Subject: Exotics

Week 1

Making Rabbit Anaesthesia Safer

Pre-op advice for clients

ASA grading – what increases the risk?

Monitoring under general anaesthesia

Post-operative care

Learning objectives
After completion of this week, participants should be able to:

Recap rabbit anaesthesia and how you can help build up your confidence, including pre op, intra op and post op care

Identify signs to be monitoring under anaesthesia – including CO₂, SPO₂, reflexes, HR, RR and BP readings

Use the ASA grading system, to look at why rabbits may be at a higher risk, compared with dogs and cats when placed under GA

Understand the options for intubation and maintaining an airway

Week 2

Analgesia – Taking the Pain Away

The signs of pain

Causes of pain

Knock on effects of uncontrolled pain

Analgesia options

Learning objectives
After completion of this week, participants should be able to:

Identify the signs that rabbits show when in pain – these can be easily missed!

Learn how to use with the ‘Rabbit Grimace Scale’ in conjunction with clinical signs

Appreciate the secondary problems that pain can lead to, when it is not managed correctly

Know what analgesia options can be used in rabbits

Week 3

Preparing for an Emergency

Preparation at the practice

Triaging rabbits

Obtaining a capsule history

Assessment

Managing owner expectations

Learning objectives
After completion of this week, participants should be able to:

Appreciate that when the phone rings it is important to be prepared for the emergency rabbit case. Know what to do and what equipment to set up to be ready

Understand how to triage rabbits and when continuing to do so may be detrimental

Obtain a quick and useful history from the owner to enable treatment to commence

Conduct a full assessment of the rabbit – from head to toe

Communicate with clients, managing their expectations and keeping them informed

Week 4

Critical Care – Keeping them Alive!

What is and what isn’t an emergency

What to do when faced with a rabbit emergency

Stabilisation and oxygen therapy

Learning objectives
After completion of this week, participants should be able to:

Identify rabbit emergencies – they are not always obvious, and knowing what is and what isn’t an emergency is important

Understand the health conditions which are emergencies in rabbits, including gastrointestinal stasis/blockages, flystrike, liver lobe torsion and respiratory distress

Achieve the important goal of keeping stress to a minimum

Identify the signs of improvement and deterioration

Week 1

The Rabbit Consultation

Handling, examination and history taking

Preventative care

Making your clinic rabbit friendly

Learning objectives
After completion of this week, participants should be able to:

Appreciate the importance of stress reduction in rabbits, including during hospitalisation and examination

Understand essentials of preventive care of rabbits

Understand handling and therapeutic techniques in rabbits

Week 2

Anaesthesia of Small Furries

Basic anaesthesia

Reducing stress around anaesthesia

Learning objectives
After completion of this week, participants should be able to:

Describe a holistic approach to stress reduction in the peri-anaesthetic period to improve anaesthetic success rates

Prepare a patient for anaesthesia

Understand how to provide airway support for rabbits

Week 3

Examination of Parrots

Handling and examination of parrots

Basic husbandry of parrots

Routine grooming techniques

Learning objectives
After completion of this week, participants should be able to:

Achieve safe handling techniques for parrots

Understand the basic husbandry of pet parrots and how this relates to disease

Appreciate and apply the techniques of beak, nail and wing trimming and understand how issues with these adnexa may reflect systemic disease

Week 4

Avian Anaesthesia and Imaging

Basic anaesthesia techniques

Introduction to avian radiography and ultrasound

Learning objectives
After completion of this week, participants should be able to:

Appreciate basic anaesthetic techniques, including induction and intubation, to improve anaesthetic success rates

Take a well-positioned radiograph and interpret the image

Understand the indications for ultrasonography in birds

Week 5

Reptile Examination Techniques

Handling

Examination techniques

History taking, including the husbandry review

Learning objectives
After completion of this week, participants should be able to:

Achieve safe handling techniques of reptiles – snakes, lizards and chelonia

Perform a basic examination of these species

Appreciate the role of husbandry in reptile disease and how to conduct a full husbandry review

Week 6

Reptile Anaesthesia, Imaging and Hospitalisation

Basic anaesthesia techniques

Introduction to reptile radiography and ultrasound

Hospitalisation requirements for reptile species

Learning objectives
After completion of this week, participants should be able to:

Appreciate basic anaesthetic techniques, including the importance of ventilation and when to use it

Take a well-positioned radiograph

Perform ultrasonography in reptiles

Understand the hospitalisation needs of reptile species

Week 1

The Rabbit Consultation

Handling, examination and history taking

Preventative care

Making your clinic rabbit friendly

Learning objectives
After completion of this week, participants should be able to:

Appreciate the importance of stress reduction in rabbits, including during hospitalisation and examination

Understand essentials of preventive care of rabbits

Understand handling and therapeutic techniques in rabbits

Week 2

Anaesthesia of Small Furries

Basic anaesthesia

Reducing stress around anaesthesia

Learning objectives
After completion of this week, participants should be able to:

Describe a holistic approach to stress reduction in the peri-anaesthetic period to improve anaesthetic success rates

Prepare a patient for anaesthesia

Understand how to provide airway support for rabbits

Week 3

Examination of Parrots

Handling and examination of parrots

Basic husbandry of parrots

Routine grooming techniques

Learning objectives
After completion of this week, participants should be able to:

Achieve safe handling techniques for parrots

Understand the basic husbandry of pet parrots and how this relates to disease

Appreciate and apply the techniques of beak, nail and wing trimming and understand how issues with these adnexa may reflect systemic disease

Week 4

Avian Anaesthesia and Imaging

Basic anaesthesia techniques

Introduction to avian radiography and ultrasound

Learning objectives
After completion of this week, participants should be able to:

Appreciate basic anaesthetic techniques, including induction and intubation, to improve anaesthetic success rates

Take a well-positioned radiograph and interpret the image

Understand the indications for ultrasonography in birds

Week 5

Reptile Examination Techniques

Handling

Examination techniques

History taking, including the husbandry review

Learning objectives
After completion of this week, participants should be able to:

Achieve safe handling techniques of reptiles – snakes, lizards and chelonia

Perform a basic examination of these species

Appreciate the role of husbandry in reptile disease and how to conduct a full husbandry review

Week 6

Reptile Anaesthesia, Imaging and Hospitalisation

Basic anaesthesia techniques

Introduction to reptile radiography and ultrasound

Hospitalisation requirements for reptile species

Learning objectives
After completion of this week, participants should be able to:

Appreciate basic anaesthetic techniques, including the importance of ventilation and when to use it

Take a well-positioned radiograph

Perform ultrasonography in reptiles

Understand the hospitalisation needs of reptile species

Week 1

Nutrition and Husbandry at Home

Dietary requirements

Environmental needs

Incorrect feeding problems

Obesity

Tempting rabbits to eat hay

Learning objectives
After completion of this week, participants should be able to:

Discuss the nutritional requirements of rabbits and why these are important

Recognise problems related to incorrect or poor diet and the implications these have on health and welfare

Appreciate that rabbits need large enclosures, which allow them to exhibit normal behavioural patterns.  These are important from a health and welfare perspective. We will examine what rabbits need to be happy

Understand obesity and how to implement a weight loss programme for rabbits

List various methods to encourage picky rabbits to eat hay!

Week 2

Preventative Healthcare

Neutering – when and why

Vaccination – myxomatosis, RVHD1 and RVHD2

Endo and ectoparasites

Flea treatment

Worming treatment

Learning objectives
After completion of this week, participants should be able to:

Understand the best time to neuter rabbits

Appreciate why we should be neutering all rabbits – health, welfare and behavioural benefits

Know all the latest vaccination information and background on these fatal viruses

Know which endo and ectoparasites can affect rabbits and the clinical signs

Discuss if rabbits require prophylactic flea and worm treatment, and if so, when?

Week 3

Implementing Rabbit Clinics and Client Evenings in Practice

Setting up rabbit clinics

Running client evenings

What to discuss

Health checking

Benefits to the practice

Learning objectives
After completion of this week, participants should be able to:

Understand that client education is imperative but there is more than one way to deliver this

Discover the benefits of both rabbit clinics and client evenings

Know what should be discussed and the clinical examination to help detect problems

Appreciate why being a rabbit friendly practice is of benefit to you!

Week 4

Common Medical Diseases

Gastrointestinal stasis and blockages

Dental disease

Urinary tract disease

E. cuniculi

Myxomatosis and RVHD

Learning objectives
After completion of this week, participants should be able to:

Describe the common conditions that rabbits present to veterinary practices and require hospitalisation

Ascertain if a rabbit has gastrointestinal stasis or a blockage – differences and treatments

Identify clinical signs and causes

List the treatment options

Describe preventative measures to help ensure rabbits remain healthy

Week 5

Rabbits in the Practice

Reducing stress

Hospitalisation

Gold standard rabbit nursing

Medicating

Fluid therapy and blood sampling

Supportive feeding

Learning objectives
After completion of this week, participants should be able to:

Understand that everything that we do to rabbits whilst they are hospitalised induces some degree of stress.  Learn ways to reduce this, which are easily achieved in practice

Appreciate that hospitalised rabbits can require in-depth care which can be daunting. Learn how to effectively nurse rabbits to ensure optimum care

Learn how to medicate rabbits in an effective and safe manner is imperative, as well as how to syringe feed, deliver fluid therapy and acquire successful blood samples with minimal stress to the rabbit or nurse!

Week 6

Rabbit Anaesthesia and Analgesia

Signs of pain

Analgesia options

Making rabbit anaesthesia safer

Monitoring under general anaesthesia

Learning objectives
After completion of this week, participants should be able to:

Review rabbit anaesthesia and learn how to build up your confidence, including pre op, intra op and post op care. Anaesthetising rabbits can be overwhelming but doesn’t need to be!

Know the clinical signs rabbits show when they are in pain, and learn how to use the Rabbit Grimace Scale

Review the analgesics available for rabbit medicine

Understand the parameters monitored during anaesthesia – including CO_2, SPO_2,reflexes, HR, RR and BP readings