Welcome
Nikki Ruedisueli, RVN | VNJ Editor | nicola @ bvna. co. uk
Welcome to the August issue of VNJ. We are well into the summer season and I hope you have managed to grab some time to yourself to enjoy the nice weather.
We have some great articles for you! Florence Dalley discusses the nursing care of her own cat with tetanus. This interesting case study contributes to the small amount of literature currently published on this topic.
Lena Olsen and her co-authors have carried out a comparison study on the physiological effect of dexmedetomidine hydrochloride oromucosal gel or the food supplement Aptus Relax during the clinical examination of beagles minimally accustomed to human interaction.
Megan Hill describes the nursing care of a dog with immune-mediated thrombocytopenia( IMTP). Her case study highlights the importance of prompt recognition, stabilisation and skilled nursing care in supporting recovery from IMTP.
Hannah Turner discusses the care of a dog following maxillofacial reconstruction after a road traffic accident, with particular emphasis on airway and pain management, as well as nutrition and maintaining normothermia.
We have two articles by Emma McCluskey: the first is a case study of the gait analysis of a therapy dog, and the second is a literature review on the effectiveness of massage therapy in pain reduction in canine osteoarthritis.
Kim Toogood shares her experience of working as an avian research technician having previously qualified as an RVN. She describes the transferable skills she uses on a daily basis to keep the birds in her care, which are involved in flight experiments, as healthy as possible.
Remember to check out the programme for BVNA Congress 2026 and get your ticket if you haven ' t already done so. We have streams for the general practitioner, referral nurse, advanced nurse, student and VCA, so there is something for everyone in our packed 3-day event. Plus, there ' s the dinner dance on the Friday night for the chance to dress up and let your hair down!
As always, please feel free to contact us with any feedback, including via our speedy survey below – this is your journal and we couldn ' t produce it without you.
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Volume 41( 4) • August 2026
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