use - too!

In episode 69 of the Medical Nursing Podcast, we’re going to break down what tracheal collapse is, who the patients most at risk are, how to stabilise, diagnose and treat them, and what we can do as nurses to support these cases.

---

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.

Ever seen a Husky or a German Shepherd with sneezing, nasal discharge and a TON of fungus up their nose?!

If so, then you’ll know the gross satisfaction that comes with pulling all of that out, and then packing them full of antifungals.

Today, we’re rounding off our mini-series on nasal disease by diving into a relatively common condition, especially in our large dogs - fungal rhinitis.

We’ll get prepared for these patients together by discussing what fungal rhinitis is, the patients we see it in, and how we manage it (as well as the skills we can use with these patients as nurses), and, as always, I’ll share my tips for nursing these patients confidently.

---

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 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 significantly impact quality of life.

There’s quite a bit we can do to support these patients long term, and to do that well, we first need to understand what chronic rhinitis is, how it affects our patients, and how we treat it, which is exactly what you’ll find in this episode. 

Plus, I’ll leave you with 5 key tips to nurse these patients confidently.

---

Resources mentioned in this episode:

📲 Veterinary-specific silent nebuliser for dogs and cats

---

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 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 outside of kennel doors, and tempting tiny kittens to eat.

This is a disease that is MADE for nursing - there is so much we can do to support these patients. And as always, giving that great care starts with understanding what ‘flu is, and how we manage it - which is exactly what’s waiting for you inside this episode.

---

Resources mentioned in this episode:

📲 WSAVA global vaccination guidelines

📲 AAFP feline vaccination guidelines

📲 Lysine administration for FHV1

---

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.