I hope to provide some practical tips on how to manage a few common urinary tract disorders. This will predominantly focus on urolithiasis in the lower urinary tract, including predicting stone type, treatment options (both dissolution and removal techniques) and preventive measures. I will introduce obstructive diseases in the upper urinary tract (i.e., ureteral obstruction), some medical options and then more advanced ‘bypass’ techniques. The use of antibiotics in urinary tract infections will be touched on, particularly to highlight good antimicrobial stewardship. And finally, a brief mention of two uncommon disorders that are often not recognised in veterinary practice, both idiopathic renal haematuria and reflex dyssynergia.

Although sodium disturbances are very common in clinical veterinary patient, its management has been considered a challenge and misconceptions regarding treatment of dysnatremias are very common. This webinar is designed as a step-by-step guide to help the busy veterinary practitioner with management of patients with hyper or hyponatremia. It covers the basis of sodium physiology and applied physiology, include water balance regulation and various hormonal systems involved. The seminar focuses on 4 clinical scenarios with chronic hyponatremia, acute hyponatremia, chronic hypernatremia and acute hypernatremia. The attendee will gain understanding on which fluid to choose, how to create it, how much to give and how fast. The consequences of mismanagement of sodium disturbances will be covered as well.

Proper collection of blood samples for diagnostic and monitoring purposes is an important part of the job of the veterinary nurse. Acid/base and blood gases are routine tests performed in veterinary emergency and critical care settings around the world today. Increasingly this technology is becoming incorporated into the daily lives of veterinary professionals even outside of this setting, such as general practice. In this talk we will discuss the process of sample collection, sample handling and the parameters derived from this test so that you can gain confidence in alerting your vets, with accuracy, when a problem is looming.