The Last Chance Dog: and Other True Stories of Holistic Animal Healing [Hardcover]

Donna Kelleher (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 4, 2003

Yogi, a small, scrappy Jack Russell terrier, has a pain in the neck, and after a month in the hospital, he still can't walk. Charlie, a charismatic rescued racing thoroughbred, has a bad back and can no longer stand the weight of a saddle. Mikey's posttraumatic stress syndrome transforms this wise feline into an anxious fellow who rips out clumps of belly hair. The mysterious tortoise Sheldon T. has disappeared, leaving only questions in his muddy wake, and Angel, an achingly beautiful, otherworldly cockatoo, has strange symptoms that defy every antibiotic known to science.

Meet just a few of the compelling, complex characters in "The Last Chance Dog," a twenty-first-century "All Creatures Great and Small" filled with entertaining, instructive, and moving true-life tales from the files of a pioneering holistic veterinarian.

Dr. Donna Kelleher recounts her most intriguing cases as she takes us through the intuitive art of diagnosing animals and effecting miraculous cures with safe, natural treatments that succeed where conventional medicine has failed. Holistic medicine is their last chance, and over and over again, Kelleher heals with the gentle powers of acupuncture, animal nutrition, herbal treatments, and chiropractic. Her stories of unforgettable, ailing animals -- and the people who fight to save them -- are truly inspirational as she transforms the animals' health and the lives of those who love them.

"The Last Chance Dog" includes advice on everything from vaccinations and commercial pet foods to step-by-step instructions for simple, safe remedies for a multitude of common conditions, including allergies, digestive problems, urinary tract infections, pain, hotspots, itchy skin, fear, and anxiety.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Readers will be inspired by this instructive collection of stories about holistic veterinary medicine. Kelleher, a veterinarian who received her original training in traditional Western medicine, explains how she came to realize that there was a more "compassionate way to heal animals." She cleverly combines true stories of holistic healing with practical explanations of the underlying theories and practice. The result is a book that works on many levels: as an entertaining read, a crash course in acupuncture, chiropractic and herbal medicine and a testament to the will and spirit of the animals Kelleher works with. Kelleher recognizes the qualities that make each animal unique, even when she's talking about her tortoise, Mr. Sheldon T: "He is simple, hardened and tough but possesses the vulnerable and soulful wisdom of a hunched old man." From Kane, the 120-pound dog who suffers from severe seizures, to Rio, the orange mare with a sarcoid on her eye, Kelleher demonstrates the amazing healing potential of alternative medicine. Despite her many successes, Kelleher also meets with disappointment, as with Ginger, a shepherd mix who simply won't respond to treatment and must be euthanized. But Kelleher endows death with as much dignity as life and, taking a lesson from her grandmother, knows "to honor that tired inner spirit instead of forcing it to occupy a body longer than necessary."
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

Susan G. Wynn, D.V.M, A.H.G. Author of Manual of Natural Veterinary Medicine and Complementary and Alternative Veterinary Medicine This is the one storybook I would recommend for the modern-day pet owner interested in learning more about alternative medicine. It's poignant, yes, but it's also accurate. Get it! -- Review

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Scribner; First Edition edition (February 4, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743223012
• ISBN-13: 978-0743223010
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 6.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #972,964 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Last Chance Dog-Bird-Cat-Horse-Lizard-Snake-Tortoise, March 21, 2003

By 

CoyoteWriter "CoyoteWriter" (Seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Last Chance Dog: and Other True Stories of Holistic Animal Healing (Hardcover)

Okay, once I got past the 50's-textbook-cover design (which does an inadequate job of expressing the vitality of the book and its author), I discovered a dynamic, articulate animal advocate; a very knowledgeable veterinarian (both conventional and holistic, explaining acupuncture and the Chinese medicinal theory behind it, chiropractic, herbal & homeopathic solutions, and other alternative approaches); and a delightful storyteller. Her enthusiasm and personality fairly jump off the pages; her stories are well written and heartwarming/heartbreaking (18 chapters, 18 bouts of tears), and her advice is absolutely essential. The only challenge is keeping track of it all - I have tattered sticky-note bookmarks spewing from the book edges. She uses an interesting and effective structural rhythm: case stories followed by explorations of the medical issues and alternative medicine solutions each story brings up.

Dr. Kelleher is impassioned and opinionated (without ever judging or making me feel inadequate because, for example, I can't get my cats to eat home-cooked food), compassionate (her love of animals is glaringly apparent), brutally honest (revealing her heartbreaking frustration and despair at some cases), thoughtful and interesting (her embrace of holistic medicine is both well-reasoned while also quite intuitive as she tells the tale of her medical-intellectual-emotional-spiritual journey), and, at times, funny, like when she crawls around in a dirty crawlspace looking for her escaped tortoise muttering, "I am the worst tortoise mom in the whole world." By this point in the book, you can see her doing this and chuckling while a tear escapes the corner of your eye.

A great read: entertaining, heartwarming, informative, and ultimately hopeful. Any person owned by a pet will love (and benefit from) this book, even more so if your animal companion has medical challenges.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Murphy Brown, February 5, 2003

By 

Cherry Summers (Renton, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Last Chance Dog: and Other True Stories of Holistic Animal Healing (Hardcover)

I just got my book yesterday afternoon and couldn't put it down. It is eloquently written with warmth and love towards our very best friends. I highly recommend this to anyone who truly wants to explore the horizons of alternative medicine to a successful healing of your pet. Includes recipes for Natural Foods and simple safe remedies for common conditions your pet may suffer. A complete and caring look into both the physical and psychological needs of both pet and human. Definitely come away with a wonderful feeling that someone truly understands the beauty of a life with pets, never giving up on them and they never give up on us.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For ALL animals!, June 12, 2006

By 

Lisa A. Parker (Orlando, FL) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Last Chance Dog: and Other True Stories of Holistic Animal Healing (Paperback)

If you are an animal lover, and are interested in miraculous stories of animal healing with alternative medicine -- YOU MUST OWN THIS BOOK! This is the best book on alternative healing I have seen. It is written in story form, very enjoyable to read and will have you crying with joy through the entire book at all of the animals' lives who were saved because this vet thought outside the box, and never gave up on an animal. I have taken this book to my holistic vet and we are helping a very sick cat of ours with the information we gleaned from it. He is getting better and would probably have had to be put to sleep if not for my having read this book. Thank you, Dr. Kelleher for your wisdom and compassion!