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Practitioners faced with questions about toxicoses can access a number of resources. These include specialists in veterinary toxicology, veterinary diagnostic laboratories, colleges of veterinary medicine (CVMs), textbooks, online references, and poison control centers.

Perhaps the best source of veterinary toxicology information comes from veterinarians certified as specialists by the American Board of Veterinary Toxicology (ABVT). The ABVT is one of the more long-standing specialty boards recognized by the American Veterinary Medical Association’s Board of Veterinary Specialties. A listing of ABVT Diplomates is available at www.abvt.org. Consultation with an ABVT specialist may be particularly helpful in complicated or obscure toxicosis cases or if litigation is anticipated.

Many veterinary diagnostic laboratories and CVMs include ABVT Diplomates on staff. The veterinary diagnostic laboratory accredited by the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians nearest one’s practice can be identified by checking accreditation at http://www.aavld.org; CVMs can be found at http://www.avma.org/education/cvea/colleges_accredited/colleges_accredited.asp.

Many practicing veterinarians have reference texts available in their clinic. Most veterinary toxicology texts are authored by ABVT Diplomates. A partial list of such reference texts that the author recommends beyond this textbook includes A Field Guide to Common Animal Poisons by Murphy (www.blackwellprofessional.com); Clinical Veterinary Toxicology by Plumlee (Mosby, www.us.elsevierhealth.com/Veterinary); Small Animal Toxicology by Peterson and Talcott (Saunders, www.us.elsevierhealth.com/Veterinary); and Toxicology by Osweiler (Williams & Wilkins, www.lww.com).

Poison control centers are another leading source of toxicology information (see Chapters 20 and 21). Although most poison control centers specialize in human exposures, a number still receive animal exposure calls. Among the latter centers are the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Animal Poison Control Center (www.aspca.org/apcc) and the Pet Poison Helpline (www.petpoisonhelpline.com). Animal poison control centers may charge for services and information. The telephone number for the human poison control center in many areas is 1-800-Poison-1.

The practicing veterinarian should consider in advance the various sources available for information regarding animal toxicoses. Depending on the situation, a textbook reference or direct consultation with a toxicology specialist, veterinary diagnostic laboratory, CVM, or poison control center may provide the information needed to appropriately manage toxicosis in the veterinary patient.

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