Articles

Megaesophagus is a disorder of the esophagus characterized by diffuse dilation and decreased to absent peristalsis. It can be classified has congenital or acquired and in either case it could be idiopathic. The congenital form presents soon after birth or by the time puppies start diets with solid food. The acquired form can present itself […]

An 8-year-old female cat underwent a new procedure to permanently reopen an obstructed tear duct. This minimally invasive approach had already shown great promise in one horse and a number of dogs, but had not yet been performed in a cat. The nasolacrimal apparatus (NLA) is responsible for the generation and drainage of tears. The […]

An accredited General Practitioner Advanced Certificate (GPAdvCert) has been launched by Improve International aimed at veterinary professionals across Europe who wish to advance their knowledge and practical skills in a particular field.

Dr Graeme McKeown has become the first veterinary surgeon in the UK to be awarded a Postgraduate Diploma in Advanced Veterinary Practice Sciences (PgD AVPS).  Dr McKeown, who owns practices in Hove and Tunbridge Wells, was one of a number of Postgraduate awardees to receive their awards at a ceremony at Harper Adams University on Tuesday 25 April 2017.

At an awards ceremony at Harper Adams University on Tuesday 25 April 2017, 17 new Postgraduate Certificate (PgC) holders and the first recipient of a new Postgraduate Diploma (PgD) were presented with their awards. The ceremony was organised by Harper Adams University in association with veterinary CPD provider Improve International and the European School of Veterinary Postgraduate Studies (ESVPS).   Harper Adams provides the higher education body quality assurance for Improve’s postgraduate clinical modular training programmes across a range of species and disciplines.

Dexmedetomidine, an alpha2 -adrenergic agonist, may be used in companion animals for chemical restraint, including cardiac evaluation. A recent study describes the effects of dexmedetomidine on the cardiac silhouette in healthy, adult cats. Fourteen cats received dexmedetomidine 40 mcg/kg IM. Right lateral (RL), left lateral (LL), ventrodorsal (VD), and dorsoventral (DV) thoracic radiographs were obtained for […]

Alterations in skin barrier function and filaggrin expression have been reported in atopic dermatitis (AD). Caspase-14, a protease important for filaggrin processing, is decreased in human AD. Atopic Beagle dogs with skin barrier alterations have been validated as model for AD. This study aimed to investigate caspase-14 in normal and atopic Beagle dogs. Skin biopsies […]

Cluster seizures (CS), two or more seizures within a 24-hour period, are reported in 38–77% of dogs with idiopathic epilepsy (IE). Negative outcomes associated with CS include a reduced likelihood of achieving seizure freedom, decreased survival time and increased likelihood of euthanasia. Data from 384 dogs treated at a multi-breed canine specific epilepsy clinic were […]

Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) has been used clinically as a treatment modality for a variety of medical conditions including wound-healing processes. The present study was designed to evaluate the effect of LLLT on cellular migration and proliferation of cultured canine epidermal keratinocytes in an in vitro wound healing model. Keratinocyte migration and proliferation were assessed using a […]

Improve has announced that two more of its small animal modular veterinary programmes have been validated by Harper Adams Uni under the 2012 partnership arrangement.