Lyndsay Kennedy wins BSAVA VN case presentation

Congratulations to Lyndsay Kennedy APVN (Sm Mamm, Avian, Herp) RVN, one of the Ophthalmology Service Nurse at the Hospital for Small Animals at the Royal (Dick) school of veterinary Studies in Edinburgh. She won the award for best case report presentation at the 2025 BSAVA congress in March, for her talk called Diagnosis and management of glaucoma in a 1-year-old rat.

Wonka the vet school rat

Lyndsay presented a case of glaucoma in a rat called Wonka. ‘Wonka lives at our exotic animal teaching facility and was initially presented to the hospital’s exotics team,’ she explains. His symptoms at that time did not point to a glaucoma diagnosis, and he was treated for conjunctivitis and a little later for respiratory disease as he developed upper respiratory noise. When his respiratory symptoms resolved, his ocular symptoms continued intermittently so the ophthalmology team visited the teaching facility and examined him.

Nursing considerations of a rat with glaucoma

‘The team identified changes on fundoscopy which were suggestive of glaucoma, and Wonka was admitted as a day patient for an intraocular pressure curve where we identified a number of pressure spikes in his left eye.’ Pressure-lowering eye drops were started and Wonka returned for follow up curves as adjustments were made to his treatment regime in order to assess his response. Lyndsay’s presentation focused on the nursing considerations of working with Wonka as an individual. ‘I discussed how we can address and minimise stress in the hospital for a patient who is a prey species, especially as we knew he was nervous in the clinical environment.

Restraint? Wonka loves to snuggle!

I compared the typical species-specific restraint most nurses will be taught when handling rats with the restraint methods I found worked best for Wonka, who loves to snuggle and sit on shoulders. I highlighted the factors I felt had been key to the successful diagnosis and management of Wonka’s glaucoma which were his team of knowledgeable and attentive carers, the ability to have inter-disciplinary collaboration, use of species-specific equipment and considerations, and the identification of individual-specific considerations.’

Tips for other VN thinking about presenting

Finally, Lyndsay give some tips for those who may be hesitant about speaking in public. ‘This was my first presentation, and I reminded myself that nobody else in the room knew my patient or his case as well as I did, I also went up there with a couple of pieces of advice I got from others: Nobody knows what you didn’t say, so don’t worry if you miss something you were going to say – you’re the only one who knows! If you’re nervous about presenting, tell yourself you’re excited instead because as far as your body’s concerned, it’s just cortisol.

A VN for eyes and exotics

The jury, consisting of fellow RVNs Matthew Rendle, Flick Caldwell and Gina Parkes, congratulated Lyndsay with her award. ‘During her presentation, Lyndsay discussed the diagnostics uses and her role as a veterinary nurse in this case, all backed up with some great pictures, well done Lyndsay!’ commented Matthew Rendle RVN.
Lyndsay spent over 10 years in first-opinion practice before moving to the R(D)SVS Hospital for Small Animals in 2022. She initially joined the hospital as a surgical nurse working primarily in theatre across all surgical specialties, before taking up her current role as an Ophthalmology Service Nurse in June 2024. Lyndsay is one of two dedicated ophthalmology nurses in the hospital. Lyndsay also has an interest in exotic species and has completed further qualifications in this area.

DISCLAIMER: Please note that what veterinary nurses can and cannot do legally may differ per country.