Animal Handling and Physical Restraint

"As a veterinary student, knowing how to handle and restrain a variety of different animals is a necessity. In veterinary school, we are exposed to various species and we need to be confident and competent in how to restrain in order to give the best care possible. Veterinary students will be prompted to handle not only unfamiliar animals, but animals of all temperaments and mind-sets." Animal Handling and Physical Restraint is the amazing animal handling resource that veterinary students never knew they needed." Kelly Sandelin, University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine, Class of 2019

"Animal Handling and Physical Restraint is a comprehensive reference book for anyone working with or around animals, especially those in the veterinary community. It is an excellent resource that describes all aspects of animal handling, regardless of species. The restraint techniques are well described and illustrated. I highly recommend this book and believe it should be on the bookshelf of anyone that works with animals! I’m delighted Dr Chastain wrote this book as I’m certain it will help make countless human/animal interactions safer and less stressful." Debbie Tate, RVT, VTS (oncology), President, Academy of Internal Medicine Veterinary Technicians (AIMVT)

Proper handling and restraint are essential to the welfare of captive animals, allowing them to be examined, groomed and treated in ways that contribute to their optimum quantity and quality of life. The aim of the book is to prepare future or current veterinarians and veterinary technologists, technicians/nurses, and assistants to be able to handle animals more safely and gain the confidence of animals and their owners. In turn, they will be able to instruct owners in proper animal handling methods, reducing the risk of physical injury or mutual infectious diseases.

Throughout the book, the author emphasises that each animal is an individual and each handling environment provides its own advantages and disadvantages: handling an animal safely, humanely and efficiently requires practical knowledge of the species’ normal behaviour. This is explored in detail in each of the species-based chapters, which cover proper handling of domestic household and laboratory animals, as well as farm and ranch animals where safe handling aids the producer in both humane practice and greater profitability.

After reading this book, the practitioner or student will be versed in the most basic part of the art of veterinary medicine: the safe handling of animals.

Table of Contents

SECTION I: PRINCIPLES OF SAFER HANDLING AND RESTRAINT. Chapter 1: Safer Domestic Animal Handling and Restraint: Attrition of Proper Handling; Types of Handlers and Handling; The More Effective Handler: The Art of Firm Kindness; Conditions for Handling and Restraint; Risks of Injury; Risks of Disease to Handlers and to Other Animals; Ethical Concerns; Sanitation Practicalities; Legal Considerations; Extended Benefits of Animal Handling; Keys to Good Handling of All Animals. Chapter 2: Animal Behavior: Predator or Prey Mentality; Animal Societies; Imprinting Social Behavior with Humans; Flight and Personal Zones; Senses of Danger; Resistance Behaviors; Species Differences in Aggression and Avoidance; Health and Behavior; Stereotypic Behavior; Animal Behavior Specialists. SECTION II: HOUSEHOLD AND LABORATORY ANIMALS. Chapter 3: Containment for Household, Yard, and Laboratory Animals: Confinement and Behavior; Containment and Liability; Dog Containment; Cat Containment; Other Small Mammal Containment; Caged Companion Bird Containment; Reptile Containment.Chapter 4: Dogs: Natural Behavior of Dogs; Safety First; Approaching and Catching; Handling for Routine Care and Management; Handling and Restraint for Medical Procedures by Veterinary Professionals. Chapter 5: Cats: Natural Behavior of Cats; Safety First; Approaching and Catching; Handling for Routine Care and Management; Handling and Restraint for Medical Procedures by Veterinary Professionals. Chapter 6: Other Small Mammals: Natural Behavior of Small Mammals; Safety First; Mice; Rats; Hamsters; Gerbils; Guinea Pigs; Chinchillas; Degus; Sugar Gliders; African Pygmy Hedgehogs; Rabbits; Ferrets. Chapter 7: Companion Birds: Natural Behavior of Companion Birds; Safety First; Approaching and Catching; Handling for Routine Care and Management; Handling and Restraint for Medical Procedures by Veterinary Professionals. Chapter 8: Reptiles: Natural Behavior of Reptiles; Safety First; Turtles and Tortoises; Snakes; Lizards. SECTION III: RANCH, FARM AND STABLED ANIMALS. Chapter 9: Containment for Ranch, Farm, and Stabled Animals: Confinement and Behavior; Containment and Liability; Fences and Gates; Barns, Stalls, and Three-Sided Sheds; Trailering and Other Transportation. Chapter 10: Ropes, Knots, and Hitches: Terminology and Rope Construction; Equipment Maintenance; Equipment Safety; Useful Knots, Bends, and Hitches for Handlers; Using a Lariat. Chapter 11: Horses, Donkeys, and Mules: Natural Behavior of Equids; Safety First; Approaching and Catching; Handling for Routine Care and Management; Handling and Restraint for Medical Procedures by Veterinary Professionals. Chapter 12: Cattle: Natural Behavior of Cattle; Safety First; Approaching and Catching; Handling for Routine Care and Management; Handling and Restraint for Medical Procedures by Veterinary Professionals. Chapter 13: Small Ruminants: Natural Behavior of Small Ruminants; Safety First; Sheep; Goats; Camelids. Chapter 14: Swine: Natural Behavior of Swine; Safety First; Approaching and Catching; Handling for Routine Care and Management; Handling and Restraint for Medical Procedures by Veterinary Professionals. Chapter 15: Poultry: Natural Behavior of Poultry; Safety First; Chickens; Turkeys; Ducks; Geese; Ratites. Appendix: Multi-Species References and Recommended Readings; Transporting and Shipping Animals.

C.B. is a professor of veterinary medicine and former Section Head of Small Animal Medicine and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. In addition to being a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine, he has authored journal articles, book chapters in veterinary medical and allied publications, and a textbook on clinical endocrinology. Prior to entering academic veterinary medicine, he was a horse wrangler for a horseback riding stable and a licensed guide in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado; worked in mixed animal veterinary medical practices in Missouri, Illinois, and New Mexico; and a captain in the U.S. Air Force Veterinary Corps. He has handled and restrained a variety of animals in differing environments and taught aspects of animal handling for more than 40 years at the undergraduate and professional school levels. Currently, he is the Director of Veterinary Online Programs at the University of Missouri and chief editor of the monthly journal, Advances in Small Animal Medicine and Surgery.