Veterinary

cats can manage and cover their pain and suffering very well
keep this pain scale in your clinic to help you in your dicision

Level Up in Periodontology & Feline Dentistry! Introduction to Dentistry, Diagnostics & Extractions. Diagnostics in small animal dentistry, clinical and radiographic assessment of oral and dental structures, using and filling-in dental charts for dogs and cats.

Why avian vets HATE leg rings!!! We see injuries like this regularly. Leg rings catch on things, leg rings can cause callusing, leg rings can tighten and cut off circulation, leg rings can cause discomfort and trigger plucking, leg rings can be the wrong size, leg rings can cause a bird to lose its leg. Leg rings do not help a lost bird get home. They do not identify a bird to anyone other than the breeder that put it there. LEG RINGS KILL. If your bird has a leg ring, we encourage you to get it removed by an avian vet (don't do it yourself - you should see those injuries). If you want your bird to be easily identified, get your bird microchipped. Yes that's a thing. Birds can be microchipped and we'd much rather that, than to see one more bird suffer like the budgie in our picture. Please share. Awareness really needs to be raised.

Reading canine body language accurately is important for patient health and comfort, veterinary team safety, and proper client education and consultation.1-3 Because dogs cannot talk, veterinary professionals must rely on interpretations of the animals’ body language cues for communication.1,2,4 Clues such as proximity preference, food acceptance, postures, and expressions improve understanding of patient emotions. The more relaxed a patient is, the more likely an interaction will be safe and successful.1,3 Increased levels of anxiety, fear, and stress are associated with increased handling challenges and decreased team safety.2 Use these photos and images to review a variety of expressions, postures, and positions associated with different canine emotional states.
1-Arousal can influence a dogs decision making, reactiveness, and tolerance to stressors. A more aroused dog may show sudden or unpredictable behavior changes, be more likely to show a fight or flight response, or be less tolerant to stress.
The first image (A) displays normal pupil size, relaxed eyelids, and soft facial muscles and is interested without being overstimulated. The second image (😎, however, shows the same dog in an aroused state. The dogs pupils are dilated, eyes are opened wide, ears are more tightly held to the head, and forehead muscles are tense. The dog in this image is not fearful but is highly excited and may have exaggerated responses to stressors.
2- Dogs can pant for a variety of reasons, and recognizing the characteristics of different types of panting can help identify stressed patients.2 Stress panting is often misidentified by clients, who think the dog is overheated and needs water. Properly identifying stress panting is an important client education step.
(see images).
3-Dogs show their teeth for a variety of reasons, and interpreting the reason is important for the safety of the veterinary team and any person interacting with the dog.

The dog in the first image (A) is showing teeth as a defensive display to communicate emotional discomfort. The lips are retracted and tense all around the mouth, the ears are held forward, the pupils are moderately dilated, and the dog is looking at the threat. By showing the teeth but choosing not to bite, the dog is communicating that he is uncomfortable but would prefer not to bite. If the perceived threat abates, escalation to a bite is unlikely and unnecessary.4 When a dog displays this expression, stopping an interaction and giving the dog space by moving away should result in a more relaxed emotional state.

In the second image (B), the dog is displaying an appeasement grin. Notice the ears are folded back but soft, the eyes are soft and squinty, and the lips are pulled up over the front teeth but relaxed along the sides of the mouth.

The third image (C) also shows a dog displaying an appeasement grin before greeting a favorite person. The dogs eyes are soft, ears are slicked back and relaxed, and he is looking at the person and even reaching out with a paw to try and touch her.

4- Brachycephalic patients are complex at times because their faces are always wrinkled, and they have limited ability to communicate with expressions because of their conformation. Because of airway abnormalities, many brachycephalic dogs pant regularly, even when not stressed or hot; the whites of the eyes are often visible all the time; and their lips and mouth are less flexible.2 Proximity preference, food acceptance, and tail carriage are frequently more reliable than facial expression in brachycephalic dogs.(see images)
The first image (A) shows a pug that is orienting away from an interaction but looking toward it with mild concern, resulting in a larger amount of the sclera being visible. The pugs brow is also pinched compared to its normal position. Although the dogs eyes appear wide in the second image (😎, they are soft and symmetrical, and the facial muscles appear relaxed. This dogs wide eyes do not indicate anxiety.

5- Dogs present different body parts as a form of communication. The dog in the last image is demonstrating signs of fear; a dog that looks away and stands with the side of the body showing and head lowered prefers not to interact. A defensively aggressive dog, on the other hand, generally looks at the threat, orients toward it, or both,3,4and a stoic, calm dog would choose to face the veterinary nurse rather than look away and would not a have a frozen body. Submissive is a term that is not generally used in the veterinary setting because it has a limited definition in specific familiar social groupings,2and is therefore not the correct answer in this case. In addition, muscle tension is visible throughout the limbs, the neck, and the back, and the tail is tucked and the ears are folded, which means the dog in the image is certainly not relaxed.