Book excerpt: Current Techniques in Small Animal Surgery, Fifth Edition provides current information regarding surgical techniques from the perspective of clinicians who are performing specific procedures on a regular basis. It is intended to be concise, well illustrated, and reflective of the writer’s experience, both good and bad. The emphasis with this volume is technique. The pathophysiologic priniciples and applications are covered in the companion volume, Mechanisms of Disease in Small Animal Surgery, Third Edition. These two books are regarded by most practitioners and students as being a two-volume set.