"Speaking for Spot"

Time for a Change

I've decided to change the format of the blog this week. Instead of my usual alerts about how to keep your "Lucky" safe I thought you might enjoy a quick peak at a book I was introduced to last week. Dr. Nancy Kay is a boarded Internal Medicine Specialist who practices at VCA Animal Care Center of Sonoma County in Northern California. Her book, Speaking for Spot: Be the Advocate Your Dog Needs to Live a Happy, Healthy, Longer Life, came out in 2008. This book offers some excellent information for animal owners about veterinary care in the 21st century. Veterinary medicine has grown by leaps and bounds in scope and application in the last 10 -15 years and many more options are available for treating illness and injury for your four-legged friend.

The book seems to be targeted towards dog owners through the pictures and chapter titles, but the information inside applies for cats just as well. Topics in the book range from "The 10 Commandments of Veterinary Office Visits" to descriptions of some of the advanced medical diagnostic and treatment options that might be used for your animal. Sprinkled in between the data and descriptions are heart warming vignettes about animals, their humans and the emotional impact of an experience they have had with their veterinarian as they walked through medical decisions.

Dr. Kay has captured a book full of tips and truths that we often wish we had the time to communicate to our clients in the short time we see them in an emergency visit. I highly recommend this book to pet owners to get the most out of your interaction with your veterinarian and learn how to help your furry friend "live a happy, healthy, longer life".

You can listen to an interview with Dr. Kay about her book on a Fresh Air broadcast, the National Public Radio weekday magazine of contemporary arts and issues hosted by Terry Gross. Just below the feature is an excerpt from her book that will give you a taste of the practical information this book provides. Dr. Kay also writes a weekly blog that expounds on topics related to those found in the book and there is a website dedicated to Speaking for Spot with links to purchase your own copy. I'm sure yours will become "dog eared" from lots of use.

Happy reading!