Notes Rabbit Internal Medicine » (REV)

Richard Saunders works in a small animal, exotic and wildlife practice in Norfolk, England.

Ron Rees Davies works at the Exotic Animal Centre in Essex, England.

Rabbit medicine is a rapidly expanding area of veterinary practice and rabbits are now the third most popular mammalian pet in the UK. Vets are treating more sick rabbits than ever before, but many vets do not have the clinical experience required to give effective treatment. There is a wealth of information on rabbits available to vets, but much of this is from the laboratory animal field and often isn't applicable to the pet rabbit.

Filling a gap in current literature available on rabbits, this book provides the reader with essential information and guidance on rabbit internal medicine ensuring rabbits are treated to the same standard as canine and feline patients. Along with the other books in the Notes on series, it is specifically designed, through an accessible note-based style, to ensure veterinarians and students have quick and easy access to the most up-to-date clinical and diagnostic information.

This book provides:

* Differential diagnosis, by presenting complaint and organ systems

* Common laboratory abnormalities and their significance in diagnosis

* Infectious diseases, their diagnosis and treatment

* Therapeutics, and how treatment varies from that of the more commonly encountered companion animals

Doody Review Services

Reviewer:Rebecca Ann Kagan, BS, DVM(University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine)
Description:This book on rabbit medicine is designed to be a quick reference and the information is presented in outline format with bullet points. Information is organized into sections covering differential diagnoses, common laboratory abnormalities, organ systems, infectious diseases and therapeutics. Section headings are printed along the sides of the pages for easy access and, within each section, topics (chapters) are listed in alphabetical order. Differentials, causes, diagnostic approaches, brief discussions of pathophysiology and management/treatment strategies are among the topics discussed in each chapter.
Purpose:The purpose is to provide an accurate reference for veterinarians with a focus on health issues facing rabbits in the home as opposed to those in the laboratory. The authors stress the importance of recognizing the physiologic and behavioral differences between rabbits and domestic carnivores. This book is geared towards private practitioners who would like to include rabbits in their practice and who would like a quick, easy reference that can be used on the floor to help guide in diagnosis and treatment. In that respect, the authors' objectives are worthy and are met.
Audience:This book is written for private practitioners, particularly, those who are unfamiliar with rabbit medicine but would like to make it part of their practice. This also would be a good book for a veterinary student.
Features:The book covers a wide variety of rabbit diseases as well as nutritional and husbandry issues. Common laboratory abnormalities and differentials are covered in separate sections and there is a small formulary. The most useful aspect of this book is the way information is organized for easy access. It is an excellent book to guide the veterinarian to the next step in diagnosis or treatment. The format is strongly reminiscent of the Five Minute Clinical Consult. Perhaps because this book is designed for easy reference, it is a small and there are no pictures and very few tables. Everything must be conveyed through text and additional literature would be recommended for in-depth information. Since this book covers internal medicine, surgery is mentioned, but procedures are not described.
Assessment:This book would be extremely useful in the field, particularly for someone who is not that familiar with rabbit medicine. The authors are knowledgeable and have a strong desire to teach veterinarians about rabbit medicine. They discuss liberal use of pain management and the necessity of behavioral understanding, two topics I feel are not emphasized in most rabbit textbooks. I recommend this as a useful addition to the practitioner's library.

Introduction.

Physical examination.

Abbreviations.

Acknowledgements..

Section 1: Differential Diagnosis.

Abdominal enlargement.

Anorexia.

Ascites.

Ataxia.

Behavioural Changes.

Bleeding/Coagulopathies.

Caecotroph accumulation.

Cardiac Murmurs and dysrhythmias.

Collapse/syncope.

Constipation.

Coughing.

Diarrhea.

Dysphasia.

Dyspnoea.

Dysuria.

Gastrointestinal stasis.

Haematochezia and melaena.

Haematuria.

Haemoptysis.

Head tilt.

Infertility.

General.

Female.

Male.

Jaundice (icterus).

Kit diseases and failure to grow.

Lymphadenopathy.

Myiasis (flystrike).

Obesity, diet and exercise.

Paresis and paralysis.

Pododermatitis.

Polyurial/polydipsia.

Ptyalism (hypersalivation).

Pyrexia.

Regurgitation and vomiting.

Seizures.

Sneezing and nasal discharge.

Stiffness.

Stupor.

Sudden death.

Tremor.

Weight Loss..

Section 2: Common Laboratory Abnormalities.

Factors affecting hematological and biochemical parameters.

Anaemia and red cell changes.

White blood cell changes.

Amylase and lipase.

Azotaemia.

Electrolyte abnormalities.

Cholesterol and triglycerides.

Glucose abnormalities and fructosamine.

Liver enzymes and associated parameters.

Serum protein abnormalities.

Urinalysis.

Faecal analysis.

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis..

Section 3: Organ Systems.

Cardiovascular disease.

Respiratory diseases.

Neuromuscular system and disorders.

Clinical nutrition and gastrointestinal disorders.

Hepatobiliary tract disorders.

Splenic and pancreatic disorders.

Hepatobiliary tract disorders.

Splinc and pancreatic disorders.

Urinary tractdisease.

Disorders of the gential sytem.

Disease of the blood, haematopoietic adn immune systems..

Section 4: Infectious Diseases.

Bordetellosis.

Calicivirus infection.

Coccidiosis.

Encephalitozoonosis.

Herpes simplex virus infection.

Listeriosis.

Myxomatosis.

Pasteurellosis.

Toxoplasmosis.

Treponemiasis (Syphilis).

Tularaemia.

Tyzzer's disease.

Yersiniosis..

Section 5: Therapeutics.

Introduction.

Antimicrobials.

Antiparasitic agents.

Sedatives, analgesics and anti-inflammatory agents.

Gastrointestinal drugs.

Reproductive treatments.

Miscellaneous treatments.

bibliography.

Index.