Customer Reviews

The Merck/Merial Manual for Pet Health: The complete pet health resource for your dog, cat, horse or other pets - in everyday language.

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is a long time in coming. I have always had the "official" copy of the Merck Veterinarian Manual and refer to it often. But this book is really good for the layman who wants to understand what is going on with their pet, and doesn't have the time to figure out the medical jargon in the "big book." Very thorough and all inclusive. An excellent resource and must have for people who have animals.

If you want an excellent source for information on the diseases and health issues that can affect your cat, dog, horse, bird, gold fish, or reptilian pet look no further than to the Merck/Merial Manual for Pet Health. Like its counterpart for human medicine it is a source for accurate and thorough health information.

This is a great at-home reference for pet owners. Gives a good deal of background and description for most of the ailments that your pets (dogs, cats, horses, birds, and some exotics are covered) will encounter in their life. No way a replacement for professional veterinary care, but a great guide to give you more details than your vet can during visits. A must have for all concerned pet parents!

I am a cat breeder, and this book just did not have enough detailed information for me. If you were just a pet owner, and wanted general information, maybe it would work better for you. But I was looking for drug dosages and what to do in case of emergencies, and this information simply was not in this book. The information I am looking for is in the general Merck Veterinary manual, so I thought this would be similar but more geared towards pets, rather than livestock. Overall, I found the book boring and disappointing.

I purchased this book after discovering that one of my dogs has hypothyroidism. The book fully described the process in how the diagnosis is made, and also the treatment. I was able to understand the diagnosis explanation to me by the specialist (after an ultrasound), and already knew what the treatment process would be. Although this book is a higher priced item, you won't regret the purchase. It's an encyclopedia on pet health, and will keep you informed on everything, from symptoms all the way through to treatment, and in language that the average person will understand. This book is not just dedicated to dog and cat owners, but covers ALL animals...birds, rodents, horses, dogs, cats, etc.

This text is a must have for pet owners in my opinion. You can avoid some costly vet visits when somethings just "off" with your pet. Also, you'll know when you have something more serious on your hands. It is well written and draws directly from the Merck Vet manual but in easy to read language. It would be nice if the species were broken down into separate volumes so you wouldn't be paying for a resource on animals you don't interact with.

A book that should be in the library of every pet owner and pet lover: The Merck/Merial Manual for Pet Health is an outstanding resource. Written by veterinarians and animal health specialists, the book is still aimed at the public at large. It's easy to understand and also easy to find information quickly.

The book covers health issues in common and exotic pets, but there are also some unusual and interesting special subjects. I found the chapter on diseases spread from animals to people (zoonoses) fascinating because I like this sort of off the wall stuff.

Merck/Merial Manual for Pet Health is a book I will keep handy and will refer to often for the well being of my pets.

I bought this book for my 14-year-old daughter who's active in 4-H and wants to be a vet (that's why she's always pestering us to get more pets). Anyway, this book gives her all she needs to answer whatever questions may pop up. She uses it as a reference rather than reading it cover-to-cover. So far she's used it to look up issues about koi (fish), dogs, birds, lizards and llamas. It has a huge amount of facts and to me (a non-vet) it looks very authoritative. Great for pet-crazy kids!

This manual is a case of adding the "complete" prefix to a (sub)title inappropriately. And, in this case, "complete" disguises the fact that the material is very general in nature. It's a case of biting off more than one can chew. Obviously, the book will not make one an instant veterinarian as there is neither enough specificity nor global information regarding any one species.

Having said all that it is a decent basic reference to have around the house for the usual questions (FAQs). It gives a general understanding of "the nature of the beast" without getting deeply technical. Which is what it is supposed to do. The only thing that truly annoyed me was the "cloned" information I found between the dog and cat sections. Duplication like this reminds me of tricks used by low-class authors to take up more space, as though their books are to be sold by the pound (weight, not English money).

Personally, I would much rather have one book on canines, one on felines, etc. Here, I have a big, thick book the information contained in which does me little good except, as I said, FAQs of a general interest nature and information regarding cats and dogs.

All in all, nice try.

If you have pets, if you work with pets, or if you want to know how to take care of pets - this book is for you! The book is written in plain english but with the knowledge base of vets, and is great! There are sections in the book that I might never use, but it's nice to know they are there if I ever did.