Review by Kathy Lyon (Click on stars for an explanation)

You may purchase this book on Amazon.com.

This is another of the Made Easy Series, spiral bound to lie flat for hands-free reading. There are numerous color illustrations of injuries and repairs. The book contains several symbols used throughout the text to bring your attention to specific points, but at least four of them say basically the same thing -- that you need to pay attention to that passage. I suspect that the author felt that if the same symbol were used repeatedly throughout the text, that the reader would stop noticing. Considering the extent of some of the illustrated injuries, I would pay attention to everything. As with other books in this series, it is planned in a logical progression to take the clinician from cleaning the wound to healing. Many of the newer techniques are included in this book.

The first section covers various types of dressings and their specific uses: cleaning and prepping; debridement; packing wounds; absorption dressings; compression dressings; support materials; dressings used for protection from further trauma and contamination; and dressings used to keep the wound moist.

The section on splint applications illustrates several types of splints and step-by-step instructions on how they are to be applied. The section on wound preparation is probably basic for the equine practitioner, but contains a section on various wound preparations and their use (including old remedies, such as vinegar and Clorox, as well as the newer cleaning and antibacterial agents). The chapter on wound debridement covers mechanical and natural methods, and which uses are appropriate for which types of wounds.

The section on wound exploration describes the examination of serious wounds, such as leg fractures, head wounds, deep throat and chest lacerations, and abdominal wounds. This chapter contains drawings of the anatomy of the foot, fetlock, and cannon, to help orient the practitioner exploring a wound site. The section on wound closure addresses serious wounds and how to manage them. Tissue adhesives and delayed closure are also discussed.

The newer antimicrobial dressings are covered, as well as gel pads, amorphous gel, calcium alginate dressings, topical dressings, collagens, maltodextrins, replacement tissue dressings, semi-occlusive foam dressings, and steroids. Non-healing wounds are discussed at the end of this section.

Next, the practitioner is walked through skin-grafting, including graft types/techniques (pinch, punch, tunnel, mesh, and pedicle), donor sites, animal positioning, graft failure, and anesthesia/sedation. This is followed by aftercare, dressing changes, and wound immobilization.

Lacerations of the hoof, heel bulb, and hoof wall are well illustrated. Synovial structure lacerations are illustrated, and include drawings of common synovial structures. Tendon and ligament lacerations are also in this section.

Although chest wounds were covered in the early chapter on wound exploration, they are again mentioned in a short section near the end of the book. Abdominal wall and head lacerations follow, and there is a nice four-step illustration of debridement and subsequent closure and healing of an ear laceration. A page is given to nasal laceration, illustrating a serious injury and subsequent healing.

Made Easy Series, Teton NewMedia (2004). An index follows. A CD-ROM was included with my review copy, but does not accompany the book, unless it is ordered. ISBN: 1-59161-021-4.