The consulting room instruments should be kept scrupulously clean and disinfected thoroughly after each use. It is a good idea to keep a list of what lives in each consulting room, as staff will often pick up a pair of scissors for example, take them elsewhere to use and then forget to replace them. This will ensure that all the necessary items are present and correct and save the vets from venting their anger at you (an innocent party of course!), when the curved scissors have disappeared. Instruments should NEVER be used for anything other than their purpose due to the fact that they are expensive and can easily be damaged by misuse. The following instruments are useful to keep in the consulting room:

• Curved scissors - For clipping small areas of fur.
   
• Straight scissors - For cutting dressings to size.
   
• Suture scissors - Used to remove stitches.
   
• Crocodile forceps - Handy for removing foreign material from an ear.
   
• Tooth cutters - To trim back overgrown rodent teeth.
   
• Claw cutters & nail trimmers (in various sizes)
   
• Skin stapler - A handy device that may be used to repair minor skin wounds without the need for an anaesthetic.
   
• Staple remover - A special device used to remove skin staples.
   
• Scalpel blade - Used in skin scraping and sometimes to remove sutures.
   
• Tick hook - A neat gadget that effectively removes ticks without leaving part of them embedded.
   
• Bandage shears - Special safety scissors that enable the removal of dressings without the danger of accidentally cutting the affected area.