Section 1: Emergency Care

Prehospital management of the injured animal

Initial emergency examination, management, and triage

Emergency diagnostic and therapeutic procedures

Pain: assessment, prevention, and management

Emergency management of specific conditions

Section 2: Patient Evaluation and Organ System Examination

Patient evaluation

The medical record

The organ system examination

Section 3: Clinical Signs

Abdominal enlargement with ascites

Abdominal enlargement without ascites

Aggression

Alopecia (See hair loss)

Ataxia (See incoordination)

Blindness (See vision loss)

Blood in urine: hematuria, hemoglobinuria, myoglobinuria

Coma: loss of consciousness

Constipation (obstipation)

Cough

Coughing blood: hemoptysis

Deafness or hearing loss

Decreased urine production: oliguria and anuria

Diarrhea, acute-onset

Diarrhea, chronic

Difficulty breathing or respiratory distress: cyanosis

Difficulty breathing or respiratory distress: dyspnea

Difficulty swallowing: dysphagia

Hair loss: alopecia

Hemorrhage (See spontaneous bleeding)

Icterus (See yellow skin)

Incoordination: ataxia

Increased urination and water consumption: polyuria and polydipsia

Itching or scratching: pruritus

Jaundice (See yellow skin)

Joint swelling: arthropathy

Loss of appetite: anorexia

Lymph node enlargement: lymphadenomegaly

Pain

Painful urination: dysuria (See straining to urinate)

Painful defecation: dyschezia (See straining to defecate)

Rectal and anal pain (See straining to defecate)

Regurgitation

Seizures (convulsions or epilepsy)

Sneezing and nasal discharge

Spontaneous bleeding: hemorrhage

Straining to defecate: dyschezia

Straining to urinate: dysuria

Swelling of the limbs: peripheral edema

Uncontrolled urination: urinary incontinence

Vision loss: total blindness

Vomiting

Vomiting blood: hematemesis

Weakness, lethargy, fatigue

Weight loss: emaciation, cachexia

Yellow skin or mucous membranes: icterus (or jaundice)

Section 4: Diagnostic and Therapeutic Procedures

Routine Procedures

Dermatologic Procedures

Advanced Procedures

Section 5: Laboratory Diagnosis and Test Protocols

Common reference range values

Sample handling

Submission requirements for rabies suspects

Histopathology and cytopathology

Biochemistry--routine

Routine biochemical testing

Special diagnostic tests and test protocols

Hemostasis and coagulation

Endocrinology

Immunology

Infectious disease serology and microbiology

Urine

Section 6: Charts and Tables

6-1: Emergency Hotlines

6-2: Dog Breeds Recognized by the American Kennel Club (AKC)

6-3: Cat Breeds Recognized by the Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA)

6-4: Useful Information for Rodents and Rabbits

6-5: Determination of the Sex of Mature and Immature Rodents and Rabbits

6-6: Blood Values and Serum Chemical Constituents for Rodents and Rabbits

6-7: Ferrets--Physiologic, Anatomic, and Reproductive Data

6-8: Hematologic Values for Normal Ferrets

6-9: Serum Chemistry Values for Normal Ferrets

6-10: Electrocardiographic Data for Normal Ferrets

6-11: Conversion of Body Weight in Kilograms to Body Surface Area in Meters Squared for Dogs

6-12: Conversion of Body Weight in Kilograms to Body Surface Area in Meters Squared for Cats

6-13: French Scale Conversion Table

6-14: International System of Units (SI) Conversion Guide

6-15: Units of Length, Volume, and Mass in the Metric System

6-16: Vaccines Licensed for Use in Dogs in the United States

6-17: Vaccines Licensed for Use in Cats in the United States

6-18: Canine Vaccination Recommendations-Initial Puppy Series

6-19: Canine Vaccination Recommendations-Adult

6-20: Feline Vaccination Recommendations-Initial Kitten Series

6-21: Feline Vaccination Recommendations-Adult

6-22: Compendium of Animal Rabies Prevention and Control, 2005, National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians, Inc. (NASPHV)

6-23: Prescription Writing Reference... Do's and Don'ts

6-24: Common Drug Indications and Dosages

Author Information

By Richard B. Ford, DVM, MS, DACVIM, DACVPM, Professor of Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC and Elisa Mazzaferro, MS, DVM, PhD, Diplomate American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care, Director of Emergency Services, Wheat Ridge Veterinary Specialists, Wheat Ridge, CO, USA