What are the most common medicine conditions we see and treat?
- Gastrointestinal diseases – chronic and acute vomiting, chronic and acute diarrhoea,removal of foreign body, inflammatory bowel disease, dietary allergies/intolerances,infections
- Respiratory diseases – coughing, sneezing, breathing difficulty, chronic bronchitis/asthma, removal of foreign body, pneumonia
Liver diseases – portosystemic shunts, acute and chronic hepatitis, bacterial
cholangiohepatitis - Immune mediated diseases – immune mediated polyarthritis, immune mediated haemolytic anaemia, immune mediated thrombocytopenia
What are the common signs to look out for as a referring vet?
- Gastrointestinal diseases – vomiting, diarrhoea, anorexia, lethargy and weight loss
- Respiratory diseases – coughing, sneezing, nasal discharge, increased respiratory rate, laboured breathing
- Liver – vomiting, lethargy, anorexia, jaundice
- Immune mediated diseases – polyarthritis (lameness, pain, pyrexia), immune mediated anaemia (lethargy, pallor, tachycardia), immune mediated thrombocytopenia (signs of excessive haemorrhage – petechiation/bruising).
What are the common symptoms your clients (pet owners) should look out for?
- Gastrointestinal – vomiting, diarrhoea, lethargy, reduced appetite, weight loss
- Respiratory diseases – coughing, sneezing, nasal discharge, laboured breathing, fast breathing
- Liver – vomiting, lethargy, sleeping more, anorexia, weight loss, jaundice (yellow gums, eyes and skin)
- Immune mediated diseases – polyarthritis ( unwilling to walk, lameness on multiple limbs, fever, pain), immune mediated anaemia and thrombocytopenia (lethargy, sleeping more, rapid breathing, pale gums, high heart rate, signs of bleeding/bruising).
When should you consider referring such a case?
It is always beneficial to refer any of these signs sooner rather than later if possible and prior to starting glucocorticoids if possible. Of course, when a patient is complex it benefits to refer them so we can do further tests and examinations, especially if the patient isn’t responding to standard
treatment.
