RCVS Knowledge

You are presented with an 18-month old male entire Labrador retriever with bilateral aural pruritus and pinnal erythema. Following physical and otoscopic examination, you diagnose the dog with otitis externa. Cytology of aural discharge demonstrates a moderate overgrowth of cocci and Malassezia. The tympanic membranes are both visible and intact and you elect to prescribe treatment with a topical polypharmacy otic suspension.

Imagine this clinical scenario... You are contacted by an ornamental fish keeper who has noticed one of their teleost fish has a distended abdomen. Upon examination, you are suspicious of an abdominal tumour. You plan to perform a coeliotomy under general anaesthesia to identify the cause of the abdominal distention and want to construct an analgesic plan to go with it.

Imagine this clinical scenario... You are a small animal veterinarian working at a referral hospital. You decide to review your processes for identifying which dogs with suspected or confirmed sepsis are at high risk of mortality. You are aware of the quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (qSOFA) to facilitate earlier interventions and improve patient outcomes, but do not know how effective it is as a predictor of mortality. You decide to consult the evidence to find out more.