A Practical Guide to Electrodiagnosis in Dogs and Cats

Electrophysiologic studies can be extremely valuable for the diagnosis and characterisation of neurologic conditions in companion animals. Several publications describe the recording techniques and expected results in normal animals and, less commonly, in disease states. However, these resources can be hard to find and are often not practically summarised. Whilst it may be thought that electrophysiology in companion animals has been effaced by the increasing availability of advanced imaging techniques (e.g. magnetic resonance imaging), it remains a vital tool in the work-up of many disorders and one with which all veterinary neurology specialists need to be familiar. We propose that with basic understanding of the discipline, good methodology and practice, electrophysiology becomes very approachable, rewarding and feasible in neurology clinics.

A Practical Guide to Electrodiagnosis in Dogs and Cats aims to reach veterinary colleagues practising neurology and specialists in training who constitute the future of veterinary neurology. The authors hope to change the “I love it” or “I hate it” perception of the discipline to “I now understand this!”. This manual will allow the reader to understand the basic principles behind electrophysiology and how to practically apply these techniques in the clinic to serve their diagnostic needs and improve their patients’ outcomes. This will help to spread the use of electrophysiology more widely and, perhaps, help to establish electrophysiologic characteristics of numerous neuromuscular disorders for the benefit of companion animals.