Veterinary Nursing of Exotic Pets

Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia, 2004, 31, 292
Book Review
Veterinary Nursing of Exotic Pets. Edited by Simon Girling, 320 pages, Blackwell Publishing Ltd., March
2003, ISBN 1405107472, paperback, £34.99.
While continuing professional development courses for topping-up analgesics in very small mammal
and some short articles have been written on the species. However, more could have been included
nursing of exotic animals, a reference book written on pain recognition, as many of these, being prey
specifically for nurses has been lacking for some species, disguise pain, and nurses are often com-
time. Exotic species like rabbits, rodents and parrots pelled to inform vets if analgesia appears to be
are increasingly being seen in general veterinary inadequate.
practice, and their care can no longer be regarded as More information on the hand rearing of birds
a specialist field. Despite this text being developed and avian behaviour would have been useful. While
from a City and Guild’s certificate syllabus, it makes problems such as feather plucking are well covered,
a good introduction to exotic animal care for nurses will often be asked for basic, first-line advice
veterinary students and the uninitiated, and per- on problems that are not mentioned, e.g. parrots
haps, some anaesthetists …? screeching or regurgitating on owners’ hands.
The book is divided into three sections: birds, Adequate attention is paid to anatomy and phys-
reptiles and amphibians, and small mammals. These iology, and common diseases are well covered: these
sections are further divided into anatomy and phys- help understand management and nursing needs.
iology, housing, husbandry and rearing, handling One disadvantage arising from this book’s devel-
and chemical restraint, nutrition, common diseases, opment from course notes is its greater suitability to
and an overview of therapeutics. The book includes a being read from cover to cover, rather than being a
large number of black and white photographs, four quick reference guide. However, it has a good index,
centre pages of colour photographs, and numerous and it contains useful tables, such as the volumes of
line drawings which help clarify points in the text. fluids which may be administered to different bird
The book effectively balances the need to cover a species. Unfortunately, physiological variables of
large field of knowledge, with the required level of different species are presented in boxes, which may
detail. The author uses an easy-to-read writing style, be difficult to find in a rush and may have been
which contrasts pleasantly with many veterinary better placed in appendices. In adapting the course
texts. This helps when a large section needs to be notes for publication as a book, it would also have
studied in a single sitting; the book is extremely well been useful to append other subjects upon which
suited to being read by a busy nurse in practice, as the nurses are likely to advise clients.
whole text has been divided and subdivided with With rabbits becoming the third most commonly
headings, almost to paragraph level. I especially like kept companion animal in the UK, and increasing
this aspect of the book, as many of these mini-sections numbers of small rodents, birds and reptiles being
can be read and assimilated in less than a minute; but presented to veterinary surgeries, it is important that
are complete in themselves. This makes it easy to read nursing staff are competent in dealing with these
in the face of the constant interruptions that nurses in species. This book succeeds in its aim as a compre-
practice (and anaesthetists) have to face. hensive text book on the nursing of exotic animals.
This book has avoided the mistake of being simply a Overall, it is a useful addition to the practice
veterinary text précis, as important nursing topics bookshelf, and is strongly recommended for anyone
such as peri-operative care and fluid therapy are par- interested or working with exotic pet species.
ticularly well covered. Nutrition is also well described.
There is a good section on analgesia – a topic still Romain Pizzi
Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies
neglected by many exotic animal practitioners – and
Edinburgh
of particular use is a table detailing dose intervals
292

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