Animal E.R.: The Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine Extraordinary Stories of Hope and Healing from One of the World's L

This book tells only a few of the many stories of animals that come to the ER. One story was about a dog who had hundreds of stones in his stomach! You have to read the book to find out what happened to him. A must read!!!

From an anorexic snake to a myopic kangaroo to a bloated akita, from the tricky diagnoses to the hopeless cases, this captivating paperback tells of the perilous situations that have occurred at Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine. Is it really right to spend all this time and effort on animals when some people lack food, shelter, and proper medical care? The veterinarians who unveil their heart-warming and emotional stories in this 194-page book, Animal ER, by Vicki Croke (copyright-1999) show us that the world is meant to be shared by animals and humans. Each chapter of this brilliant book displays and describes a different animal/pet and its unique problem. Biology plays a major part in this book because it's about the science of studying and curing living things. It exposes the drama of life in the emergency ward of a veterinary hospital, which is a biology-related occupation. The first chapter summarizes the atmosphere of the Intensive Care Unit at Tufts; it's sad and yet successful too. The next eleven chapters of Animal ER present various animals and their life-threatening problems. Some require complex surgical procedures, while others are solved by unexpected and simple means. The last chapter returns to the Intensive Care Unit and reveals what the animals teach the veterinarians. The main idea expressed at the closing of the book touched my soul as tears rose to the surface like a newly found spring. Vicki Croke wrote that the animals who are cared for seem to teach simple lessons about life. "Animals continue to surprise me with their patience, their level of tolerance, and their strength," Nishi says, "but most of all, with their ability to forgive" (194). I would strongly recommend this brilliant book to my friends or those people who are thinking of going into the veterinary field of study. Since I've never had a pet, I cannot relate to the owners of these sick animals; however, I can see this book as a slice of a veterinarian's life. It captures the essence of the Intensive Care Unit during first examinations, x-rays, surgery, and post-operative care. It is clear to see, as they treat animals, that Nishi Dhupa, Dr. Mark Pokras, Dr. John Berg, and other staff members at Tufts have the "healing touch". So even though some people don't have their primary needs met like food, shelter, and clothing, animals have a right to our care and concern.

If you like watching Animal Planet, and especially if you like watching Emergency Vet or Wildlife Rescue, you will like this book. But be warned, it is very emotive. When an owl flies free after being critically injured, you want to jump up and dance. When a dog everyone thought would die goes happily home with his mistress, you will want to sing. When a bull very deftly proves he has not had enough anaesthetic, you will laugh. But when a beloved animal is too ill or in too much pain to be helped, and the staff have to gently put it down, you will cry and cry and cry. I couldn't put it down, but I sniffled through the whole thing.

AS A VET. TECH IN AN ANIMAL ICU( WORKING WITH ONE OF THE DR.S IN THIS BOOK) I CAN HONESTLY SAY THAT THE SCENARIOS REPRESENTED HERE ARE REAL AND ACCURATE. I COULD NOT PUT THIS DOWN UNTIL I WAS FINISHED. IT WAS REFRESHING TO SEE MY CAREER CHOICE DESCRIBED AS MORE THAN A "GLORIFIED DOG SITTER" MY FELLOW TECHS AND MYSELF ENJOYED THIS BOOK GREATLY

This is a funny, touching, poignant, hilarious, wonderful trove of stories from a veterinary emergency room. Vicki Croke has a fantastically warm and inviting tone, and she tells stories that will make any animal lover laugh and cry.