Thanks to better husbandry, balanced diets, leash laws, veterinary health and preventative care, companion animals are living longer. This means that we’re also seeing more senior animals with chronic conditions that impact quality of life. But management of senior pets, and end of life care, can be experienced as highly stressful for companion animal owners and members of the veterinary team. While curative treatment for these conditions is not always possible, palliative care is about managing symptoms and sequelae of disease to maintain quality of life. Given the range of conditions that companion animals may suffer at the end of their lives, this webinar does not provide specific palliative care regimes. Rather, it outlines the goals of palliative care, potential barriers to providing appropriate palliative care, communication and managing owner expectations, and proactive monitoring of quality of life. There is huge scope for veterinary teams to improve the welfare of animals while supporting owners.

Dogs and cats with uncomplicated diabetes mellitus classically present with polyuria, polydipsia, weight loss, an increased appetite, and lethargy. These patients typically remain quite well and the main treatment focus is on long-term management. The importance of the compensatory role of polydipsia and polyphagia in the pathophysiology of diabetes becomes apparent when these compensatory mechanisms fail. Any concurrent illness in diabetic patients that causes inappetence or anorexia and vomiting can be rapidly complicated by dehydration, depression, and ketosis. These animals require prompt resuscitative therapy that results in the majority recovering within 24 48 hours to a standard treatment protocol. Diabetic dogs and cats that present with inappetence or anorexia have at least one concurrent disease, with acute pancreatitis the most common diagnosis in dogs, and liver disease and pancreatitis the most common concurrent conditions reported in cats. Management of concurrent pancreatitis and diabetes presents a clinical challenge. Pancreatitis can be difficult to diagnose, has an unpredictable clinical course, and results in metabolic derangements including ketoacidosis. Come along to learn about protocols that are easy to follow and practical guidelines that will enable you to achieve successful outcomes for these patients.

Are you handling cytotoxic patients correctly to ensure your and your colleagues safety in the short and long term? Do you fully understand which commonly used drugs are stored, administered and dispensed in your clinic are cytotoxic and how you should best be handling them? The use of cytotoxic drugs is commonplace in most clinics. Many nurses understand cytotoxic drugs to be chemotherapy agents, this is not entirely correct and some drugs you did not realise were cytotoxic actually are. As a veterinary nurse, not only should you understand which drugs present a danger to you, but also how to handle these drugs safely and manage the patients receiving them appropriately. This webinar will present to you a practical overview to ensure you know what you're doing when managing cytotoxic patients and drugs.