Infectious Diseases of the Dog and Cat Handbook: Pathogen Recognition, Treatment, and Zoonotic Risk Across Small Animal Medicine

When a dog collapses with a packed cell volume of 8% and intraerythrocytic parasites on the blood smear, when a young cat arrives obtunded with a fluctuant nasal mass and a serum albumin of 1.2 g/dL, when a dog from the Gulf Coast presents with peracute fever, thrombocytopenia, and petechial hemorrhages — the clinician needs answers in minutes, not hours. Infectious Diseases of the Dog and Cat Handbook is built for exactly those moments.

This clinical reference covers the full spectrum of bacterial, viral, fungal, protozoal, and parasitic infectious diseases of dogs and cats in a single, systematically organized volume. Every chapter follows a consistent structure — definition, pathophysiology, clinical presentation, diagnosis, differential diagnosis, management with specific drug names and dosing, complications, and prognosis — so critical information is always exactly where you expect to find it.

What This Handbook Covers

• Bacterial diseases — CIRDC, leptospirosis, brucellosis, tick-borne diseases (ehrlichiosis, anaplasmosis, RMSF, Lyme), MRSA/MRSP, discospondylitis, and mycobacterial infections
• Canine and feline viral diseases — Parvovirus, distemper, canine influenza, FeLV, FIV, FIP with full GS-441524 protocols, herpesvirus, calicivirus, and aCIRD
• Fungal infections — Cryptococcosis, blastomycosis, histoplasmosis, coccidioidomycosis, aspergillosis, pythiosis, and dermatophytosis
• Protozoal and parasitic diseases — Toxoplasmosis, neosporosis, leishmaniasis, babesiosis, cytauxzoonosis, Chagas disease, Giardia, and heartworm
• Zoonotic diseases — Rabies, leptospirosis, bartonellosis, toxoplasmosis in pregnancy, MRSA household transmission, and enteric zoonoses with client counseling frameworks
• Vaccination — WSAVA 2022 core and non-core schedules, titer testing, adverse reactions, and vaccination in special populations
• Infectious disease emergencies — Sepsis, parvoviral enteritis, distemper neurological crisis, fungal CNS emergencies, and necrotizing fasciitis
• Antimicrobial stewardship — Culture interpretation, PK/PD principles, and responsible prescribing aligned with AVMA 2023 guidance

What Sets This Reference Apart

Every drug dosing recommendation includes the drug name, dose, route, frequency, duration, and critical adjustments for renal impairment, hepatic dysfunction, pediatric patients, and species-specific toxicity. The FIP chapter reflects the current antiviral landscape — including GS-441524 dosing by disease form, treatment monitoring, and relapse management. Six appendices deliver rapid-access reference material: a 30-drug antimicrobial table, antifungal and antiparasitic drug reference, clinical scoring tools, normal laboratory reference ranges, an abbreviation list, and a 100-entry glossary.

Designed for the Clinic, Not the Library

This handbook is a clinical instrument. Consistent chapter structure, diagnostic and treatment tables, and callout boxes for RED FLAGS, DRUG ALERTS, CLINICAL PEARLS, and COMMON PITFALLS mean critical information is never more than seconds away — whether you are managing a tick-borne disease outbreak, counseling a pregnant client about toxoplasmosis, or stabilizing a cytauxzoonotic cat in respiratory distress.

For veterinarians, veterinary residents, and senior veterinary students who cannot afford to guess.