Speaking for Spot

February 10, 5:54 PMPhoenix Dogs ExaminerDan Olsen

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Photo of book provided by Trafalgar Books.

I acquired a very interesting book the other day called, Speaking for Spot.  It stresses the importance of your dog having her own advocate - YOU.

From the books publisher:

Modern advances in veterinary technology, specialized treatment, and routine medical care for dogs require confident, knowledgeable owners and handlers who are ready and willing to act on behalf of their favorite pet. Often, difficult choices must be made and without help, many dog owners feel ill–prepared and undereducated when deciding what might be best for their pup. Now, Dr. Nancy Kay provides the perfect handbook to help guide dog owners in their quest to become the best medical advocate they can be.

She discusses:
• Finding an appropriate family veterinarian and clinic
• How to handle yourself and your dog during veterinary visits
• Current trends in veterinary medicine, surgical care, and long-term treatment
• The ins–and–outs of vaccinating dogs safely
• Tracking and researching your dog?s medical history
• Dealing with cancer and the euthanasia process
• Hundreds of common symptoms and diseases
• Which questions to ask, and how to ask them

In Chapter one Dr. Kay states the Four "Must Dos" before purchasing a purebred dog:

1. Research the inheritable diseases in the breed. - The book provides several organizations and websites that can help.
2. Learn about the preferred disease screening tests.
3. Find out how to interpret the screening test results.
4. Ask the breeder to provide documentation of all of the screening test results.

She does encourage buyers of best friends to go to rescue shelters.  However, she astutely points out that on average it takes a person about 4 minutes and 23 seconds to fall madly in love with their potential dog and that 4 minutes and 22 seconds just isn't enough time to determine everything that could be wrong with a particular dog.  Do your research before meeting the dog.

I haven't finished reading the book yet, but I have thoroughly enjoyed what I have read.  I will continue to comment on useful information that I gleen from its pages.  I'm glad that this tome is a part of my dog library and would encourage potential new dog owners as well as those that already have canine companions to add it to their libraries as well.  The book can be found here.