Archives
New comprehensive textbook on companion animals fills need
Jim
Barlow, Life Sciences Editor
217-333-5802; jebarlow@illinois.edu
8/12/04
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CHAMPAIGN,
Ill. — Cats, 77 million. Dogs, 65 million. Such are the estimated
totals, as of 2002, of these popular companion animals living with people
in the United States. Two-thirds of U.S. farms have dogs, but 90 percent
of the canines are owned by city dwellers. Then there are the various
birds, guinea pigs, hamsters, hedgehogs, lizards, mice, rabbits and
turtles, to name only a few, that share space in human homes.
So many companion animals, and so many opportunities for jobs as veterinarians,
veterinary technicians and technologists, trainers and animal behavioralists,
groomers, operators of pet motels and boarding facilities, and pet sitters.
With the rapidly growing number of pets and related job opportunities
is a large demand for college-level courses that teach various aspects
of both pet ownership and pet-related careers, said veterinarian Karen
L. Campbell, head of specialty medicine in the College
of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
She is a co-author of a newly published textbook, “Companion Animals:
Their Biology, Care, Health and Management,” (Pearson Prentice
Hall), that is finding its way into university classrooms beginning
this fall. The 25-chapter book contains more than 430 photographs, including
152 in color, line drawings and other illustrations.
Campbell teamed up with two others to compile the book: her father,
John R. Campbell, former president of Oklahoma State University and
former dean of the College of Agriculture (now the College
of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences) at Illinois;
and James E. Corbin, who as an animal nutritionist with Ralston Purina
in 1954 formulated and extruded the world’s first expanded foods,
including Purina Dog Chow and Cat Chow. In 1973, Corbin founded the
companion animal program in the department of animal
sciences when he joined the Illinois faculty.
“This book is not just pre-veterinary; it is much broader than
that,” said Karen Campbell, who is board certified in both veterinary
dermatology and veterinary internal medicine. “Our goal was to
cover as much of the companion animal industry as possible. We wanted
the book to show the breadth of opportunities that are available to
students who study in companion animal biology programs.”
The 640-page book also could be a resource for students studying veterinary
technology and as a reference book for animal lovers and people already
in animal-related professions, said Corbin, professor emeritus of animal
sciences at Illinois. “This book took two years to put together,
and it represents the phenomenal amount of background of the folks involved
in compiling it,” he said.
Each chapter on the various animals included in the book covers biology
and behavior, husbandry, common diseases and zooneses. There are sections
on companion animal health, toxicological hazards, diagnostic techniques,
therapeutic approaches, feeding and nutrition, and service uses of dogs.
Within four chapters, there are discussions of pet behavioral problems,
the use of companion animals in research, the issues of animal welfare
and animal rights, and problems related to people giving up once-wanted
pets.
Eleven veterinarians contributed to the book, based on their individual
expertise. For chapters on careers and operating pet businesses, contributions
and editing help were solicited from numerous industry leaders, said
John Campbell.
The book’s conception came from an academic discussion in July
2002 at the joint annual meeting of the American Dairy Science Association,
American Society of Animal Science and the Canadian Society of Animal
Science held in Quebec City, Canada.
“In one of the sessions, teachers from various universities were
reviewing all of their course offerings, looking for elective courses
that could fulfill general education requirements for their institutions,”
John Campbell said. “It hit me that a general course in companion
animals would be a popular possibility, but there was a serious lack
of a comprehensive general textbook on the topic.”
