Common Procedures

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Chris Griffin, DVM, DABVP–Avian Guest Editor

Dr. Agnes Rupley approached me a few years ago and suggested that I consider being the guest editor of an issue of Veterinary Clinics of North America: Exotic Animal Practice. I was, and still am, flattered that she believed I had the ability and contacts needed to put together an issue on any topic covering our exotic animal patients. I had my doubts as to either qualification, especially when I considered available topics. Feeling that each of the possible topics might have been beyond my comfort zone and experience, I tried to find something I was comfortable with… and voila! An issue on a topic with which I have some experience came to mind: Common Procedures.

I considered this topic and thought, “This will be an excellent opportunity to put a lot of great, practical tips together in one place, something that will benefit every facet of exotic pet care in veterinary hospitals.” My vision was a publication that was based in practical (and well-conceived) techniques, accessible not only to veterinarians but also to technicians, veterinary nurses, and other support staff who routinely take part in patient care, diagnostic sample collection, and therapeutic delivery. It was a grand vision.

Then we got down to the business of actually getting all of this done. I asked many well-respected colleagues in our profession to share their wealth of knowledge and expertise within various fields. I begged others to do the same. I even promised ice cream to a few of the potential authors, trying my best to ensure the best possible panel of contributors I could find. (I am up for a trip to Baskin Robbins or Ben and Jerry's in Baltimore!) My selections were based on two things: (1) the potential authors had to be excellent veterinarians and wonderful people (they all are); (2) they had to be well-versed in these procedures. The resulting mix of private practitioners, university-based clinicians, and research-oriented investigators has brought us this wonderful issue.

The major problem with this issue was trying to decide how many procedures should be considered “common” for each species. After determining that a complete, exhaustive accounting of all these procedures would result in a tome of more than 4500 pages, the authors and I tried to streamline our effort into a more reasonable length. It is not our intent to state that these procedures are the only common ones that may be performed during the course of exotic pet practice—only that they are among the most common.

This issue may be the least scientific (yet medical) issue of this series that Elsevier has ever published. In a way, I hope that is the case. The information provided herein is meant to educate and guide everyone in a practice that interacts with exotic pets (from spiders, fish, pet parrots, tortoises, wallabies, and canaries to raptors, wildlife, and venomous reptiles). Reading this issue will not make anyone an expert on the treatment or handling of these animals; the hope is that reading the following pages will equip even the novice veterinary staff (doctors included) to be better prepared to perform these “common procedures” on exotic patients. It is my hope that even the most experienced exotic pet veterinarians will take away something positive from every article and that the less experienced exotic pet veterinarians will use this issue as one of the core guides for safe handling and treatments techniques.

Special thanks to all of the excellent authors. Without you, there would be nothing after this wandering preface. Your work, insight, and experience make this issue everything I wanted it to be… and more. I am honored to be associated with this work, and I hope that everyone who reads even a part of this issue can sense the passion, intelligence, and focus that permeate each topic. Thanks to my parents (they are my daily inspiration) and April Strickland and the rest of the wonderful staff at my practice, who have supported me and lived through this adventure while making sure I was still practicing (and doing many of the common procedures found in this issue). Thanks also to you, Scooby Doo, our little Grey Girl (January 14, 2005–February 27, 2006, pictured). It is because of angels like you that we all strive to do our part a little better every day. As more procedures become more common in our exotic patients, I hope to see a “Common Procedures: Part Deux” in the near future!