Training Your Dog: Sean’s Book Recommendation

Veterinarians get calls every day from dog owners describing symptoms that they’re seeing in their dogs. You may have recently placed such a call yourself. Dog owners frequently end up bringing their dogs into the vet’s office when simple treatment at home might easily take care of the problem.

You’re likely wondering how you know whether home treatment or a vet visit is the best course of action for your dog. Well, that’s the topic of a great reference manual that I’ve been recommending for a while now. It’s called What’s Wrong With My Dog: A Pet Owner’s Guide to 150 Symptoms and What to Do About Them. The author, Dr. Jake Tedaldi, is a practicing veterinarian in Boston, Massachusetts. (He’s the one I interviewed on our podcast, by the way, which you can check out here.) Dr. Jake has set up this book in an easy-to-use format that will have you functional in first aid for your dog in about 20 minutes!

There are three main things that are really great about this book:

1. First Aid Kit List: Dr. Jake gives you a fairly comprehensive first aid kit list with brief descriptions of many of the items you will need so you know why you should get each one.
2. Treatment Strategies: Dr. Jake describes how to use many of the items in the first aid kit recommended in the preceding section.
3. 150 Symptoms: The bulk of the book consists of sections that first focus on the symptom (for example, “my dog has a growth” or “my dog has something stuck”). Then, it goes through various parts of your dog’s body that may be experiencing that symptom. Once you get to the section that applies to your dog’s particular situation, there are three sections to guide you through the medical thought process of how to deal with the scenario you’re seeing:
   • What to look for
   • What to do
   • When to call the doctor

I really like Dr. Jake’s book for three reasons:

1. It Grants Peace of Mind: It gives dog owners peace of mind in knowing they’re prepared and knowledgeable about how to deal with their dog’s maladies.
2. It Saves You Money: It saves most people money in vet bills in the long run. At the very least, it helps refine the conversation if you do call your veterinarian.
3. It’s Quicker, More Accurate Care for Your Dog: Many dog owners who have already read this book have told me that they now have a much clearer idea of when or when not to take their dog into the vet. They have also said that it has allowed them to communicate symptoms to the vet much more clearly, which results in quicker and more accurate care for the pooch.

If you would like to learn more about one of the best dog first aid books out there, listen to our podcast: Session 8, or look into purchasing this book: a must have for any dog owner!