This text is part of a new series of books designed to provide a quick and easy reference to the most up to date clinical and diagnostic information. It has been designed to be a ‘pocket guide’ to feline internal medicine aimed at assisting in the formulation of a diagnostic plan and therapeutic strategy, with the focus placed on evidence based medicine.
The text is split neatly into six sections as follows: differential diagnoses, organ systems, infectious diseases, breed related diseases, paediatrics and gerontology and therapeutics. Common presenting signs are listed in alphabetical order in the first section. In addition to listing differential diagnoses for each presenting problem, it also has useful tips on key questions to ask when taking the clinical history, specific physical examination findings to look out for, the decisions that the clinician is faced with and the suggested diagnostic approach. This is a particularly useful way of presenting information to encourage the reader to really think about their approach to clinical cases, rather than just reading a list of differential diagnoses. The first section also contains differentials for common laboratory abnormalities and again these are complimented with useful tips on interpreting these abnormalities.
The second section, forming the biggest part of the book, covers diseases affecting each body system, suggesting diagnostic approaches and management of each condition. The reviewer expected this section to have sacrificed detail for the accessible note format, and comprehensive lists of diseases, however, the author has managed to include a surprising amount of detail, and rarer disorders are mentioned in addition to more common diseases. Selected techniques are also described in this section, for example guidelines on performing a blood transfusion, and methods of placing enteral feeding tubes. Again the emphasis is on the clinical approach to cases, which makes a refreshing change to simply presenting a lot of facts.
Infectious diseases are a particularly important area in feline medicine and chapter 3 covers the essentials of an extensive range of feline infectious diseases including viruses, bacteria, rickettsia, fungal and protozoal infections. For most of these detail is given on the epidemiology, route of infection, pathogenesis, clinical findings, diagnostics, treatment and control strategies.
Section 4 is a brief chapter listing diseases that have breed predilections, in order of body systems. A quick reference table is also provided with an alphabetically ordered list of breeds.
Paediatrics and gerontology are topics that are frequently neglected in textbooks, and so it is nice to see a section devoted to these areas. This chapter is less detailed than the first few sections but highlights the important issues that clinicians need to be aware about in these patients.
A complete list of drugs that can be used in feline medicine would be beyond the scope of this book. However, the final section on therapeutics emphasises the need to consider the differences in feline metabolism in comparison to dogs when choosing and administering drugs. The uses and toxicities of frequently used antibiotics and analgesics are discussed. Commonly used chemotherapy protocols are also described.
This book fulfils its objectives extremely well. It is an excellent quick reference and a very practical book ideal for both use in the clinic and as a revision aid for exams. There is a surprising amount of information packed into such a small book, and yet the bullet point format makes it really easy to read, and quick to find things. It is an essential for any student and veterinarian involved in feline clinics.