The preface of this book states it is meant primarily for veterinary students and practicing small animal clinicians. I found that this book is a good reference for experienced veterinary technicians as well. While it was lacking in a few areas, the overall purpose of this text is a useful one.
From the beginning, the text is helpful by providing an index that lists common toxins and their related symptoms. For example, there are sections on substances associated with blindness, hyperthermia, paralysis and many other symptoms. From here, the book is broken into three separate sections, each with several chapters.
The first section, Toxicological Concepts, starts off with bullet points on general toxicology principles. There are several nice charts, tables and a few clinical problems to practice with. One table includes a list of toxicology journals and texts and another one lists journals with toxicology related articles. Other charts include canine and feline oxyhemoglobin dissociation curve, toxins and toxidromes, a summary of cranial nerve assessments, a list of accredited Veterinary Diagnostic Labs and many more.
The second section, General Exposures includes information on adverse side effects to drugs, general indoor toxins and pollutants, recreational drugs, herbs and nutriceuticals, and other general toxicological information. The third section is for specific toxins and they are listed in alphabetical order, from Acetaminophen to Zinc Phosphide. The section includes all manners of toxins, from plants and recreational drugs, to pesticides and other chemicals. There is also a 71 page index in the back.
The only downside to this large text is that there are no color pictures of specific toxins, which would be of great help when dealing with toxic plants. The entire book is in black, white and purple, but is still helpful in all the information it provides. The index led to a few odd places when I looked up oleander toxicity, but I was still able to find the information I was looking for.
Overall, this textbook is helpful, and was useful during an actual toxicological emergency. Veterinary students could get a lot of use out of this, as could veterinarians and technicians in a clinical setting, especially for those in emergency clinics and intensive care units. The general toxicology information is unique, and I have yet to see that much general information in any other toxicology book. This would make a great addition to anyone’s veterinary library.
St. Louis, Missouri, Elsevier Saunders, 2006
1190pgs, soft cover
ISBN-13: 978-0-7216-0639-2 ISBN-10: 0-7216-0639-3