Review by Kathy Lyon 
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You may purchase this book on Amazon.com |
Twenty-five authors contributed to this book, nearly all boarded in nutrition, giving the reader some degree of confidence in the information. There is no single nutritional program suitable for all circumstances, and diet must be adapted to each case as need dictates. This book will help the clinician decide which route to take to help the patient.
Diets come and go in veterinary medicine. As one diet appears to be of the most use in a particular circumstance, ten years later the diet may very likely have taken a turn and been readjusted to produce a better outcome. Changes come as we advance in knowledge of both nutrition and animal care. A strong foundation therefore, is necessary to be able to select a suitable diet. Also, no diet can be considered applicable to all patients. Medical treatments and needs vary from patient to patient, even within like species. The clinician must be able to recognize nutritional needs and adapt as necessary.
The book gives parameters for assessing the nutritional status and needs of small animal patients, routes for support, feeding tube requirements, diet formulation, and use of parenteral nutrition.
Knowledge of the pathology of malnutrition is essential to achieve a satisfactory change of direction. Appropriate stimulants are discussed, conditions that require special alterations (kidney, hepatic failure, sepsis, short bowel syndrome), and care methods; is the diet to be used in a hospital setting or sent home to be applied by an owner.
This book strives to enable the veterinarian to apply a diet that will most effectively support the patient.
Photos show placement of feeding tubes, types of tubes, and securing tubes in place for various uses. Tables and key points are in colored boxes for easy reference. Each method presents the case with indications, monitoring, complications and, summary. Some photos appear to be post mortem, and some are cases in progress.
There are chapters for small mammals and exotic species illustrating some of the methods used to adapt a feeding method to a nontraditional species. The section on birds refers to reader to more advanced avian studies for diet information and omits some important information on the use (placement) of feeding tubes or metal gavage tubes. The information skims over the top of feeding requirements for birds and leaves it to the reader to enhance his or her knowledge of the needs of avian species through additional research.
Aside from at least one repeated capitalization error, the book is well written and should be useful to the small animal clinician.
Publisher: Wiley Blackwell
ISBN 9781444336474