Topics in Companion Animal Medicine. Foreword.

In 2006, I was asked to guest edit an edition of ‘‘Clinical (medical director of the Rocky Mountain Poison Center) and Techniques in Small Animal Practice’’ which focused entirely on practical toxicology. Although a daunting task, I undertook the project and attempted to include articles that were heavily slanted toward what I and other small-animal clinicians were seeing in emergency rooms all over the country. In that issue, commonly seen poisonings were examined and their sources, mechanisms of action, clinical signs, diagnostics, management, and prevention were investigated. Chapters selected included ‘‘The Poison-Proof Practice,’’ ‘‘Smoke Inhalation,’’ ‘‘Over-the-Counter Drug Toxicities in Small Animals,’’ ‘‘Hymenoptera Stings,’’ ‘‘Spider Bite’’ (both black widow and brown recluse envenomations), and ‘‘Snake Bite’’ (both coral snake and pit viper envenomations). Each section attempted to bring together what was known at the time about these common intoxications and to focus heavily on their successful treatment. Now, 7 years later (2013), I have been called on again to guest edit a new issue concerning practical small-animal toxicology. In less than a decade since the last installment, things have changed tremendously. A whole new generation of intoxicants and potential poisonings have appeared on the scene. Likewise, major advances have occurred in both our understanding and our treatment of small-animal poisonings. Even the name of the journal has changed in the last 7 years. It is now called ‘‘Topics in Companion Animal Medicine.’’ It made little difference, I was still just as excited to be involved and anxious to shift the gaze of clinicians to a new group of emerging poisonings and toxidromes. In addition, I wanted to update successful toxicologic therapy regimens to reflect recent advances in our treatment of real and potential intoxications. In this issue, a new group of toxicologic hazards come under our review; ‘‘Adderall,’’ ‘‘Marijuana,’’ ‘‘Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors,’’ ‘‘Xylitol,’’ ‘‘Bromethalin,’’ ‘‘Cholecalciferol,’’ and some more recently documented poisons are among the toxic molecules under scrutiny. Once again I would like to thank each of the authors for their contribution to this issue. My friends, Dr Alvin C. Bronstein