You may purchase this book in the VIN store.Review by Kara Burns
(Click on stars for an explanation)
This text is in its second edition. The editor’s objective with the second edition is to offer an update on the diseases of sheep seen worldwide and to discuss the diagnosis, treatment, prognosis and control of these diseases. This book is aimed globally at the entire veterinary healthcare team with a special emphasis for veterinary students in their clinical rotations. The author is a recognized expert in his field and has attained advanced degrees, specialty status, and certifications, in addition to his veterinary degree.
This 2nd edition has replaced the majority of images from the first edition allowing for the reader to view all stages of the disease process with the critical clinical features important to the diagnosis highlighted. The 800+ images are very detailed and of high resolution adding to the understanding of the content being discussed. This edition also provides information on new diseases and conditions, in addition to updates on other diseases seen in sheep. Furthermore, new treatments are discussed as well as new names for parasites and bacteria are introduced.
The text has been separated into 18 chapters centered upon body system. Each chapter follows a similar format, beginning with the recommended approach to clinical examination of the body system to be discussed in the chapter. Chapter 18 presents cases and involves the reader in the case through self-assessment methodology. The answers are revealed at the end of the chapter to aid in the understanding of the case and the veterinarians’ role/findings in the case. An added bonus is the discussion of ancillary testing available to veterinarians, along with the practical applications and cost limitations of this testing. The author takes a practical approach to sheep medicine, only discussing equipment used in every day large animal practice vs. specialized, seldom available, and cost-prohibitive equipment.
Large animal veterinary healthcare teams and veterinary students will find this textbook invaluable and it should be a staple text in all large animal practitioners’ libraries. The self-assessment cases should be reviewed by all members of the large animal healthcare team. This text should also be a reference for animal scientists, agricultural advisors, and animal welfare teams and organizations.
Sheep Medicine 2nd Ed. appears to this reviewer to have hit the goal of being a practical, easy to use reference with stunning visuals reinforcing the written content. While my expertise is not sheep medicine, this reference was arranged and written in a concise and easy to follow format.
Publisher: Hardback, 429 pages CRC Press, (2015), Boca Raton, FL
ISBN: 9781498700146