Urological Disorders of the Dog and Cat: Investigation, Diagnosis, Treatment PDF

Foreword

THIS BOOK IS AIMED first and foremost at being a practical guide for the small animal veterinary practitioner. For this reason, the investigative procedures and surgical techniques described are those that the author considers practicable in a reasonably well-equipped veterinary practice. The book is not intended to be read from cover to cover. Apart from certificate or diploma examination candidates, I am aware of few people who do this. Rather, this book is meant to be referred to for practical information on a specific problem as and when the need arises, and copious cross-referencing is used to direct the reader to related material within the book. I have always investigated as well as treated my own cases and no apology is made for allocating a large section of this book to the investigation of animals with urological signs. An accurate diagnosis is the foundation upon which any treatment plan is built. Detailed descriptions of advanced techniques such as scintigraphy and MRI or CT scanning will not be described. Apart from the lack of facilities in most practices, these are specialized techniques requiring specialized equipment and expertise in their use and interpretation.

Mark Twain, if he was alive, would be reassured by the professional assistance I have had in the production of this book and I am grateful to the following for their help and support:

• Dr Frances Barr for assistance with ultrasonographic illustrations (figures 85, 259–262) and advice.
• Dr Kostas Papasouliotis for advice on normal laboratory values.
• Mr A Skuse for advice on the staining of cytological specimens.
• The late, great Professor Harold Pearson for permission to use figures 432, 433.
• Mr Alasdair Hotston Moore for permission to use figures 365–367.
• Dr Dick White and Mr Jonathan Bray for allowing me to use their figures as a basis for figures 313–317.
• My surgical colleagues and clinical scholars at Langford for keeping me on my toes, especially Mr Hotston Moore, Dr Martin Owen, Dr Eithne Comerford and Mr Christopher Shales.
• Mr John Conibear, Mr Malcolm Parsons and Ms Tracey Dewey who took most of the photographs used in this book.
• The anaesthetists and veterinary nurses who helped in the management of the cases used to illustrate this book.
• The students who helped to care for many of these animals.
• Special thanks to Professor Elizabeth Stone and Mr Rob White, who reviewed the draft of this book for the publishers, for their constructive comments.

The evidence base in many areas of veterinary urology is thin and, sometimes, controversial (e.g. the necessity to ligate the renal artery and vein separately or not during nephrectomy). This book is therefore based almost entirely upon my own experiences, good and bad, and I would commend to the reader the following quotation by Carolyn Coats (1988) in her book ‘Things Your Dad Always Told You But You Didn't Want To Hear'