A standardised approach is important because emergency patients vary so much. They may be as happy as Larry or on death’s door and your job is to determine this as quickly as possible. If you always do things the same way, you will feel more comfortable and not forget anything. This fella is Bert, a Lab that I saw at the Royal Vet. College. He was in horrible, hypotensive, septic shock secondary to Strep septicaemia: The so called Flesh Eating Strep. On the right is him at one of his rechecks!