Textbook Recommendations

Aside from the ACVS recommended reading of Johnston, S., and K. Tobias. Veterinary Surgery: Small Animal. 2nd ed. Elsevier, 2018. I found the following textbook the ones that I would refer back to the most consistently for case preparation and post operative management of cases throughout my residency

1 / Complications in Small Animal Surgery

Dominique Griffon and Annick Hamaide

2 / Piermattei's Atlas of Surgical Approaches to the Bones and Joints of the Dog and Cat

Kenneth A. Johnson

3 / Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook

James A. Budde and Dawn M. McCluskey

4 / An Atlas of Interpretative Radiographic Anatomy of the Dog & Cat

Arlene Coulson and Noreen Lewis

ACVS Phase I Exam Flashcards

Phase I Anki Collection - Free Download

To support current and future surgical residents, I’ve made my ACVS Phase I flashcards freely available for download. This deck represents core knowledge that I believe all surgical interns and first-year residents should master.

I’ve used Anki extensively throughout veterinary school and in preparation for both the ACVS Phase I and Phase II examinations. I firmly believe that while passive learning can leave gaps in your knowledge, Anki helps you identify exactly what you don’t know—allowing you to focus your study time efficiently. The built-in spaced repetition algorithm also automates daily review, eliminating the mental effort of deciding what to study each day.