Saving lives - diagnostic approach and management of the patient with an acute abdomen

Dealing with dogs and cats with acute abdomen can be challenging on a number of aspects. Is this patient as sick as it looks? Why is this patient so painful? Is this patient surgical? Am I missing something? We will try to describe an approach to answer these and many other questions that might cross our minds when dealing with these patients. In this session we will highlight the most common challenges in case of acute abdomen, and discuss which diagnostics should be prioritised, showing some examples and tips to identify some specific diseases or surgical indications. We will also describe management of these patients, starting from how to optimise resuscitation, discussing triggers for vasopressor therapy and blood transfusions, and discussing how to achieve appropriate analgesia and selecting criteria for antimicrobial therapy.

• Identify key clinical signs and the diagnostics that are needed in an emergency settings
• Discuss different resuscitation strategies including type of fluids and use of vasopressors
• Explain which analgesia can be most appropriate for our patients with acute abdomen and discussing when antimicrobials might be indicated

Presented at London Vet Show 2022

Friday 18th November 09:00

RVC Clinical Theatre 2 

Please note this session is not RACE-approved but you can still earn a CPD certificate