UK’s Royal Veterinary College launches multidisciplinary ear clinic to improve complex cases for dogs and cats

The Royal Veterinary College has introduced a new multidisciplinary ear clinic at its Small Animal Emergency and Referral Hospital, streamlining diagnosis and treatment for complex ear cases in dogs and cats across the UK.

The Royal Veterinary College has launched a multidisciplinary ear clinic at its Small Animal Emergency and Referral Hospital, giving veterinary practices a new route for complex cases in dogs and cats.

According to the college, the service brings together dermatology, soft tissue surgery, diagnostic imaging and neurology so that animals can be assessed and treated in a single appointment. Professor Karla Lee, a soft tissue surgeon, and Dr Anke Hendricks, who specialises in veterinary dermatology, lead the clinic, with support from neurology, ophthalmology and radiology colleagues where needed.

The RVC said the model is designed to shorten delays and allow treatment decisions to be made more quickly. Referrals are being accepted from primary care practices across the UK for persistent or severe ear disease, including chronic or treatment-resistant otitis, narrowed ear canals, suspected disease in the middle ear, ear canal masses and cases linked to neurological or eye problems.

The clinic runs on selected Mondays. The equipment was funded by the RVC’s Animal Care Trust, the charity that supports hospital facilities, research and training at the college’s animal hospitals, which treat more than 30,000 patients a year.