The word patient is used to signify the animals being treated. Clients are the humans who bring patients in to vet clinics—they are also called owners or the mom and dad of the pet. The current trend to denote owner with the word guardian is laudable. While new terms can further the cause of our beloved animals, I do not use the word guardian in this book, for two reasons. First of all, I think it is often the animal that is guarding or being the guardian of the person. Second, I am habituated to the words I use daily in my clinic and want this book to reflect that ease of usage.
I use the term pet to indicate a family member from the animal kingdom.
He and she are used interchangeably to indicate various generic or specific pets.
X-rays are invisible particles that create images that are seen on a radiograph. Even though X-rays cannot be seen and radiographs can, I use both words to signify the same thing. The term X-ray is easily understood and current usage allows it, but I still cringe.
Signs of disease in animals is the term used for what would be symptoms of disease in humans. Symptoms, while a familiar term, involves a description of health problems experienced by a person. Signs are what we observe as health issues in another species. Therefore, where prudent, I have used the preferred veterinary term sign.