Medical History and Physical Examination in Companion Animals

The medical history and physical examination are the most important cornerstones of clinical diagnosis. This text describes the methods used in the veterinary schools of the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands and the University of Ghent in Belgium. The effectiveness of these methods is recognized by many visiting staff members and students from other veterinary schools in Europe and North America. Central to this book is the concept that the examination should be as efficient as possible. To achieve this purpose, a short initial examination is used to define the problems presented by the owner. The clinician is then guided in making choices, which focuses the attention on the essential problems and makes more of the examination time available for problem solving. The methods of examination, which are described system by system, are based on this selective approach. Many of the chapters close with a medical history form, which facilitates rapid orientation to the medical problem, and throughout the book photographs and original drawings illustrate both concepts and methods.