Medicine of Australian Mammals

Book excerpt: In Medicine of Australian Mammals, more than 30 experts present the most current information available on the medical management of all taxa of Australian native mammals. This comprehensive text is divided into two parts. The first includes chapters on general topics relevant to the medical management of captive and free-ranging Australian native mammals such as: veterinary considerations for the rescue, treatment, rehabilitation and release of wildlife; veterinary aspects of hand-rearing orphaned marsupials; marine mammal strandings and the role of the veterinarian; and wildlife health investigation and necropsy of Australian mammals. The second part covers the medicine of specific taxa of Australian native mammals. Detailed information on taxonomy, distribution, biology, anatomy, physiology, reproduction, husbandry, nutrition, physical and chemical restraint, clinical pathology, hand-rearing, diseases, zoonoses, therapeutics, reproductive management and surgery is included. This practical, one-source reference is complemented by detailed photographs and illustrations, as well as tables listing reproductive and physiological data, diets, haematology and biochemistry values, and drug formularies. Appendices include a checklist of the mammals of Australia and its territories and a guide to the identification of common parasites of Australian mammals. Medicine of Australian Mammals is clinically oriented and is a must-have for veterinary clinicians, no matter how experienced. The book will also be of use to veterinary students, researchers, biologists, zoologists, wildlife carers and other wildlife professionals.