1 comments about Loaches: Natural History and Aquarium Care.

1. Very informative book on loaches. Everything you need to know and many different loaches in this book!

5 comments about Hound Health Handbook: The Definitive Guide to Keeping Your Dog Happy, Healthy & Active.

1. I love this book! It's easy to understand and offers ALOT of information. I found out about it through "Animal Wellness Magazine" and decided to look it up on Amazon... luckily they sell it!! The book is priced very reasonable for all the information it packs. I collect dog books and this is one that should be added to ANY dog owners collection. If you don't have a single dog book or one on dog health - then you should buy this one! The index makes it easy to find a topic quickly.
   Yappy Reading!



2. This is a must have for any dog owner. It covers it all. From puppyhood to senior dogs (and resources for when your dog is gone), it tackles all the tough questions. It's like the "What to Expect When You Are Expecting" series but for dogs or like WebMD for dogs.
   
   Every time my dogs sneezes too many times, I pick up the book. If he's panting too much, I pick up the book. It calms my fears and lets me know when I need to call the vet for things. We recently had to put our dog to sleep and it described the process step-by-step so we knew what to expect once we got to the vet office.
   
   I really can't say enough about this book other than I wish I had found it a few years earlier.



3. This is one of the best and aptly name guidebooks offering credible advise on health, nutrition, common problems and prevention for hounds. Written by a writer-turned-vet, the book did exactly what the author had set out to do: "To save people from making unnecessary trips to the vet, and yet rush them in when their dogs really needed to be there".
   
   Having three dogs of my own, I could recount ad nauseam first-hand horror encounters with vets who were either too commercial or inexperienced or mediocre or all of the above: there was this one vet who told me something as ridiculous as neutering my dog would give him testicular cancer (huh?!); another who misdiagnosed the onset of ringworm as a mere scratch on its paw (later developed into full-blown skin infection afflicting me in the process); another who wanted to jump into operating on my dog following a mere bout of vomiting (the book discussed at length many useful home remedies before resolving to show up at the vet's clinic!); and yet another who urged me to wait it out until my puppy had been through one or two heat cycles before getting her spayed for no apparent reason (the book brought to my attention this delay would increase the incidence of breast tumor by 28%, no different from a dog who was never spayed in her entire life!). More often than not, I have experienced vets who shoved me out of their consulting rooms in a little more than 5 minutes without first hearing out the history/symptoms in full or performed detailed enough physical examination before formalizing on some half-baked diagnosis. Call it a streak of bad luck but I have been through enough vets to know that the best thing you could do to your beloved pets is to equip yourself with as much knowledge as possible in both prevention - whipping up a wholesome diet, social and exercise program - and cure when the inevitable hits home - knowing how to tell the grass from the weed in your pursuit of a vet and the book does precisely that.
   
   In spite of my reservation over the author's advocacy over commercial pet food (fellow reviewers may wish to refer to Ann Martin's "Food Pets Die For: Shocking Facts About Pet Food" and its sequel, "Protect Your Pet: More Shocking Facts" and learn why vets unanimously endorse pet food ad nauseam), as well as tune in on Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs & Cats for recipes and holistic/alternative medicine, this book is still highly recommended for its comprehensibility, readability and generosity of medical information from the viewpoint of a vet! A must-read!



4. Anything and everything you would want to know about the health of your pet. Use this book when going to the vet to educate yourself about the medications and issues the vet addresses. Determine if those tests are really necessary. Find out what medications are most often used for various ailments. This really is the definitive guide.



5. Excellent book, answers all problems and potential problems of all breeds, from puppies to senior dogs... Betsy Brevitz has all quality to be an excellent writer as well as a doctor, most informative dog health book I've ever read, but still light, fun and easy to read even for dummies (like me), who doesn't understand many hospital's vocabularies... a MUST BUY for a dog owner, dogs owner or even a breeder!

1 comments about Horse Packing: A Manual of Pack Transportation.

1. Horse Packing is an illuminating view into the practice of using horses to pull wagons. Since this is one of the oldest forms of transportation, it is also one of the most important, and this book is a great way to learn about it in greater detail.

2 comments about Dogo Argentino: A Comprehensive Owner's Guide (Kennel Club Dog Breed Series).

1. This book is truly a comprehensive guide to owning this wonderful breed. There's a lot a potential owner need to know about this breed before taking ownership of one and this book tackles that issue plus extensively covers feeding, training, and caring for your Dogo.
   
   This book is a must read for future and current Dogo owners!



2. This book was so helpful in understanding the history,characteristics and special qualities of this breed. The pictures are great and the section on puppy care, training, healthcare and everyday care were especially helpful. I would recommend this book to anyone who is a first time Dogo owner as we were!

No comments about Cat-titudes to Live By.

3 comments about Trick Training Your Horse to Success.

1. For example, one of the tools she recommends is the halter with chain over the nose for more "persuasive" effect. Unless you know already how to use this halter, don't start here. This type of halter can seriously hurt a horse unless used properly.



2. Jan's book is the best book I've read on the subject of trick training for horses. I own other trick training books (and videos) and if you own Jan's book, you can pitch the others. She explains each concept simply and includes training "keys" and "tips" that are absolutes! She also includes some notes of caution - things that you need to watch out for. Learning from her experience makes trick training fun and easy! I highly recommend this book!



3. This is an excellent book for anyone--not just someone who wants to train their horse to do tricks. It builds a better partnership and teaches the horse to be more responsive. Jan's explanations are clear--things that anyone can follow at home. The proof of her methods of training are in the horses she shows & the rave reviews of people who buy her foals. Her stallion, TS Black Tie Affair, has won world championships in many events and competes in everything from halter to dressage to speed classes! He's always good tempered and has excellent manners. And he loves to demonstrate his tricks!!! For those of you who are spotted horse fans, you'll love the illustrations in this book--they're all Pintos!

5 comments about The Encyclopedia of Natural Pet Care.

1. This book is a wonderful reference book for all pet medical needs. It helps when your vet is not readily available (weekends). It describes many illnesses and conditions, what you can do to help keep your pet healthy.



2. This was one of the few decent references I used in preparing my books, 8 Weeks to a Healthy Dog, The Allergy Solution for Dogs, and the award-winning The Natural Health Bible for Dogs & Cats. The book is well written and easy to understand, yet informative for owners who would like to explore natural care for their pets.



3. We are very new to the holistic care for pets ... and we were looking to find a good book that would introduce us to this more natural method of looking after our dogs ...

   Ms. Puotinen's book is everything that we could have asked for ... her first few chapters takes the beginner gently through the methods, means, whys and wherefore of holistic care. Her writing is clear, concise and sure ...

   The rest of the book is (to our mind) quite detailed, with lots of specifics ... and we suspect will cater even for the more experienced.

   The book takes the reader from feeding raw food & supplements, to aromatherapy & homeopathy, and even guides the reader through the more esoteric art of flower therapy and massage for pets. There is a wonderful chapter on common ailments and possible natural remedies.

   The author draws from numerous sources of information & reference (all carefully indexed and referenced) and she reproduces conversations & interviews with other practitioners of the art (including vets). To beginners such as us, this is quite essential ... and we found great comfort, to learn that holistic care is not only an ancient art but is still actively practised today (and gaining much ground), by even those with medical and professional qualifications.

   Interesting reading ... offering much to those willing to learn. Well worth the time and cost ...




4. Because many natural remedies are ancestors to our modern pharmacopia, care must be taken with all drugs you give your pet. Please use these books carefully and under the supervision of your veterinarian. There is a reason why we are required to attend four years of post-undergraduate medical school in order to prescribe drugs and make medical decisions. All animals are complex organisms who vary widely among species and individuals. Drugs and herbal remedies that may be safe and effective in humans can kill cats and dogs. These species variations are not well understood, especially with regards to herbal medications. For example, onions can be deadly to cats, as can Tylenol (a drug that we feel is safe even for human children). Please don't leave your common sense at the (e)bookstore door. Saving money on veterinary care by using a book may cost you the life of your pet.



5. This is an excellent book. It provided me with the information that I needed to save the lives of some puppies that were malnourished and dehydrated at 3 weeks of age due to the loss of thier mom. I would have lost the litter with out this book. I have since bought a goat....

1 comments about The Dog Who Came to Stay: A Memoir.

1. I didn't know what to expect when I ordered this book, but it had a title similar to another book I just read, so I was curious. When I read the introduction, I realized that this was a book written almost half a century ago and reissued recently. I learned that Hal Borland had died in the 1970s, but had been a prolific writer about many things and especially outdoor life. His story about the dog who chose to stay with him and his wife began on Christmas night and continues over the ensuing years. His descriptions of the dog, Pat, his rural life as a writer, sportsman, and gardener are completely absorbing. They draw you into the world of the upper Connecticut valley by the Housatonic River. I soon began to wonder about his wife, Barbara, and found that her obituary had just been published in the NY Times on the day I looked for reference to her in Google. I felt a real sense of loss at that. This is how Hal Borland's wonderful descriptive writing lead me to feel as though I was back in time and there with them over 50 years ago. Most of all, Pat, his dog, comes alive as a unique yet thoroughly doglike personality who charms and delights the reader. Pat is just one more example of why humans love dogs so much.

1 comments about The Mammals of Minnesota.

1. I purchased the book as text for Mammology class @ BemidjI State University. The Author taught the course and related that he could find no book that gave the imformation as he wanted it presented. So he wrote the book as he saw it should be presented. The diagrams and dentition were fascinatiing. The range maps were entlightening. The book was organized by all the different orders of the mammal family. I am glad to return it to my collection of reference books.

3 comments about Speed Train Your Own Bird Dog.

1. I returned this book the day I rcvd it. All it took is for me to flip through the pages and see the trainer recommending giving a knee to teach the dog not to jump up and then the very disturbing picture of him teaching "whoa" using a rope thrown over a tree while tied to the dogs neck while standing on a barrel.
   I have worked around horses and dogs for many years and certainly advocate force when necessary. However, I feel that there are many more ways to train a dog than using the types of methods mentioned above-hence why I returned it.



2. I purchased this book when I unexpectedly had a new german shorthair puppy to train. I purchased it because it had an extensive section on puppy training and I was anxious to get started. I also soon purchased several other bird dog training books, including some very famous ones, but I kept coming back to Larry Muellers book. I like his attitude toward dogs and his willingness to go against commonly held beliefs and techniques. He is a very obsevant man who incorporates the latest dog psychology into his obsevations. The emphasis is on avoiding mistakes or techniques which cause setbacks and cost you time to correct. This gives you a lot of insight into dogs minds and training in general. Most importantly every technique he recommended WORKED! I cannot say that about any of the other books. Also every thing that he said to avoid that I did not manage to avoid cost me time. He was right. I have repeatedly received compliments on my dogs performance and manners even by pros. The biggest factor in that was this book. This is an excellent book to purchase before acquiring a pup. His puppy training section(2-4months old) is extensive, excellent and effective. He also has techniques for selecting a pup which make a lot of sense.



3. Larry Mueller offers his unique way of speed training a bird dog, however, I do feel that his techniques are stressing to a dog - especially a sensitive dog or a young dog (say six-months). Larry does offer some excellent ways to train your dog on the basic obedience/hunting commands, but his use of force training goes beyond my personal preference. If you are a first-time trainer, training your own dog, this book is excellent - if you approach training with love and patience. Remember, you are training a friend and companion, not a strickly business hunting dog.