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The Exotic Animal Drug Compendium: An International Formulary

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The Exotic Animal Drug Compendium is a long overdue compilation of over 700 drugs, and what must encompass nearly every conceivable medicinal use for them. Therapeutic doses for over 800 different species of animals, from ratites to roaches, are compiled alphabetically for quick reference. The compendium avoids diagnostics, and instead concentrates on providing a tremendous variety of therapeutic information, presented in a clear, repeatable format. The drugs in this formulary are categorized according to function and of course drugs may appear in more than one category. Categories (example: analgesic, antibacterial etc.) are presented alphabetically, and individual drugs within each category are also alphabetized, according to generic name. For each drug the species in which that drug has been used and various treatment regimes are reported. These can vary widely, and to help the practitioner make an informed choice, a confidence level abbreviation is provided, denoting how each protocol was derived (i.e. via pharmacological research, clinical trials, vendor suggestions, anecdotally, or by extrapolation). For more specific information, the actual source of each treatment protocol is cited and can be found in the very complete index of references. The references are not alphabetized, which could have facilitated locating specific contributors. Most treatment regimes include an important comment or two. Brief but adequate, these comments may relate to drug interactions, contraindications, cocktailing, administration tips and other information to help the practitioner make the most appropriate therapeutic decision. There is no discussion of pharmacology nor pharmacokentics in this formulary, thus a basic, practitioner knowledge level of pharmacology and physiology is required to get the most out of it. Appendices include the index of over 700 references, a cross reference for species names and a cross reference of drug generic and trade names (both international and domestic). Unfortunately, this index may be more useful if it were alphabetized according to the various trade names, cross referencing the generic name instead of the other way around. This formulary, because of it's concise and practical nature will undoubtedly face field conditions including fungal infestation, animal attacks and civil strife (both in and out of the office). Thus, perhaps a more durable weather and bullet-proof cover and binding may be in order for the next edition. 394 pp. Adrienne Otto, DVM Pet Vet Veterinary Hospital Mount Pleasant, SC