This guide contains the list of books and journals recommended as study materials for the American College of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation (ACVSMR) examination.
Residents are responsible for ensuring they are using the correct edition of a book for their exam.
Please ask your librarian, mentor, or specialty board examination committee if questions arise.
"Please note that this is a guideline for a reading list of textbooks and journals suggested for preparation for the 2016 board-certification examination with the American College of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation.
"Disclaimer: Due to the very diverse knowledge base required of sports medicine and rehabilitation, this reading list is suggested, but not all inclusive. Candidates should use the American College of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation examination rubric for identification of examination topics and the percentage distribution of examination questions within in each topic area as the basis for preparation for the respective board-certification examinations."
Source: American College of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation, ACVSMR Final Reading List: 2016 Board Certification Examination.
This resource updated: April 11, 2025
Source reading list reviewed: April 11, 2025
Source reading list updated by specialty board: 2024, 2025
"Each of the selected textbooks contains chapters with material pertinent to the field of sports medicine and rehabilitation. The applicant will be responsible for material within relevant chapters related to the basic science and clinical practice of veterinary sports medicine and rehabilitation within the species of interest (i.e., canine or equine)."
Equine Surgery (print) by 
Fluid, Electrolyte, and Acid-Base Disorders in Small Animal Practice (print) by 
Textbook of Veterinary Anatomy by 
Handbook of Veterinary Pain Management (print) by 
Textbook of Medical Physiology (print) by 
Equine Sports Medicine and Surgery (print) by 
Joint Structure and Function : A Comprehensive Analysis by 
Handbook of Veterinary Neurology by 
Animal Physiotherapy : Assessment, Treatment, and Rehabilitation of Animals by 
Canine Rehabilitation and Physical Therapy (online) by 
Orthopaedic Basic Science : Foundations of Clinical Practice by 
Atlas of Small Animal Wound Management and Reconstructive Surgery by 
Textbook of Veterinary Diagnostic Radiology (print) by 
Veterinary Surgery: Small Animal by "Each of the selected textbooks contains chapters with material pertinent to the field of sports medicine and rehabilitation. The applicant will be responsible for material within relevant chapters related to the basic science and clinical practice of veterinary sports medicine and rehabilitation within the species of interest (i.e., canine or equine)."
Animal Physiotherapy: Assessment, Treatment, and Rehabilitation of Animals by Canine Rehabilitation and Physical Therapy (online) by Veterinary Surgery: Small Animal by "The human and veterinary journals listed below contain articles relevant to the field of veterinary sports medicine and rehabilitation. Within the listed journals, the majority of examination questions will originate from literature published within the last five years. For the 2016 American College of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation board-certification examination, questions will be created from literature published between January 2010 and January 2015.
Exam questions may also originate from information in older journal articles (<2009) if they are considered essential or foundational to the development and practice of veterinary sports medicine and rehabilitation. The applicant is responsible for material as it relates to the basic science and clinical practice of veterinary sports medicine and rehabilitation within the species of interest (i.e., canine or equine)."
1. Barbeau-Grégoire, M., Otis, et al. A 2022 Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Enriched Therapeutic
Diets and Nutraceuticals in Canine and Feline Osteoarthritis. International J Molecular Sciences. 2022;
23(18): 10384.
2. Bliss, Megan, Jade Terry, and Roberta Ferro de Godoy. "Limbs kinematics of dogs exercising at different
water levels on the underwater treadmill." Veterinary Medicine and Science 8.6 (2022): 2374-2381.
3. Bockstahler B.A. Prickler B. Lewy E. et al. Hind limb kinematics during therapeutic exercises in dogs with
osteoarthritis of the hip joints. Am J Vet Res. 2012; 73: 1371-1376
4. Frye, C.W., Shmalberg, J.W. and Wakshlag, J.J. Obesity, exercise and orthopedic disease. Veterinary
Clinics: Small Animal Practice. 2016; 46(5): 831-841.
5. Greene, L. M., Marcellin-Little, D. J., & Lascelles, B. D. X. Associations among exercise duration, lameness
severity, and hip joint range of motion in Labrador Retrievers with hip dysplasia. J Am Vet Med Assoc.
2013; 242(11): 1528-1533.
6. Hogy, S. M., Worley, D. R., Jarvis, S. L., Hill, A. E., Reiser, R. F., & Haussler, K. K. Kinematic and kinetic
analysis of dogs during trotting after amputation of a pelvic limb. Am J Vet Res. 2013; 74(9), 1164-1171.
7. Innes, Clayton, Lascelles. Review of safety and efficacy of long-term NSAID use in treatment of canine OA.
Vet Rec. 2010; 166(8):226-30.
8. Jarvis, S. L., Worley, D. R., Hogy, S. M., Hill, A. E., Haussler, K. K., & Reiser, R. F. Kinematic and kinetic
analysis of dogs during trotting after amputation of a thoracic limb. Am J Vet Res. 2013; 74(9), 1155-1163.
9. Kopec, Nadia L., Jane M. Williams, and Gillian F. Tabor. "Kinematic analysis of the thoracic limb of healthy
dogs during descending stair and ramp exercises." American journal of veterinary research 79.1 (2018):
33-41.
10. Marshall et al. The effect of weight loss on lameness in obese dogs with osteoarthritis. Vet Res Commun.
2010; 34(3):241-253.
11. Shelton. Routine and specialized laboratory testing for the diagnosis of neuromuscular diseases in dogs
and cats. Vet Clin Pathol. 2010; 39(3): 278–295
12. Santarossa, A., Parr, J.M. and Verbrugghe, A. The importance of assessing body composition of dogs and
cats and methods available for use in clinical practice. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2017; 251(5), pp.521-529.
13. Shelton, G.D., 2007. From dog to man: the broad spectrum of inflammatory myopathies. Neuromuscular
disorders. 2007; 17(9-10): 663-670.
14. Shelton, G.D. and Engvall, E. Muscular dystrophies and other inherited myopathies. Vet Clin North Am
Small Anim Pract. 2002; 32(1): 103-124.
15. Stephens-Brown L, Davis M. Water requirements of canine athletes during multi-day exercise. J Vet Intern
Med. 2018.
16. Wakshlag and Shmalberg. Nutrition for working and service dogs. Vet Clin North Am Small Anim
Pract. 2014 Jul;44(4):719-740
17. Wucherer, K. L., Conzemius, M. G., Evans, R., & Wilke, V. L. (2013). Short-term and long-term outcomes
for overweight dogs with cranial cruciate ligament rupture treated surgically or nonsurgically. J Am Vet Med
Assoc, 242(10): 1364-1372.
"Each of the selected textbooks contains chapters with material pertinent to the field of sports medicine and rehabilitation. The applicant will be responsible for material within relevant chapters related to the basic science and clinical practice of veterinary sports medicine and rehabilitation within the species of interest (i.e., canine or equine)."
Equine Surgery (print) by 
Equine Locomotion by 
Equine Sports Medicine and Surgery : Basic and Clinical Sciences of the Equine Athlete by 
Diagnosis and Management of Lameness in the Horse by "The human and veterinary journals listed below contain articles relevant to the field of veterinary sports medicine and rehabilitation. Within the listed journals, the majority of examination questions will originate from literature published within the last five years. For the 2016 American College of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation board-certification examination, questions will be created from literature published between January 2010 and January 2015.
Exam questions may also originate from information in older journal articles (<2009) if they are considered essential or foundational to the development and practice of veterinary sports medicine and rehabilitation. The applicant is responsible for material as it relates to the basic science and clinical practice of veterinary sports medicine and rehabilitation within the species of interest (i.e., canine or equine)."
