Companion collection - How to...

Following on from the comprehensive FIP update published in last month’s Companion, here are some frequently asked questions based on questions submitted to the FIP advice email – a service founded by Sam Taylor, Séverine Tasker, Emi Barker, Danièlle Gunn-Moore and Stephanie Sorell, with input from Petra Cerna and Sally Coggins. This service provides advice free of charge to vets to raise their confidence in the treatment of cases of FIP as our knowledge of antivirals emerge and develop, and the goal is to increase access to care for cats with FIP. Around 4000 emails have been answered to date by the team.

 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.

  Dana Grigore and Craig Breheny are encouraging clinicians to include dysautonomia in their differential list when presented with suggestive clinical signs, despite the rarity of the condition.

 Lucy McMahon from Anderson Moores Veterinary Specialists has written this article to raise awareness of when to suspect leptospirosis in dogs and describes how to make a diagnosis in suspected cases.

  Alexander J German and Richard Barrett-Jolley from the Institute of Life Course and Medical Science at the University of Liverpool have recently published some research results which take a closer look at vegan diets for dogs.

 Heidi and Daniel Hargreaves are passionate about wildlife conservation and as a celebration of International Bat Night (24–25 August), they lead us into the private world of bats.

 Sarah Ellis, Head of Cat Mental Wellbeing and Behaviour at International Cat Care, guides us through the process of employing positive reinforcement techniques to help cats become accustomed to using an inhaler.

   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.

  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.

 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.

 Richard Harvey, from Willows Referral Service in Solihull, provides a review of recent studies using oclacitinib in dogs.

 Matt James, an ECVN board-eligible clinician in neurology and neurosurgery at Dovecote Veterinary Hospital, focuses on vestibular disease, one of the most commonly encountered neurological problems in dogs and cats.

 Professor Silke Salavati, Head of the Small Animal Internal Medicine Service at the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies takes us on a journey through the world of microbiota.

Corrected February 2024

 Mellora Sharman discusses where to start with this canine presentation.

  In the July edition of Companion, Erika Villedieu, of Willows Referral Centre in Solihull, focused on the basics of wound healing, dressing types, composition and indications. In this second article in the two-part series she focuses on the step-by-step management of traumatic open wounds.

      The Association of Charity Vets has coordinated this article by Susan Paterson, Bree Merritt, Peter Kukadia, Alison Thomas and Runa Hanaghan to provide a comprehensive guide to tackling this frustrating condition.

 Anita Patel discusses how to interpret in-house cytology and laboratory culture and sensitivity results, using pictures, examples, and case studies of canine otitis externa to illustrate the theme.

 Maria Chie Niimura del Barrio of Lumbry Park Veterinary Specialists discusses how to prevent and manage this anaesthetic complication.

  In human medicine, shared decision making is defined as a collaborative process that encourages patients and their providers to make health care decisions together, taking into account the best clinical evidence available to weigh the risks and benefits, as well as the patient’s values and preferences. Christine Magrath a clinical communication skills expert from In Communication explains what is understood about SDM in veterinary practice.

 Fergus Allerton, of Willows Veterinary Centre and Referral Service, explains the challenges of selecting an appropriate drug for patients with immune-mediated disease.

  Veterinary nurse Zoe Jackson explores those feline conditions where increasing and promoting water intake may be beneficial. She also gives tips on how to encourage cats to drink more and explains how nurse-led hydration clinics could help monitor success.