Australasian Veterinary Examination (AVE), formerly the National Veterinary Examination (NVE) · Australia / New Zealand · Australasian Veterinary Boards Council (AVBC)
Original practice questions written to the published syllabus · not past papersThe first hour of an emergency: triage, shock, CPR, fluids and blood, poisoning and trauma, oxygen, and humane euthanasia.
In the exams: AVMA COE clinical competency on emergencies; EAEVE Day One competences on emergencies and euthanasia; NAVLE clinical practice
How our questions for Australasian Veterinary Examination, formerly the National Veterinary Examination spread across the units of Emergency & Critical Care, Fluid Therapy and Euthanasia. Difficulty: 25 easy, 28 medium, 5 hard.
| Fluid therapy | 10 | |
| Cardiopulmonary resuscitation | 7 | |
| Blood transfusion | 7 | |
| Toxicological emergencies | 7 | |
| Triage | 6 | |
| Shock | 6 | |
| Humane euthanasia | 6 | |
| Trauma | 5 | |
| Oxygen therapy | 4 |
Choose an answer, then open the working. Each explanation says why the right answer is right and why the others are not.
A dog with head trauma has a modified Glasgow Coma Scale score of 8. How is this interpreted?
A. A low score on a 3-18 scale, indicating a poor prognosis
The modified Glasgow Coma Scale adds motor activity, brainstem reflexes and level of consciousness, each scored 1-6, for a total of 3-18; lower is worse, and a score of 8 is associated with a poor prognosis. Students often reverse the direction because the Animal Trauma Triage score runs the other way (higher is worse).
Further reading: Silverstein & Hopper, Small Animal Critical Care Medicine; BSAVA Manual of Canine and Feline Emergency and Critical Care
A 30 kg dog in hypovolaemic shock is to receive an isotonic crystalloid bolus of 15 mL/kg, then be reassessed. What volume is given?
C. 450 mL
30 kg x 15 mL/kg = 450 mL. 2,700 mL is the old full 'shock dose' of 90 mL/kg (30 x 90), 675 mL is a quarter of that, and 45 mL is a decimal slip. Bolus figures of 10-20 mL/kg are commonly cited — confirm against the product label and your national formulary.
Further reading: Silverstein & Hopper, Small Animal Critical Care Medicine, shock chapters
How does calcium gluconate help a cat with life-threatening hyperkalaemia?
D. It restores the gap between resting and threshold potentials, protecting the heart
Calcium raises the threshold potential and restores myocardial excitability without changing serum potassium; it buys time while insulin-dextrose or bicarbonate shift potassium into cells and fluids or relief of obstruction remove it.
Further reading: DiBartola, Fluid, Electrolyte, and Acid-Base Disorders in Small Animal Practice; 2013 AAHA/AAFP Fluid Therapy Guidelines
Which dog most clearly needs a crossmatch before transfusion?
B. A dog that received a transfusion two weeks ago and needs another
A previously transfused dog may have formed antibodies after its first transfusion (commonly after about four days), so a crossmatch is required. A never-transfused, type-matched dog is low risk, and a donor or autotransfusion recipient does not receive foreign red cells.
Further reading: Yagi & Holowaychuk, Manual of Veterinary Transfusion Medicine and Blood Banking
Within what time should a unit of blood usually be completed once the transfusion has started?
D. About 4 hours
Blood is started slowly while the patient is watched, then given so the unit finishes within about 4 hours, to limit bacterial growth at room temperature. Ten minutes risks volume overload and missed reactions.
Further reading: Yagi & Holowaychuk, Manual of Veterinary Transfusion Medicine and Blood Banking
A 20 kg dog ate chewing gum containing a total of 3 g of xylitol. Using commonly cited thresholds (hypoglycaemia above about 0.1 g/kg, liver failure above about 0.5 g/kg), what risk applies?
C. 0.15 g/kg: hypoglycaemia risk, below the liver threshold
3 g / 20 kg = 0.15 g/kg: above the hypoglycaemic threshold but below the hepatotoxic one, so glucose monitoring and dextrose are needed. 1.5 g/kg and 0.015 g/kg are decimal slips.
Further reading: Peterson & Talcott, Small Animal Toxicology; Gupta, Veterinary Toxicology; Merck Veterinary Manual
Which form of vitamin K is used to treat anticoagulant rodenticide poisoning?
A. Vitamin K1 (phytonadione)
Vitamin K1 is effective, given for several weeks for second-generation compounds with a prothrombin time check 48-72 hours after the last dose. Vitamin K3 is ineffective; protamine reverses heparin, not vitamin K antagonists.
Further reading: Peterson & Talcott, Small Animal Toxicology; Gupta, Veterinary Toxicology; Merck Veterinary Manual
A dog hit by a car breathes rapidly and shallowly with quiet lung sounds dorsally. What is the most likely problem?
A. Pneumothorax
A rapid, shallow, restrictive pattern with quiet dorsal lung sounds points to air in the pleural space. Laryngeal paralysis and tracheal collapse cause noisy upper-airway breathing; lower airway disease causes expiratory effort and wheezes.
Further reading: Silverstein & Hopper, Small Animal Critical Care Medicine, trauma chapters
How should death be confirmed after euthanasia?
D. Multiple signs together: no heartbeat or breathing, no corneal reflex, fixed dilated pupils
Death is confirmed with several signs: absent heartbeat on auscultation for a sufficient time, absent breathing, absent corneal reflex, fixed dilated pupils and loss of the eye's lustre. Open eyes are normal after death, and twitching or agonal gasps may occur after death.
Further reading: AVMA Guidelines for the Euthanasia of Animals, 2020 Edition
A conscious feral kitten cannot be restrained for intravenous injection. Which route for barbiturate euthanasia is acceptable?
A. Intraperitoneal injection, accepting a slower onset
Intraperitoneal barbiturate is acceptable in small animals when IV access is impractical, though onset is slower. Intracardiac injection requires unconsciousness, and potassium chloride requires general anaesthesia.
Further reading: AVMA Guidelines for the Euthanasia of Animals, 2020 Edition
Ten here, 58 in the app. The Laisha app has every practice question we have written to Australasian Veterinary Examination, formerly the National Veterinary Examination in this subject, marked as you go, with timed papers, a jump-to-unanswered list and a certificate when you pass at 70 per cent.
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