8 essential tips to make your vet practice safer for neurological patients

23 May 2025 -
Practice Management
Cat with a neurological disease

Veterinary neurology patients are common in practice. From epilepsy through to vestibular disease, intervertebral disc disease to meningioencephalitis, vets and veterinary nurses see neurological patients almost every day. Yet the specific needs of such patients – from locomotor impairment to prolonged in-patient stays – can require changes in practice organisation and staff training to improve patient outcomes. Below are five strategies to help make your veterinary practice friendlier for canine and feline neurology cases.

1. Quiet consultation rooms

Because neurological patients struggle with their Consultation rooms should be quiet protected from interruptions, using equipment such as “Do Not Disturb” signs and soundproofing to limit interference during tests and treatments. 

2. Create a low-stress ward

Hospitalisation can be especially stressful for neurological patients. To reduce stress and optimise healing, try to make the kennels/ward quiet and low-stress. Metal cages can stress these patients – reducing reflections and softening sound can help.  It is also crucial to provide mental stimulation. Food puzzles, toys, and activities with visual or auditory stimulation, such as listening to a radio tuned to a talk station, can help prevent boredom and reduce cognitive impairment throughout the duration of the patient’s stay.

3. Tailored care plans

Treatment and hospital care plans must be tailored to the patient, with particular care taken in neurological cases. Developing tailored care plans for safe handling, consistent turning, and appropriate bladder management is crucial in preventing problems as pressure sores or urinary tract infection.  

4. Optimise safety and comfort

Neurological patients are often disabled by mobility, proprioception, and balance. Simple environmental modifications can prevent injury and promote recovery. Here are some suggestions that may help: 

  • Place rubber-backed mats or non-slip surfaces in kennels and examination rooms to prevent slipping and falling. 
  • Provide slings for supported walking and trolleys to move patients safely, reducing stress and risk of further injury. 
  • Provide memory foam mattresses, dry bedding and even extra pillows or bean bags to minimise pressure sores and position patients in comfortable, physiologically optimal positions. 

5. Adopt technology for better monitoring and communication

Neurological conditions can be intermittent in nature (such as epilepsy) or more pronounced at home. An ideal approach is to have clients record video footage of their pets at home to aid diagnosis. Veterinary practices benefit from management systems that support easy upload and integration of these videos into the patient’s clinical record, ensuring all relevant information is readily accessible for review. Telemedicine is also a valuable asset in modern veterinary neurology, especially when patients require long-term care or are mobility-impaired. Investigating teleconsultation options can help your vets deliver the best possible care to neurological cases. 

 6. Invest in training your vets…

Traditionally, neurological patients were regularly referred, but modern veterinary practice means that these patients can be dealt with in-house if the expertise is there. It is essential that all veterinary surgeons have a strong foundation in neurology, but encouraging further study and certifications, such as our Small Animal Neurology Certificate Programme, can equip clinicians with up-to-date diagnostic and management skills for difficult neurological cases so you can keep them in-house. Even better, they’ll quickly gather a professional reputation that means other local practices refer to them, further increasing practice revenue. 

7…And your veterinary nurse team

Great vets are nothing without fantastic nurses. Your veterinary nurses can benefit your canine and feline neurology patients by taking specialist CPD courses in neurology, medical nursing, rehabilitation, and diagnostic imaging. Neurological patients usually need multidisciplinary care and therefore creating a nursing team with a diverse skill level and credentials is very important. Medical nursing skills are necessary to provide intense, long-term care, especially in recumbent or paralysed patients. Nurses with a certificate in veterinary physiotherapy and rehabilitation make an important contribution by carrying out a passive range of motion exercises, assisting with standing, and creating individualised mobility programmes to address each patient’s needs. 

 Alongside this, training nurses in diagnostic imaging means your vets and nurses can work as a team to deliver high-quality and effective imaging services that support accurate diagnosis and treatment planning. Expertise in anaesthesia and pain control is also of paramount importance in ensuring patient safety during neurosurgery as well as ensuring optimal comfort in the recovery process.  

A team approach keeps every stage of the patient’s treatment in good hands – from diagnosis through to rehabilitation,

 8. Consider access to advanced imaging modalities

Neurological cases usually need advanced imaging. How do your patients currently access these? Referral, especially over long distances, isn’t always ideal – especially if your investment in your team’s CPD means you have the ability to deal with lots of the outcomes in-house. Instead, look at whether you could get advanced machines built into your practice, or whether a mobile machine could add you to their schedule. 

Conclusion 

By blending these approaches for a more neurology-friendly veterinary practice, you can provide gold-standard care to neurological patients. There’s room for both clinical success, improved revenues, and improved client satisfaction by investing in canine and feline neurology.  

 

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