Acute kidney injury (AKI) is common and can be caused by a number of insults including toxins, infections and ischaemia that cause damage over hours to days. The degree of damage inflicted can range from severe loss of renal function (some may no longer be able to produce urine) to mild impairment. In any patient that is detected with azotaemia the first question the clinician should consider is if the injury is acute or chronic – the differentiation is vital to the management and prognosis since AKI is potentially reversible. We will specifically address the differentiation of acute and chronic renal failure, the causes of acute kidney injury, its diagnosis and management.

Acid/base and blood gases for the uninitiated can seem a little complex at first. Access to equipment and interpretation of results can be a very helpful and rapid point-of-care diagnostic tool. Further, its use in the monitoring of critical care and anaesthetised patients can also be invaluable. In this talk I will discuss the approach to acid/base analysis and tips and tricks to assist in rapid analysis of blood gas results in the veterinary small animal setting, including some of the pitfalls to watch out for.

This webinar is inspired by world renowned veterinary hepatopathologist Dr John Cullen, along with my personal aim to provide clients with the most informative results possible. It is important that the clinician and pathologist work together, with history and sample selection having significant influences on the interpretation and final diagnosis. It is also important to realise the limitations and complicated nature of liver biopsies and disease. The webinar will cover topics including: indication for liver biopsy sampling; approaches to maximise your chances of a diagnostic sample; a pathologist’s approach to interpreting liver biopsy specimens; and how communication between the clinician and pathologist will help to maximise outcomes. If time allows, I will briefly discuss some case studies.