The Accidental Veterinarian: Tales from a Pet Practice

accidental veterinarian

by Philipp Schott DVM

In search of a funny book to escape from these stressful covid times, I discovered the eBook The Accidental Veterinarian: Tales from a Pet Practice. The adorable French Bull Dog on the cover snagged my attention. She/he looks like my friend’s floppy puppy Libby who has the charmed life of a British royal and brings a smile to everyone she meets. Animal lovers know the loving power of pets. 

Dr. Schott is a seasoned animal vet practicing in Manitoba who shares the funny, complicated, sometimes heart-wrenching, and always entertaining scenarios that come with caring for pets and soothing their owners. The laughs quickly begin when he shares the unlikely reasons he chose his animal career and the octopus powers required. His friendly chatty style reads as if he’s talking to you in his backyard on a Sunday afternoon. The laughs continue and he gets full points for his descriptions such as chihuahuas looking like a baked potato with four toothpicks stuck in for legs and an angry walnut for a head. (Not to judge chihuahuas.) 

Schott also sets us straight that along with the love for animals, an equally vital ingredient for becoming a vet is a love for people. Among the plenty of laughs about the wide landscape of pet names and mysterious ailments of fluffy kitties and wicked wild rabbits, Schott’s heart is moved by pet owners. The stories of their willingness to move heaven and earth for their pet’s good health will warm your soul. 

Pet owners will appreciate the professional secrets for getting your furry beloved to swallow medicine, the truth behind dog and cat paranoia, the power of regular check-ups, the reasons cats purr, and how to help your vet to help your pet. 

Warning for those with extra tender hearts: there are a few serious pages divulging the down-side of being a vet. You may wish to skip the chapters “Black Coat” and “When Darkness Overcomes”. 

If you need a fun book (with short chapters) to help you to get through these topsy-turvy times, this is a book for you.

Fifteen Dogs

Fifteen Dogs

 by André Alexis

 I was first intrigued by this book when I saw it on the Globe and Mail’s “Best Books of 2015” list, because it involved two things I really like to read about:  dogs and mythology.  Fifteen Dogs: An Apologue, by André Alexis, opens with two of Zeus’ sons, Hermes and Apollo, wagering on whether animals that are given human intelligence will be happy.  What results from their bet is this often brutal yet thoughtful tale of 15 unsuspecting dogs that are given this “gift.” 

In discovering that they are able to think in human terms, with some of them learning to speak in the human language, the dogs are torn between their canine world with their natural dog instincts, and their new world of human consciousness. This divides the pack into those who embrace the new way and those who shun it and want to revert back to being dogs. Each of the dogs develops their own coping mechanisms to move forward in their new world, some seeking human companionship, others steadfastly rejecting any contact, some welcoming the freedom, others seeking ways to conform. The pack initially sets up their den in Toronto’s High Park, but soon enough the different reactions to their new fate leads to betrayal and bloodshed. At times, this tale reminded me of Lord of the Flies, with its somewhat expected breakdown of the pack as leaders emerge and assert themselves, and throughout it saddened me that this is in fact a statement on the state of affairs of the human condition.

The understanding that comes with the consciousness leads the dogs to a heightened awareness of their place on earth and the workings of the pack mentality send the dogs on their separate journeys. My favourite character was Majnoun, a poodle who ultimately finds a couple, Miguel and Nira, to spend his life with. Nira and Majnoun share an understanding of each other that allows Majnoun to learn many of the nuances of human behaviour, and they develop a quiet, lifelong friendship. I think I enjoyed their friendship the most as I want to believe that all dogs want to be loved and understood by their human companions.

André Alexis takes the reader right inside the mind of the dogs, which makes it a very personal tale of each of the canines. I recommend this book to anyone who has ever wondered what their dog might be thinking, and how your relationship might change if you truly could understand one another.