BSAVA Manual of Rabbit Surgery, Dentistry and Imaging

Book excerpt: Rabbits make up a considerable proportion of the caseload in small animal practice, and knowledge of rabbit medicine and surgery has grown rapidly in the past decade such that one BSAVA Manual is no longer enough to do justice to this important pet. The all-new BSAVA Manual of Rabbit Surgery, Dentistry and Imaging concentrates on the major surgical and dental conditions that are so common in rabbits, while its sister volume (BSAVA Manual of Rabbit Medicine) concentrates on common medical conditions. To maximize surgical success, anaesthesia and analgesia are first discussed, including practical advice on different regimes for different situations/risk levels, chemical pain relief and also hospitalization and postoperative care. A section on imaging follows, covering not only radiographic techniques and their interpretation, but also ultrasonography, endoscopy, CT and MRI. The third part of the Manual is devoted to surgical techniques. General principles of rabbit surgery are discussed, as well as specific surgical techniques and procedures, from basic techniques such as neutering to more specialized techniques used in each organ system. The final section is devoted to dental disease and abscessation, including the techniques required for a full dental examination and evaluation. The range of treatment techniques available for cheek tooth overgrowth and dental abscesses is highlighted, and the reader is encouraged to draw their own conclusions as to the correct method to use in each case. Illustrated step-by-step Operative Techniques are provided for surgical and dental procedures, to enable the reader to benefit from the expertise of the international authors.