Antimicrobial resistant infections are an increasing challenge in both human and veterinary medicine. Various multi-drug resistant organisms have emerged in healthcare settings and are no longer an uncommon finding in small animal practice. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is driven, at least in part, by antimicrobial use (both appropriate and inappropriate). Every time we prescribe an antimicrobial we may be contributing towards development of AMR, so we have the responsibility to do so only when appropriate – by selecting the optimal drug regime, dose, duration of therapy and route of administration and, when possible, ensure this is supported by culture and antimicrobial susceptibility results. Antimicrobial Stewardship (AMS) aims to improve and facilitate the appropriate use of antimicrobials. It should be a continuous improvement cycle, not an end point exercise. In this short webinar we will point you to different and varied resources that will help you start or further develop an antimicrobial stewardship programme in your practice.

IDEXX Internal Medicine Consulting team has seen an increased call volume relating to cats in the UK with pancytopenia; this surge is currently being investigated by specialist vets at the Royal Veterinary College in London. IDEXX Internal Medicine Consultant Dr Yvonne McGrotty states “Affected cats may present with signs of inappetence, lethargy, pallor, pyrexia and spontaneous mucosal bleeding. The mortality rate associated with this condition is high and an effective treatment is currently unknown. Clinicopathological findings usually include severe leucopenia, thrombocytopenia and anaemia.” The cause of this spike in cases has not been fully elucidated to date, but a potential link to mycotoxins (naturally occurring toxins produced by some types of fungi) in certain foodstuffs is being investigated further, along with other possible toxins. Pancytopenia cases have so far been linked to a single food manufacturer and three brands of food have been recalled as a result. Full details of the recall are available on the Food Standards Agency website, however the FSA have recently stated that they have been unable to establish a causative link between the recalled foods and the pancytopenia outbreak. Sick cats, or cats that are known to have eaten any of the recalled foods, can be screened by performing a complete blood count, including film examination. Vets who believe that they have identified a potential case are being urged to complete a survey on the RVC website to help vets there to identify common factors, which might ultimately assist them in determining the underlying cause. BSAVA Education Partner IDEXX has provided this webinar by Yvonne McGrotty to explain more about anaemia in cats. A collection of IDEXX ‘topic of the month’ webinars is available here.

In this webinar designed to help veterinary students with their preclinical EMS, Linda Ryan discusses animal behaviour and the reasons behind it, together with how dogs and cats communicate and how veterinarians can respond to this.

Hayley Walters explains how patient welfare is compromised in the practice and the practical steps that the veterinary nurse can improve patient welfare with very little additional effort. This one-hour webinar was first broadcast as part of BSAVA’s [email protected] series. [email protected] broadcasts are available to BSAVA members only and are free to attend - visit the education page of the BSAVA website for details of future [email protected] webinars. Recordings will be available for 3 years via the BSAVA Webinar Library.

Corneal ulcers are a common presentation in general practice, but also a common reason for referral. Each one is different, though, and Lorraine Fleming helps to explain how to manage these presentations effectively in general practice. This one-hour webinar was first broadcast as part of BSAVA's [email protected] series. [email protected] broadcasts are available to BSAVA members only and are free to attend - visit the education page of the BSAVA website for details of future [email protected] webinars. Recordings will be available for 3 years via the BSAVA Webinar Library.

Multimodal anaesthesia involves the use of two or more drugs that have different mechanisms of action. This webinar explores the possible benefits of this approach and the drug options. This one-hour webinar was first broadcast as part of BSAVA’s [email protected] series. [email protected] broadcasts are available to BSAVA members only and are free to attend - visit the education page of the BSAVA website for details of future [email protected] webinars. Recordings will be available for 3 years via the BSAVA Webinar Library.

Julie Kavanagh hosts a quiz aimed to help you deal with your next puppy with heart murmur. This is a recording of a live interactive quiz. This 1 hour webinar is a recording of the live session from this Regions Now event, brought to you by our Northern Ireland Region. Regions Now events comprise an introductory lecture with supporting content available one week before a live lecture. This is followed by a one-week online discussion forum allowing participants to offer observations about the lessons learned and describe their own experience in handling cases. Regions Now sessions are free to BSAVA members and available for non-members to book - visit the Regions page of the BSAVA website for details of future Regions Now events. Recordings will be available for 3 years via the BSAVA Webinar Library.

Gina Parkes sets out to improve our understanding of the ‘geriatric cat’. This webinar covers the terminology, the body systems affected by age, diseases and behaviour changes, and explains how these factors affect nursing care. This one-hour webinar was first broadcast as part of BSAVA’s [email protected] series. [email protected] broadcasts are available to BSAVA members only and are free to attend - visit the education page of the BSAVA website for details of future [email protected] webinars. Recordings will be available for 3 years via the BSAVA Webinar Library.

Jackie Demetriou covers common tumours in dogs and cats, how to diagnose and evaluate oral tumours, surgical management, prognosis and complications. This one-hour webinar was first broadcast as part of BSAVA’s [email protected] series. [email protected] broadcasts are available to BSAVA members only and are free to attend - visit the education page of the BSAVA website for details of future [email protected] webinars. Recordings will be available for 3 years via the BSAVA Webinar Library.