Product Description

For the more than 73 million dogs and 90 million cats in the United States, Doc Halligan's What Every Pet Owner Should Know is the "go to" book for their owners and caregivers in need of easy-to-understand, expert advice on helping pets of any age stay healthy and remain a loving family member for years to come.

One of the country's most respected and leading authorities on preventive health care for pets, Doc Halligan provides a commonsense, practical approach to keeping your pet happy, healthy, and out of the emergency room.

In a book that could only have been written by someone who has treated and cared for thousands of dogs and cats during her distinguished medical career, Doc Halligan puts her 20 years of veterinary medical and surgical experience at your fingertips, and gives you an easy-to-follow prescription for your pets' continued good health.

Inside you will find:

• A sample script for getting the most out of
• your vet visit
• Simple instructions for weekly home exams
• What to do in case of emergencies
• The scoop on lowering your vet bills
• The pros and cons of pet insurance

And many other preventive health care tips and words of wisdom from one loving pet owner to another.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #953392 in Books
• Published on: 2007-02-01
• Released on: 2007-01-30
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 336 pages

About the Author

Dr. Karen Halligan has appeared on Live with Regis and Kelly, the Today show, Animal Planet and Animal Rescue 911 and is the Director of Veterinary Services at the spcaLA. She shares her life in Los Angeles with Kinky and Nathan, two very spoiled (and healthy) cats.

Customer Reviews

My Dog bible- this book has saved me thousands!
This is one of the best books out there. It is very thorough, informative and detailed. I could not put it down, took it on our family vacation last month and I learned so many things that will benefit our 2 dogs which are like our kids-A must have for everyone, and a great gift, I bought a few for friends and co-workers and they love it too!

...guide for new animal owner's!
Interesting book! Information covers everything from dog's nose to tail. This book should be offered as a guide for new animal owner's! Doc Halligan writes in the vernacular, making the book easy to read for everyone! Ann

A must book to read if you want to be a good parent to your dog!
This is really the best book to read if you are about to own your very first dog! The advice and information in this book will make you the ideal parent to your pet.

I owned 3 dogs as a child: a German Sheperd, a Cocker Spaniel, and a Saint Bernard. I loved my dogs, but it was really my father who was taking care of them. He was the one brushing their teeth, taking them to the vet, feeding them etc... My sole job was to play with them. As such, I had no information on how to care for a pet before reading this book.

None of our previous dogs were spayed or neutered. My father always felt spaying or neutering a dog is cruel and unjust. If a dog could speak, he would say, he would beg you not to spay or neuter him/her. This belief stuck in my mind, and when I bought my very own first dog (a bullmastiff), I asked for it not to be spayed. However, this book convinced me otherwise. The author says that you would be doing your pet a favor by spaying or neutering him/her. She gives all the reasons why, among them: your dog will be less aggressive, live longer, and will be more caring of you and pay more attention to you. A dog in heat will ignore a burglar and run out of an open door to mate!

Dogs mate together not to have a family, like we do, but because it is a chemical and biological process. A dog can mate with his own mother, father, son, daughter, sister, brother, auntie or uncle. They have no sense of family like we do. By spaying or neutering your dog, you are releasing your dog from this chemical and biological process, thus freeing your dog from its stress. As a result, your dog will live much longer! (`Stress causes premature death even in humans.'). Though the book is full of information, this piece of information was the most important to me. You guessed it, my dog was scheduled for spaying.

Another important piece of information is the kind of food to feed your dog. As a child, we fed our dog from our meals, including cakes and chocolate. The author cautions against this. Chocolate in large quantities can kill your dog, and other table foods can cause serious diseases to dogs. Bones should never be given to your dog. Bone fragments can cause internal bleeding! Dogs should only eat pet food! Make sure it is from a reputable company and that it has not expired. Avoid giving your dog pet foods sold in grocery stores.

Another important piece of information was concerning a dog's dental hygiene. A dog with good teeth lives much longer than a dog with bad teeth. Some bacteria that live in decayed teeth can cause serious heart problems!

The book is full of information and great advice that it would obviously be impossible to name them all in this review. Some important topics are: prevention pays, neglect costs; how to talk to your vet; avoiding the emergency room blues; traveling with your pet; disaster awareness and preparedness; seasonal disturbances; and health insurance.

After reading this book you will be ready to be a great parent to your dog.