Practical Approach to the Small Animal Emergency Patient

A concise, accessible guide to clinical decision making in veterinary emergency medicine focused on the thought process in selecting diagnostic and treatment options Practical Approach to the Small Animal Emergency Patient helps veterinarians identify the critical questions to identify diagnostic and therapeutic priorities when faced with an emergency situation. The book reviews important decision points for common emergencies and emphasizes how to think, not just what to do. The first section of the book covers general principles of emergency medicine topics such as triage, sedation and lab work selection, while the latter part of the book applies those principles to common emergency presentations. The intention of this book is not to provide the clinician with an exhaustive review of pathophysiology, but uses current research and decision making tools to provide the clinician with the questions and tools to decide whether a certain intervention is appropriate. Each chapter also includes a section on client communication to help guide new clinicians in speaking with family members about diagnostic testing, treatment approaches, and prognosis. Written by a board-certified criticalist and practicing veterinarian in emergency medicine, Practical Approach to the Small Animal Emergency Patient includes information on: - Fluid therapy, covering fluid requirements, fluid selection, patients with heart murmurs, and correcting electrolyte abnormalities- Sedation and analgesia, covering appropriate use and risks of inadequate or inappropriate sedation- Diabetic emergencies including diabetic ketoacidosis, hyperglycemic nonketotic syndrome, and hypoglycemia- Treatment for car accidents, penetrating trauma, and dog bite wounds- Gastrointestinal distress, covering surgical versus non-surgical causes, the need for imaging, and difference between inpatient and outpatient assessment Practical Approach to the Small Animal Emergency Patient is an essential guide for clinicians, particularly new graduates and emergency doctors, seeking to gain confidence and improve their decision-making in emergency situations.

Michael Verschoor-Kirss, DVM, DACVECC, is Staff Criticalist at VCA South Shore Animal Hospital in South Weymouth, Massachusetts, USA.

Preface xiii Acknowledgments xv PART 1 Practical Approaches for the Emergent Patient 1 1 The Triage Exam 3 2 Rational Lab Work Selection and "Diagnostic Stewardship" 11 3 Selecting Appropriate Imaging Studies 17 4 Intravenous Fluid Therapy: Yes, No, How Much, How Fast 23 5 Analgesia and Sedation 33 6 Use of Antibiotics in the Emergent Patient 43 7 Decision-making for Hospital Admission 53 PART 2 Clinical Reasoning for Common Diseases and Presentations 57 8 Approach to the "Down Dog" 59 9 Diabetic Emergencies 65 10 Trauma 79 11 Spontaneous Hemoabdomen 109 12 Gastric Dilatation and Volvulus 119 13 The Blocked Cat 125 14 Approach to Vomiting and Diarrhea 135 15 Dyspnea 147 16 Neurologic Emergencies 163 17 Immune-mediated Hemolytic Anemia and Thrombocytopenia 179 18 Approach to the Azotemic Pet 193 19 Managing the Chronic Disease Patient 205 20 Toxin Ingestion Management 213 21 Client Communication and Palliative Care 221 22 Cardiac Emergencies 227 23 Reproductive Emergencies 245 24 Cardiopulmonary-cerebral Resuscitation 255 Index 265