The most comprehensive volume of its kind to date. This first edition encompasses the most up-to-date information on the subject, including a wealth of new information not included in other texts.
This book is an in-depth, evidence-based discussion on avian therapy, including sections on medicine, anesthesia, analgesia, and surgery, welfare, conservation, and practice management, and pattern recognition. While definitely not a quick reference to be used in emergency situations, this book offers the veterinarian an opportunity to become well-versed in the most current information on avian illness and injury. Subjects such as infectious disease, oncology, nutrition, behavior, cardiology, neurology, and endocrinology are covered in depth. There are individual chapters on specific anatomical regions, including the cloaca, coelomic cavity, and endocrine system. Sections on hematology and cytology include photographs and tables to aid in-house diagnostics when an immediate answer is required. There is a chapter devoted specifically to management and medicine of backyard poultry, which is useful even in urban practice given the current popularity of having a small backyard flock.
Information on pain management goes beyond the usual pharmacology discussion found in most avian texts, to include a discussion on recognition and assessment of pain in birds. The one omission to this chapter that would be useful is a pain scale; the author discusses their usefulness but fails to include an example. The pain management chapter does include a useful drug formulary, however, with differences among avian species noted.
The section on surgery contains less detail about individual procedures than most general practitioners would probably require. There are a few photographs but hardly any diagrams, so this is not a text to use if you want, for example, a step-by-step approach for performing your first avian castration. There are some useful photos in the orthopedics section that would aid in applying external coaptation.
Pattern Recognition is a brief section primarily of charts and tables to aid the practitioner in making a diagnosis. It includes tables of diseases found in common species, and indicates which conditions are likely to be found in that species depending on which part of the world they are kept as pets.
An appendix is included for common drugs and approximate doses, divided by class (e.g., antibacterial, antifungal) and listed alphabetically, making it easier to select a treatment compared to using a general veterinary drug formulary. The text also includes up-to-date tables for hematology and biochemistry, with different values for individual species of birds, which provides a more diagnostic value than most other discussions of avian clinical pathology, which seem to include only one value for all avian species.
This book is highly recommended for mixed practitioners with an avian component to their practice, and for those looking to specialize into avian and exotic medicine exclusively.