Symptoms to Watch for in Your Dog: How to Tell if Your Dog Is Sick and What to Do Next
Owner-to-Owner Dog Health Series; Volume 1Author: Jana Rade
Yeah, I know, I wrote this one, and I'm tooting my own horn. I have put my heart and soul into writing it so others could benefit from all our hard-earned experiences and the learning curve I've gone through over the years.
The purpose of the book is to help you better understand what your dog is telling you about their health and how to best advocate for them. This guide will help you learn how to see and how to think about any changes in your dog’s appearance, habits, and behavior.
This is, actually, an award-winning book now, folks. It has won the Dog Writers Association's of America 2017 Maxwell Award for a book on health, behavior, or general care, and the 2017 Morris Animal Foundation Canine Health Award for the best science-based book about canine health issues. I am still trying to get over that. It is very humbling. But perhaps a sign that it is a worthy read.
The book covers a variety of common symptoms, including when each of them might be an emergency. It's available in paperback or Kindle.
Speaking for Spot: Be the Advocate Your Dog Needs to Live a Happy, Healthy, Longer Life
Author: Dr. Nancy Kay
This book has been out there for a while now, but I still consider it a must-read for any dog parent serious about their dog's health. I believe it's the single most important book you can ever read. Right after mine, haha. All kidding aside, it will help you realize how much your dog's health lies in your hands and how much control over your dog's health care can you really have.
It starts with finding a veterinarian for your dog, how to best work with them, understanding all the options that are out there for your dog's treatment and how to discuss them with your vet. It covers how you should prepare for a vet visit, what your reasonable expectations are, and when to seek a second opinion. It is a real wealth of information to help you advocate for your dog's health.
Were this book available back when Jasmine's health challenges started, it could have all saved us a lot of frustrations and grief.
Your Dog's Best Health: A Dozen Reasonable Things to Expect From Your Vet
Author: Dr. Nancy Kay
A companion to Speaking for Spot, this book goes into details about what you should reasonably expect from your vet. Make no mistake, it is much more than you'd think. Do you know how to build a partnership with your veterinarian? Do you know it is reasonable to expect your vet to discuss all treatment options regardless of the cost? Do you know you should be able to acquire a written cost estimate as well as referrals for second opinions and specialized care? Do you know you should be able to discuss your internet research and be able to communicate with your vet via email?
That and more important topics are covered in detail in Dr. Kay's book.
The Canine Thyroid Epidemic: Answers You Need for Your Dog
Author: Dr. Jean Dodds
I suspected Cookie had issues with her thyroid function for some time. We did testing at a local lab, we discussed the living daylights out of it, but I couldn't get anything conclusive to back up my gut feeling. That's when I decided to grab Dr. Dodds' book to see whether I should pursue the issue further.
This book is an eye-opener. I read it in one breath, and it confirmed my suspicions. Right after that, I decided to test again, this time at Dr. Dodds' Hemopet. What do you know? Cookie's thyroid function was indeed inedaquate. It is crucial to test thyroid function and interpret the results properly. Otherwise, you're just wasting your time and money and leaving your dog to suffer.
So many dogs go undiagnosed or misdiagnosed when it comes to thyroid. Every dog parent will benefit from getting a proper "learn-on" on the subject.
All Hands on Pet!: Your How-To Guide on Home Physical Therapy Methods for Pets
Author Pt. Susan Davis
Every dog can benefit from physical therapy whether it is to help treat an existing problem or to prevent one. This hands-on guide can help every dog parent to discover the amazing world of physical therapy.
I already described the benefits and impact of physical therapy in my foreword, which I had the honor to write. For me, physical therapy is one of the top go-to treatment options. There is no downside, your dog can only benefit.
This book features:
- 38 photos with directional arrows, plus informative explanations in an approachable style
- Fills the gap where the demand for physical therapy services for pets outweighs the availability of qualified providers
- Cross-references to Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation for Animals: A Guide for the Consumer
- Prudent tips, techniques, and advice typical of that given to author's own clients
- Real stories of courage from the author's actual patient caseload
I definitely recommend every dog parent includes it in their library.
This post is fantastic! I am glad I came here. You cover all the bases here from at home care to how to be an advocate for your pet and an active partner with your vet. I am definitely adding to my doggie library soon.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Molly; yes, I picked those I find most important, even though some of them are older and one is my own.
DeleteGreat book recommendations. I have the feline version of books that cover similar subjects and I refer to them often. This would make a great gift list for those with canines in their lives.
ReplyDeleteMany things in all of these books would apply to cats to various degree. The only one absolutely not for cats is the Thyroid Epidemic, since cats have the OPPOSITE problem.
DeleteCongrats on the awards! I'll have to look into some of the books you recommended.
ReplyDeleteThank you :-) Yes, if you didn't read them, check them out.
DeleteHmm, I find "All Hands on Pet" to be interesting. At first thought, I am concerned that some owners will make mistakes and end up injury their animals. After all photos and written directions are not the same as a certified professional. But as a certified professional, this would make an interesting read and may benefit my clients.
ReplyDeleteSue is being very careful not to recommend anything people could do something stupid with. Even at that, it's better if people have some kind of guidance than if they just get "creative."
DeleteAll of these books sound fantastic, and would be great reference materials for dog owners. This is a great idea for a post. And go right ahead and toot your own horn. As a self published author, I need to do that more myself!
ReplyDeleteMaybe we should start a club, encouraging each other to toot our own horns ;-)
DeleteCongrats on the awards!! It is so important to have this info available to pet owners.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Clare. Better understanding of what one is looking at is so helpful knowing when to seeing a vet is a must.
DeleteCongratulations on your book awards, of course that is something to toot your own horn about!
ReplyDeleteLOL Thank you. I can tell you that just writing the book's description and About the Author bit was harder for me than writing the whole book.
DeleteFirst, CONGRATULATIONS on your prestigious & well deserved awards!! You have so much knowledge & experience I'm glad you've compiled it so the information can help others. This definitely sounds like a great resource for dog owners.
ReplyDeleteLove & Biscuits,
Dogs Luv Us and We Luv Them
Thank you, Cathy. Not much point in collecting experience and knowledge if one is to keep that to themselves.
DeleteI'm reading "Symptoms to Watch for in Your Dog" and I've learned some important signs that I might have overlooked. I'll have to check out the rest of these books too.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Beth. Please do let me know what you think when you're done.
DeleteWhat a great list! Thank you for compiling it! Some of these are new to me so I will have something to look into.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Kristin, yes, if you haven't read any, I recommend you do.
DeleteIt's always great to have a list of helpful resources like this for your pets. These all sound like wonderful references! And absolutely you should toot your own horn - your book won awards for a reason! :)
ReplyDeleteI am not a good "self horn tooter," though. I suck at it. I need a designated horn tooter ;-)
DeleteCongratulations on those awards! I have been following Morris animal foundation (specially their work on canine cancer) for sometime and this is so awesome that your book was honored by them!
ReplyDeleteThank you.
DeleteEach of these books has something to offer pet owners, and it’s always good to be prepared with questions, etc. to ask your vet. Rreading up on an issue before visiting the veterinarian is an excellent way to make sure you ask the right questions and get detailed, helpful answers.
ReplyDeleteYes, it's finding the right questions what is the most important.
DeleteWhat a PAWsitively spectacular list! I had a hard time deciding if they should go on my Pinterest board "Books worth reading" or "Dishing Dog Health". I ended up pinning them ALL onto "Dishing Dog Health". ;-) Congratulations on your awards!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Denise. And thank you for sharing.
DeleteThese sound like great books. I don't really have a need to read books about health of dogs at this point in my life, but I enjoy reading your blog to learn. I've shared a lot I've learned with friends and family members who have dogs.
ReplyDeleteIt's always interesting to pick up information. I coincidentally learned some stuff about cats, even though I never had any and don't plan on having any.
DeleteMy dog was hypothyroid also and Dr. Dodds book helped me understand a lot more about the disease. Fortunately, Schatzi's vet was on top of it early so she lived a long, active life. I guess I will have to add the other books to my library...so glad some are on Kindle...my bookshelves are overflowing...lol
ReplyDeleteThat's the thing about hypothyroidism - it's so easy to treat. But it needs to be properly diagnosed; that's where the culprit lies.
DeleteI have an acupressure book specifically aimed at cats Acupessure for Cats by Deanna S Smith. I have the great pleasure of meeting her before the BlogPaws 2016 conference in Arizona (she lived nearby). She demonstrated some basic manipulations and talked us through several manipulation techniques. The one thing I have not forgotten that she said was "If you want to learn things like acupressure, learn them BEFORE you need them!"
ReplyDeletePeople are too busy dismissing books and claiming no-one reads. WRONG. Any pet owner in need of solid and serious advice will always reach for a book.
Exactly, it is always best to learn things before one needs them.
ReplyDelete