Welcome to this month’s issue of the VNJ! March celebrates National Pet Month, something which I’m sure a lot of VNs across the country will be taking part in within their practices. There are so many areas where we can provide education to pet owners, whether they are looking for their first dog, needing nutritional advice for their pet or advice on what might be the best preventative treatments, VNs are often on hand to offer this advice and support.
Many of us will even have our pets (often many!). It’s funny to think that we spend so much of our time with animals, yet we often choose to have pets of our own. They often provide us with the therapy that we need, mainly in the form of a listening ear after a tough day at work.
On the topic of nutrition, I read with interest the article on ‘Banning the bowl’, and it even got me thinking about how I feed my own dog – at set mealtimes, from a go-slow bowl (Labrador!). It has certainly given me something to think about and I’m sure that many nurses in general practice in particular will be able to discuss some of these aspects with owners in weight clinics. But even better, at puppy/kitten and adolescent checks in order to stop obesity becoming a problem in the first place! What I particularly like about this article is that the author acknowledges that there is a wealth of information out there on what to feed our pets and how, but actually, we need to strip back all of that and look at the feeding habits of wild cats and dogs to try and mimic that in order to prevent problems such as boredom (leading potentially to behaviour problems) and obesity.
As a VN in a primarily small animal referral hospital, it can be easy to forget about some of the wider skills and knowledge which many VNs possess. The article on the use of insulin to promote healing of a wound on a bearded dragon reminded me of the diverse range of species which can be under our care. It makes me immensely proud of our profession to read such an article which really showcases what VNs are capable of. Wound healing can sometimes be a slow process but in this article the VN goes into detail about the initial problems they faced with the wound healing and how the team found an evidence based solution, whilst making sure that there was a holistic approach to the care of the patient alongside the lengthy healing process.
I hope that you enjoy reading these articles as much as I have!
Head Theatre Nurse – Langford Vets, University of Bristol
Member of VNJ Editorial Board
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