Amphibian Medicine and
Captive Husbandry

Mick Bajcar

Author: Kevin M. Wright and Brent R. Whitaker
Publisher: Krieger Publishing Company
ISBN: 0-89464-917-5 October 2001
Black and white colour plates
Price: Hardback £117.95

About the book
This work is designed to introduce veterinary practitioners to the diagnosis and treatment of disease in captive amphibians.  It covers various aspects of amphibian captive husbandry and propagation while providing the reader with a foundation on which to evaluate a given husbandry routine.  The diagnosis of disease in amphibians by the application of basic clinicopathologic techniques is discussed, and infectious, metabolic, nutritional, neoplastic and idiopathic disorders of amphibians are also covered.

My comments:
There is an old adage that first impressions last longest. This mighty tome certainly passes this test. It is a superbly bound, hard-backed book of 499 pages with chapters written by various experts in their fields. It contains 230 or so glossy colour photographs and numerous black and white photographs and sketches.

Though clearly aimed at the professional veterinarian the book starts with basics, evolution, taxonomy, anatomy and physiology. A chapter follows on amphibian husbandry and whilst the experienced keeper will gain little from this, it is nonetheless an excellent summary of the requirements of captive anurans and in which Dendrobatids feature prominently. This is followed with chapters on diet and nutritional disorders. Spindle leg is mentioned here and it is suggested that Vitamin B deficiency may be a cause, alleviated by either the addition of a Vitamin B complex to the tadpole water or the addition of live aquatic vegetation or algae as a tadpole food.

The book then moves onto the veterinary aspects, much of which goes over my head, Clinical Techniques, Restraint and Euthanasia, Microbiology, Haematology, Trauma, Fungal, Bacterial and Parasitic Infection. There is up to date information on Chytrid fungus and its treatment.

In the Chapter entitled Idiopathic Syndromes, spindle-leg is further described and the work of Malcolm Peaker, Bob Davies, Steve Halfpenny and Chuck Powell is mentioned (BDG members past and present.) Edema (Oedema) syndrome, a condition where frogs swell due to water retention is described though this does not appear to have an identified cause. Further chapters cover Quarantine, Breeding, Spontaneous Neoplasia, Pharmacotherapeutics and Pathology.

I feel that this book is a must for any Veterinarian who is likely to regularly deal with amphibians as well as for the keepers of Zoological collections. The majority of us have to consult vets who have little specialist knowledge of amphibians, and it could be that if we own this book we could identify the problems for our vets to deal with.

So this is an incredible book, but at what price?

It is available from www.amazon.co.uk at a price of a mere £124 plus postage, or for our US members, direct from the Publisher via a toll free telephone line (800) 7240025. Orders are also accepted via mail (P.O. Box 9542, Melbourne, FL 329029542) and by email
 info@kriegerpublishing.com