The Complete Home Veterinary Guide

This book was pretty good, I got a used one for around three dollars (despite most of the used ones being sold for 50$, and the new ones 200$) and it has helped me a lot. It covers a lot of the basic pet illnesses and has a cross section at the end of each chapter that shows the causes of some sicknesses, the results, and some possible treatments. I espcially like the index that has a lot of information that you may need emergencys in bold so that you can easily locate the page if an emergency should occur ( e.g., Unconciusness, Difficulty Breathing, ect. ). In all, I would recomend this book, but I definitly wouldn't pay 200$ for it.

Bought it to take a small vet assistant course and now any time I have any questions about my "kids" I run for the book!!

I currently have a family of 1 Golden Retriever, 3 cats, 8 gerbils, and 1 mouse. I recommend this book to people like me who live with more than one kind of animal. It is a very good general guide and interesting reading. However, this book should in no way replace the care of a vet. This book offers a broad explaination of many topics and provides basic details and care instructions on many diseases and injuries. If you are looking for a very detailed book on one kind of animal only then this book is not for you. I am not sure I recommend this book as a primary source of information for people who care for small animals or exotic pets. I can only really say this about the chapter on hamsters and gerbils because I don't know as much about other kinds of small naimals, but I rescue gerbils and know that many important details are missing in that chapter. Gerbils and hamsters have very different needs and habbits and should not be lumped together because facts true about gerbils can be false about hamsters and vice versa. As I have already stated, THIS BOOK SHOULD IN NO WAY REPLACE YOUR VET. Neither should any other for that matter. If that is the reason you are buying this book, then I hate to say it and I'm sorry, but your animal would be better off with someone else. The symptoms of many diseases or impairments are often the same and animals are very good at masking pain because their survival instinct tells them that the weaker animals become the dead animals. Animals in pain can be very dangerous and often change their regular habbits for no reason. Your vet can provide medicines, run tests, do surgery, supply special diets and has had years of schooling, not minutes or hours of reading. Despite the last two paragraphs, I do still think this is a very good book if used properly. If your animal is sick, consult your vet and then read about the diagnosis in the book. This may not sound useful, but believe me when I say that sometimes it is; I have been through it enough times. There are also many chapters on other things besides disease and these are very interesting and useful to know. Understanding your animal will ensure it lives a happy and healthy life. I think the most valuable thing about this book are the chapters about emergency first aid for your dog or cat. That is valuable information that every good animal care book should have. In summary, it is a good book, but should not replace your vet. I recommend it only if you have a multi-species household. Because it covers so many topics, there are not as many details as one may want on any specific subject. This book has a lot of informationa about cats and dogs, but I know it is lacking in information when it comes to hamsters and gerbils, so it may also be lacking information on other small animal and exotic breeds as well. This book covers many other interesting things besides disease and injury and most importantly, it has a chapter on emergency first

This book is great for veterinary students as well as anyone with animals. Very informative and easy to understand. First Aid section in back! I loved this book, it even told me the right way to hold my parakeet.

This indispensable aid for caretakers and owners of small animals is a miniature encyclopedia chock full of facts, advice, and instruction on the care and feeding of dogs, cats, birds, and other pets. With chapters on everything from proper housing and daily nurturing of your pets, to emergency medicine and disease symptoms, this book has a section for just about everything you may encounter in pet ownership and animal care. The book even covers pets that many folks won't take to a vet -- rats, mice, hamsters, gerbils, and reptiles. If you learn even one thing from the book that avoids a costly veterinary visit, the book has already paid for itself. This guide is especially helpful for people with more than one type of animal -- for instance, I have cats, dogs, birds, rabbits, and rats. Instead of shelling out mega-bucks for 5 separate books, I was able to locate all the information I need in a single book. While most pet owners won't read the entire book at the time of purchase, that's one way to approach the wealth of information it offers. On the other hand, it's a terrific manual to have on hand, just in case, for the times when you'll need it. Much like a home first aid kit, this is a tool all pet owners should have in their homes.