All doctors literally "practice" medicine

in the sense that they are always honing their skills to better care for their patients. They factor the latest scientific knowledge—in addition to experience and intuition—into every diagnostic and treatment decision. Zoo and wildlife vets use an additional tool: we extrapolate from better to lesser known species. Extrapolation is the rule rather than the exception.

Though we have access to many excellent textbooks and published papers about wild animals and their medical problems, no single reference covers every aspect of zoological medicine. It's more accurate to say that we're writing the book as we go. Vets who practice zoo and wildlife medicine must also be familiar with the basics of dog, cat, horse, cow, poultry, and human medicine.

Chimpanzees, orangutans, and gorillas share many of the same diseases as people, for example. Techniques used to diagnose and treat domestic dogs and cats can be applied to wolves and lions, respectively. We think of hooved animals as cow-like, goat-like, or horse-like. Certain tests and medicines used for poultry or farmed fish work in other species of birds and fishes, and even some reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates. Medical problems in aquatic animals can sometimes be compared to their terrestrial counterparts.

On a daily basis, scientists discover new facts about

disease states, diagnosis, and treatment. For ideas and information, vets also surf the Web. For more, see my picks for interesting stories about zoo and wildlife medicine vets and their patients in Animal Health News, useful online references in Zoo and Wildlife Med Resources, and new or noteworthy online publications in Articles and Research.