However, the diagrams presented in conjunction with theleft lateral thoracic and abdominal views may be mislead-ing to inexperienced readers. They depict the animals headto the left of the image and are therefore technically repre-senting right rather than left lateral recumbency. This haspresumably been done so the diagram matches the accom-panying radiograph, which is displayed in a standard man-ner with the head to the left, although there is noexplanation of this for the reader. There are also someinconsistencies throughout the rest of the book as to theorientation of the animal in these positional diagrams.

Good basic anatomical knowledge forms the basis of allradiological interpretation and there is no other book thatprovides such a comprehensive visual guide to normalradiographic anatomical variations in the dog and cat.While it definitely achieves the authors’ primary aim ofproviding a detailed anatomical reference, it also presentsa huge amount of additional practical and technical infor-mation that will help in the interpretation of canine and fe-line radiographs in the real world, where the imagesproduced don’t always look like standard textbook pic-

tures. The new additions to this edition have kept the con-tent current and valid, although with the advent of otherimaging modalities, the contrast section may not remainso for much longer. Anyone learning about radiology or in-volved with the interpretation of canine or feline radio-graphs would benefit from access to this book, includingundergraduate students, general veterinary practitionersand anyone studying for further radiological qualifications.In addition, the anatomical information is complete en-ough to be of relevance to veterinary anatomy studentswhere it would not only serve as an introduction to radiol-ogy but also help to consolidate their anatomicalknowledge.

Alison KingUniversity of Glasgow,

Veterinary Hospital,

Bearsden Road,

Bearsden,

Glasgow G61 1QH, UK

E-mail address: A.King@vet.gla.ac.uk

doi:10.1016/j.tvjl.2009.02.020

Book reviews / The Veterinary Journal 181 (2009) 345–348 347

L.A. Longley, Anaesthesia of Exotic Pets, Elsevier, London,

2008, ISBN9780702028885, 314 pp.; £39.99 (soft)

This new text aims to address comprehensively the sub-ject of anaesthesia in a wide variety of exotic animal spe-cies. There is certainly a market for this type ofpublication given the burgeoning popularity of exotic ani-mals both in general and in referral veterinary practice.

The book commences with a good opening chapter thatprovides a brief overview of anaesthetic equipment, phar-macology and techniques. This is only let down by the ab-sence of any reference to the recently introducedalphaxalone product that has already been reported foruse in rabbit anaesthesia.

The remainder of the book is divided into easily accessi-ble sections focussing on mammalian, avian, reptilian andamphibian, fish and invertebrate anaesthesia. Each ofthese, except the last, has a chapter that summarises the rel-evant anatomy, physiology and approach to the speciesgroup before the species specific chapters are presented.Whilst this is an excellent summary that considers the fun-damental approach to a number of species, it does tend tolead to repetition in the species specific chapters, and thisapplies throughout the book.

The species specific chapters are comprehensive and verywell illustrated. They succinctly describe the importance ofthe interaction between physiology, pathology and anaes-thesia, something that is often neglected, both in texts

and in clinical practice. These chapters also have a strong,emphasis on drugs and ‘anaesthetic protocols’. This infor-mation is very useful but the reader must take care to avoidthe recipe book approach to exotic animal anaesthesia anduse these protocols appropriately considering the caveatsdescribed in the text.

The species chapters are extremely well referenced,sometimes to the point where the author appears to relyon the reference and not explain the physiology. For exam-ple, several methods for assessing the correct placement ofan endotracheal tube in rabbits are presented and refer-enced without mentioning capnography.

The book has a strong and consistent focus on the pre-anaesthetic stabilisation of exotic species, on peri-operativemanagement and on the importance of the post-operativeperiod. It also highlights the importance of analgesia forsurgical procedures and presents the available data as easyto access well referenced tables.

As an anaesthetist I felt that there were a few irritat-ing statements that belied a lack of fundamental under-standing – high gas flow rates were advised to avoidhypercapnia in avian species but in reality they will preventre-breathing but not necessarily hypercapnia. It mighthave been useful to involve a veterinary anaesthetist inmanuscript review in order to address these fairly minorissues.

To summarise, this book provides an easy to use, wellillustrated guide to the anaesthetic management of many

Higham Gobion, Hitchin,

Hertfordshire SG5 3HR, UK

348 Book reviews / The Veterinary Journal 181 (2009) 345–348

commonly anaesthetised exotic species and will be a veryuseful addition to a practice library.

Louise ClarkDavies Veterinary Specialists,

Manor Farm Business Park,

E-mail address: lc@vetspecialists.co.uk

doi:10.1016/j.tvjl.2009.03.025