Veterinary medical emergencies. A review of medical emergencies, edited by R. G. Sherding, Churchill Livingstone. New York, 1985, pp. 388, $39.50

Abstract

This book, as its title implies, is directed toward the veterinary medical emergency care of small animal patients (dogs and cats). Many of the clinical procedures and diagnostic tests described in this book that may be applicable to domestic animals would not be possible in exotic patients in a zoo situation (eg, it is rare to be able to check a knee jerk reflex on an awake exotic animal). Once one overlooks these differences, this book will have a lot of applications for an exotic animal hospital.Each chapter is written by a different author, each an expert in the particular field. The chapters are clearly organized with information on pathophysiology, clinical signs, diagnosis, and treatment of emergency conditions. Although one may not have time to review the basic pathophysiology of a medical problem at the time of an emergency, an understanding of the situation may give insight into why a particular treatment worked or failed. Pathophysiology is often very difficult to explain in a brief overview, but the authors were able to present this material so that it could be understood by anyone with a little medical knowledge. The clinical signs, diagnosis, and treatment sections were brief and to the point, making this book very useful in a medical emergency. The treatment sections were very clearly outlined with tables and figures of drug dosages, procedures, and equipment set-ups.The first chapter is an overview of emergency and intensive care. It outlines the initial evaluation by organ system and therapy of a medical emergency when the animal arrives in critical condition. It is then followed by a section on extended managment of the intensive care patient. Some very good practice tips are presented that would be useful to veterinary technicians and veterinary students, including a clear description of insertion of indwelling vascular catheters (along with a description on the reasons for failures), a table on daily caloric and water requirements, and techniques for insertion of indwelling urinary catheters and tracheal tubes. Table 1-3 in the first chapter lists equipment, supplies, and drugs that should be available in case of an emergency. This should be extremely useful in preparing an emergency kit.The rest of the 13 chapters are organized by body systems (eg, cardiovascular, respiratory, urogenital emergencies, etc) with additional chapters on disorders of