Early Approach to Dyspnoeic Cats, First Do No Harm!

Veterinary ECC Small Talk

In this episode of the podcast I discuss an approach to the early management of dyspnoeic cats that is predicated on ‘first do no harm’ and thinking risk-benefit at all times. The main take-home messages from the episode are:

• Appreciate that dyspnoeic cats can be very vulnerable and easily tipped over the cliff edge.
• Even more so than normal, pay acute attention to the risk-benefit assessment at all times.
• Understand that each cat is clearly going to be an individual patient with their own set of circumstances and behaviour, but that a hands-off, slow, staged approach is likely to be the least risky and most beneficial in most cases.
• Continue to improve your ability and confidence in examining these cases paying attention to trying to anatomically localise the cause of the dyspnoea; this will allow you to make the most sensible decisions in terms of how to help the patient.
• Don’t be in a hurry to x-ray dyspnoeic cats until and unless you feel like you have done all you can to make them as stable as possible beforehand.
• And, lastly engage more with POCUS, point-of-care ultrasound, if you are not already.

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