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Dog Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook

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The classic bestseller-expanded and updated

The guide dog lovers have relied on for more than twenty-seven years, this handbook has been extensively revised to include the latest information on everything from canine healthcare to nutrition to holistic treatments. Dog Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook, Fourth Edition, is the definitive guide for every dog owner. It puts vital information at your fingertips, with:

An index of signs and symptoms to help you find information fast

Clearly written, step-by-step directions for handling common canine ailments and problems

A chapter on emergencies that explains what to do immediately for shock, broken bones, burns, dehydration, heat stroke, poisoning, insect stings and bites, wounds, and more

Hundreds of photos and drawings that illustrate what to look for and what to do to provide the best care for your dog

A glossary of terms

With this guide, you'll know when to rush your pet to the vet and when you can begin treatment at home. You'll communicate more effectively with your vet. You'll have the latest information on every aspect of your dog's medical care when you need it. This is the hands-on reference you'll trust again and again.

656 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 23, 1980

62 people are currently reading
345 people want to read

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5 stars
207 (57%)
4 stars
98 (27%)
3 stars
39 (10%)
2 stars
8 (2%)
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5 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
Profile Image for Emily.
115 reviews
August 7, 2010
I thought this would be a handy reference to have given that I live 1 hour away from a vet. I've used this to learn more about what's going on with my dog when I perceive something is not right. Each time, this book suggests that it is a serious problem and that I should take my dog to the emergency room because she could be close to death. I prefer to go to pets.webmd.com, which includes some articles from this book. I will remove it from my library when I move.
Profile Image for Antonia.
296 reviews271 followers
October 27, 2015
A very good book for Veterinary Medicine students and Veterinarians alike, that will be an educational anchor for me for many years to come. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I totally recommend it to all Veterinary Medince students out there who want to learn more about the handling and treatment of dogs.
617 reviews8 followers
May 19, 2023
The classic bestseller—expanded and updatedThe guide dog lovers have relied on for more than twenty-seven years, this handbook has been extensively revised to include the latest information on everything from canine healthcare to nutrition to holistic treatments. Dog Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook, Fourth Edition, is the definitive guide for every dog owner. It puts vital information at your fingertips, with:
An index of signs and symptoms to help you find information fast
Clearly written, step-by-step directions for handling common canine ailments and problems
A chapter on emergencies that explains what to do immediately for shock, broken bones, burns, dehydration, heat stroke, poisoning, insect stings and bites, wounds, and more
Hundreds of photos and drawings that illustrate what to look for and what to do to provide the best care for your dog
A glossary of terms
With this guide, you'll know when to rush your pet to the vet and when you can begin treatment at home. You'll communicate more effectively with your vet. You'll have the latest information on every aspect of your dog's medical care when you need it. This is the hands-on reference you'll trust again and again.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Profile Image for Cham Family.
3 reviews
October 15, 2025
Cuốn “Dog Owner’s Home Veterinary Handbook” giống như một “manual” thú y phổ thông cho chủ nuôi. Sức mạnh của sách nằm ở phần chẩn đoán theo triệu chứng: mỗi mục đều có mô tả ngắn, nguyên nhân thường gặp, cách sơ cứu an toàn tại nhà và ngưỡng cần đưa đi bác sĩ. Mình thích cách nhóm tác giả giải thích thuật ngữ rất dễ hiểu (ví dụ: tiêu chảy cấp vs. dai dẳng, mất nước mức độ nào là nguy hiểm). Phần thuốc và liều dùng được trình bày thận trọng, nhấn mạnh tầm quan trọng của tư vấn chuyên môn trước khi áp dụng. Bên cạnh xử lý bệnh, sách có chương dự phòng: tiêm phòng, ký sinh trùng, vệ sinh tai – răng – da, đặc biệt hữu ích với những giống dễ viêm da. Với người nuôi ở Việt Nam, đây là tài liệu tham khảo tuyệt vời để không hoang mang khi cún ốm: bạn biết nên theo dõi gì, làm gì trước, trao đổi gì với bác sĩ. Điểm trừ nhỏ: bố cục dày, lần đầu sẽ hơi “ngợp”, nhưng tra cứu theo mục lục rất nhanh. 4.5/5 ★.
Profile Image for Maria Nelson.
190 reviews1 follower
October 20, 2023
An awesome book that I have referenced more than one. Great and helpful advice. A must have book for all dog parents.
Profile Image for Rena Sherwood.
Author 2 books51 followers
August 8, 2024
This is a review of the fourth edition.

Although in some minor ways, the book is out of date, the majority of it still applies. If you have a sick dog and the power is out, this book will let you know if a trip to the Emergency Veterinarian is necessary. I like to have important knowledge like dog health in books because the Internet, Internet capable devices and electricity are all just so damn capricious.

The index is especially good. If my dog has a strange symptom, like seizures, I can quickly look it up ... after I made an appointment with the vet. (Well I remember those days. I had two dogs with seizures.) Borderline worrisome conditions like constipation or hair loss are also thoroughly indexed. There are helpful photographs, as well.

Back in my freelance writing days, I used this book as a reference for dog care articles. The book paid for itself many times over.
487 reviews8 followers
August 2, 2011
A great book forr every dog owner to have. It doesn't have color photos but it has an incredibly wide variety of medical condition that any dog owner may see. It is not meant to diagnose or treat but to guide a dog owner. It has tables of vaccinations that are required and not required (but vets always say you should get), plants and their toxicity and effects on dogs, basic first aid and many many more. It is organized to easily find the condition you are looking for. Chapters are organized into emergencies, parasites, infectious diseases and then following chapters are based on the area/system affected (skin/coat, gastrointestinal, eyes, nose etc.). Easy to read and understand.
Profile Image for Julie.
372 reviews
June 1, 2009
I'm constantly turning to this book for troubleshooting with my dog. I have a late-90s edition of this book and it looks like the authors have since parted ways and written separate books. Regardless, I highly recommend this for anyone with a dog who wants to learn more about caring for their pet at home.
Profile Image for Chiek Er.
188 reviews11 followers
December 30, 2014
Comprehensive and useful for dog lovers and Vetetrinarians

Great effort of a compendium for laymen interested in veterinary medicine for dogs. Very thorough and informative. There is an excellent glossary in the back to help people with the veterinary jargons. This book is also excellent for Veterinarians who need help in explaning medical matters to their clients.
Profile Image for Terri.
235 reviews54 followers
November 26, 2013
I am keeping this book cause it got great inform and pictures include.
Profile Image for Chiek Er.
41 reviews
December 30, 2014
Wonderful book for dog lovers interested in their dog´s health and wanting to understand Veterinary Medicine without too much pain
Profile Image for Kellie.
82 reviews4 followers
February 10, 2014
Outstanding book to use as reference for dog owners. Has great pictures of medical problems.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews

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