Septic abdomen presents a critical and challenging scenario in veterinary practice, demanding rapid assessment, surgical intervention, and meticulous nursing care.

This presentation will explore the journey of managing a patient with a septic abdomen, highlighting key considerations for both surgery and postoperative survival. Through a case-based approach, attendees will gain insights into preoperative preparation, intraoperative monitoring, and postoperative strategies that optimize outcomes. Emphasis will be placed on the vital role of nursing: from understanding patient history and interpreting vital signs, to advocating for pain management, providing warmth, and troubleshooting equipment. Collaborative teamwork between veterinary surgeons and nurses will be discussed as a cornerstone of successful patient care.

The topic will focus on how to nurse a septic abdomen patient, follow their recovery, and explore a case in detail while discussing important nursing considerations.

In an industry continuously evolving, there is always the question of what can a veterinary nurse/tech do? In this presentation I will discuss an increasingly available treatment that can be provided by vet nurses/techs, laser therapy. I will discuss the workings of the laser machine and the benefit it brings to the industry and the effects that laser treatment had on one of the patients, believed to be struggling with wobblers disease, at Wauchope vet clinic.
Piper an 8-year-old Doberman, one of the breeds most common to contract wobblers disease presented to the clinic in a poor way. Struggling to walk and stand, every movement looked painful for the canine. Numerous medications were dispensed to help try relieve the pains and struggles the dog was enduring with no complete success. The canine was referred to Wauchope vet clinic where the vet went over her medical history and radiographs that showed the severe extent of Piper's condition. Through the consultation it was agreed the next course of treatment would be to trial laser therapy in the hopes of reducing her pain and improving her mobility.
With the shortage of vets in clinic and with the veterinary nurses trained to perform laser therapy, once the vet had finalized the initial consult, Piper was handed into the care of the nursing team. Due to the instability of Piper's gait and the minimum control of her limbs due to the weakened muscles, additional assistance was provided to Piper from the nurses/techs. Additional soft bedding was supplied, assistance getting her in and out of the kennel and helping her to remain standing during the laser session. During her ongoing treatment, it was the nurses who were monitoring her progress, supplied advice and feedback to the owners and vets, and it was the nurses following up on her post treatment condition.
In a time where vets are under great demand, we have the opportunity to utilise trained vet nurses/techs to reduce the stain and improve efficiency, increase the availability of when clients can get their pets treated, build on boosting the confidence of nurses/techs and the skills they possess, the appreciation they have of being able to provide more care towards their patients, to help the nurses/tech feel they are making the difference to the animals quality of life and to build a stronger rapport with the clientele.

Introduction
This case study describes the successful outcome of an endoscopic oesophageal-gastric foreign body removal which resulted in a tension pneumothorax and emergency thoracotomy.

Presentation
A 5 yo female desexed cavoodle presented after ingesting a cooked bone. She remained bright and alert on arrival.
Vital parameters showed mild hyperthermia (39.6°C) and tachycardia (168 bpm), with normal pulses and clear lung sounds. Point-of-care diagnostics revealed mild hypernatremia and hyperlactatemia. Biochemistry was within reference range.

Outcome
The patient was premedicated with Methadone and Medetomidine, induced with Alfaxalone and maintained on Isoflurane. During endoscopic attempt to snare the bone in the proximal oesophagus, immediate haemorrhage was noted.
The nurse performing the anaesthetic simultaneously observed increased inspiratory effort, difficulty inflating the lungs with IPPV, desaturation (SpO₂ 86%), rising ETCO₂, and cyanosis. Immediate communication with the clinician triggered an emergency thoracocentesis, aspirating 120ml of air and restoring oxygenation and ventilation. Continuous suction was required, and a tension pneumothorax was diagnosed.
The patient was stabilised with fluid boluses and glycopyrrolate, transitioned to total intravenous anaesthesia, and an indwelling thoracic drain was placed.

Radiography confirmed a pneumothorax necessitating an emergency exploratory thoracotomy. Surgery successfully removed a bone shard from the lower oesophageal sphincter and repaired a torn diaphragm. Postoperatively, the patient received multimodal analgesia, antibiotics, and strict confinement. She recovered uneventfully, resumed normal eating and drinking, and was discharged in 48 hours.

Discussion
Although cooked bones may sometimes dissolve without intervention, their brittleness increases the risk of splintering, perforation, and obstruction. Management options include- endoscopy, monitoring, or surgery. All associated risks were discussed.
The owner elected for upper gastrointestinal endoscopy under general anaesthesia.
Due to the recognised high risk of oesophageal trauma with bones, extensive pre-procedure preparation was undertaken, including stocking emergency thoracocentesis and chest drain equipment in the same room as the endoscopy procedure.

Implication
This case highlights the importance of preparing for high-risk complications during endoscopic foreign body retrievals. The impact of the veterinary nurses’ clinical vigilance and rapid recognition of physiological deterioration were critical to initiating lifesaving interventions. Preparation of emergency equipment and a thoracocentesis kit before induction allowed immediate response, minimising morbidity and facilitating surgical repair. This case study underscores the essential role of experienced nursing staff in peri-anaesthetic monitoring, crisis recognition, and team communication.
Proactive risk assessment, emergency preparation and collaborative case management contributed to the patient’s excellent recovery, illustrating best practice in the management of complex small-animal foreign body cases.

Following a routine ovariohysterectomy for the treatment of vaginal prolapse, the patient arrested in recovery. CPR was commenced immediately by veterinary nurses and the patient was resuscitated. She was found to have a haemabdomen and received an autotransfusion.

8yo F 37kg Bandog

Presented for vaginal prolapse due to oestrus which occurred each time she has a heat but this time was significantly worse.

Owners had witnessed normal urination at home prior to arrival and abdominal ultrasound confirmed normal bladder position. Initially went home with plan to present to their regular veterinarian (RV) for ovariohysterectomy. RV had no capacity to do so referred back to our team. Stable on both presentations.

Demeanour BAR
RR 32
RE Normal
HR 86
Pulses Good
MM Pink
CRT <2 secs
Temp 38.6
Pain Score 3/24

Patient underwent an ovariohysterectomy. Anaesthetic and surgery were uneventful. Due to the patient being in heat there was more oozing during the surgery and the uterus was large. The patient's initial post-op check revealed hypothermia (36.5), tachycardia (148), pale pink mucuous membranes and a delayed capillary refill time (>2 seconds). During the subsequent (~20 mins later) vitals, the patient began agonal gasping and went cyanotic. The nurse immediately called for help and the team carried the patient to the crash bench.

The patient had respiratory arrested and no pulse could be detected. CPR was commenced by nurses following the RECOVER CPR guidelines. The veterinarian performed an AFAST ultrasound which revealed free abdominal fluid. The nursing team quickly set-up for abdominocentesis and autotransfusion while the veterinarian called the owner for consent. Abdominocentesis confirmed a haemabdomen and so the patient received an autotransfusion with the 550ml of collected blood. The patient was successfully resuscitated after 10 rounds of Advanced Life Support (ALS).

This case presented an important reminder that regardless of how routine we deem a surgery to be, we should always be conscious of the possibility for serious complications. On reflection, the team also recognised that the patient's initial post-op check suggested that the patient was in hypovolemic shock. In hindsight, a blood pressure should have been performed during this check as it may have helped identify the patient's perfusion status.

Overall, the nurses demonstrated strong advanced nursing skills in leading the CPR, administering an autotransfusion and achieving ROSC. Specialised monitoring equipment including a multiparemeter monitor, blood gas machine and point-of-care ultrasound were utilised.

"Jazz" is a 6 yr old Boxer who presented to the clinic with a small black raised spot on her left hind, measuring 5 mm x 4 mm x 2 mm. A Mast Cell Tumour was confirmed via FNA in house and the owner was given the option of surgical removal, or a non surgical treatment option. After doing some research, the owners opted for non surgical treatment, so Stelfonta was used, which is an intra-tumoural injection, and still relatively new to the market which makes it exciting when we do get to use this treatment.
Two days prior to coming in for treatment, Jazz was started on 5mg prednisolone at 2.5tablets PO BID. Famotidine 20mg: 3/4tablets PO BID and Chlorpheniramine 8mg 1.5tabs PO BID were started on the morning of treatment.
Jazz was then sedated with 0.26ml Butorphanol and 0.5ml Medetomidine IM and a 22g IV catheter placed in her right cephalic. By using the Stelfonta calculator available on the website, a total of 0.1ml Stelfonta was injected into the tumour, using a 1ml luer lock syringe and 25g needle, in a fanning motion. Once the treatment was complete, 0.5ml Antisedan was given IM. Jazz was then discharged on the same day. Follow up visits to the clinic occurred on day 3, day 11, day 18 and day 25, with the owner also sending photos in between visits.
Jazz was our second patient that we had used Stelfonta on, and since then she has also had a second tumour also treated with Stelfonta. Complete response has been achieved after one treatment for both tumours.
In the last year we have treated at least 13 patients including two staff pets, and the feedback we have had from clients has been positive.

Of the seven sea turtle species found, six are currently classed as vulnerable to critically endangered globally. This is due to increasing environmental and anthropogenic threats, both of which can cause illness and/or injuries that may require medical intervention. This is reflected in the increasing number of sea turtles admitted to wildlife rehabilitation centres worldwide every year. Boat strike trauma and fishing line ingestion/entanglement are two of the most commonly presented issues in Green Turtles (Chelonia mydas). The triage, treatment and rehabilitation process for inflictions such as these requires a multi-faceted, and sometimes creative, approach.

As bioindicators of marine ecosystem health, sea turtles in rehabilitation centres offer a critical glimpse at the consequences of human impact on marine life. They also present a unique opportunity for public engagement and education into the critical roles that society plays in marine conservation and protection, and creating waves of change in the interaction between humans and the marine ecosystem.

This case report focuses on a patient I had I cared for in early 2025. Pip. A 4-week-old feral kitten. It follows the journey of this kitten, who was set to me euthanised, taken on by me until she inevitable gets adopted and is now one of the most friendly and tolerant cats I’ve ever met. This case focuses on nursing skills other than clinical skills. For a long time, I only saw my achievement milestones as when I could conquer new clinical skills. Over time, I forgot how important other aspects of nursing are and that caring for a patient or having a “successful case” involves more than just the clinical or medical aspect. Before Pip, I was really scared of cats, because I didn’t know how to read their behaviour properly. This case personally taught me a lot about cat behaviour and patience as a nurse. It taught me a lot about our role as nurses in the pound system. It also highlighted for me that there are more ways for us to help animals then just medicine and gave me a much greater appreciation for foster careers and nurses who selflessly take on difficult patients who would otherwise not be given a chance at life. Going forward in my career, I see Pip in every feline patient I work with and feel as though I better understand them and am way more comfortable handling them in clinic. With my role in teaching vet tech and vet science students, I have become such a big advocate in animal behaviour and teaching students in understanding and respecting what their patients are telling them. I now teach cat handling and behaviour to first year undergraduates. All these things I have achieved this year are all thanks to turning a feral kitten into an adorable, adventurous cat.

This Case study briefly covers Opie's journey from admission, investigations, surgical intervention to post operative nursing care.

Opie presented in hypovolemic shock, lateral recumbent with extreme abdominal pain. Upon further investigation linear foreign body was determined requiring surgical intervention. Exploring the steps taken stabilize him after admission and preparation for surgery. Surgical setup and intraoperative photos were taken during the procedure showing his 9 separate perforations of his intestines.

Description/illustrations are also made explaining how a oesophagostomy tube is placed with x-ray image of Opie's tube. Overview with feeding via oesophagostomy tube and the importance of effective communication between staff and client involvement in the feeding process.

Outlining the importance of nurse monitoring and intervention prior to surgery, as well as post surgical nursing care.