Veterinary Toxicology — Basic and Clinical Principles

This hardback book is a useful source of information for the veterinary clinician, student, and toxicologist. The book has 91 chapters and contributions from 85 different authors. Authors are from academia, government, industry, and private practice and are from several different countries and have differing levels of expertise. The book is divided into many sections, including sections on basic toxicological concepts and regulatory and legal considerations, toxicity of specific organ systems, radiation toxicity and carcinogenesis, toxicity of over-the-counter-drugs and drugs of abuse, and toxicity of metals and micronutrients. Other sections cover insecticides and molluscicides, rodenticides, avicides, herbicides and fungicides; industrial toxicants; environmental toxicology; bacterial toxins, such as botulinum neurotoxin and enterotoxins; poisonous and venomous animals; estrogenic toxicants; poisonous plants; mycotoxins; and toxic feed and water contaminants. The book ends with sections on diagnostic toxicology and therapeutics. The strengths of this book comprise the inclusion of large and small animal species; the broad range of topics encompassing regulatory, diagnostic, pathologic, and clinical toxicology; and the affordable cost. A weakness of the book is the inconsistency in chapter depth: many chapters are well researched and provide in-depth, detailed information, while others are more summary style and contain much less detailed information. Grammatical errors in some chapters can be distracting. Topics that could be added or expanded upon in future editions include companion animal exposure to prescription drugs and household products, large animal therapeutics, residue considerations, and analytical methods used in diagnostic toxicology. Overall, this text is a nice addition to any veterinarian’s library and is well worth the price.