Companion collection - How to...

 Isuru Gajanayake, from Willows Veterinary Centre and Referral Service, discusses the causes, diagnosis and the nutritional and medical management of canine PLE.

    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.

  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.

  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.

 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.

  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.

   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.

 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.

  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.

Jon Hall from Wear Referrals, and Alberto Fioletti focus on the clinical presentation of gallbladder mucocele and the timing of surgery, providing technical insights into performing cholecystectomy in dogs.

  Francesca Alsworth and Emi Barker of Langford Vets in Bristol take a closer look at feline laryngeal disease which can be a significant cause of respiratory distress in the cat.

  We all hope we won’t need to perform CPR in the clinic; however, when needed, it is important the veterinary team is prepared. Laura Jones describes how to ensure this stressful event is handled efficiently.

 Ashton Hollwarth, of Great Western Exotics, explains how to handle hamsters and highlights common clinical techniques.

  In this second article in a two-part series, Claire Hargrave, an ASAB certificated clinical animal behaviourist and a member of, and honorary secretary to, the Fellowship of Animal Behaviour Clinicians, explains how to help owners support the emotional and behavioural development of kittens and puppies.

  There is no doubt that the standard of veterinary care and the options available for treating companion animals have increased. We live in an era where it is not unusual for animals to undergo advanced diagnostic tests and treatments that would have been unthinkable a mere decade ago. Referral to specialists in state-of-the-art facilities has become routine, but how far should we go? Anne Quain from the Sydney School of Veterinary Science considers the ethics behind this dilemma.

 Nicola Bates from the Veterinary Poisons Information Service (VPIS) discusses how to manage the dog with a sweet tooth.

  Last month in Companion, Mark Westman of Sydney University discussed how to interpret the results of feline leukaemia virus (FeLV) testing. This month he provides an update on the current thinking regarding FeLV vaccination including recommended locations for injection and booster frequency.

 Hilda Mulrooney, dietitian and Associate Professor of Nutrition at Kingston University, discusses the similarities between humans and animals when it comes to this challenging topic.

 Carolyn O’Brien, a director and feline medicine specialist at Melbourne Cat Vets, takes a close look at mycobacteria, which cause a range of illnesses in cats and can be of zoonotic concern.