Dental health is an important issue for all members of the veterinary practice. As nurses, you are at the forefront of communicating with owners about their pet’s health and need a solid understand of dental disease to be able to off er appropriate recommendations. This course will empower you to apply these skills confidently and competently.

This course will look at what is needed to operate a successful dentistry unit. As well as practical oral anatomy knowledge, dental nomenclature and dental equipment and instrumentation, the course covers how to take a whole mouth series of dental radiographs. An important focus isthe management of the most common disease in dogs: periodontal disease - from the consulting room to the surgery and then back to the home including treatment, homecare advice and disease prevention.

Pre-existing respiratory compromise and some conditions like the brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome can make airway management challenging in small animal anaesthesia. Increased vigilance following premedication and after tracheal extubation is required.  The first module aims to provide practitioners with the information needed to optimise preparation, equipment, time line and sequence of events during induction of anaesthesia and recovery in those cases. The second module focuses on anaesthetic safety of brachycephalic dogs and on the measures that can be implemented to reduce their risk of death.

There are numerous myths surrounding canine aggression. Many veterinarians do not feel confident providing advice to owners about an aggressive dog. Without appropriate advice, owners may seek help from the internet or other sources that may be unreliable or not evidence based. As a result, animal welfare can be severely compromised, and human and animal safety can be at risk.