Introduction: Resource Conundrum

Many of you who have been placed in rural CCS posts may find yourself working with very limited resources. You will be encountering diseases and conditions more prevalent in rural areas, where preventative care such as vaccinations and parasite control is limited. Knowing how to best treat these conditions, with the limited resources you have, will allow you to provide better care for your patients. Unfortunately you will need to adjust your clinical approach accordingly. This is an important skill to master as there are many cost sensitive clients in private practice, and we are not always able to apply the gold standard treatment taught at Onderstepoort.

You will also likely have limited diagnostic equipment available to you such as a microscope, blood machines, radiography and ultrasonography. Embrace this challenge with open arms because you will come out the other side of your CCS year a better vet thanks to these perceived ‘obstacles’.  It’s Khula’s mission to help you transform these feelings of overwhelm into empowerment! The right mindset is key to THRIVING in your CCS year.  You will need to capitalise on the diagnostics you DO have available to you, and the most important of these are your hands! Master your clinical examination – this is a skill that will set you up for success for the rest of your career!

Module content:

• Getting the most out of a clinical exam
• Importance of a minimum database – Blood smears, PCV, TP, Urinalysis, faecal float
• Common conditions:
  • Babesia and Ehrlichia
  • Parvovirus
  • Distemper
  • Parasites
  • FIV and FeLV

Speaker: