Love Is the Best Medicine : What Two Dogs Taught One Veterinarian About Hope, Humility, and Everyday Miracles

Amazon.com Review Lisa Scottoline Reviews Love is the Best Medicine New York Times bestselling author of Love is the Best Medicine : A couple of years ago, at the Spring Book and Author Luncheon in Charleston, South Carolina, I met a veterinarian, Thankfully, he has, and in Love is the Best Medicine , Nick radiates the exact same sensitivity, empathy, and understanding of loss that I felt the day I met him. The book features his trademark humor, with funny stories pulled from the examination rooms and operating suites of one of the top veterinary hospitals in the country, but at its heart is the true story of two dogs that you cannot help but fall in love with and root for--a Min Pin puppy named Cleo and a geriatric Cocker Spaniel named Helen. The stories of these two dogs symbolize for all of us pet people exactly what it means to love an animal--and it’s so fascinating to get the view from the other side of table. I don’t want to give too much away, but I’ll say this: as someone who knows a thing or two about losing a cherished animal, I found the story surprising and comforting. It reminded me once again that the universe works in mysterious, rich, and wonderful ways. This book, too, is rich and wonderful, and you should read it. --Lisa Scottoline (Photo © April Narby) Look Inside Love is the Best Medicine Click for larger images Cleo, 6 months old Cleo in her favorite pink bag Helen Helen playing in ivy From Veterinarian Trout offers up a surefire comfort read for Animal Planet fans with this intimate look at the lives of two dogs and the people who loved them. By focusing on the trials and tribulations of the older abandoned cocker spaniel Helena and the much-coddled miniature pincher puppy Cleo, he juxtaposes their lives and then brings them together in Boston at the Angell Animal Medical Center, where readers will find themselves in an animal ER. Deeply passionate about his work, he manages to write about his patients without anthropomorphizing. The focus here is not clinical, but rather embraces the connections we make with our pets and even animals we barely know. This book is unusual in how it emphasizes how Cleo and Helena came to be in their owners’ lives, making the final outcome of their illnesses that much more poignant. (Yes, get ready for a tear or two.) Easily traversing the border between science and society, Trout’s chronicle will appeal to readers from teens to grandparents. --Colleen Mondor

A book guaranteed to touch anyone who has ever had a beloved pet… 
 
   From instant New York Times bestseller, Dr. Nick Trout comes another touching and heartfelt story from the front lines of veterinary medicine—the story of two dogs who forever changed the way he thought about life, death, fate and love.

   Helen is an older cocker spaniel found neglected and abandoned in a restaurant parking lot one rainy night.  Despite her mangy condition and terrible smell, Ben and Eileen fall in love with the pitiful creature and decide to take her in.  But just as Helen is rescued from a sad life on the streets and enveloped in a loving home with all the creature comforts an old dog could ask for, a tumor is discovered and she's given a devastating prognosis.  All Ben and Eileen want is for Helen to beat the odds and survive for one more summer so that she can have one chance to swim in the ocean on the family's annual trip to Prince Edward Island.  In short, they want a miracle.

   Meanwhile, fourteen-month-old miniature pinscher Cleo keeps breaking one leg after another which devastates her poor owner, Sandi.  While Cleo is visiting Sandi's daughter, Sonja, in Bermuda, she succumbs to yet another fracture.  Distraught that the injury happened on her watch, Sonja makes a plan to fly Cleo to Boston to get the specialist care she needs before Sandi even finds out.  Enter Dr. Trout who presides over what should be a fairly routine surgery.   What happens next forever links two families, their dogs and a beloved veterinarian and teaches them all a lesson about grace that resonates to this day. 

   Love is the Best Medicine immerses you in the true life drama of beloved pets whose lives hang in the balance.  Every page underscores the profound bond we have with the animals in our lives and the incredible responsibility Nick carries as their healer.  Certainly Dr. Trout has an impressive array of fancy equipment, training and skills at his disposable, but his most important tool (as he persuasively illustrates here) is a fundamental belief in the power of hope, humility, and grace.  

   Wry, charming, and intensely affecting, Love is the Best Medicine is a one of a kind story only the winsome Dr. Trout could deliver and is destined to become a favorite for animal lovers.

A book guaranteed to touch anyone who has ever had a beloved pet... From instant New York Times bestseller, Dr. Nick Trout comes another touching and heartfelt story from the front lines of veterinary medicine--the story of two dogs who forever changed the way he thought about life, death, fate and love. Helen is an older cocker spaniel found neglected and abandoned in a restaurant parking lot one rainy night. Despite her mangy condition and terrible smell, Ben and Eileen fall in love with the pitiful creature and decide to take her in. But just as Helen is rescued from a sad life on the streets and enveloped in a loving home with all the creature comforts an old dog could ask for, a tumor is discovered and she's given a devastating prognosis. All Ben and Eileen want is for Helen to beat the odds and survive for one more summer so that she can have one chance to swim in the ocean on the family's annual trip to Prince Edward Island. In short, they want a miracle. Meanwhile, fourteen-month-old miniature pinscher Cleo keeps breaking one leg after another which devastates her poor owner, Sandi. While Cleo is visiting Sandi's daughter, Sonja, in Bermuda, she succumbs to yet another fracture. Distraught that the injury happened on her watch, Sonja makes a plan to fly Cleo to Boston to get the specialist care she needs before Sandi even finds out. Enter Dr. Trout who presides over what should be a fairly routine surgery. What happens next forever links two families, their dogs and a beloved veterinarian and teaches them all a lesson about grace that resonates to this day. Love is the Best Medicine immerses you in the true life drama of beloved pets whose lives hang in the balance. Every page underscores the profound bond we have with the animals in our lives and the incredible responsibility Nick carries as their healer. Certainly Dr. Trout has an impressive array of fancy equipment, training and skills at his disposable, but his most important tool (as he persuasively illustrates here) is a fundamental belief in the power of hope, humility, and grace. Wry, charming, and intensely affecting, Love is the Best Medicine is a one of a kind story only the winsome Dr. Trout could deliver and is destined to become a favorite for animal lovers.From the Hardcover edition. Author Nick Trout is back with another touching story from the front lines of veterinary medicine--a tale of two dogs who forever changed the way he thought about life, death, fate and love. His book underscores the profound bond we have with the animals in our lives and the responsibility he carries as their healer. Certainly Dr. Trout has an impressive array of fancy equipment, training and skills at his disposable, but his most important tool (as he powerfully illustrates here) is a fundamental belief in the power of hope, humility, and grace.--From publisher description.