Rational approach to feline medical emergencies: part 1

Abstract

Clinical challenges: Emergencies cause disruption to the normal flow of the working day in a busy veterinary practice, requiring diversion of resources from routine cases to assist with the medical priority. Assessments and decisions have to be made rapidly, which can be challenging if the particular medical condition is not dealt with on a regular basis. Aims: This two-part article series aims to help practitioners feel more confident with the most common types of cases that can present as emergencies and to highlight some of the areas where feline patients require a different approach from their canine counterparts. Part 1 discusses priorities for triage and stabilisation of emergency patients, before addressing the management of shock, dyspnoea, feline aortic thromboembolism and anaemia. The medical emergencies focused on in Part 2 are seizures, urethral obstruction, acute kidney injury and diabetic ketoacidosis. Audience: The intended audience is general practitioners who may be confronted with emergency cases on an irregular basis, although clinicians working in out-of-hours services may also find useful details to update their knowledge. Evidence base: Although much of the information covered is well established, the article series introduces knowledge and clinical techniques that have emerged in the literature in the past 5 years.