Nursing/SQP

Worming in the modern age

As we settle into the new year, many horse owners will be required to worm their horses in line with their yard schedule – often, this involves horses being chemically wormed regularly, regardless of...

Anaesthesia for colic surgery in horses

A thorough but time efficient preoperative clinical examination is ideal in all horses presenting for colic; however, this may not always be possible or safe in some horses. It is important to first...

Management of hepatopathy in horses

For a comprehensive discussion of the approach to the liver disease case, readers are referred to a previous UK-Vet Equine review (Tallon and McGovern, 2020b). Once hepatic disease has been identified...

Madigan's squeeze technique: a review for equine veterinary nurses

Neonatal maladjustment syndrome was originally recorded over a century ago, but recent advances in research have improved veterinary understanding of the pathogenesis of this syndrome. Previously,...

Nutritional management of equine gastric ulcers

Equine gastric ulcers are reported in all ages and breeds of horse. The incidence of equine squamous gastric disease in researched cohorts is reported to be between 11–92% (Murray et al, 1989;...

Nursing care of the hospitalised eye case

Ocular disease, particularly corneal diseases, can result in significant discomfort. While the pain level of the horse with his eye clamped shut who will not allow you anywhere near him is easy to...

Celebrating Veterinary Nursing Awareness Month

May is always an exciting month in the veterinary nursing calendar, as it marks a month of celebration of the veterinary nursing role through the British Veterinary Nursing Association's (BVNA)...

The challenges faced by a student equine veterinary nurse and how to overcome them

There are different routes that prospective nurses can take in order to qualify as a veterinary nurse. One of the most popular routes is the vocational route, whereby student veterinary nurses (SVNs)...

The equine veterinary nurse in 2023 – exciting times ahead!

Being an equine Registered Veterinary Nurse (RVN) is the best job in the world! I may be a little biased, but I firmly stand by this statement. The equine RVN profession is still a young one, with the...

Optimising the welfare of equids on box rest: thinking outside the box

Ruet (2019) considers there to be four behavioural indicators of poor welfare state in horses: stereotypic behaviour, aggression toward humans, withdrawn state and the expression of stress...

Equine ambulatory nursing: maximising our teamwork potential and accelerating patient care

Ambulatory or outpatient care makes up a large proportion of equine work. Ambulatory vet and ambulatory nurse roles should not be confused, although the two are designed to work alongside one another....

Nursing care of arthritic geriatric donkeys

Degenerative joint disease is a common form of arthritis found in donkeys, and is not an unusual finding in donkeys with a normal lifespan of 30–40 years old (Barrio et al, 2019). In non-working...