Companion collection - How to...
A collection of all the ‘How to…’ articles that have been published in BSAVA’s member magazine, Companion. These articles are available FREE to BSAVA members. A third collection of our popular ‘How to’ articles from Companion (2016-2020) is available to buy from our Store.
Collection Contents
1 - 20 of 39 results
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Feline infectious peritonitis 
Sam Taylor, Séverine Tasker, Emi Barker, Danièlle Gunn-Moore, Stephanie Sorrell, Petra Cerna and Sally Coggins have collaborated to produce a comprehensive update on the treatment of feline infectious peritonitis.
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Protein-losing enteropathies in dogs 
Isuru Gajanayake, from Willows Veterinary Centre and Referral Service, discusses the causes, diagnosis and the nutritional and medical management of canine PLE.
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Feline lower urinary tract diseases: more than just ‘blocked’ cats 
iCatCare Veterinary Society Specialist Consultant, Samantha Taylor from Lumbry Park Veterinary Specialists, highlights the management of these frequently frustrating conditions.
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Pulmonary hypertension – Part two (classification and treatment) 
In the June 2025 edition of Companion, James McMurrough, Charlotte Duncan and Bethany Thomas from Vets Now Manchester focused on the diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension. In this second part of the two-part series focus is turned to the classification and treatment of this condition.
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Pulmonary hypertension – Part one (diagnosis) 
James McMurrough, Charlotte Duncan and Bethany Thomas from Vets Now Manchester have written a two-part series on pulmonary hypertension. In this the first article in the series they focus on the work up to making an accurate diagnosis.
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Brucella canis – Practical tips for practitioners 
BSAVA Policy works closely with subject experts and Government to support members and the wider profession with challenging scenarios that may be encountered on a daily basis in practice, including zoonoses such as Brucella canis. In this article, Emi Barker, from Langford Vets, Bristol, shares her expertise with some top tips for vets in practice when dealing with suspected cases of Brucella canis infection. These tips are intended to support the BSAVA Scientific Information Document (SID) on the topic (available in the BSAVA Library at: https://tinyurl.com/brucella-sid), and to be read alongside it. Further information is available in the Brucella canis Hub (https://tinyurl.com/brucella-hub), which brings together key resources on B. canis from the BSAVA and from government sources.
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Acute haemorrhagic diarrhoea syndrome – Part 2 
In this the second part of a two-part series Bryn Jones, from Willows Veterinary Centre and Referral Service, focuses on testing, treatment and the aftermath of AHDS
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Acute haemorrhagic diarrhoea syndrome – Part 1 
In this the first part of a two-part series Bryn Jones, from Willows Veterinary Centre and Referral Service, focuses on the causes, Clostridia and consequences of AHDS.
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Nursing care of the bilateral cataract patient 
Liga Steda RVN NCert Anaesth from the Royal Veterinary College Queen Mother Hospital anaesthesia department, highlights the anaesthesia nursing considerations and nursing care actions for a West Highland White Terrier undergoing bilateral phacoemulsification and electroretinography.
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Critical care nutrition in veterinary medicine 
Isuru Gajanayake, from Willows Veterinary Centre and Referral Service, discusses the pivotal role nutritional support has to play in the care of critically ill dogs and cats.
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Guinea pig health 
Mary Coles is a PhD student with the Small Animal Surveillance Network (SAVSNET) at the University of Liverpool and in this article she takes a comprehensive look at the impact of diet and husbandry on guinea pig health.
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Regional anaesthesia of the head 
Local (regional) anaesthesia is underutilized in general practice but can provide excellent analgesia as part of an analgesia plan. Freelance anaesthetist Miguel Martinez provides a practical guide for practitioners.
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Nutritional management of feline gastrointestinal disease 
Isuru Gajanayake, of Willows Veterinary Centre and Referral Service, discusses the use of nutritional therapies to manage disease in the feline gastrointestinal tract.
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Contextualized care (Part 2) 
In the first part of this two-part series, Ian Futter and Caroline Allen, Chief Veterinary Officers at the Scottish SPCA and the RSPCA, respectively, introduced the concept of contextualized care. In this article they explore the impact of owner factors on contextualized care and how these factors can affect the success or otherwise of prescribed veterinary treatments.
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Contextualized care (Part 1) 
Ian Futter and Caroline Allen, Chief Veterinary Officers at the Scottish SPCA and the RSPCA, respectively, discuss the ‘gold standard’ approach in veterinary practice and the concept of contextualized care. In this the first of a two-part series, Ian and Caroline explain what contextualized care looks like in practice. The second article will explore owner factors which can impact the success, or otherwise, of prescribed veterinary treatments.
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Vaccination of immunocompromised pets 
Nat Whitley is an internal medicine clinician at Davies Veterinary Specialists and a member of the WSAVA Vaccination Guidelines Group. In this article he provides guidance on common vaccine-related dilemmas.
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Common conditions of budgies 
Sarah Eddon, of Burscough Vets4Pets in West Lancashire, focuses on some common diseases in budgies and how to approach, manage and prevent them.
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Common disease conditions in hamsters 
This second article, in a two-part series by Ashton Hollwarth of Great Western Exotics, provides a brief overview of a number of common disease presentations in hamsters that you may encounter and how to manage them.
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Supporting senior dogs and their owners 
Kate Main is a member of Dogs Trust’s Veterinary Intervention Development Team and is project lead for the Dog-Friendly Clinic Scheme, a collaborative project with the British Veterinary Behaviour Association; here she focuses on dogs in their senior years and how veterinary professionals can assist them in enjoying a rewarding quality of life during their twilight years.
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