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25.01.2022 Veterinary Nurses, we have an important question for you! What would you say is the biggest challenge you are currently facing in your role as a veterinary nurse? Whilst we don’t have a magic wand that could instantly eliminate all of your pain points, we are committed to supporting motivated veterinary nurses like you, with the drive to be the best. ... Post your biggest challenge in the comments below, and let’s see if together we can create the solution! #PlatinumCPD #CPD #VeterinaryNurse #VetNurse #Nurse #Vet #Magic #Problem #Challenge #Solution #Australia #Community

25.01.2022 Top Tip #10 is from Dr Ellie Mardell, MA VetMB DSAM (Feline) MRCVS, she is one of our amazing Feline Medicine Distance Coaching Course coaches. #PlatinumCPD #Tips #TopTips #Tip #12DaysOfChristmas

25.01.2022 Tips and Tricks Digital radiography Most GP clinics now have digital radiography and use it regularly, but do we all know how to assess over and underexposure of images? It is quite different to assessing film radiographs. Dr Belinda Hopper from @animaliusvet explains:... Underexposure - the image is NOT light/too white. Underexposure appears on the digital image as quantum noise/mottle that is clearly visible in the thicker portions of the anatomy contained in the image. There is a grainy, speckled, mottled appearance. If you see this, increase the exposure. The easiest way is to increase kVp by 15%; if it goes away, your technique is correct. If not, try another 15% increase. Overexposure - in digital radiography the image detail usually improves with increasing exposure (to a point), after which image contrast will reduce. The striving for good image detail can result in dose creep and can be a problem with radiation safety for personnel in high turnover facilities. Significant overexposure will result in saturation of the detectors, which is recognised as burnout of the peripheral soft tissues in extremities, or of the lungs on thoracic radiographs, so that no matter the window or level they wont be visible. Thanks to Dr Belinda for these fantastic tips! Animalius is an amazing multi-disciplinary referral centre in Baywater,Perth, with departments for Imaging, Internal Medicine, Dermatology and Dentistry. As well as being a director at Animalius, Dr Belinda is a regular presenter for Platinum CPD and is a passionate supporter of continuing education. #PlatinumCPD #AustralianVet #VeterinaryCE #CPD #DigitalRadiographs #Xrays

25.01.2022 Every veterinary practice wants to be successful. What do you need to help you achieve that? The Ps you need in your practice are people, processes and profit! Generating profit is important but having the right people and implementing the best processes to help your practice function optimally can be your formula to success. #PlatinumCPD #PracticeManagement #People #Profits #Processes #Blog #VeterinaryPractice #Veterinarian #VeterinaryNurse

25.01.2022 Diarrhoea is a common reason for dogs being presented for veterinary treatment. Despite limited evidence, antibiotic treatment is still frequently prescribed in dogs with uncomplicated acute diarrhoea. This type of diarrhoea in dogs is most frequently associated with dietary indiscretion, adverse reactions to food, endoparasites, or transient uncomplicated bacterial/viral infections. In many cases the aetiology cannot be identified. This is usually not a problem, because clin...ical signs typically resolve spontaneously (or with symptomatic treatment) and usually do not recur. Current international guidelines recommend that in dogs with diarrhoea, antimicrobials should only be administered if there are systemic signs of illness. Despite these recommendations, it is common that dogs with acute diarrhoea receive an untargeted, shortterm antibiotic course as firstline medication. In a recent study, Werner and colleagues looked at whether amoxicillinclavulanic acid had a clinical benefit, an effect on the faecal microbiome, and the proportion of amoxicillinresistant Escherichia coli in dogs with acute diarrhoea. Sixteen dogs were included in the study, all of whom had uncomplicated acute diarrhoea of less than three days duration. Clientowned dogs were randomly assigned to an antibiotic (AG) or a placebo (PG) group. The intestinal microbiome was analysed using quantitative PCR assays. Amoxicillinresistant faecal E. coli were assessed semi-quantitatively with microbiological methods. The results showed no statistically significant difference between dogs only treated with symptomatic treatment and those also treated with amoxicillinclavulanic acid at any time point. Oral treatment with amoxicillinclavulanic acid led to a significant increase of resistant E. coli isolates, but did not result in a significantly more prolonged dysbiosis compared with the placebo treated group. The study suggests that treatment with amoxicillinclavulanic acid confers no clinical benefit to dogs with acute diarrhoea, but predisposes the development of amoxicillinresistant E. coli, which persist for as long as 3 weeks after treatment. These findings support international guideline recommendations that dogs with diarrhoea should not be treated with antimicrobials unless there are signs of sepsis. In Werner M, Suchodolski I, Strubinger R, and others, (2020) Effect of amoxicillinclavulanic acid on clinical scores, intestinal microbiome, and amoxicillinresistant Escherichia coli in dogs with uncomplicated acute diarrhoea. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine 34; 1166-1176. DOI: 10.1111/jvim.15775 #PlatinumCPD #Article #JournalArticle #Review #Diarrhoea #JournalofVeterinaryInternalMedicine #Veterinary #VeterinaryMedicine #Antibiotics

24.01.2022 According to the World Small Animal Veterinary Association, dental/oral disease is the most common medical condition in small animal medicine. Without question, dental disease IS painful (just ask anyone who has had a toothache) - however the majority of our patients do not demonstrate obvious signs of pain that can be easily identified by their owner - that is, until the disease is relatively advanced. As vets and veterinary nurses, we play an immensely important role in ed...ucating clients about the value of dental health, as well as advocating for routine veterinary examinations and early intervention. In July 2020, WSAVA published the Global Dental Guidelines in the Journal of Small Animal Practice, as a means of providing veterinary practitioners with information pertaining to best practices for dental therapy and help create minimum standards of care. As a veterinary professional, how focused are you on the dental health of your patients? https://wsava.org/global-guidelin/global-dental-guidelines/

23.01.2022 Meet Imogen Johns, BVSc DipACVIM FHEA MRCVS RCVS Specialist in Equine Medicine. Imogen graduated from the University of Sydney in 1997, and then spent three years in private practice at Goulburn Valley Equine Hospital (Australia). She completed a residency in large animal internal medicine at the University of Pennsylvania between 2001 and 2003, becoming an ACVIM Diplomate in 2004. She remained there as a lecturer until 2007. From 2007 until 2017 she was employed as a senior ...lecturer in equine medicine at the Royal Veterinary College. She now works as an equine medicine specialist at B and W Equine Hospital in Gloucestershire, UK; and has recently been made a Fellow of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. Imogen is one of our head coaches on our Equine Distance Coaching Course. For more details visit: https://platinumcpd.com//equine-medicine-distance-coachin/ #PlatinumCPD #CPD #EquineVet #Veterinarian #Specialist #Surgeon #EquineDistanceCoaching #Coaching

22.01.2022 Introducing Darcy Keeley, a very special little superhero that is currently facing the fight of his life. On June 11 2020, the Keeley family's world was turned upside down, when Darcy was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia. This amazing 4-year-old is currently undergoing intensive chemotherapy and will require a bone marrow transplant - the devastating thing is that there is currently no compatible match on the international bone marrow registry. And so, the search conti...nues for little Darcy's perfect marrow match and his family have been told it will be less than 8 weeks until he needs his transplant Contact your local Australian Red Cross lifeblood centre to join team Do It For Darcy and get on the bone marrow donor registry and/or donate blood and plasma. If you are unable to register as a bone marrow donor, please consider donating blood, platelets and plasma! This stuff is a precious lifeline for so many and supplies are low due to flu season and Covid. #DarcyPaul #acutemyeloidleukaemia #doitfordarcy #doitfordarc #AML #leukaemia #childhooddisease #cancer #fighter #warrior #disease #fuckcancer #littleox #hospital #chemo See more

22.01.2022 Excellence is at the heart of everything we do, which is why we vow to KEEP YOU CURRENT AND COMPETENT. Veterinary medicine is constantly progressing, and it is our mission to keep you up-to-date with the most clinically relevant advances and the latest thinking in disease diagnostics and management strategies. Although we fully embrace technology, we know that competence is best achieved through hands-on-experience. This is why our face-to-face CPD events include a variety of case-based discussions, wet-lab sessions, practical skills development and interactive small group workshops.

21.01.2022 A NURSES GUIDE TO BEHAVIOUR: WHAT, WHEN, HOW AND WHY? 14th November 2020 | Perth, WA During this informative and interactive day, Dr Nichola Frampton from Perth Veterinary Behaviour Service will cover a number of practical topics, including: 1 WHAT are the most common client questions regarding behavioural problems in their pet, and how to answer them.... 2 WHEN to advise referral and how to go about the referral process. 3 HOW to use enrichment and training in a veterinary clinic setting. 4 WHY pain can result in a variety of behavioural changes, and learn how to recognise this in general practice. This fabulous day-long CPD course will be held at Applied Vocational Training, Bentley, and is fully catered. Each delegate will receive a set of comprehensive course notes as well as a certificate of attendance. So VETERINARY NURSES, do you want to: 1 Further your knowledge of veterinary behaviour? 2 Become confident answering common client questions? 3 Play a bigger role in the mental wellbeing of your patients? 4 Add value to your practice? If you answered YES to any of the questions above, then this is the continuing education event for you! Book by 3rd October 2020 to take advantage of the Early Bird registration fee: https://platinumcpd.com//a-nurses-guide-to-behaviour-what/

21.01.2022 August is Pet Dental Health Month, so there is no better time to initiate some discussion with our clients regarding dental home-care. Agreed, implementing dental hygiene practices at home requires an ongoing commitment from owners - all the more reason why we need to make sure that the advice we are giving is realistic and practical. https://platinumcpd.com/dental-homecare-products-do-they-r/

21.01.2022 Cancer is unfortunately all too common in our patients. Our approach should always focus on the patients quality of life, and a holistic perspective is best. The team approach combines medicine, surgery, radiotherapy and of course care at home with the owners. This starts at the primary care clinic, but will also potentially include contact (including referral) with a specialist clinic. Each case has to be dealt with individually, taking into consideration patient factors (s...uch as concurrent disease, general health status and demeanour) and owner factors (including finances, time pressures and beliefs). There is no one single department that can deal with cancer alone. Some cases require surgery, others medical treatment, and others a combination of both. But all cases will require a compassionate and supportive approach to helping the (often distraught) owner through the decision-making process. And every case needs to have the same sequential approach to management diagnosis, staging, therapeutic considerations, referral if necessary. Surgery tends to be the primary treatment for most cancers, especially if they havent already spread. This can then potentially be curative. For other cases, surgery forms only a small part of the treatment program, and when followed up with chemotherapy +/- radiotherapy can still offer really good prognoses. The primary care clinician needs to work closely with any referral specialist practice to ensure that the owner can make the most informed decision as to how best to treat their animal. The take-home message for cancer cases, is that ALL staff members can have a positive influence on the case outcome. Using a unified team approach, where all team members are involved in supporting the client and their pet through this often long and stressful pathway, is what we should all be striving to achieve. If you are interested in Oncology and would like to increase your skills with dealing with the surgical side of cancer treatment, dont forget to register for our Oncologic and Reconstructive Surgery workshop on 5th December.

21.01.2022 Every veterinary practice wants to be successful. What do you need to help you achieve that? The P's you need in your practice are people, processes and profit! Generating profit is important but having the right people and implementing the best processes to help your practice function optimally can be your formula to success. #PlatinumCPD #PracticeManagement #People #Profits #Processes #Blog #VeterinaryPractice #Veterinarian #VeterinaryNurse

21.01.2022 Our Advanced Practical Skills Course is fast approaching, and postcards have been sent out to all clinics in and around Perth, so keep your eyes peeled for them to arrive! Has yours been delivered yet?! But what does the course include? Laboratory:... FNA preparation Understanding blood and urine results Patient: Intubation Managing urinary catheters and other tubes CPR Advanced wound management Advanced anaesthesia and troubleshooting Surgical: Skin suturing Advanced surgical nursing Previous delegates really enjoyed the mix of short seminars and practical sessions, and found the content easily applicable in their role in their own clinic. Dont miss out on the chance to attend - places are booking up fast!

21.01.2022 Recycling is something most of us try to do in some form or another at home. But what about at work? Do you have any recycling protocols at your practice? Who takes responsibility for it? Do you have any other ideas on how to reduce waste? #PlatinumCPD #Recycling #VeterinaryPractice #AustralianVeterinarian #VeterinaryNurse #Vet #MedicalWaste #WasteManagement

21.01.2022 Vet Nurses: Have you signed up for our Critical Care and CPR Skills: An Interactive Workshop for Veterinary Nurses yet? Dr Penny Seet and Dr Stephanie Pattison will help you get 100% ready to take appropriate action if and when faced with emergency situations in practice. This is a CPD event not to be missed! https://platinumcpd.com//critical-care-and-cpr-skills-an-/ #PlatinumCPD #VeterinaryNurse #InteractiveWorkshop #EmergencyMedicine #Emergency #CPD #VetNurse #Practice #Vet

21.01.2022 Our final Tip is from Dr Claire Sharp, BSc BVMS (Hons) MS MANZCVS DACVECC. Claire presented at our Updates in Canine Medicine course in 2020 and shares her knowledge on managing dogs with IMHA. #PlatinumCPD #CPD #TopTip #12DaysOfChristmas #VeterinaryMedicine #Veterinarian #AustralianVet

20.01.2022 For some of our patients, veterinary visits can be incredibly stressful, so often the best way to manage them is to pre-empt their stress or anxiety and do something to either prevent it from happening or reduce the severity. Enter PVPs - pre-visit pharmaceuticals. These are a variety of behaviour-modifying drugs such as gabapentin, trazodone and clonidine, that can be administered to cats and dogs by their owners at home, prior their veterinary appointment. If you are interested in learning more about PVPs and other ways we can reduce stress and anxiety for our patients when they come to the veterinary clinic, check out our upcoming veterinary CPD event A Nurses Guide to Behaviour! #PlatinumCPD #veterinarynurse #veterinarian ##pharmaceuticals #CPD #CPDevent #Behaviour

19.01.2022 Introducing Professor Giselle Hosgood, world-renowned surgeon extraordinaire and our key presenter for the upcoming CPD event, Oncologic and Reconstructive Surgery Workshop. Giselle took up the position of Professor and Head of Small Animal Surgery at Murdoch University in June 2009, having spent 20 years at Louisiana State University. Not only does she lead the Soft Tissue and Oncologic Surgery Referral Service at The Animal Hospital at Murdoch University, she is also the in...terim Principal of the Veterinary College. She is a board-certified surgery specialist, certified by the American College of Veterinary Surgeons and the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists; and she was in fact the first woman to be certified as a surgery specialist by the ANZCVS. She has considerable experience in all facets of surgery but is particularly interested in abdominal surgery and wound reconstruction and has internationally-recognised expertise in these areas. #PlatinumCPD #MeetTheSpeakers #Oncology #Surgery #VeterinarySurgeon #Veterinarian #VeterinaryCPD #AustralianVet #VeterinaryPractice

19.01.2022 Early mornings - you either love them or you hate them! But there is a lot to be said for starting your day early, and starting it on the right foot. Up for a challenge? Embrace the 7 Before 7(am) for the next week, and see what a difference it makes to your daily productivity and mindset!

18.01.2022 Introducing Dr Nichola Frampton, the brains behind Perth Veterinary Behaviour Service and our key presenter for the upcoming CPD event, A Nurses Guide to Behaviour: How? What? When? Why? Nichola graduated from The University of Liverpool, UK, in 2007. Since, she has worked predominantly in small animal practice, including several years working in referral and emergency clinics. Dr Nichola has always had an interest in veterinary behavioural medicine, and it struck her early... on just how many of her patients were fearful during the veterinary visit. The animals she was trying so hard to help, had a very real fear of her and the veterinary clinic. As a result, Nichola is passionate about improving the psychological welfare of patients in the veterinary clinic through education of staff and other veterinary professionals. Through a deeper understanding of the behavioural needs of patients, Dr Nichola is able to limit their stress when in the clinic through compassionate handling. #PlatinumCPD #MeetOurSpeakers #VeterinaryNurse #CPD #VeterinaryCPD #KeySpeaker #AustralianVet #Behaviour

18.01.2022 Taking phone calls from distressed clients in emergency situations can be incredibly stressful, as the information provided in those moments can literally be the difference between life and death for the patient. Below are experienced emergency and critical care veterinarian, Dr Addisons MUST ASK QUESTIONS for effective information gathering over the phone: 1. What is the SIGNALMENT of the patient - including age, breed, sex and an approximate weight 2. Can you describe the ...PROBLEM? o A = Airway and Ambulation? o B = Breathing and Bleeding? o C = Circulation and Consciousness? 3. How FAR away from the clinic are you? 4. What is the best CONTACT number? Remember, you CANNOT adequately triage or assess a patient over the phone! You can however, obtain useful information that will not only help you in being able to correctly identify the owners concern but will give you invaluable information in the event of an emergency. One key to appropriately managing emergency situations is preparedness and having the above information will allow your team to anticipate when the patient will arrive, the state it will arrive in and allow for appropriate organization beforehand. #PlatinumCPD #Veterinarian #VeterinaryPractice #Telephone #Emergencies #VeterinaryNurse #Phone #Contact

18.01.2022 Dr David Davis, BSc BVMS (Hons) FANZCVS (Canine Medicine), who presented at our Updates in Canine Medicine Course 2020 shares his Top Tip. #TopTip #PlatinumCPD #CanineMedicine #AustralianVet

17.01.2022 Our Veterinary Nurse Membership has been created to ensure our veterinary nurses reach their full potential. By becoming part of our membership community, you will be provided with all the tools and support you need to progress through each of the five stages: Commit, Aspire, Believe, Achieve, Inspire. If you are a Veterinary Nurse ready to unlock your Platinum potential, then get in touch by emailing [email protected].... #PlatinumCPD #VeterinaryNurse #Community #VetNurse #VeterinaryCPD #CPD #JoinOurCommunity

17.01.2022 The inclusion of gabapentin in a multi-modal analgesic regimen is gaining popularity in equine practice, especially in cases of laminitis. Currently most clinicians will use a dose of 5-20mg/kg, extrapolated from human medicine; typically in combination with a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug and/or acetaminophen (paracetamol). As gabapentin has an average oral bioavailability of only 16% in horses, it has been recently proposed that higher doses may be warranted to bette...Continue reading

16.01.2022 VETERINARY NURSES, are you wanting to: 1. Gain confidence in a range of advanced practical techniques? 2. Provide exceptional patient and client care?... 3. Obtain increased responsibility within your practice? 4. Update your knowledge by learning about advances in key areas of veterinary medicine and surgery? If you answered YES to any of these questions, then we have the CPD course for you. EARLY BIRD registration for our upcoming Advanced Practical Skills for Veterinary Nurses ends on 5th September, so if you want to take advantage of the discounted rate be sure to BOOK NOW! *** Due to the practical nature of this event, places are limited! ***

14.01.2022 Imagine belonging to a community of like-minded peers, whose ultimate goal was to support you in your journey to becoming the best Veterinary Nurse you could possibly be. Well, imagine no longer! We are incredibly excited to share with you our flagship membership - The Platinum Veterinary Nurse Membership: Reaching Your Platinum Potential. This membership program has been developed to support motivated veterinary nurses with the drive to be the best, by providing quality con...tinuing education delivered in a unique way, so that they reach their full potential and become even more valuable to their patients and their veterinary practice. Regardless of the career stage, we provide ambitious Veterinary Nurses with all of the tools they need to facilitate their journey along the path to success. If this sounds like something you would love to be a part of, please email [email protected] to express your interest. #PlatinumCPD #VeterinaryNurse #VetNurse #AustralianVetNurse #VeterinaryPractice #Membership

14.01.2022 Protocols are designed to ensure standardization and a consistent client experience. Do they invite thinking and challenge status quo or are they the killer of veterinary innovation? #PlatinumCPD #VeterinaryInnovation #AustralianVet #Veterinarian #Protocol #Standardization

12.01.2022 Top Tip #8 is a great practical tip from Dr Imogen Johns, BVSc DipACVIM FHEA MRCVS RCVS Specialist in Equine Medicine. Imogen is one of our valued coaches on our Equine Distance Coaching Courses. #12DaysofChristmas #Tip #TopTip #EquineMedicine #PlatinumCPD

12.01.2022 Wishing all our amazing Mum’s a VERY happy Mother’s Day! Whilst today is most definitely the day for celebrating those wonderful women who have given us life, cared for and loved us unconditionally; it is also the day to acknowledge the many inspirational and special souls who have helped to make us who we are today! Our grandmas, our aunties (related by blood or otherwise), our sisters and our friends. We also celebrate wholeheartedly the Mum’s-to-be, those that wish they... were Mum's, and those that are Mumma’s to babies of the furry kind! #MothersDay2021 #loveyoumum #mummabear #furbaby #mumtobe #motherhood

10.01.2022 Cats. How many are too many? How do I introduce a new cat into my home? Why wont my new cat use the litter tray? The multi-cat household is a common situation where things go wrong. And often something that clients have lots of questions and concerns about. Traditionally cats are asocial animals who do not naturally live in socially structured groups. They either live a fairly solitary life, or in groups of related females together (matrilinear colonies), and are highly te...rritorial animals. They are certainly not pack animals, but they do have the ability to form social groups. When we have a multi-cat household they have to either learn to avoid each other, or learn to get along. Social groups of cats can only work when there is no competition over food or other resources. So, what do we need to consider for a multi-cat household? Compatibility of a new addition adult vs kitten, male vs female. Space requirements the ability to escape to a safe area or hiding place where they feel safe. Litter trays number and position Food and water bowls number and position Access to outside unsupervised or enclosed cat run, free access or time limited. To get the most up to date information and increase your confidence in talking about solutions to the problems that can arise in a multi-cat household, dont forget to check out our A Nurses Guide to Behaviour course! #PlatinumCPD #Behaviour #AnimalBehaviour #VeterinaryNurse #Cats #Multicat #Asocial #VeterinaryCPD

10.01.2022 In March we held our first Advanced Practical Skills Course for Veterinary Nurses in Perth, Western Australia. What was it like to attend, and what did delegates learn? The day consisted of short interactive seminars with plenty of discussion and videos, and each seminar was followed by a practical session to give the delegates a chance to practice the techniques discussed in the seminars. This solidified the theoretical information, and allowed delegates to ask any questio...ns that came up when they were attempting the practical technique. But what did they learn? And what did they think? -The practical suturing session was a particular favourite, with delegates practising skin suture patterns on chicken drumsticks. As was the fine needle aspirate session where there were a range of soft tissues to practice on. -The advanced anaesthesia and trouble-shooting session resulted many questions and a lot of detailed discussion. Especially regarding capnography, manual ventilation and CPR. - The understanding blood and urine results practical produced a lot of good discussion regarding different disease processes, and got the nurses really thinking about signalment, presentation and how laboratory results are interpreted as part of the whole picture. If this sounds interesting to you, and you would like to know more, dont miss out on the next Advanced Practical Skills course on 17th October! #PlatinumCPD #VeterinaryNurse #Testimonial #Feedback #Perth #Australia #VeterinaryCPD #CPD #Skills

09.01.2022 Intubation in cats ... How do you perform it safely to prevent laryngospasm? The AAFP Feline Anaesthesia Guidelines published in 2018, brought to light some interesting findings about the products we use to anaesthetise the larynx of cats, and how some of them might actually be implicated in INCREASING the risk of laryngospasm. Many clinics use Xylocaine spray on the laryngeal folds. This should be avoided at all costs. But why?... Firstly, the metered dose spray delivers a higher dose of lignocaine compared with Intubeaze (10 mg of lignocaine per Xylocaine spray compared with 2 4 mg per spray in the licensed UK product Intubeaze), which can result in overdose, especially where lignocaine is being used for nerve blocks elsewhere during the procedure. Additionally, adverse effects have been reported in cats where Xylocaine spray was used. While this was thought to be due to the carrier rather than the drug itself, it resulted in laryngeal oedema and respiratory distress. We also need to be careful with products that deliver the local anaesthetic via a spray nozzle, as some of these can have very high expulsion pressures, which may cause damage and inflammation to the delicate mucosa (and again lead to swelling and spasm) The safest way to anaesthetise the laryngeal folds of cats is to use 2% lignocaine injection (adrenaline free), drawn up in a 1ml syringe. The dose should not exceed 0.1ml (2mg), which allows one drop to be gently placed on each laryngeal fold. This will effectively and safely anaesthetise the laryngeal folds allowing intubation with minimal risk of laryngospasm. For those who would like to know more, the guidelines have some amazing tips on feline anaesthesia, and are available on open access now using the following link: https://journals.sagepub.com//full/10.1177/1098612X18781391

09.01.2022 As a veterinary nurse, investing in yourself will not only improve YOUR life but the lives of ALL the humans and animals that you encounter. Have you been looking for a way to invest in yourself and your career? Join our Veterinary Nurse Membership and let us help you reach your Platinum Potential! Email [email protected] to express your interest! ... #PlatinumCPD #VeterinaryNurse #VeterinaryNurseCommunity #Membership #PlatinumPotential #CPD #InvestInYourself #VeterinaryPractice #VetNurse

08.01.2022 Western Australian VETS and NURSES! We still have a number of attendance CPD courses coming up later this year. Book now to secure your place and take advantage of the Early Bird registration for the following events: 1 Advanced Practical Skills for Veterinary Nurses 2 A Nurse's Guide to Behaviour 3 Oncologic and Reconstructive Surgery Workshop ... Join our Community and stay updated with all our Platinum news and discussions! https://www.facebook.com/groups/platinumcpdcommunity/?ref=group_header

08.01.2022 "Congratulations!" you say to your client who has just told you that they are expecting...but what effects is the pregnancy and arrival of a new baby going to have on their pets? Do you feel comfortable answering their concerns? It is a really common concern voiced to both vets and vet nurses. And an important one to answer accurately. The arrival of a new baby is so exciting but is also a time of massive change for everyone in the household. So what sort of things should we... be recommending to clients? Show and tell setting up the nursery, and leaving the pram, car capsule etc all out can allow pets some important time to get used to different items in the house. Make some rules now are there areas of the house that will be off limits? There will definitely be changes in routine perhaps getting the pet used to different walk times and regimes now before the new addition arrives. And if there is going to be a playpen or playmat that is out of bounds get them used to this before there is a baby on/in it! Practice makes perfect for dog owners, advise them to practice walking with the pram and the dog BEFORE baby arrives, so that their dog(s) get used to it. Smells matter if the baby is born in a hospital, bring some blankets or other things home that will smell of baby so that the pets can get used to a different smell in the house. Positivity It is important to ensure that the pets have positive associations with the new arrival. Rewards and positive reinforcement are so important, and especially so, with the introduction of an infant into the house. If you are interested in behaviour and would like to feel more confident in answering owners questions on a range of common issues, dont forget to check out our A Nurses Guide to Behaviour: What, When, How, Why? course in Perth this coming November!

08.01.2022 The Spec fPl blood test is often used in the diagnosis of pancreatitis in sick cats, but how useful is the test in reality? Pancreatitis in cats is a challenging disease, both to diagnose and to treat. It can have very varied clinical signs including inappetence, vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain and pyrexia. Diagnosis often includes using the Spec fPl blood test, alongside clinical suspicion, other routine blood tests, and potentially pancreatic ultrasound. A recently publ...ished retrospective study looked at 274 client owned cats that presented to a university teaching hospital over a four year period and had Spec fPl measured. Results revealed that of the 274 cats included in the study, 3.3% were assessed as having definite pancreatitis, 17.9% as probable pancreatitis, 50.7% as possible pancreatitis, and 28.1% as unlikely pancreatitis. The criteria used to make these classifications included clinical signs, ultrasound examination of the pancreas, and potentially cytologic or histopathologic changes on pancreatic biopsy and/or visible changes in the pancreas on exploratory laparotomy or necropsy examination. Looking at the Spec fPl results, the study showed that the proportion of probable false positives was low at 10%, but the proportion of false negatives was significantly higher at 24%. Therefore, in the population of cats studied, Spec fPL had good diagnostic utility for ruling in the diagnosis (albeit with some false positives) but lower diagnostic utility in ruling out the diagnosis, because of the higher proportion of falsenegative results. In conclusion, according to this study, Spec fPl can be useful in aiding the diagnosis of feline pancreatitis, but needs to be used in conjunction with a range of other diagnostic tests, and the results need to be interpreted with caution. In Lee C., Kathrani A., Maddison J. (2020) Retrospective study of the diagnostic utility of Spec fPL in the assessment of 274 sick cats. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine 34; 1406-1412. DOI: 10.1111/jvim.15797.

06.01.2022 How many times have you been drawn into that roundabout discussion of What shall we have for dinner? Or do you get instant rage when your partner asks you Where would you like to go tonight? If so, chances are youre familiar with (and likely suffering from) the phenomenon of decision fatigue. https://platinumcpd.com/decision-fatigue-10-ways-to-avoid-/

05.01.2022 Introducing Caroline Montgomery, veterinary nurse (with many talents) and our key speaker for the upcoming CPD event, Advanced Practical Skills for Veterinary Nurses. Caroline began nursing in a mixed practice in a country clinic in NSW where she completed her Cert IV Veterinary Nursing. After five years she moved to Brisbane for a specialised nursing role which included surgery, oncology, intensive care and anaesthesia. Four great years later, Caroline headed to Singapore t...o gain international experience, then returned to Melbourne, Australia to work in a specialist hospital; from there she moved to Perth. Here Caroline completed a veterinary traineeship in anaesthesia and analgesia at Murdoch University where she remains working as an anaesthesia technician. In 2018 Caroline gained her Graduate Certificate in Tertiary and Adult Education and is now completing her Masters in Education through research at Murdoch University. She also teaches Cert IV Veterinary Nursing at Applied Vocational Training in Perth and alongside this, delivers anaesthesia workshops and lectures to graduated nurses. Caroline is very committed to contributing to continuing education for Australian nurses and technicians and has been appointed the Australian Representative for Veterinary Anaesthesia School for Technicians and Nurses (VASTA Australia), is a high-level qualification in veterinary anaesthesia and analgesia. Caroline has a Rhodesian Ridgeback called Roger, a rescue cat called Maple and a very special Warmblood cross Connemara pony called Ollie. #platinumcpd #vetnurse #VeterinaryCPD #CPD

05.01.2022 Cytology (fine needle aspirate) versus histopathology (biopsy) - Which is better? The answer largely depends on what information we are hoping to obtain. Fine needle aspiration is a very safe and minimally invasive procedure which can generally be carried out in the consult room. It gives us basic information as to the cell type, and sometimes the level of malignancy (if features such as cell pleomorphism, hyperchromatism, and mitoses are present). However, the technique does... have its limitations, often due to inadequate sample collection or poor cell preservation. This, combined with the fact that the technique will not preserve the histological architecture of the tissue, means that it doesn't always give us all the information we need. A core biopsy on the other hand, will preserve the architecture and allow the pathologist to give a more detailed analysis of the tissue. It will also allow for special staining techniques to be used, which can help with grading of the tumour. So when should we use these techniques? And how do they pertain to surgical planning? A simple needle aspirate taken in a consult situation can give valuable information, and is a good starting point. For example, if the sampled mass is a lipoma, we can then safely book in for surgery, and know that we do not need to be concerned with taking margins of normal tissue around the mass. However with other types of tumour, a needle aspirate may not be sufficient to allow accurate surgical planning. A classic example would be soft tissue sarcomas and mast cell tumours, where the grade will affect the margins that are required to achieve complete excision. This may be the difference between a straight forward surgery, and a radical excision that may require a skin flap. Therefore in this situation, an incisional biopsy would be a sensible step to take before going ahead with full excision of the mass. If you are interested in furthering your confidence and skills in dealing with a wide range of mass removals, check out our upcoming "Oncologic and Reconstructive Surgery" course on 5th December! Early Bird registration available until the 24th October!

03.01.2022 Meet Dr Nichola Frampton from Perth Veterinary Behaviour Service as she talks about the very real issues we see in dogs with separation anxiety, expecially following on from COVID-19. Here are her top tips for discussing these issues with clients. You can meet Dr Nichola and hear her talk about a whole range of behaviour problems when she speaks at our "A Nurse's Guide to Behaviour" course on 14th November 2020.

02.01.2022 Dr Mona Hoerdemann, Dr.med.vet. MVetClinStud MVSurg MANZCVS (Eq. Surgery) DipACVS-LA, shares her Top Tip for Equine practitioners. Mona is one of our coaches for our Equine Practice Distance Coaching Course. #PlatinumCPD #CPD #Veterinarian #EquineVet #Equine #TopTip #Tip

02.01.2022 To date, 2020 really has thrown a number of curve balls at us (bushfires, drought, flooding and infectious disease outbreaks - to name just a few); but the one thing that remains certain, is that we could not get through these challenges without our communities. And so, it is with great pleasure that we announce the creation of our new Facebook Platinum CPD Community - a place to connect with other like-minded vets and veterinary nurses, industry experts, and many of our ama...zing speakers. We have created this community to be both supportive and educational, with our primary focus being to highlight the many positive aspects of veterinary medicine. Want to be part of this amazing community? Join here: Platinum CPD Community! #VetNurse #Community #vetnurses #vetnurselife #joinourcommunity #veterinarymedicine #veterinarynurse #Australianvet #veterinarian #veterinarycare #veterinarylife

01.01.2022 Nurse clinics can help build relationships, provide high quality information customized to their pets needs and enhances customer loyalty, but can they help increase your profits? Do you run nurse clinics at your practice? What have been your learnings and do you find that they enhance the relationships with clients and their pets? #PlatinumCPD #NurseClinics #VeterinaryNurse #VetNurse #AustralianNurse #VeterinaryPractice #CPD #ClientRelationships

01.01.2022 What do you need to do to build an authentic online presence for your veterinary practice? What do pet owners want to see? What can they learn from following your social media pages? If you are keen to learn more about differentiation, brand building, outperforming your competitor and standing out online - read our latest blog article. ... #PlatinumCPD #Branding #Marketing #VeterinaryPractice #CPD #BrandBuilding #GoingOnline #Differentiate #StandOut #Veterinarian #Veterinary #VetNurse #AustralianVet