Illustrated Veterinary Guide Book

The Illustrated Veterinary Guide is a brilliantly conceived and expertly rendered reference. In one succinct volume, Chris C. Pinney, D.V.M., covers just about everything you might need to know about owning and caring for dogs and cats, nor does he leave out birds, rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, rats, chinchillas, prairie dogs, hedgehogs, ferrets and miniature pot-bellied pigs, plus reptiles, amphibians, tropical fish and invertebrates. Whether your menagerie is restricted to Fluffy and Fido, or extended to include tarantulas and hermit crabs, newts and snakes, Pinney provides the necessary chapters on restraint and housing, nutrition and reproduction, preventative health care and the diseases and disorders relevant to each species. The dog and cat sections, naturally the most thorough, form more than half the book. Pinney discusses how to choose the right dog and how to housebreak, socialise and train him, then delves into preventative health care (nail trimming, weight control and staving off parasites), elective surgeries (tail docking and ear trimming), and breeding your dog (from puberty and the birthing process to the care of neonatal puppies). Next come the infectious diseases (such as distemper, paravirus, kennel cough and ringworm) and the parasitic diseases (such as scabies, tapeworm and mange). Pinney's veterinary guide launches into all the internal systems plus the doggy anatomy of skin and coat, eyes and ears. Pinney explains the workings of each system, and the diseases that afflict them. There are few symptom charts but you can check the First Aid chapter for a quick guide to possible causes and seriousness. The information provided by Pinney is all sound veterinary data, and the appendix on first aid for dogs and cats is excellently done. But don't underestimate the value of the illustrations. An illustration of ringworm on a cat face is worth a thousand words when it comes to assessing if that's what your cat has, and mimicking the drawing of how to hold a pet snake is much easier than trying to apply written instructions to a restive boa. If you like animals and want all your veterinary info in one place, Pinney's guide is a great one volume resource. --Stephanie Gold, Amazon.comRead More