Scottish Regional Meeting Reviews
Wildlife Emergencies And Nursing | Gidona Goodman
28th February 2012
Wildlife is one of those topics which nurses only get a very brief amount of information on whilst they are students, and therefore wildlife CPD is often requested. This was obviously the case with a turn out of 15 nurses on the night.
Gidona was very enthusiastic on the topic and very much to the point with treatment suggestions and what to do if an emergency is brought into practice. She also spent her time emphasising the nurses' role in treating various wildlife patients; from deers and badgers to swans and birds of prey. Gidona spoke about the legal aspects of treatment and whether it would be ethical or not - a minefield that many practices will often face when dealing with such cases. She was not afraid to tell us where and when euthanasia would be more the ethical choice; this level of honesty made you trust Gidona's expertise and judgement on the subject even more - especially as euthanasia can be such a taboo subject.
Unlike other CPD where legal aspects are covered, it seemed Gidona's talk was over in no time and although the lecture ran on for an extra 30 minutes many would have been happy to sit and listen to her for longer. At the end of the evening there were a few questions but not many as Gidona was so concise and explained everything brilliantly.
West Beancross Farm provided an informal atmosphere for the evening's talk which always helps make CPD more enjoyable so many thanks to their staff for all their help.
Fiona Reid RVN MBVNA, Lead Scottish RCO
An Introduction To Hydrotherapy | K9 Health Centre
23rd February 2012
My first BVNA meeting in Aberdeen was kindly sponsored by K9 Health Centre.
The evening started with a brief introduction about the K9 Health Centre which opened in April 2007 and has treated over 1600 dogs to date, with 96% of patients showing improvement in their condition. Hydrotherapy was first applied to dogs in California in the mid-80s. It is a non-weight bearing controlled exercise in a water environment, a low impact aerobic workout which can be used as part of a rehabilitation programme complementary to medication, physiotherapy and exercise.
After giving us information on cases in which hydrotherapy can be used, such as arthritis, hip dysplasia, pre/post-operative conditions, and obesity we were then split into groups for demonstration of cases:-
- Veterinary physiotherapist Rachel Davidson talked about benefits of combining physiotherapy and hydrotherapy using case study Pharoah, a Rottweiler, who demonstrated use of the treadmill to introduce impact exercise and maintain fitness
- Sandra Wilson demonstrated two cases in the pool; Zara, a tetraplegic Border Collie, who after 10 days of combined hydrotherapy and physiotherapy sessions was now although wobbly, back up on her feet, and, Sparky, and overweight Collie cross Cocker Spaniel, who attended the centre twice weekly for treatment of obesity
Thank you to Sandra, Clark, Rachel, Fiona, Kerry and Christine for a highly and informative evening.
Nicola Summers RVN MBVNA, Aberdeen RCO