Summer Reading

Here were some of my favorite books from my Summer Reading List:

• “If Wishes Were Horses: The Education of a Veterinarian” by Loretta Gage, DVM
  • From Library Journal: Loretta Gage always wanted to become a veterinarian but had allowed herself to be sidetracked until, at the tender age of 34, she became the oldest student at Colorado State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine after applying for admission three times. Writing with her sister Nancy, Gage describes her early life, her experiences in veterinary school, and some of her early postgraduation “clients.” While an interesting success story, her book is even more valuable because it describes veterinary course work in detail and the concentrated effort that it requires.
  
  
• “The Rhino with the glue on shoes”
  • This book is full of stories of zoo and wildlife veterinarians from all over the world, very exciting and easy read. There is even a story about a veterinarian helping a Goldfish! From Amazon.com: A moray eel diagnosed with anorexia…A herd of bison whose only hope is a crusading female doctor from Paris…A vet desperately trying to save an orphaned whale by unraveling the mystery of her mother’s death…This fascinating book offers a rare glimpse into the world of wild animals and the doctors who care for them. Here pioneering zoological veterinarians—men and women on the cutting edge of a new medical frontier—tell real-life tales of daring procedures for patients weighing tons or ounces, treating symptoms ranging from broken bones to a broken heart, and life-and-death dramas that will forever change the way you think about wild animals and the bonds we share with them. At once heart-quickening and clinically fascinating, the stories in this remarkable collection represent some of the most moving and unusual cases ever taken on by zoological vets. A chronicle of discovery, compassion, and cutting-edge medicine, The Rhino with the Glue-On Shoes is must reading for animal lovers, science buffs, and anyone who loves a well-told tale.
  
  
• “Appointments at the end of the World: Memoirs of a Wildlife Veterinarian” by William B. Karesh D.V.M.
  • From Amazon.com: Ever since his childhood days of rescuing, raising, and releasing orphaned blue jays and raccoons, William B. Karesh knew that working with wild animals was his calling. After training as a veterinarian and working for years with zoo animals, he developed the International Field Veterinary Program (IFVP) for the Wildlife Conservation Society, providing advice and assistance to conservation programs worldwide. His adventures battling bureaucrats, poachers, and other short-sighted humans while endangered animals lay sick and dying are recounted in Appointment at the Ends of the World. The book is an exciting, inspiring read that appeals to animal lovers, environmentalists, and devotees of amazing stories alike. From Borneo to Zaire, Karesh has shuttled through much of the world to bring much-needed medicines and surgical techniques to populations of animals that can’t afford to lose even one to disease or injury. Plenty of illustrations and color plates bring the rhinos, peccaries, and macaws helped by the good doctor vividly to life, and the maps and sidebars help the reader achieve a sense of place missing from so many world-spanning books. Appointment at the Ends of the World is as certain to enrage as it is to delight; more than this, though, it kindles the desire to reach out and help those in need. –Rob Lightner