Rabbit nursing and care online

Date: Monday 10th September, 2012 - Sunday 11th November, 2012
Start time: 9:00 AM
Duration: 33 hour(s)
Cost: £399

Provider: Royal Veterinary College

This online course will review and update the nursing care of our rabbit patients. The course is targeted at qualified veterinary nurses who want to refresh and build on their knowledge of rabbit care. It is also suitable for veterinary nurses who are returning to practice after a break.

The course will provide a very practical approach to the realities of general practice with a strong focus on developing the role of the nursing profession in this key area of clinical work. There is an optional assessment element for those who want to have their learning formally assessed. Certificates of participation will be issued at the conclusion of the course to all.

The course will run for nine weeks. As the course structure depends on regular interaction between participants as well as tutors you will be expected to log onto the website several times each week. It is anticipated that you will need to spend around 3 hours a week depending on your current level of knowledge (and typing speed!) between private study and online activities. Computer skills are not essential as these will be introduced through an online lecture and a series of simple exercises. Support is available throughout the course with computer problems.

Key areas to be covered:

• Refresh your anatomy, physiology and husbandry of the rabbit
• The importance of husbandry & diet as cause of disease and the need for appropriate nutrition
• Nursing care of these species as in-patients
• Anaesthesia and analgesia
• Surgical nursing

At the end of the course there will be a period of 2 further week’s access to the course website to download material and discussion summaries that you might want to keep for future access.

This exciting new online course for nurses will cover the following areas;

Anatomy, physiology and husbandry
• Emphasis on digestive system – diagram. Discuss droppings
• Body scoring and assessment of external health
• Basic hutch and run requirements
• Cleaning out
• Substrates
• Socialisation and habituation
• Aggression
• Exercise
• Environmental enrichment
• Seasonal variations
• Life stage variations
• Vaccinations
• Routine neutering – male and female
• Parasitic control
• Discussion of poisonous plants

Husbandry and diet as cause of disease and importance of appropriate nutrition
• Discuss ‘natural’ diet and normal dental anatomy
• Abnormal dental anatomy and progression of acquired dental disease
• Why the molars should always be checked as well as the incisors. What age are we likely to see the onset of problems in acquired dental disease, what are the most common abnormalities of molars etc
• Discuss two circulating hypotheses re dental disease
(i) Ca and Vit D deficiency as kittens plus selective feeding of litters on commercial muesli. Research has shown that the dominant kits are more likely to have dental disease as they selectively eat the peas, corn etc whilst the submissive ones are left with the fibre-dense pellets.
(ii) Incorrect physical properties of soft, non-abrasive processed rabbit food instead of tougher foodstuffs like hay and grass.
• Appropriate diet
• Role of fibre
• Calcium requirements and role of vit D in Ca uptake
• How diet impacts on function of all body systems ( show flow chart)
• Common rabbit conditions/emergencies directly caused by dereliction of appropriate nutrition and husbandry :
- Obesity
- Dental disease – can lead to mandibular/maxillary osteomyelitis
- Dacrocystitis
- Myiasis
- Hepatic lipidosis
- Gastric stasis
- Gastric impaction
- Decubitus ulcers
- Myxomatosis and VHD
- Uterine carcinoma
• Discussion of normal droppings and how size etc can be good indicator of internal health
• Difference between uneaten caecotrophs and ‘true’ diarrhoea

Nursing care of rabbits as in-patients
• Preparing the environment
- Checking theatre schedule and ensuring there is a segregated kennel
- Check age/clinical condition and nature of surgery to determine substrate for kennel
- Provide hide in kennel
- Water bowls and dropper bottles
- Admit in clean room with clean apron/scrub top etc
- Discuss feeding regime and normal behaviour with client prior to admission. Ask owner to bring some ‘favourite’ food in case needs extra stimulation
- Note down normal droppings/sleeping position/thirst/ diet etc
- Note vaccination and neuter status.
• Discuss clinical assessment
- Normal TPR, heart rhythm and factors which affect this
- Ausculation of chest and URT
- Abdominal palpation
- Lymph nodes
- Assessment of hydration + fluid therapy
- Borborygmous
- General health – coat, pressure points, body score, perineum

Anaesthesia and analgesia
• Common reasons for anaesthetizing rabbits
• What are the risks of anaesthesia and the reasons for higher morbidity/mortality?
• Understand how underlying disease can affect the whole process of anaesthesia
• How can I make sure they are in the best possible condition before anaesthesia and surgery?
• When should I consider doing pre-op blood work? Is it always necessary?
• Learn the important differences between the effects of anaesthetic/analgesic drugs in rabbits, compared to dogs and cats
• Do I need to give a premed to a rabbit?
• What’s the best way to induce and maintain anaesthesia?
• Options for managing the airway
• What breathing systems can be used?
• General care of the anaesthetized animal; Monitoring – pitfalls and problems/myths and misconceptions
• Anaesthetising young and healthy vs geriatric/critical
• The recovery period – a vital and often neglected time
• Pain assessment and management ; causes of acute and chronic pain
• Use of NSAID’s and motility stimulants peri-operatively

Surgical nursing
• Intravenous access and management
• Why use of fluoroquinolones should be avoided as routine prophylactic treatment. • Discussion of benefits of sulphonamides vs fluroquinolones in treating confirmed infection
• Post op pain management
• Monitoring digestive health post operatively and assisted feeding in routine cases.
• Getting your rabbit eating and hopping post op
Monitoring TPR, borborygmous and what to do to stimulate it.
• Assessing and treating hypovolaemia
• Home care considerations

To book: Contact the CPD Unit on Tel: 01707 666865, or email cpd@rvc.ac.uk. Further details available at www.rvc.ac.uk/cpd

Who is it for?

Veterinary Nurses

The Speakers

Alison Langridge, RVN BA (Hons) MBVNA
Assistant Lecturer in Veterinary Clinical Skills
The Royal Veterinary College

Christopher Seymour, MA VetMB DVA DipECVAA MRCVS
Lecturer in Anaesthesia
The Royal Veterinary College

Number of CPD hours this event can be recorded as

33 hours

Registration and Booking

Click here to reserve your place