Reddit mentions: The best veterinary medicine books

Here's advice from veterinary behaviorists Gary Landsberg, Wayne Hunthausen and Lowell Ackerman in Behavior Problems of the Dog and Cat:
>To re-establish consistent use of the litterbox, the cat may need to be confined when it cannot be effectively supervised. When confined to a relatively small area, most cats will eliminate in the box if it is sufficiently appealing. Ideally the room should be big enough to do preference testing with at least two litters or boxes. Every attempt should be made to reduce anxiety associated with confinement by rewarding the cat each time it enters the room, and by providing perching, climbing, scratching, water, food, and play opportunities in the room. The family should be advised to remove the pet from the confinement area as much as possible for socialization and play, but never allow it out of sight. Keeping a journal of the cat’s elimination, eating, and sleeping schedule can allow owners an opportunity to begin releasing the cat at times when elimination is not “due.” This is particularly useful for stool soiling; for example, if a cat has a bowel movement once daily, it can be released from confinement each day after the litter is used.

>After several weeks without soiling, the owners can begin to release the cat with decreased supervision and for gradually longer periods of time. Before each release the owners should ensure that the litter has been used and is thoroughly cleaned. The cat should be returned to its litter area when it might be time to eliminate if it does not voluntarily return on its own. If the cat uses the litter it should be immediately rewarded; if the cat does not eliminate, the owners should continue to supervise and return the cat to its litterbox every 30–60 minutes. If unable to supervise the owner should confine the cat to its room and release it only after the litter is used again.

>Case Example

>History

>Digger, a 2.5-year-old male neutered Burmese, was presented with stool soiling which initially was found next to the litterbox in the laundry room, but had progressed to a Persian rug in the dining room. The initial soiling was associated with signs of colitis with mucoid stools and an increase in frequency to 2–3 times daily. After extensive workup, food intolerance was diagnosed and the cat had been controlled for several months with venison and green pea prescription diet. Although clinical signs of colitis were resolved, Digger continued to eliminate once daily, always on the Persian rug. All urine was in the litterbox.

>Diagnosis

>At a behavior consultation, Digger was diagnosed with inappropriate defecation initiated by colitis. However the soiling persisted in the dining room due to litterbox aversion and surface or location preferences.

>Treatment

>The owners were unable to block off the dining room effectively and Digger continued to eliminate on the spot, even when plastic sheeting was placed over the Persian rug. Despite offering a second litterbox near the dining room, different litter choices, and deeper litter, the soiling continued. The owners were advised to teach Digger to enter the laundry room for food rewards and to confine him to the room at night with litter, toys, water, and bedding. Since Digger already enjoyed sleeping on towels on top of the dryer, he adapted quickly to confinement. A new larger box with clumping unscented litter was provided and after 2 nights of defecating in front of the litterbox, Digger began to use the box consistently each night. Because he would only defecate once a day, he was allowed to roam the house throughout the day and was returned to the laundry room each night. After 3 weeks the owner began to leave the laundry room door open at night but continued to protect the Persian rug with plastic sheeting. After 4 more weeks the plastic was removed, the rug was professionally cleaned, and Digger’s soiling did not recur.

Thank you so much for all the help!

The techs are all very nice and know I want to learn, the doctors seem kinda hesitant and give short answers.

I’m not sure what they’ll think of officially shadowing, as I’m a kennel attendant we do go to treatment, but it’s more for restraining (and asking questions if I see something interesting, but 95% of the time it’s just holding for vaccines).

Thanks, I didn’t want to jump the gun on books. I downloaded the app and already love it, since I’m usually too embarrassed to ask the techs/people I work with since everything-even a rabies case- is new and interesting to me.

Do you think this would be too soon as well? I only ask because I’m so “new” to biology and anatomy (I took them in high school of course) but since I was never interested I never did well.

Thanks again for all the help, I’m sorry for all the questions. I really appreciate all the help!

> I don't over dust if you mean dusting food.

Well neither did I when I first got started.

It's just that the powder gets caked up in their sinus as they have these two plates in their nose where it can collect in this pocket in there.

I've seen the chams try to lick their mouths and clean everything up after eating.... more being fed on dusted (light or not) than non dusted insects. (YMMV)

> I also learned (I think from this sub even) that chameleon puss isn't like human puss - it's hard/firm.

Um, I know I didn't say that.

I think that the person who said that was mistaken

All puss is fluid as it's is formed as part of the immune systems response to infection. "Hard and Firm"

I'm sorry but that's just wrong.

IF anything, it's dried puss that they're referring too.

> the pus kind of came forward/out of the eye but it was more of the consistency of spray foam which is why it ended up having to be flushed.

I wonder if you did this flushing yourself?

I spent a few hours talking to Scott Stahl a few months ago and his opinion of eye flushing is one thing when he does it.

Its very much a "do not do" for the owner to attempt.

Thanks for the images.

Yes I've seen those in the past.

I view it as a sinus infection / ulceration and the infection of the eye orbits is a common complication.

That's also a rather swollen eye there.

I would have also hit that hard with something that did cover gram positive and negative bacteria (frothy discharge might be yeast)

and for something that deep into the orbit (with a sinus infection) I would have gone oral vs injections into the muscle. Once again Baytril is kinda my "go too" when if these pop up and it hits both the G +/- bacteria

> That's really awesome you've done so much research and have done so much for the community by helping bring it all together.

Thanks, I've certainly put in my 10,000 hours.

)

Take some time to really consider what kind of dog you want to shape. Imagine a few years from now, the things you'd like to do with your dog, how youd like them to be have, how close your like the relationship to be. When you have a fleshed out idea, start to work on obedience, socialising, play times, and activities that build the relationship youd like.

Then enlist a trainer, educate yourself with YouTube advisory dog trainers like Robert Cabral, John Fischer, stoney Dennis, and research the malinois breed...but maybe get a DNA test done to know for sure what you are dealing with. Breeds have general behaviour and character types that can help when assessing your dog in the future.

Above all rember the 3 most important things; dogs are family, dogs must behave to be fed, and playtime/ walks are training (really).

Have fun!! Lots of it!! My mal has changed my life and I'm rapid cycle bipolar!!

If you need a few links:

Robert Cabral on Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjYrEepn8OLXXzW5rcpXO8PA-mkfEcaUd

Stoney Dennis; Malinois Puppy Training Pt1:
https://youtu.be/nWt78FjS05k

John Fisher; Think Dog:
Think Dog: An Owner's Guide to Canine Psychology https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1844037096/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_nc.2CbR84JMG2

As a final year student imma level with you. I crammed pharms with mnemonics the week before my exam and it left my brain just as quickly. I learnt mostly ALL I know about pharms from our clinical lectures (ie diagnose this treat with this) and during my clinical training.

Not sure if it's just me but I really struggled with the rote learning section of vetsci that was tox, pharms and infectious disease.

Through clinics I learnt the important drugs and the side effects that matter.
Books that are useful but mostly for clinical reference and less so for studying are:

If you're more into small animals - BSAVA Small Animal Formulary

If you're more into mixed practice - Saunders Veterinary Drugs

Maybe it's not what you wanted to hear but I can tell you with all confidence that you are not the first and you are not the last student to struggle with pharmacology.

Good luck I hope it helps

How about some cool textbooks to help you in your day-to-day? Here are a few that I have really enjoyed from school and found helpful:

• The Small Animal Veterinary Nerdbook
  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0964151855/ref=ox_sc_act_title_6?smid=ARPY8MQ56F2J&psc=1
  
• Essential Calculations for Veterinary Nurses and Technicians
  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0702068071/ref=ox_sc_act_title_8?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1
  
• Color Atlas of Veterinary Anatomy (Dog and Cat)
  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0723434158/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A3G6WNDFMU2LTW&psc=1
  
• Clinical Textbook for Veterinary Technicians
  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1437726801/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?smid=A2UVOE4H476VQL&psc=1
  
  I don't have any textbooks offhand for ECC, but these are great for basic knowledge! Feel free to DM me if you have any questions.

I'd recommend the textbook Anesthesia for Veterinary Technicians edited by Susan Bryant as a good go-to for someone who has done some anesthesia but wants to get more proficient at it. AVTAA, NAVAS and ACVAA all have some good resources, too. Learning to anticipate the surgeon is a very important skill that will come with experience, but it is important to always keep some sliver of your attention on them and what they are doing with the patient, and studying up on surgery is important too. If you love anesthesia so much, leave emergency and go work anesthesia! Commmmee to the dark siiiiiide.

Here it is on evolve Elsevier.
https://evolve.elsevier.com/cs/product/9781455728848?role=student

You can get it as an eBook, which is what it links to, or hard copy. I like it as an eBook, since I can easily search for like anesthesia, ect. I also found a discount code that makes it about $84 - code: 92601 - from retailmenot
http://m.retailmenot.com/showcoupon/5395504/#/view/elsevier.com?_=1457248553701

I checked, and it did work.

Another couple quick reference guides we got in school:

Vet tech PDQ ($24) - fits easily in a scrub pants pockets, and is the most condensed book of information you can get.
Mosby's Veterinary PDQ, 2e https://www.amazon.com/dp/0323240666/ref=cm_sw_r_other_awd_gN92wbA1P7YBD

For even briefer, basic info, there is a quick vet assistant study guide ($7) that is pretty cool:
Veterinary Assistant (Quick Study: Academic) https://www.amazon.com/dp/1423216725/ref=cm_sw_r_other_awd_XQ92wbWZ8B76Z

this is a great book on restraint techniques. i would also suggest getting a book on veterinary medical terminology...it will make so many things so much easier for you to understand. good luck!

I'm not in Texas, so I don't know what the requirements are. This was the website I found when I did a quick Google search: http://www.tbvme.state.tx.us/

The best review books I've found are the Mosby comprehensive review book and Review Questions and Answers.

Hope this helps!

There are also really good review flash cards if she studies that way too - anatomy flashcards. Anatomy is probably one of the subjects she could get a head start on or help her feel like she is preparing in a meaningful way.

That was in people. Not cats. As trinklest mentioned, you have to tread lightly. Pets are not little people and react very very differently to medications. While some medications can work similarly in humans and animals, a great many do not even if we are talking about the same target organs. You don't hear of using serum therapy in people for eye ulcers, but that is a wonderful and frequently used treatment in pets. You can use Gentamicin ophthalmic drops in infants for conjunctivitis, but in rodents has to be used sparingly or it causes systemic effects and in some species can't be used at all. Pain management is one of the most commonly messed up things in pets when human doctors attempt to home medicate. The number of dogs and cats brought to the vet in liver or kidney failure because their well meaning MD owner dosed them with either over the counter or prescription pain meds like an infant would astound you.

Many of the studies in medications, unless specifically noted as being veterinary or animal based, cannot be correlated to pets. Please do not insult another Doctor with a snottly link to a human study that may mean bupkiss to their field. Remember Veterinarians are doctors too. They just deal with all the other species other than humans. AND have to keep all those other species physiological and anatomical differences straight.

If you really want to be less than a thorn in your vet's side, get a copy of Plumbs (http://www.amazon.com/Plumbs-Veterinary-Drug-Handbook-Pocket/dp/0470959657/ref=la_B000AP9VOQ_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1411351762&sr=1-1) along with the book recommended.

McCurnin's was a great help for me whilst in school. It's not a small text book - but def a good one

http://www.amazon.com/McCurnins-Clinical-Textbook-Veterinary-Technicians/dp/1437726801

There's a table of common veterinary prescription abbreviations in Plumb's which I also recommend to pharmacists. It's our most popular formulary and can answer questions about dosing for you as well. For example, canine doses for levothyroxine are often 10 times that of common human doses. I have had a personal case where I prescribed prednisolone for a feline patient that was instead dispensed prednisone - despite me having warned the owners of the possibility when I handed them the prescription.

I like to ask my practice manager, senior techs, and doctors what education materials they found helpful and what they might even recommend for you. I feel this also puts it out there that you are serious about this and actively preparing yourself/working towards your goal.

I just got this book (it comes with an online course):

Clinical Anatomy and Physiology for Veterinary Technicians https://www.amazon.com/dp/0323227937/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_NZV2DbX465NH5

The Cat is a good one. Ettinger is also good, but not just feline.

I don't understand why you would spend your money on it though. The majority of information will be excessive or possibly out of date if you ever need it. Just trust your vet! There are also different ways of doing things that may not be "textbook" but work with more limited equipment and budget.

For radiographic interpretation, the bible is Thrall: http://www.amazon.com/Textbook-Veterinary-Diagnostic-Radiology-6e/dp/1455703648/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1415241325&sr=8-2&keywords=thrall+diagnostic+imaging. Older versions are generally just as good as the new ones. Not much has changed in radiology. Also, like others have said if you look around you can find PDFs of most texts.

That's easy. McCurnin's

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1437726801/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1409264736&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40

It's like the Vet Tech bible.

The Cat http://www.amazon.com/Cat-Clinical-Medicine-Management-1e/dp/1437706606/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1411319624&sr=1-1&keywords=cats+susan is one of the best out there at the moment, in my opinion.

I love my PDQ

My textbook, Anesthesia for Veterinary Technicians by Bryant is pretty straightforward and informative. I'd rather learn from a textbook / teacher than the shortcut version from someone in the field who is used to doing things the quick (and not always correct) way. You can find it on Amazon for about $30 used, or $60 new. Here's the link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0813805864/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

If you want to give her a book Smith's Large Animal Internal Medicine is one of the more popular books for large animal students. Personally, I wouldn't buy her a stethoscope or I would ask her to pick it out. People have different preferences and its an expensive gift to get wrong.

http://smile.amazon.com/Large-Animal-Internal-Medicine-5e/dp/0323088392/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1453399550&sr=8-1&keywords=large+animal+internal+medicine

This is what I bought. The book was obviously re-bound without disclosure.

Here ya go

https://www.amazon.com/McCurnins-Clinical-Textbook-Veterinary-Technicians/dp/1437726801

https://www.amazon.ca/Clinical-Anatomy-Physiology-Veterinary-Technicians/dp/0323227937/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1491938809&sr=8-7&keywords=veterinary+anatomy

https://www.amazon.ca/Illustrated-Guide-Veterinary-Medical-Terminology/dp/113312576X/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1491938864&sr=8-3&keywords=veterinary+terminology

These two books:

https://www.amazon.ca/Mosbys-Comprehensive-Review-Veterinary-Technicians/dp/0323171389/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1483809922&sr=8-1&keywords=mosby+comprehensive+review+veterinary+technician

https://www.amazon.ca/Review-Questions-Answers-Veterinary-Technicians/dp/0323316956/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=83FX6WPRF4DRT2PQER02

I found a lot of the questions on the VTNE were harder than the questions on the phone apps they have available. Mosby's came closer to the real deal.

Looking for either of these textbooks. $10 via paypal each.

McCurnin's Clinical Textbook for Veterinary Technicians

and

Clinical Anatomy and Physiology for Veterinary Technicians

https://www.amazon.com/McCurnins-Clinical-Textbook-Veterinary-Technicians/dp/0323394612/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1536549009&sr=1-1&keywords=mccurnin%27s+clinical+textbook+for+veterinary+technicians&dpID=51uqjep%252BZIL&preST=_SX218_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_&dpSrc=srch

​

https://www.amazon.com/Clinical-Anatomy-Physiology-Veterinary-Technicians/dp/0323227937/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1536549123&sr=1-1&keywords=clinical+anatomy+and+physiology+for+veterinary

I was told by previous classmates that have taken the VTNE already that they've used this book called "Review Questions and Answers for Veterinary Technicians" by Thomas P. Colville. It's a bunch of questions that were on actual VTNE tests. They've said that they studied this book (along with studying old material from class) and said that the questions in the book were very very similar to the ones in the VTNE, just reworded.

Here it is on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Review-Questions-Answers-Veterinary-Technicians/dp/0323341438/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420731931&sr=8-1&keywords=veterinary+technology+question+and+answers

If the price is unfitting, there may be other websites that may offer it at a lower price.

Oh no, I'm very sorry to hear this news; I enjoyed her videos so much. She also created the Small Animal Veterinary Nerdbook, a published version of the notes she took in vet school that many veterinary students today keep in the pockets of their white coats to consult while on clinics (myself included). I wonder how she passed away; she was so young.

If you don't already have the McCurnin's Tech text, buy it!

http://www.amazon.com/McCurnins-Clinical-Textbook-Veterinary-Technicians/dp/1437726801

They should have a list of companion texts, too. You may want to check some of the tech programs' websites - some list their course syllabi and text book lists. I started classes with AHAA's DEVTP through Dallas Community College, but stopped (as I am NOT a good online course student and the program was not what I was told it would be).