That pretty much sums it up. This book is a lot more user friendly. Ettinger's is good for those in acedemia. Nelson & Couto is for those in the "real world".

I recently consulted with a group of advanced veterinary students on which of the small animal internal medicine texts would be the most useful to me. For the record, I am an allied health professional with more background in human medicine. I looked at this text and Ettinger's, which--again!--my sources kept referring to as the bible of small animal internal medicine. Ettinger was only about $30 more than this text, and as a big two-volume set, it looked like a better deal at first glance. However, this text is FAR more user-friendly, and there were sections that I read right away out of sheer interest. Unless you are a vet student planning to make a meaningful investment in heavy books, this book is likely to meet your needs and do so in a relatively painless way.

As a veterinary student this book has been my "bible." It has current information and is a lot more user friendly than the Ettinger texts. There are simplified charts and tables of diagnostic and therapeutic plans and differential diagnoses. The author includes other current opinions on the subject matter as well as his own. I feel this is a great reference book for veterinary professionals.

Richard Couto's book is a subtle but steady reminder to us all that there is more to be done before we rest. The book was easy to read and relate to "real life," yet packed a powerful message. Recommended reading for anyone!

This book is a useful pocket guide for those who find it difficult to remember everything all of the time! The information is concise and provides useful references to the parent text. One drawback is that 20/20 vision is essential as the text is fairly small - but it is easy to carry around with you. One further improvement would be to revise the index as finding the section you need can sometimes take a while...a definite drawback for a bedside textbook! Overall a useful pocket aid and well worth the money!

This Manual is a summary of the larger book by the same authors. It contains everything that you need to know about the internal diseases of dogs and cats. The organization is superb: it takes you from the etiology to the treatment whithout forgetting an excellent walk through the diagnosis. The information is concise, very modern, and as complete as you may want it. But be aware! This is not a book for learners: if you need pictures and details of things an experienced veterinarian knows well, get the parent book! Both are excellent texts for their own purposes and well worth their prices.