Emilie's list

Hello everyone!

I like hearing everyone's recommendations and mentions, and thought I'd pass along the same. I'll be posting comments on books I've read, but I'm certainly no reviewer. I'll start by copying what I've posted on my 75 Books threads in the past few years. Hopefully I will remember to keep this thread updated as well! My medical reading has a veterinary slant due to my profession and education, but I love zoonoses and comparative medicine, so there should eventually be something for everyone.

NB: I am not a doctor of any species, just a small animal clinic tech. While I do have some post-grad training, it's certainly been awhile since I've had to use it. In the past I've been a small animal practice manager and a lab tech in both research and diagnostics. (My research was focused mainly in pharm/tox on hepatotoxic adverse drug reactions and inflammation, but I also did a stint in an equine nutrition and exercise physiology lab. My diagnostics experience was concentrated in the pathology/necropsy section of a full service commercial university lab).

Edit: After updating through post 9 of the medically relevant books I've read over the past few years, I've noticed that I've applied a rather broad definition of medicine here. Hope everyone can forgive my loose standards!

Rabid: A Cultural History of the World's Most Diabolical Virus - Bill Wasik and Monica Murphy

Non-fiction. 614.56 / RC148. Rated 3/5. Wasik, a technology journalist, and Murphy, a MPH/DVM, co-author a study on the history of rabies. At times a bit off-topic, 'Rabid' was still an interesting way to spend an afternoon. I wish the authors had a bit more page space to devote to the medical and scientific information about rabies, but I certainly can't fault them for trying to piece together the cultural impact of such an old disease. There were many points that had me putting the book down so I could track down some interesting piece of information online or to grab some books to read next. In that sense, Rabid isn't much a of a can't-put-it-down book, but it makes up for it by stimulating interest in related topics.

As someone who reads a lot of YA books with horrible covers, this one is nice and sensationalistic; I adore it. The chapter title illustrations were nicely selected as well. The introduction is properly engaging and stimulating. But then the first few chapters fall a bit flat - there are a lot of names and dates that didn't particularly stimulate much interest. Even the crazy treatment options seemed more like a never-ending list than anything. Wasik then takes us into vampire/werewolf mythology by covering a theory that rabies was the source of the myths, the history of the human-canine bond, and general zoonotic disease concepts. A chapter devoted to Louis Pasteur and the development of the rabies vaccine was fascinating, if too brief. Then Wasik takes us into the present with tales of human survivors and treatment methods. The once rabies-free country of Bali was infected in 2008; the eradication efforts are described in the final chapter. The conclusion is as fast-paced as the introduction and left me wanting a bit more detail. Overall, an intriguing start to a broad topic.



Zoobiquity: What Animals Can Teach Us About Health and the Science of Healing - Barbara Natterson-Horowitz and Kathryn Bowers

Non-fiction, health. 636.08 / QZ33. Rated 4/5. Horowitz writes a book for general reading on comparative medicine and coins her own term for it: zoobiquity. {Warning: Offensive reviewer snark ahead} Aside from the first and last chapters, where she veers off into the human doctor moment of enlightenment (eg "I had *no* idea animals get sick with the same diseases! How fascinating that such 'lower life forms' can share something with us humans!" Insert head::desk here), she comes across as intelligent and entertaining. (And to that end, she does write of her own learning curve and how the social structure of medicine can hold back certain advances.) Most of her human/non-human parallels are well known, but some have not been published as much. Chapters are devoted to heart disease, cancer, sexuality and STDs, addiction, obesity and eating disorders, stereotypies/behavioral issues, and adolescence. Those in the animal medical field will find this an amusing, if not eye-opening, book, but for those in the human medical field, I almost wish certain parts were required reading.



Uncaged: A Thriller - Paul McKellips

Fiction, thriller. Rated 3.5/5. What would happen if the US actually banned all animal research? I *loved* the plot, but the execution left a little to be desired - I cared only for the resolution of the catastrophe and not for any of the protagonists or players.



Notes from the Dog - Gary Paulsen

Fiction, middle-grade children. PZ7.P2843. Rated 5/5. 14yo Finn is trying to get through summer by talking to as few people as possible when he meets his new neighbor Johanna. Johanna is in her 20s and is coping with breast cancer. Very touching, sweet, and honest.

And here's what's been read in the past few years:



Safety Issues for the Veterinary Hospital Staff - Philip Seibert

This one is a short little workbook for staff safety training, complete with quiz at the end. 4/5. 636.08 / SF604.5




Bad Science - Ben Goldacre

Goldacre has a problem (as do I, and many more): the general media does not accurately report on science. This leads to health scares, easy pickings for salespeople, and the further mistrust of science as a whole. His response has been to maintain his Bad Science blog and to write this book. The author reviews basic statistics and how to read through and evaluate scientific papers and claims, so that you may reach your own conclusions about issues and products. While I feel that Dr Goldacre's personal views made the book more readable, I'm afraid they may turn off some of those that would be most helped by his explanations. (He spends a significant portion of the book on homeopathy and the MMR/autism link.) At times it becomes a bit 'math-y' but the overall information is worth it. I wish I could get my SO's father to read this, and I agree with one of the blurbs: it (or parts, at least) should be required reading. Whether you agree with his opinions or not, the skill set he provides readers with is the important bit. 4/5. 500 / Q172.5.E77




The Complete Veterinary Practice Regulatory Compliance Manual - Phil Seibert

Phil Siebert, the veterinary OSHA guru, details OSHA regulations and how they apply to veterinary clinics. He also goes over government regulations relating to the pharmacy (FDA, DEA), human resources (DOL, INS), practice design (Americans with Disabilities Act), and more. The bulk is on OSHA, and that section contains the most detail and examples. This one comes with a CD-ROM, but since the clinic's copy has been lost in outer space for years, I didn't have a chance to review the sample forms on it. 4/5. 636.09 / SF756.4




The Red Queen: Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature - Matt Ridley

First off, Ridley's classic is not about sex (the act). It's about reproduction and genetic selection. Why do people have sex; why not just clone themselves like bacteria do? Why do we mate for life, yet deal with adultery? Why do we have such large brains compared to other social species? etc, etc. Ridley's ideas are still going strong 20 years later in university classes; if you don't have a strong background in evolution, zoology, animal behavior, or the like, I highly recommend this one as a starting point to understand where science is. My largest complaint with the work is the font choice. 3.5/5. 599.93 / GN365.9

All Things Bright and Beautiful - James Herriot




All Things Wise and Wonderful - James Herriot

James Herriot is the pen name of Alfred Wright, a veterinarian in 1940s-1980s Yorkshire, England.* He wrote a collection of fictionalized reminiscences about the farming people of the area and their animals. All Creatures Great and Small covers his first few years as a vet, Bright and Beautiful goes over the time when he was a newlywed, and Wise and Wonderful includes tales of when he was in the RAF. (I just learned that his stories originally came out in the UK as shorter collections; 2 collections were combined for every one of his US works, eg 'All Things Wise and Wonderful' was 'Vets Might Fly' and 'Vet in a Spin'. I can safely delete about 8 books from my Amazon wish list....)

I'm amazed by My Wright's abilities. While most of his work is fictionalized, he still demonstrates such compassion for other people, always thinking the best of them, and manages to stay modest throughout his stories. He focuses on the human-animal bond in most stories, making each bond special yet not sappy. It's quite an inspiration, and a needed one - I've been a little burnt out. 4/5 636.08 / SF613.H44 for both.

*Did you know that there was such a stigma about vets advertising that he felt he had to take a pen name? It existed in both the UK and US until a few decades ago. No ads, no calling attention to your services, limits on the size of your building sign, etc. There were more rules in the American Veterinary Medical Association about the size of your sign and where you could place it than everything else combined. I don't know how clinics did it; how they were able to differentiate themselves from each other. Perhaps a sad remainder of this exists in that a few people still seem to think of each clinic as interchangeable and each vet as possessing the same skills and aptitudes with the only difference being the price. Here I am on my soap box, but I think it's important: Please compare apples to apples when shopping around for a new vet. There is no need to throw money away wily-nily, but you generally get what you pay for.

I miss living in a more rural area. Driving by fields of beef cattle, walking through dairy barns full of sweet cows, attempting to catch shifty little donkeys, even the smell the week after fertilizing fields with manure....

Ask the Animals - Bruce Coston

Coston is a vet who writes about some of his patients and clients. Coston was able to do a nice job treading the thin line between sweet and sappy. I am not a sentimental person, but it did make me cry a bit. (Readers who can't stand pet deaths should stay away from this one). It wasn't Shakespeare, but it was touching. 4/5. 636.08 / SF411.5



The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York - Deborah Blum

Charles Norris took over the NYC medical examiner offices in the 1910s and ushered in forensic medicine. Blum also spends considerable time covering Norris's co-worker Alexander Gettler, a toxicologist who uncovered details of elements, compounds, and poisonous mixtures. Their stories are told amongst stories of famous poisonings in the New York area, from the 1910s through the 1930s. I really wish my brain was turned on the past few weeks so that the details Blum covered could stick with me. Either way, I enjoyed this one. More, please! 4/5. 614.13 / HV6555.U62



Sally Goes to the Vet - Stephen Huneck

Sally hurts herself and has to go the vet. Very cute book; if there was more than 1 copy left, I would have bought one for the clinic. It could also work for a kid who is afraid of going to the pediatrician's office. Huneck is known for his dog illustrations and his Dog Chapel in New England. 4/5

Telephone Courtesy & Client Service - Lloyd Finch

Client Satisfaction: The Other Half of Your Job - Dru Scott

Tips on Professional Attitude and Effective Listening for the Veterinary Practice Team - AVMA

I can't believe I spent money on these. 1.5/5

Move along, move along.

Working on Human-Animal Medicine: Clinical Approaches to Zoonoses, Toxicants and Other Shard Health Risks. So far, it's a bust. It's definitely geared more towards human medical professionals; I'd be surprised (and worried) if any vet didn't know the basics presented here. I wish it would have covered some of the more rare health problems. More coming when it's done.



Human-Animal Medicine: Clinical Approaches to Zoonoses, Toxicants and Other Shared Health Risks - Peter Rabinowitz and Lisa Conti

Textbook. A brief overview of the most common zoonotic diseases and other shared health issues. The disease section was a bit scanty, but the book was meant to provide an overview only. It was interesting to see the common human treatments for animal diseases I see daily. The chapter on allergens was nice and thorough - it inspired me to clean! 4/5. 614.56 / RA639



The Effective Team Training Manual - Lifelearn

Non-fiction, veterinary practice management. Lifelearn, a veterinary staff training/CE company put together a series of books on how to better manage and run a practice. This is the third in the series that includes management, protocols, and marketing. It was a freebie at a conference the practice owner went to and lent me to use. I was surprised that it was exactly what I was looking for! The CD that accompanies the book *is* the book, but editable - so that you can input your own practice information and customize the entire book, which is a big training manual. It includes protocols, time tables, checklists, client skills, basic employee skills and more. I went through and customized everything for our new batch of new employees; we'll see how it works out, but it has already helped us out a lot! 4.5/5

Hill's Veterinary Technical Nutritional Counselor Participant Manual - Hill's

Basics on nutrition, including the most useful section on the prescription diets Hill's makes. 3/5. 636.70 / SF992.N88



Equestrian: Sports Injuries: How to Prevent, Diagnose, and Treat - John Wright

Juvenile non-fiction. Half of the book covers the history of horse sports, and it seems like it was written by someone who is not a horse person. It's all dates and names, little events are given as much importance as big ones, wrong association jurisdictions, etc. The other half of the book covers basic stretches and safety equipment. There is only one chapter on injuries and treatment. 1/5. 798.23 / RD131.W74 or SF302?



Do Chocolate Lovers Have Sweeter Babies?: The Surprising Science of Pregnancy - Jena Pincott

Science writer chronicles random questions and research she finds during her pregnancy. Some of the stuff is interesting and funny, other stuff is ho-hum. 2.5/5. 618.2 / RG525



Your Medical Mind: How to Decide What Is Right for You - Jerome Groopman and Pamela Hartzband

Groopman and his wife Hartzband discuss the several ways people can make decisions regarding medical care using case studies and their personal musings. About 80 of the 300 pages are references and notes. The book reminded me to think about how other people could make decisions for me and how to best consider their wishes as well as my own. Some of the information was applicable to veterinary medicine, reviewing the ways that other people may make decisions by that I may personally not agree with but are valid nonetheless. It would be really neat for Groopman to write a book on compliance. I've read Groopman's 'How Doctors Think' and enjoyed it as well. 4/5. 610 / R723.5.G753



Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers - Mary Roach

Roach seems like a pretty funny and quirky gal, someone I'd want to have lunch with. I can see why her writings are so popular. Stiff covers the different ways bodies are handled: compost, anatomy cadavers, crash testers, medicine, stolen from graves, embalmed.... Interesting book and well-handled. 4/5. 611 / R853.H8R635

And for books read when I first joined LT in early 2010:

USPC Guide to Bandaging Your Horse by Susan E. Harris. 636.10 / SF959.L42
USPC Guide to Conformation, Movement and Soundness by Susan E. Harris. 636.10 / SF279

Started "Riding for a Fall: A Veterinarian Mystery" by Lillian Roberts. I was tempted to put it down at first; the introductory chapters were a bit rough. There were a lot of characters introduced at once, and I'm horrible with names. I kept going and I'm glad I did. There aren't many (quasi-?)villains that make me want to yell, but when an animal rights group lets loose 300 polo ponies, I wanted to berate someone. Anyone. I want to get into the fictional world and help catch the horses and then chase those bozos down. I really despise these guys. I'm really getting into the story, and am glad there are other books in the series to follow.

(Soapbox time: "Animal rights" is very different from "animal welfare." Rights means that animals have the same rights as humans; veganism is necessary; having pets is hypocritical; most methods to stop any use of animals are encouraged. Welfare means working against animal cruelty and supporting the humane use of animals for food, leather, riding, family members, etc, and providing animals with the best quality of life possible in any given situation. Many people who love animals think they are for animal rights, but are in fact more ethically aligned with animal welfare.)



Just finished "Riding for a Fall: A Veterinarian Mystery". (Off topic: The title confuses me a bit. Shouldn't it be subtitled 'A Veterinary Mystery'? Otherwise, it would be like calling it 'A Pediatrician Mystery', 'A Surgeon Mystery', or 'A Plumber Mystery.' But then again, something subtitled 'A Plumbing Mystery' might not be quite as appealing. What would the issue be in that one? Whose hair is clogging the sink drain?)

Polo ponies belonging to an old friend of small animal veterinarian Andi Pauling are being deliberately injured and the friend eventually gets framed for murder. Andi starts sleuthing around to clear his name. 'Riding for a Fall' is the first in a 3-part series written by real-life veterinarian Lillian Roberts.

I only read mysteries if they involve topics I'm interested in, so I can't comment on how the book fared compared to the rest of its genre, but for my purposes, it rocked. (Do people still say that now?) I identified with the protagonist, the background, the issues at hand, etc, and none of it was inaccurate enough to bother me. In fact, the familiar topics made it even more enjoyable - as they should, but often don't. The only downside was the very end was a quick and choppy as the very beginning, and I had to reread some to catch on. I'll start the next book in the series as soon as I finish with LT tonight. It's hard to impress me with fiction involving critters, but this one gets 4/4.5 stars from me!

813.54 / PS3568.O23895 Riding for a Fall






Book 14 is down - Hand That Feeds You, book 2 of the 3-part "Veterinarian Mystery" series by Lillian Roberts.

In this story, small animal vet Andi Pauling has a client that shows up with a pit bull and a disturbed child. When the client ends up murdered, Andi starts investigating the dog fighting circuit to find the missing girl, and finds a child pornography ring at the fights. (The book descriptions do not mention this part, nor how large a part it plays in the book - just a head's up for those considering it.)

This book was more of a downer than the previous book in the series given the topic. I found that I wasn't as on the edge of my seat as I was for the first. Still an interesting read, but it didn't have that "who done it" feel where you can't read fast enough. It was likely just the topic change; the writing style wasn't any different. 3.5 stars

813.54 / PS3568.O23895 Hand That Feeds




The Veterinary Receptionist's Handbook by MT McClister

This book is too basic for people with experience, but would be a great investment for someone new to the industry. I liked the blanks for your own clinic's policies and the sample situation/responses. The clients' FAQ chapters were interesting - are there really horse owners that don't know what colic is? Or dog owners that don't know that antifreeze and rat poison are not things your animal should consume? Other than the simpleness of medical explanations, it was still OK.

636.08 / SF756.46 - Vet Recept

Anyways, the book I mistakenly bought is Tasks for the Veterinary Assistant. I'm only in chapter two, so I still have hope, but dang, the author talks down to you. An entire chapter goes over skills to 'bring you up to an 8th grade level' in math, science and English. The brusque style does not help. I feel like I've done something bad and am getting braided down for it. Not a pleasant feeling when simply reading proactively.




The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic and How It Changed Science, Cities and the Modern World by Steven Johnson

The Ghost Map covers a cholera outbreak in 1850s London. The public believed that it spread through foul air, but Dr John Snow and Rev Henry Whitehead eventually proved that it was water-borne and coming from a single contaminated water pump. This involved several medical papers and a map that drew from their personal knowledge of the area, showing not only deaths, but local traffic patterns.

I've wanted to read this one since it came out in 2006 and finally got around to it. The first several chapters were interesting enough, but around the 3/4 point the book actually put me to sleep several times. I appreciated the background of London at the time, the investigations and the details of those involved, but the author lost me while trying to explain why this one case changed history. I am aware of how it did, but his explanations weren't as interesting as the rest of the book. I wasn't terribly enthralled with his last chapters on how cities are most likely going to be destroyed with nuclear bombs (the ideas were interesting, but the verbiage was not). I wanted to like this one more than I actually did. Bummer. 3 stars

614.51 / RC133.G6 - Ghost Map

Dogs Bite: But Balloons and Slippers Are More Dangerous by Janis Bradley

This book covers more on why people shouldn't fear being bitten by dogs than what can be done about dog bites. It doesn't go into dog behavior and how the public can read dog behavior, but what other causes of injury are more common and how statistics have gotten blown up over the years. I particularly enjoyed the author's personal accounts - the media coverage of the Diane Whipple incident in San Diego, her conversations with insurance companies, etc. Not exactly what I was looking for, but a good read nonetheless. One nit-picky issue - what was with the blue borders on every page? Distracting and not very eco-friendly. 3.5 stars. 636.70 / SF433




Firehorse - Diane Lee Wilson

On the heels of Wild Horses, I tried to find another book from the same time period. The closest I got was Firehorse, which was buried in the TBR pile. Rachel moves to Boston in 1872, the year of the fires and horse flu. Rachel loves horses and tries to heal an inured horse that pulls the firewagons.

I was so surprised with this book; it's very well written! The vividness of the barn scenes is what really got me: after a paragraph or two of describing the details of the stable, I could smell it. My heart rate decreased, my breathing slowed, and I could feel myself relaxing as I were walking in the barn in real life, on a day when I could stop and appreciate everything. The spiders waving their legs from their webs, the dust motes swirling in the sun, the smell of liniment and leather.... The horses even acted like horses!

Aside from the awesomeness of the horsey parts, the plot was a bit daring: a teenage girl from that time period who tried to become a veterinarian, who was daring enough to be alone with men unchaperoned, etc, had to be (I'm assuming) fairly rare. It must have been hard to find research materials on the topics. The relationship between Rachel and Mr. Stead was a bit coarse, and Father was characterized, but those tiny complaints are all I have. The horses make it all better. 5/5. PZ7.W69059

The Record that Serves and Protects - Eric Joseph

This short 30-page booklet was for work. It just details medical record keeping procedures; nothing new is covered. R684





Animal Investigators: How the World's First Wildlife Forensics Lab Is Solving Crimes and Saving Endangered Species - Laurel Neme

This is a very detailed account of 3 projects the FWS lab has worked on: subsistence walrus hunting, the bear bile trade and Amazon bird feather collecting. Neme goes to the depths of telling exactly how many microliters of such-and-such chemical go into a particular test. Although it was extremely thorough, it didn't feel very dry and textbook-y. I only wish she made the book longer to cover more cases. 4/5. 363.25 / HV8079.W58

Going Wild: Adventures of a Zoo Vet - David Taylor

This book is so outdated it's like reading a very cool history book. Zoo medicine has grown by leaps and bounds since the 1960s (thank goodness), but reading about how it all started is fascinating. This one was a very entertaining and enjoyable read. 4/5. 636.08 / SH613.T38A34

An Odyssey with Animals: A Veterinarian’s Reflection on the Animal Rights and Welfare Debate – Adrian Morrison

To give you a very brief insight as to the leanings of this book, it was written by a neuroscientist who defended Taub in the Silver Spring monkey case, the event that triggered the founding of PETA, and whose research has been a target of ALF.

This book could very well be divided into two parts. The first seems filled with anger towards the extremists and aimed more toward punching their views down than building his side up. I can understand where his anger comes from, but I do not feel that it advances his cause in this case. It is only in chapter 8 that he evens out his rhetoric and gives some real ideas. After this point, the book seems much calmer and is easier to wade through. I felt he could have left out the entire chapter of explaining his field of research in quasi-technical detail and still had a complete book. “Plain talk” would have been beneficial here.

However, his extremism towards one side of the debate helped my own thoughts flesh out by my mentally defending and sympathizing with the opposite view. In my work in research, I have noticed that the researchers working in the ‘70s through mid-‘80s had a huge bureaucratic adjustment to make in their work and often resent the animal rights movement because of this. Some believe that the existences of organizations that exist to monitor animal welfare are simply kow-towing to the movement and have no real place in research. I disagree with the author and some colleagues on this point; ensuring animal welfare is not a slippery slope to animal rights. (Morrison does mention in the epilogue that he has finally realized this, but this thought is not well explained in his book.) I could go on, but instead: 3/5. 610.72 / RM724.M845





An Introduction to Veterinary Medical Ethics: Theory and Cases, 2nd edition - Bernard Rollin

Half of the book is ethical theory relating to vet med and the second half is in question/answer format of issues submitted to the CVMA journal in the past few decades. Rollin at times seems a bit slick in his wording, but makes valid points throughout. 4/5. 174.96 / SF756.39.R65

I Make Horse Calls: Living A Dream With Horses - Marcia Thibeault

Thibeault writes about her equine veterinary experiences, her trials as an undergrad and a vet student, and her family. At times the chapters skip time periods without warning, but it's not too hard to follow. She manages to throw in a lot of basic horse information in her stories without weighing the stories down. I'll keep an eye out for the sequel. 3.5/5. 636.1 / SF310.L5T53




Front Office Management for the Veterinary Team - Heather Prendergast

Fascinating. There is no record of the book I read in LT.

Anywho, I read this for work. Lots of ideas and lots of basics. We put a few concepts into work at the clinic; they've gone over well so far. 4/5. 636.08 / SF756.4 .P74

An interesting list, Emilie. You started off saying that you were no reviewer - I'd say that you have done some pretty useful reviews here, and even your one-liners wouldn't be flagged. If you can be bothered, why don't you post them as reviews? From the LT world viewpoint the Medicine group is a bit of a backwater and your comments here might escape the notice of someone interested in a particular book.

As an aside, I clicked on your link to Rabid and got a quite different work by David Anne

The veterinary trade magazine Clinician's Brief has posted an interview with the authors of Zoobiquity, "Where Human and Animal Health Meet". http://www.cliniciansbrief.com/column/taxonomy/term/142/where-human-animal-healt...

>10 abbottthomas:: Thank you; I have fixed the link for Rabid. As for other people finding information on these books, I always check out the discussion links from the work page. I've found the discussions are a bit more free and loose with people's opinions that the posted reviews.

I just noticed your list today and appreciate your review of Rabid. That's a book I've been meaning to read. I have to say, I really liked The Ghost Map though. :-)

Your Pet’s Voice: A Guide to Making Difficult Decisions – Katherine Dobbs

30 page quick guide for owners of injured/diseased pets. Includes Villalobos’ quality of life scale, what to expect when visiting pets at the hospital, options for care, etc. Has helped a lot of clients at my practice – *very* useful.



Your Pet’s Passing: A Resource for Coping and Creating Lasting Memories – Katherine Dobbs

30 page quick guide for owners of pets at the end of their lives. Includes what happens at euthanasias, ways to memorialize pets, options for care of remains, dealing with grief, and explaining death to children. Should be given before/at euthanasia – ways to work through the event are covered more than grief.

And for something new, here's some mini-reviews and comparisons of books relating to ornamental fish health/aquatic medicine. I'll start with some books by non-academic presses. I have not read all of these cover to cover, but have used them for reference. Out of these, my recommendation for use in the veterinary clinic would be the latest edition of Andrews's The Manual of Fish Health. For general home use, Boruchowitz's Freshwater Aquarium Problem Solver, Boyd's Complete Aquarium Problem Solver, and Fairfield's A Commonsense Guide to Fish Health would be my picks.



A-Z of Tropical Fish Diseases and health Problems: Signs, Diagnoses, Causes, Treatment for Tropical Freshwater Fish - Peter Burgess, Mary Bailey, Adrian Exell (Howell Book House, 1998)

Divided into 3 sections: health and husbandry (the basics of fish keeping), signs of diseases (offering very broad and non-specific differential diagnoses), and treatment of diseases (again, very broad and general topics)

Includes more in-depth information on diseases and treatments than most other books intended for the public, but still a bit broad in scope

A good starting point, but not a good book to have as your only reference



A Commonsense Guide to Fish Health - Terry Fairfield (Barron's, 2000)

Half of the book is devoted to husbandry, including a large chapter on nutrition. The second half is divided into sections on parasites, bacteria/fungi, viruses, and non-specific illnesses. There is a small formulary in the back.

Readable format and text, solid information

Surprisingly good/accurate for a Barron's book



Maintaining a Healthy Aquarium - Neville Carrington (Tetra Press, 1985)

A good 70% of this book is basic husbandry, illustrated by Tetra's stock photos. The final section on fish disease is well illustrated, and contains non-medical management methods to use along with the treatments mentioned in other texts.



The Super Simple Guide to Common Fish Diseases - Lace Jepson (TFH, 2004)

Divided into 2 sections: Basics (The Five Freedoms, water quality, basic approach to disease), and Diseases (viral, bacterial, fungal, protozoan, worms, non-specific illness, treatment)

Short formulary in the back

Written by veterinarian in the UK



The Manual of Fish Health - Chris Andrews, Adrian Exell, Neville Carrington (Firefly Books, 2010)

Half of the book explains husbandry, the other half, disease and treatment.

Lots of pretty pictures and illustrations of concepts make the format a bit crowded, but they make this book a good one - more photos than text -

Treatment chapter is not detailed on specifics - refers to veterinarian - but includes information on how drugs affect nitrification cycle, how salt affects disease, etc

Lots of information on life cycles, occurrences, and signs

(This is one I am most impressed by, even though the writing doesn't take up more than half the book and requires another reference or two to accompany it.)



Manual of Koi Health - Keith Holmes, Tony Pitham (Firefly Books, 2004)

The section on husbandry is replaced by information on skills used by veterinary techs and assistants: microscope usage, how to do skin scrapes and swabs, handling, etc. The treatment section also seems a bit 'cookbook': how to give injections and sedate your fish, etc.

Well illustrated



Handbook of Fish Diseases -Dieter Untergasser (TFH, 1989)

Includes 50 pages of flow chart diagnostic trees and short sections on fish anatomy and dissection and microscopy

Illustrations are mostly microscopic photos or illustrations of what you might find at scope, thoughtfully included scale and size for those

Outdated medications and treatments



Prevention and Care of Tropical Fish Diseases - Sylvan Cohen (The Pet Library, unknown date - early 1970s?)

32 pages, lacks detail - only a page or two for any/all bacterial disease, parasitic disease, etc

Completely outdated, use only for historical book collecting



Animal Planet Pet Care Library's Freshwater Aquarium Problem Solver - David Boruchowitz (TFH, 2006)

Unique chapters on aquatic plant health, equipment problems, behavior oddities, and fatalities

Typical tank cycling and water quality chapters

Refers to veterinarian for medical care

Not medically detailed, but still useful for the common issues the public encounters

Nice layout and format, lots of short tidbits for skimming



The Complete Aquarium Problem Solver: A Total Trouble-Shooting Guide for Freshwater and Marine Aquariums - Kevin Boyd (Tetra Press, 1993)

3 sections: general problems (includes how to do artificial respiration, how to deal with power outages, water chemistry, etc), fish diseases, and equipment problems;

Very few photos, but lots of humorous illustrations

Pull-out diagnostic trees, appendixes with conversion factors

Very broad in scope, with a focus on husbandry

And some general catch up from August and September before I forget:



The Best Cat in the World - Leslea Newman

Children's picture, 2/5. A boy's cat passes away and he deals with grief and a new kitten who is not like Charlie at all. Fairly creepy illustrations.



My Mom's a Vet - Henry Horenstein

Children's non-fiction. Darcie helps her large animal vet mother out for a week. Nice work, bringing farm animal care basics to the masses of children, more should attempt it. Although the author wanted to emphasize the bond between Darcie and her mother, I don't think that was the focus of the narrative. 4/5

And some notes on fish health books published by academic presses



Fish Diseases: Volume 1 – Wilhelm Schaperclaus (US Dept Interior & Ntl Science Foundation, 1991)

Incredibly detailed, but (sadly) incredibly outdated. Translated from a German text written in 1986.

General exam/diagnosis, techniques in parasitology, hematology, histopathology, bacteriology, virology; prophylaxis, therapy. Also viruses, bacteria, algae. (Volume 2 covers parasites, environmental stress, nutrition, mycoses, protozoiases, and non-pathogenic diseases.)



Fundamentals of Ornamental Fish Health – Helen Roberts (Wiley-Blackwell, 2010)

3 sections: fish keeping, fish health, fish medicine

All fairly basic, but with good references and photographs

One of the cheaper technical books



Fish Welfare – Edward Branson (Blackwell, 2008)

Essentially a collection of journal papers covering general welfare topics (pain, fear, stress, welfare) and issues affecting fish welfare (fin erosion, water quality, transport, diseases, harvesting, deformities) with a single paper on ornamental fish welfare (focused on trade and transport)

Heavy concentration of farmed fish welfare issues, very little medical/health information for ornamentals



BSAVA Manual of Ornamental Fish – William Wildgoose (BSAVA, 2001)

Typical BSAVA manual – photos, basics, good information

5 sections: the trade, clinical care, diseases by system, diseases by cause, treatment, and misc. (inverts, legislation, human health)

Great forms for client use!

Although the formulary focuses on drugs available in the UK, there are some charts just for the US



Fish Disease: Diagnosis and Treatment – Edward Noga (Wiley-Blackwell, 2010)

3 sections: methods of diagnosis, problem list, methods of treatment

There’s a reason that this one is “the fish book”: up-to-date, thorough, accurate information useful in a clinical setting

Well worth the $250 for use in the clinic

Library books are overdue and I need to write down my notes about the books for further purchase!

ECG books for veterinary technicians:

Hands down, the best book out of the lot is Rapid Review ECG Interpretation in Small Animal Practice. The ECGs are super easy to read because of the clarity of the print. The graph paper underneath is in red and the tracing are in nice, clear black. There are interesting sidebars (info on Eisenthoven, anyone?), loads of case studies, and detailed text. The only kind-of con to the book is that for some of the case studies they tell you how the case turned out, and it's kind of disappointing to get the answer right only to be told, 'Congratulations! You've diagnosed hemangiosarcoma!" (The book is nowhere near this cheeky, but it's what it felt like.)

Next up is Small Animal ECGs: An Introductory Guide. This one focuses on clinical significance and treatments and also has crisp readouts, but is lacking color. A bummer about this one is the price: twice as much as the best book on the list.

Electrocardiography for the Small Animal Practitioner comes with an ECG ruler, but if you have a Bic pen, what's the real use? This has short readings paired with features, associated conditions, and treatments in list form. Easy to grab needed info from during clinic use, but not so great for learning from.

ECG Manual for the Veterinary Technician goes into detailed explanations of the principles of ECG, artifact prevention, system readings, etc. That's the real strength of this older book. The case examples are nice, but the tracing are done in calligraphy pen and the copies didn't turn out very well in all the illustrations. The QRS waves are almost invisible.

ECG Interpretation in the Critically Ill Dog and Cat is the same. The tracings are almost impossible to read. This one is all case examples and none of the theory. The case examples are divided into chapters depending on the cause of the findings, renal, trauma, meds, etc.