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.

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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.

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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

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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.

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Resources mentioned in this episode

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

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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.

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Resources mentioned in this episode:

📲 2024 WSAVA vaccination guidelines

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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

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🖥️ Learn more about medical nursing

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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.

We see anaemia in cats pretty frequently, but it isn’t always down to things like IMHA or haemorrhage.

There are infectious causes as well, and we need to be aware of them as veterinary nurses and technicians, so we can care for our patients well (and confidently!) and advise our clients accordingly.

The main one we think about in cats is feline infectious anaemia, aka haemoplasmosis - and that’s exactly what we’ll be discussing today.

This disease is more common than you might think, with up to 27% of cats testing positive - and many of these patients presenting with severe anaemia requiring prompt treatment and nursing care.

So if you’ve ever felt a little unsure when managing an anaemic cat, wondered why your vet is treating anaemia with antibiotics, or felt like there must be more you can do to help these patients, we’ll dive into it all in this episode.

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Resources mentioned in this episode:

📲 2021 ISFM Consensus Guidelines on Feline Blood Transfusions

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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

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🖥️ Learn more about medical nursing

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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 78 of the Medical Nursing Podcast, we’re discussing a topic that has undergone significant changes in the last few years: feline infectious peritonitis, or FIP.

When I started nursing, FIP was my LEAST favourite disease. I hated it - seeing so many young, gorgeous cats suffering so much with nothing we could do about it.

I remember being told in practice that every FIP cat needed euthanising, because there was no point trying to do anything else.

However, now that treatment options exist, we’re seeing many more cases, and with that, we’re using a lot more of our nursing skills when caring for them.

To nurse these patients confidently (and well!), we need to understand what FIP is, how it impacts our patients, how we recognise and diagnose it, and how we can make a difference to these patients as nurses and technicians.

So, whether you’re heading into a shift, listening in wards whilst preparing your patient’s treatments, relaxing with a cuppa or walking the dog, let’s spend the next half an hour breaking down FIP together.

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Resources mentioned in this episode:

📲 Updated guidance on FIP treatment from the iCatCare FIP advice service

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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

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🖥️ 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.

Patients with infectious diseases can be challenging to care for, especially when we’re juggling critical conditions while not being able to get as close to our patients as we’d like.

In episode 77 of the Medical Nursing Podcast, we’re demystifying two of the most common feline infections we see - feline leukaemia virus and feline immunodeficiency virus, aka FeLV and FIV.

If you’ve ever found yourself nursing a stray cat with suspicious bite wounds, or you’ve had a patient test positive on a SNAP test and thought ’What now?’ this episode is for you.

We’ll discuss what these diseases are, how they differ, and how they impact our patients, as well as the nursing care and client education that affect our patients’ quality of life - so you can spend less time feeling unsure about their disease, and more time focusing on giving great care.

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Resources mentioned in this episode:

📲 AAFP Retrovirus management guidelines

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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

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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 76 of the Medical Nursing Podcast, we’re chatting all about something that honestly baffled me when I was working in general practice (and in my very early referral nursing days), and that’s chylothorax.

As far as I was concerned back in 2015, before I lived and breathed medicine, a chylothorax would have been just another patient needing a thoracocentesis.

I didn’t understand what was causing the disease or its impact on the patient. And aside from them being a respiratory patient and needing monitoring, I had NO idea what nursing actions I could take to make things better - I didn’t really know how to help.

But when I started learning what a chylothorax was, why it happens, and what we can do to help these patients? That’s when I stopped feeling out of my depth, and realised that I CAN make decisions as a vet nurse, and my actions WILL help my patients.

So in this episode, I want to share the three essential things you NEED to know about chylothorax - and more importantly, how to turn that knowledge into nursing care that really helps your patient. So next time you’re handed a patient with chylothorax, you’ll know exactly what to watch out for and exactly how to help them.

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Resources mentioned in this episode:

📲 Chest drain management and recording sheet - inside the free resource library!

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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.