Customer Reviews

UC Davis Book of Dogs : The Complete Medical Reference Guide for Dogs and Puppies

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

 

 

Just like a parent should have a comprehensive pediatric medical guide for their children, dog owners should have a comprehensive medical guide for their dogs. And, technically, this one certainly fits the bill.

This book is thick for a reason. It covers nearly every medical condition, disease and ailment that you can think of. It also provides solid information on normal dog growth and development, feeding, and home health remedies.

HOWEVER, if you are looking for a user-friendly, easy-to-read, "For Dummies"-type canine medical reference, THIS IS NOT IT. I strongly disagree with some other reviewers who say otherwise. "The Book of Dogs" rivals your average human medical reference guide -- full of medical jargon and technical terms. I cannot find my way through this book without constant use of the glossary and index in the back. And I find myself sifting through page after page trying to locate the exact information I'm looking for. Not user-friendly at all -- especially in an emergency.

(By the way, I AM an educated -- albeit non-medical -- professional, and I STILL have problems understanding this book!)

Unless your dog has some kind of serious medical condition(s) -- my dog, for instance, has Sebaceous Adenitis, a rare auto-immune disease -- for which you need more detailed information, you don't really need this book. You (and your dog) are better off with a book like "What Your Dog Is Trying To Tell You: A Head-to-Tail Guide to Dogs' Symptoms And Their Solutions" by Stephanie Pedersen and John Simon.

I write a dog advice web column called: ASK OKSANA and this is the book that I have recommended to countless readers. It was originally written for vets by the veterinary faculty of UC DAVIS's Vet School, but so many people encouraged the editor to rewrite it so that lay people could understand it, that he finally agreed and has written the "Bible" for canine healthcare. Each chapter focuses on a different system (gastro-intestinal, cardiac, etc.) and each chapter is written by a different faculty specialist. The index and dictionary are great. If your dog is diagnosed with Addison's, you can look it up and read all about its causes and treatments. There's a great section on how to find food allergies. It explains complex medical issues in terms that an educated, non-medical professional can understand. If you love your dog, then this is one book you cannot afford to be without! It's a bargain at this price!

This book has much good information but fails to cover even items that are currently being researched at UCD -- I was particularly disappointed to find nothing on HOD which has been a plague among the larger dog breeds.

Much information -- but far from as the title suggests -- "complete". Definately worth the price, however.

No, this does not have all of the info of the Merck Veterinary Manual, but most dog lovers and owners can be easily frustrated by the medical terminlogy etc. THIS however, is simplified and essential info for the average person to really learn so much about their dogs health. My Merck, this book and "Symptoms and Solutions" are my dog bible trio!! I can not tell you how many people I've been able to help w/ dog health problems, solutions and understanding the disease or condition.Worth your money!!

Poorly organized. Try looking up something like the common "kennel cough" and you will find snippets of information under "respiratory system", then refered to infections (viral, then bacterial), but never get a concise, useful idea of the condition. Web site search via Google gives much better discussions.

This book is well written and easy to understand. I get calls all the time from friends asking me to look up different symptoms for them. My neighbor is currently borrowing this book. I am lost without it. My only reason for not giving this book a 5 star rating is that I wish it went into much more explicit detail on symtoms from the mildest cases to the most extreme.

Information on the subjects I have needed has been hard to find and incomplete. I do NOT recommend this book. I'm still looking for a really good general reference.

This is a nice book to have on hand to references things you are seeing in your pets and help you to assess the seriousness of what you are seeing.

One of my dogs was diagnosed with Lupus last year. This book has become my number one reference guide for dog health. Great information written by respectable subject matter experts.

Highly recommend.

Great book and is truly a complete medical reference guide a must for
any TRUE dog lover.

Amazing book a must have and great reading for the dog lover in all of us.