The Complete Healthy Dog Handbook: The Definitive Guide to Keeping Your Pet Happy, Healthy & Active Through Every Stage of Life [Paperback]

Betsy Brevitz D.V.M. (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 16, 2009

The Complete Healthy Dog Handbook is a superb, reassuring, and comprehensive work. "Dr. Spock for dogs."—Elle magazine wrote of its first edition, originally published as The Hound Health Handbook, and now completely revised and updated.

"The bible of dog care."—AKC Gazette. "Four bones. The one book every dog owner needs to read."—Dog Fancy magazine. "The go-to resource for keeping pups healthy and happy...Takes the guesswork out of caring for any kind of dog."—Bookpage. "A definitive guide."—The Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. "The one book dog owners should not be without."—Los Angeles Daily News. "I'm keeping this book on my bedside table."—Cindy Adams.

Today's dog owners are more attuned to their pets' health and well-being than ever before. And with good reason: Americans spend upward of $10 billion annually on their canine companions. The Complete Healthy Dog Handbook is the one essential and truly readable book for these devoted dog owners. Surpassingly clear and complete, with more than 100 illustrations and diagrams, it covers everything from choosing the best dog to puppy care, nutrition, vaccines, behavior, first aid, and senior care, plus thorough discussions of more than 100 canine illnesses. Reflecting the latest advances in veterinary medicine, this edition offers up-to-the-minute advice on "design dog" breeds, pet food safety, homemade diets, changing vaccine protocols, new medications for allergies, car sickness, obesity, and heart disease, developments in surgery and cancer treatment, pet insurance, and more.

With The Complete Healthy Dog Handbook, the vet is always in.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

The indispensable medical reference for every dog-owning household. Written by a veterinarian with a gift for presenting complex information in a lively, accessible way, this book covers everything from choosing the right puppy (or adopting the perfect adult) to caring for the senior dog. It thoroughly discusses more than 100 canine illnesses, and includes the most up-to-date information on pet food safety, "designer" dog breeds, homemade diets, vaccine protocols, obesity and heart disease, pet insurance, and more.

No subject is too small, complicated or embarrassing:

• My puppy’s teeth are falling out. What is wrong?
• Do dogs with heart disease need a special diet or exercise restrictions?
• Should I soak my dog’s cracked footpads?
• What can be done for a dog with hip dysplasia?
• Is a vegetarian diet healthy for dogs?
• My dog has terrible breath. Is there a treatment?
• I don’t like using pesticides. Is there a less toxic approach to flea control?
• My dog licks his paws constantly—why, and how can we get him to stop?
• Do some dogs get senile as they get older? What are the symptoms?
  

About the Author

Betsy Brevitz, D.V.M., had a ten-year career as a magazine writer and editor before becoming a veterinarian. A 1998 graduate of the highly regarded Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine, she now lives and practices in northern New Jersey. This book originated with her "Ask the Vet" column for the acclaimed website Urbanhound.com.

Product Details

• Paperback: 496 pages
• Publisher: Workman Publishing Company; 1 edition (April 16, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0761154124
• ISBN-13: 978-0761154129
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #403,982 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A good reference, July 6, 2009

By 

Mythadventures - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Complete Healthy Dog Handbook: The Definitive Guide to Keeping Your Pet Happy, Healthy & Active Through Every Stage of Life (Paperback)

The Complete Healthy Dog Handbook by Betsy Brevitz is an excellent resource for pet owners. The beginning covers basics of dog ownership and temperament testing. She gives guidelines for both puppies and older dogs. I'm familiar with the puppy temperament testing from other books, but was glad to see a section for older dogs. She also breaks down the common complaints to most breeds. It is more extensive than what I've seen on the web, and should help prepare owners for possibilities, although, some of the conditions I would think would be rather rare in well bred dogs. The majority of the book covers basic health problems and care. Set up in a question answer format Dr. Brevitz explains in laymen's terms the various medical conditions. The first of each chapter gives an outline of what would be a major emergency and what can wait. This section alone could probably save pet owners considerable money at emergency vet clinics. The last couple of chapters deal with poison control and first aid. I would have liked this section to be a bit more extensive. The basic are there, but in parts seems superficial. The illustrations are the weakness in this book. Actual pictures would give a better understanding than simple drawings. Overall, I recommend this book for any dog owners library.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Now I know why my Aussie scoots....and if the more expensive lamb and rice is worth it, June 10, 2009

By 

Flush Barrett-Browning (Tennessee Valley) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Complete Healthy Dog Handbook: The Definitive Guide to Keeping Your Pet Happy, Healthy & Active Through Every Stage of Life (Paperback)

Betsy Brevitz's 'Complete Healthy Dog Handbook' is a great resource for the pet owner.
It is divided into nineteen easy-to-use chapters where all the major dog care topics are discussed. General advice on dog care is provided - such as how to select a healthy puppy or deal with an aging dog or what kind of foods most dogs need - and specific medical problems are explained in an easy to comprehend style. The index is simple and easy to use: I looked up 'scooting' and quickly found the possible causes and treatment for my Aussie Terrier's latest behavior.
This is a reliable, clearly written, inclusive book that would fit well in all conscientious dog owners' libraries.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good book but ToC is not linked properly, January 27, 2011

By 

G. Castillo "Pomona's Mom" (San Diego, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Complete Healthy Dog Handbook: The Definitive Guide to Keeping Your Pet Happy, Healthy & Active Through Every Stage of Life (Kindle Edition)

I take off 1 star for the Kindle version. It has a ToC but not linked in "Go to". You have to go to the beginning and click forward 8 times to get to ToC and also some subject matter under ToC are not linked at all. So you have to go to the closest subject(with a working link) to what you intend to read and click forward to get there. I requested a refund for this and will just buy the hard copy.

It is a great book to have if you have dogs.