Mark Overend, an RCVS advanced practitioner in small animal veterinary cardiology, runs a travelling cardiology referral service for more than 50 practices in his area. He delivers echocardiography training to vets nationally and internationally, and acts as a consultant to ultrasound manufacturers. His experience provides a unique vantage point from which to explore the parallels […]
Mark Overend
Mark Overend Cardiology
This article describes how the University of Surrey prepares undergraduate veterinary students to achieve Day-One Competence in ultrasound within a spiral curriculum framework. The term Day-One Competence is referred to as the minimum standard of knowledge, skills and professional behaviours required when newly qualified. As veterinary surgeons do not have the same training programme as […]
Shona McIntyre
University of Surrey, School of Veterinary Medicine
This article provides a comprehensive overview of congenital vascular anomalies in the abdomen of dogs and cats, focusing primarily on portosystemic shunts (PSS) and arterioportal communications. These anomalies, though uncommon, are clinically significant and often present in young animals with symptoms such as poor growth, gastrointestinal issues and neurological signs due to toxins bypassing the […]
Dr Mark Plested
Lumbry Park Veterinary Hospital
Medical sonographers possess a unique skill set developed through their competency-based training on hundreds of patients. This article seeks to explain how and why the expertise gained in human medicine can and should be harnessed to enhance the quality of care vets are able to give their patients. I shall touch on the parallels, the […]
Julie Burnage
Aspire Ultrasound Consultancy Service
Abdominal ultrasound is increasingly available in the veterinary sector in both primary care and specialist practice. This has led to its employment in gastrointestinal (GI) medicine. GI disorders, ie vomiting and diarrhoea, both acute and chronic disease form a large part of the primary care and specialist veterinary case load. When applied appropriately, abdominal ultrasound […]
Dr Rebecca Littler
Peninsula Vet Referrals
In the veterinary setting many breeds suffer sudden onset symptoms affecting mobility and causing acute pain. Dogs with acute presentation of symptoms have a range of differential diagnosis and without advanced imaging it would not be possible to treat these effectively. Some breeds are genetically conditioned to intervertebral disc disease (IVDD). For example, in a […]
Steven Edwards
Dovecote Veterinary Hospital
Due to their large size the general anaesthesia risk in horses is relatively high compared to other species, with a mortality of 1%. Furthermore, while small animals will lay down when sedated, horses will remain standing. Therefore, the majority of radiographs are acquired in standing patients and the equipment needs to be moved around the […]
Dr Dagmar Berner
Royal Veterinary College
Pelvic trauma in horses is not uncommon and can result from a monotonic failure of the bone or be stress induced. Fractures of the pelvis in non-racehorses are mostly traumatic in origin and are the result of either a fall or potentially a kick injury. The type of fracture will depend upon the energy and […]
Sarah Boys Smith
Rossdales Veterinary Surgeons