42 | Help, my patient has no platelets! How to care for thrombocytopenic patients

Picture this. You're working the Saturday morning shift, you're wrapping things up ready to close, and your vet brings through a patient from consults. The patient is a 6-year-old cocker spaniel, and they've got a history of lethargy and exercise intolerance, progressing to melena, haematuria and bruising in the last 2 days. You examine them with the vet and find they're dull, tachycardic and have bounding pulses. What's going on, and most importantly, what are you going to do about it? Well - they have some kind of bleeding disorder, and based on these signs, there's a good chance they have very low platelet levels.  But why does this happen, and how can we support these patients? We'll dive into all of that in this episode. --- 📣 ACCESS THE FREE WEBINAR http://www.veterinaryinternalmedicinenursing.com  --- 📲 Grab the show notes and references from today's episode: http://www.veterinaryinternalmedicinenursing.com/podcast  --- 🖥️ Learn more about medical nursing: http://www.veterinaryinternalmedicinenursing.com --- 📲 Follow me on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/vetinternalmedicinenursing  --- 🎶 Get Free by Hotham https://soundcloud.com/hothammusic  Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0 🎨 Cover art: @amyfarmerdigitalartist --- This podcast does not replace a veterinary surgeon's advice, and the content within it is provided for information only. All conditions must be diagnosed by a veterinary surgeon, and veterinary nurses and technicians must always ensure they are working within local legislation and regulating body guidelines. Any products or treatments discussed are for information only and do not constitute endorsements of products or services.