Harkness and Wagner's Biology and Medicine of Rabbits and Rodents

Practical reference on small mammal husbandry and health, now with full-color clinical photographs throughout

The Sixth Edition of Harkness and Wagner’s Biology and Medicine of Rabbits and Rodents provides a thorough update to the classic reference on small mammal health and husbandry, now with full-color clinical photographs throughout. Part of ACLAM’s series of laboratory animal books, the book is a comprehensive, practical guide to caring for rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, gerbils, mice, rats, and chinchillas. Emphasizing biology, contemporary husbandry, diagnostics and clinical procedures, clinical signs, and diseases and conditions, the book is equally useful in the research, companion animal practice, or food animal setting.

New topics for the Sixth Edition include environmental monitoring for rodent health assessments, behavioral management considerations for optimizing animal health, enhanced pain assessment approaches, as well as considerations for creating a welfare-friendly small mammal practice. The Sixth Edition also updates common therapeutics, analgesics, anesthetics, and blood collection methodology, disease biology, husbandry, diagnostic modalities, and references, and covers new techniques for creating and modifying genetically engineered rodents.

Harkness and Wagner’s Biology and Medicine of Rabbits and Rodents includes information on:

• General husbandry and disease prevention, covering equipment needs, factors predisposing to disease, and occupational health and safety issues
• Clinical procedures, covering hematology, clinical chemistry, urinalysis, surgery, post-operative care, dentistry, ophthalmology, and imaging
• Clinical signs and differential diagnoses, covering astroviruses, hepatitis E and leporid herpesvirus-4 for rabbits and antimicrobial resistance for commercial rabbits
• Serologic testing and diagnostic sample submission, covering newer methodologies, environmental monitoring, and considerations for large rodent feeder-breeder operations

The Sixth Edition of Harkness and Wagner’s Biology and Medicine of Rabbits and Rodents is an essential reference for veterinary professionals dealing with small mammal species in research or practice settings, as well as veterinary students interested in small animals, comparative medicine, or laboratory animal medicine.

The Authors

Patricia V. Turner, BSc, MS, DVM, DVSc, DACLAM, DABT, DECAWBM (AWSEL) is a University Professor Emerita at the University of Guelph in Guelph, Ontario, Canada with over 30 years of experience in clinical practice, education, research, and national and international policy development with research and food animals.

Colette L. Wheler, BSc, DVM, MVetSc, recently retired from her position as Manager of Veterinary Research Services at the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. Dr. Wheler has over 20 years’ experience in laboratory animal medicine and over 15 years’ experience working with small mammal pets.

Hugues Beaufrère, Dr. Med. Vet., PhD, DACZM, DABVP (Avian), DECZM (Avian), is an Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine and Epidemiology at the University of California - Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine, Davis, California, USA.

Niora Fabian, DVM, MS, DACLAM, is a Research/Clinical Veterinarian at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in Cambridge, MA, USA.

John E. Harkness, DVM, MS, DACLAM, now deceased, was Professor Emeritus of the College of Veterinary Medicine at Mississippi State University in Mississippi State, Mississippi, USA.