books for veterinarians
Veterinary Ethics: Navigating Tough Cases
Siobhan Mullan, BVMS, PhD, DWEL, DECAWBM & Anne Fawcett, BSc, BVSc, MANZCVS, DECAWBM
526 pages. 2017. 5M Publishing Ltd. ISBN 978-1-910455-68-5. Price $62.95.
I cannot think of anyone involved in the veterinary profession who does not need Veterinary Ethics: Navigating Tough Cases in their medical armamentarium. With it, readers will understand the richness of ethics, the various theories that can be applied to individual cases, and how to determine best outcomes by use of logical reasoning rather than black-and-white arguments.
As a practitioner as well as a past president of the Society for Veterinary Medical Ethics and the American Animal Hospital Association, I am very aware that veterinary health-care teams are confronted with making ethical decisions daily. Unfortunately, as a group, veterinarians do not have the formal ethical training necessary for critical examination of issues. There is a tendency to think that the ethical dilemmas we face are black and white. This mental rigidity makes it difficult to have a constructive dialogue because black-and-white thinking often translates to I am right and you are wrong.
This book serves as an instructional training manual for the development of an ethical practice beyond black and white into the gray zone of real life. Its organization makes it easy for readers to access specific topics. The first 2 chapters should be required reading for every veterinarian and veterinary student. They present information about the complexity and richness of various ethical theories and describe the tools necessary for critical thinking and conducting robust and rewarding dialogues on ethical issues. The remaining chapters provide specific case studies of ethical issues commonly encountered by various veterinary communities.
I highly recommend this as a foundational book for all those involved in veterinary health care. The robustness of the information presented gives readers an awareness of the ethical underpinnings associated with the decisions veterinarians commonly make on a daily basis. I also recommend this book as required reading for all veterinary students. Classroom discussions of the case studies in this book before being faced with such dilemmas in practice will provide future veterinarians the resilience and sense of well-being that our profession desperately needs.
Reviewed by Kate Knutson, DVM
Pet Crossing Animal Hospital & Dental Clinic
Bloomington, Minn
Textbook of Veterinary Diagnostic Radiology (7th edition)
Donald E. Thrall, DVM, PhD
986 pages. 2018. Saunders (an imprint of Elsevier).
ISBN 978-0-323-48247-9. Price $121.60.
The seventh edition of the Textbook of Veterinary Diagnostic Radiology is written primarily for veterinary students. This edition is similar to the previous edition in format and content. The material presented has been updated where necessary and includes information about canine, feline, and equine radiography. New to this edition are chapters on dental radiography and contrast media. The text introduces basic imaging physics of all major imaging modalities and associated safety principles. Proper patient positioning and imaging techniques are also discussed. An interpretation paradigm provides readers a basis for interpretation of images by means of radiographic signs and principles for a concise and consistent methodology. A systems approach is used throughout the remainder of the text with normal and abnormal processes discussed. Charts and tables are embedded in the text that describe Roentgen findings of common diseases as well as differential diagnoses for various radiographic signs. Labeled anatomic images are interspersed throughout the book for convenient reference. Each chapter concludes with a list of resources and a quiz.
The quality of the images is superb, which facilitates detailed investigation and discussion. Examples of advanced diagnostic images, especially ultrasonographic images, are scattered throughout the text to help readers understand disease processes. Overall, this book is an excellent, fairly priced reference for anyone in veterinary practice interested in providing high-quality diagnostic imaging for their patients.
Reviewed by Jason Brumitt, DVM, MS, DACVR
Veterinary Imaging Specialists-Mobile
Eureka, Mo
Blackwell's Five-Minute Veterinary Consult: Ruminant (2nd edition)
Christopher Chase, DVM, PhD, DACVM; Kaitlyn Lutz, VMD, DABVP; Erica McKenzie, BSc, BVMS, PhD, DACVIM; & Ahmed Tibary, DMV, DSc, PhD, DACT
960 pages. 2017. Wiley Blackwell.
ISBN 978-1-119-06468-8. Price $184.99.
The second edition of Blackwell's Five-Minute Veterinary Consult: Ruminant provides readers with a quick succinct reference. With contributions from over 100 specialists, topics range from congenital defects to yak management and disease. It is a good starting point for general information regarding the background, presentation, diagnosis, treatment, and medication options for many ruminant diseases, as well as relevant preventative measures and follow-up for animals affected by those diseases. Perhaps the most valuable aspect of this book is the tables that summarize common blood-work abnormalities, medication dosages, and differential diagnoses for common clinical signs.
Topics presented in the book are organized alphabetically, which allows readers to quickly access a topic, and the page design presents information in a step wise fashion. A convenient aspect of the book is that specific diseases as well as clinical signs, such as diarrhea, are detailed by species. The text is not intended to provide an exhaustive review of any specific topic; however, references are suggested for readers interested in accessing more detailed information. Purchase of the book comes with access to a companion website that has, among other things, client education handouts, which provide practical information for clients who are new to caring for ruminants.
Overall, this book will be a great addition to the reference collection of any veterinary student or veterinarian, especially ambulatory practitioners.
Reviewed by Lindsay Hetrick, DVM
Quakertown Veterinary Clinic
Quakertown, Pa
Nutritional Management of Equine Diseases and Special Cases
Bryan M. Waldridge, DVM, MS, DABVP, DACVIM
195 pages. 2017. Wiley Blackwell.
ISBN 978-1-119-19187-2. Price $99.99.
Overall, Nutritional Management of Equine Diseases and Special Cases is an excellent single-source reference that fills a previous void on the topic in the scientific literature. In my experience, publications dedicated to equine medicine or orthopedics occasionally contain only a short chapter related to nutrition, and books dedicated to equine nutrition generally fail to provide information pertinent to specific disease processes or clinical situations. This book provides in-depth information on the role of nutrition in clinical disease pathogenesis and recovery. Each chapter contains well-thought-out tables that help summarize and highlight key points included in the highly detailed text. More importantly, the author of this book goes a step further than most in that he has taken the time to formulate practical feeding plans for horses with specific conditions that can be implemented in either a field or hospital setting.
Two important aspects of the nutritional management of horses are missing from this book. Feeding starved or neglected horses is a complicated and often mishandled process. Unfortunately, it is not an uncommon problem, and the book would have benefitted from at least 1 chapter dedicated to that topic. This book would also be improved by the inclusion of a chapter dedicated to feeding foals in both healthy and disease states.
As a general equine practitioner with an interest in nutritional consulting for both healthy and diseased horses, I found this book to be a quick and instantly useable reference. It is a book that every equine veterinarian should have in their library.
Reviewed by Brittany Davis, DVM
Evergreen Equine Veterinary Practice
Snohomish, Wash
Advances in the Canine Cranial Cruciate Ligament (2nd edition) (Advances in Veterinary Surgery Series)
Peter Muir, BVSc, MVetClinStud, PhD, DACVS, DECVS
301 pages. 2018. Wiley Blackwell & ACVS Foundation.
ISBN 978-1-119-26171-1. Price $149.99.
Cranial cruciate ligament disease is the most common cause of lameness in dogs, and the contributors to the second edition of Advances in the Canine Cranial Cruciate Ligament should be commended for undertaking such a vast subject. The first edition was released approximately 5 years ago, and the second edition adds to that body with information about advances in knowledge and techniques gleaned in the intervening period. The text provides current knowledge of cranial cruciate ligament structure and function as well as disease pathogenesis and treatment options. Most chapters nicely summarize the current literature on the topic and knowledge gaps that require further research. Although I believe that surgical residents and surgeons are the readers who will benefit the most from this book, I highly recommend it as a reference to any veterinarian who performs cranial cruciate surgeries, regardless of type or frequency.
Reviewed by Trent Gall, DVM, MS, DACVS
Gall Mobile Veterinary Surgery
Longmont, Colo
Veterinary Pharmacology & Therapeutics (10th edition)
Jim E. Riviere, DVM, PhD, DSc & Mark G. Papich, DVM, MS, DACVCP
1525 pages. 2018. Wiley Blackwell.
ISBN 978-1-118-85582-9. Price $224.99.
The tenth edition of Veterinary Pharmacology & Therapeutics includes substantial rewrites of many chapters and updates within every chapter. Basic principles of pharmacology, major mechanistic and clinical drug classes, and clinical specialties are all presented. The chapters of this edition, although still packed with information, are now more easily navigated owing to the use of colored headings, which indicate groupings of therapeutics by both mechanistic action and clinical use. The text continues to provide information regarding drug use in major species and emphasizes species-specific differences on the basis of physiologic mechanisms. It also provides information on public health and regulatory considerations of veterinary drug use in the United States. This edition has more diagrams than previous editions, although they are still sparse, and those diagrams are available on the companion website. Each chapter is comprehensively referenced for readers who are interested in exploring the topic presented in more detail. This book is fairly priced and will be a useful reference for students in veterinary medicine and veterinary technician curricula as well as internal medicine residents and graduate students in comparative medicine programs. Similar to all books of this nature, information regarding specific drugs may soon be outdated owing to rapid advances and changes in veterinary medicine and pharmacology.
Reviewed by Jennifer L. Buur, DVM, DACVCP, PhD
Western University of Health Sciences
Pomona, Calif
Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook (9th edition)
Donald C. Plumb, Pharm D
1428 pages. 2018. Wiley Blackwell.
ISBN 978-1-119-34445-2. Price $89.99.
The ninth edition of Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook is an indispensable reference that continues the tradition of providing timely, trustworthy, and well-researched information on veterinary drugs established in previous editions. The information provided in this book will help veterinary teams use the products described in an effective and safe manner. Given the ever-expanding number of drugs and drug formulations available to veterinarians, this book is essential for every veterinary professional. It provides updates on the rules and regulations governing the use of drugs in veterinary patients. The information presented is thorough and includes information provided not only by drug manufacturers but also from practitioners and publications regarding the use of specific drugs in various situations with a strong emphasis on the clinical application of drugs for different species and medical conditions.
This edition is as current as possible, and a digital version is also available. New to this edition are monographs for 17 drugs not included in the eighth edition, one of which is provided at the end of the book because it was added after the text was typeset. Several new and useful appendices have been added to this edition and include information necessary to comply with the Veterinary Feed Directive and extralabel drug use and a summary of small animal blood products. Every monograph and appendix includes an extensive list of links to scientific articles and private and government websites where readers can access further information. It is helpful to have such key pieces of information so readily available in a practical and useful format. Overall, I consider this book to be an essential reference for veterinarians, veterinary researchers, veterinary technicians, and veterinary students.
Reviewed by Maureen Mac Dougall, MS, DVM
Foothill College
Los Altos, Calif
Exotic Animal Formulary (5th edition)
James W. Carpenter, MS, DVM, DACZM & Christopher J. Marion, DVM, MPH
701 pages. 2018. Saunders (an imprint of Elsevier).
ISBN 978-0-323-44450-7. Price $68.95.
The fifth edition of the Exotic Animal Formulary is a welcome update to an invaluable reference for the treatment and evaluation of exotic pets and wildlife. No other published literature source in exotic animal practice packs as much information into a concise handheld volume as this book. Although this edition has approximately 50 more pages than the fourth edition, it still fits comfortably in 1 hand and does not feel much bigger or heavier when held. As with previous editions, the text is divided into chapters for each taxonomic group. A new chapter on backyard poultry and waterfowl has been added to this edition. Another new and helpful feature of this edition is the presence of tabbed pages that readily direct readers to each chapter. The bulk of the text is comprised of monographs for 295 drugs, which are organized by drug class for each taxonomic group. Each monograph is heavily referenced. In fact, the book contains more than 2,400 references. The end of each chapter has useful resources such as tables of reference intervals for biologic and clinical pathological variables and treatment guidelines including drug dosages commonly used during emergency situations in exotic animals. Those tables are a major reason this book is such an invaluable resource for exotic animal practitioners. Whenever I am asked which textbooks I consider essential to exotic pet practice, the Exotic Animal Formulary has always been at the top of my list, and the fifth edition is no exception. This edition has been freshly updated, which provides clinicians confidence that the guidelines recommended for drug selection and use are based on the latest research findings in the rapidly changing and advancing field of veterinary pharmacology. This edition is available in both print and electronic formats at the same price.
Reviewed by Lauren V. Powers, DVM, DABVP
Carolina Veterinary Specialists
Huntersville, NC
Notes in the Category of C: Reflections on Laboratory Animal Care and Use
Steven M. Niemi, DVM, DACLAM
236 pages. 2018. Academic Press (an imprint of Elsevier).
ISBN 978-0-12-805070-5. Price $44.95.
Notes in the Category of C: Reflections on Laboratory Animal Care and Use is a reflection of the author's experience as a laboratory animal veterinarian and a snapshot of current activities that occur in animal research. The author attempts to look at animal research from various angles. Although this book is available to lay individuals not involved in animal research, it contains some jargon that some may find difficult to understand. The author provides a fresh view of laboratory animal medicine and leadership. He presents many outside-the-box ideas that all laboratory animal veterinarians should consider, ranging from lean management to evaluation of humane end points. Most of these ideas are fully presented, transparent, and imple-mentable, and some address the economics of laboratory animal medicine and how to manage the budgetary aspects of leadership in animal care and use. Discussion about the cost of animal research from the aspect of a laboratory animal director is uncommon. In my experience, management of budgets is rarely addressed in veterinary curricula or graduate programs in laboratory animal medicine. That is unfortunate because many residents in laboratory animal medicine programs go on to become directors of animal research programs and will need to manage people involved in the care and welfare of laboratory animals as well as develop budgets to pay salaries, provide adequate supplies, monitor the biosecurity of the operation, and guide others in the rules and regulations so that accreditation may be obtained and maintained. The author clearly put much thought into the expression and presentation of his views, knowing full well that some in the field will disagree with his ideas. I found this book fairly easy to read and enjoyed reading the author's perspective.
Reviewed by Suzanne Craig, DVM, DACLAM, MBA
Medical University of South Carolina
Charleston, SC
books for veterinary technicians
Lavin's Radiography for Veterinary Technicians (6th edition)
Marg Brown, RVT, BEd Ad Ed & Lois C. Brown, RTR, ACR, MSc
627 pages. 2018. Saunders (an imprint of Elsevier).
ISBN 978-0-323-41367-1. Price $61.56.
The sixth edition of Lavin's Radiography for Veterinary Technicians is a welcome update to the fifth edition, which was published in 2013. This edition features additional and updated illustrations, an increased emphasis on digital and specialized imaging, and expanded chapters on positioning of patients for radiographic imaging. The book is divided into 2 parts. The first focuses on imaging technology and has been totally reorganized, and the second is devoted to positioning of patients for radiographic imaging. The book is well organized and extremely thorough. However, its comprehensive nature, especially in the technical chapters, may present challenges for beginning radiography students. Moreover, although this book is well written and superbly illustrated, beginning students will benefit from access to an instructor who can help them prioritize core concepts from useful but less critical information. The wealth of practical tips, especially regarding troubleshooting and quality control, makes this book a valuable resource for veterinary technicians in practice. The part of the book on patient positioning is an outstanding resource on how to position small, large, avian, and exotic species for commonly acquired radiographic views. Each position is clearly described and illustrated with photographs, radiographic images, and anatomic illustrations to enhance readers' understanding. Patient preparation and restraint, including nonmanual restraint methods, are also thoroughly discussed. Overall, this book admirably fulfills the authors' stated objective: “to equip individuals with the knowledge they need to produce high-quality images on the first attempt.”
Reviewed by Christine Fletcher, DVM
Portland Community College
Portland, Ore
books for clients
Tip and Blue
Bob Fuselier, DVM
16 pages. 2018. Garcia Publishing Co.
ISBN 978-0-692-97724-8. Price $9.95.
Tip and Blue addresses perhaps one of the most challenging conversations between parents and children: preparing a child for the loss of a pet. Veterinary practitioners are frequently asked for help in finding the words to explain a pet's illness and death to children, so it is no surprise that a veterinarian has crafted a book to open this conversation.
The bulk of this illustrated book, which has a simple story line and is most appropriate for early readers, follows a triad of a child and 2 dogs (Tip and Blue) through everyday life as the dogs begin to age. The last few pages of this book reflect on Blue's waning capacities and suggest that eventually Blue (as well as Tip) will “leave” their boy with only his memories. Although older children may understand what the author means by Blue's “leaving,” young readers (particularly those whose cognitive processing is still very concrete) are unlikely to grasp this reference to death. Consequently, parents who plan to use this book to help youngsters prepare for an animal's death should also be prepared to explain what death is, why it happens, and what happens to our loved ones (human or nonhuman animal) when they die. Those key details are the most important facets for helping children understand the cycle of life, regardless of how that conversation is initiated.
Reviewed by Jeannine Moga, MA, MSW, LCSW
North Carolina State Veterinary Hospital
Raleigh, NC
Sheep Keeping (The Professional Smallholder Series)
Phillipa Page, BVSc & Kim Hamer, BVetMed
206 pages. 2017. 5M Publishing Ltd.
ISBN 978-1-910-45593-7. Price $39.95.
Sheep Keeping is part of The Professional Small Holder Series, which was created to provide farm animal owners practical veterinary advice and information about basic animal husbandry. This particular book of the series is aimed toward novice shepherds who desire to become informed and obtain critical basic knowledge of proper sheep keeping. The authors reside in the United Kingdom. Therefore, much of the information in the book is aimed toward shepherds in the United Kingdom, and many of the regulations and medications discussed are specific to that region and are not applicable elsewhere. Nevertheless, the book still contains a substantial amount of valuable information for shepherds throughout the world. The text provides an excellent overview of fundamental sheep anatomy, nutrition, wellness, breeding, and disease treatment and prevention. It is not meant to provide comprehensive information on any 1 topic, but rather provide a broad overview of each aspect of sheep keeping and when to contact a veterinarian. The sections on lamb care and periparturient ewe care are particularly excellent. The content is well organized and easy to follow, although there is occasionally some repetition of topics. The book contains relevant illustrations and many charts that enhance the text. It is a fairly priced hardcover book that will be a good general reference for novice shepherds, particularly those in the United Kingdom.
Reviewed by Susan F. Myers, DVM
West Michigan Veterinary Services
Coopersville, Mich
