Good books for pre-vets?

nohika · Nov 28, 2009

I do enjoy reading. Lots. (Good thing, since I'll be doing a ton).

Anyways, I was just wondering if anyone had any good ideas on (as a pre-vet student) what books to look at? In particular, I'm looking for books that may/may not detail what vet school is like...or also, generally anything. I always love reading about "case studies" (I think they're called?) as they are interesting as well.

I have most of the James Herriot books and love them, also. 😳

Thanks in advance!

twelvetigers · Nov 28, 2009

Here's a link to a thread in which I link to another thread. Seems to happen a lot. 🙂

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=609938

nohika · Nov 28, 2009

twelvetigers said:
Here's a link to a thread in which I link to another thread. Seems to happen a lot. 🙂

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=609938

Thanks super much! 😀

aspiringDVM · Nov 28, 2009

Not so much about life in vet school, but "Equine ER: Stories From a Year in the Life of an Equine Veterinary Hospital " by Leslie Guttman was quite good. I also enjoyed "Tell me where it hurts," by some vet whose name I've forgotten.

twelvetigers · Nov 28, 2009

^ Nick Trout. You'll see that all over these two threads (now three) so you might as well grab that one the next time you're out. 😉

sumstorm · Nov 28, 2009

Dodman writes about vet behavior in companion animals. Ken Ramirez (not a dvm) has a good book about animal training in zoos that is very behavior oriented. Sophia Yin writes some good stuff for training via a vet behaviorist's views. And just for entertainment and methods of managing people and animals: 'Don't shoot the dog' and 'what shamu taught me'

I have some other titles around here about becoming a vet, but will have to look at them. I think the book about getting into vet school is decent (don't remember the name) and I also read 'med school confidential' which isn't quite the same as vet school, but helped open my eyes to the realization that I would need to adjust my study habits to each class.

I also read a lot about accupuncture in animals, behavior, and business, which I think helps me now.

If you are interested in general brain stuff (human but you may recognize some similar stuff in animals) Oliver Sacks is good.

jpeterman13 · Nov 28, 2009

I just bought a copy of the Nick Trout book on Amazon for $0.33 🙂 ($4.32 w/ shipping)

sofficat · Nov 29, 2009

😍 Tell Me Where It Hurts. LOVE it! Got my mom to read it and she loved it too! (although she didn't understand all of it (vet lingo), she thought it was such a great book!)

bunnity · Nov 29, 2009

I probably suggested this in the other thread, but Every Second Counts (about the development of open heart surgery) has a lot of very interesting medical information, both about animals and humans, and was (for me) a very eye opening look at how we used to do research on animals only decades ago.

If you're into horses I think the Monty Roberts book (Horse Whisperer?) is a great read; whether or not you agree with his training methods, he has had a fascinating life. I will warn you that the earlier parts about his childhood can be disturbing.

lailanni · Nov 29, 2009

Too bad you weren't here, I would have given you the Nick Trout book. People keep on giving me copies and in all honesty I don't enjoy his writing style. His "story within a story" approach is annoying to me but seems to do the trick for many people. Perhaps I should write a book about being a vet student. But something tells me that 180 pages of "and then she went home to study" isn't going to sell...

An interesting read is Kicked, Bitten and Scratched - though it's about training and not really vet related.

david594 · Nov 29, 2009

I thought Tell Me Where it Hurts was a fun read and would recommend it. I'm pretty biased though as I worked at one of the Angell shelters and I really love the organization as a whole. Animal Hospital is also a good book if you want a little more perspective on Angell from the mid 90's.

http://www.amazon.com/Animal-Hospit...=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1259481107&sr=1-6

purplepup21 · Nov 29, 2009

lalzi22 · Nov 29, 2009

are people forgetting the vet classic all creatures great and small?? classic... and for kids- but thats fine.

dyachei · Nov 29, 2009

purplepup21 said:
the rhino with glue-on shoes was also a good read! it is a collection of short stories from zoo/exotic animal vets.

I have to weigh in on this one. I read this book and was not impressed. A lot of the stories were dry and I found it hard to motivate myself to finish reading the book. Although I love exotic animal medicine and I value the challenges such vets face, this book did not do the best job of making those entertaining.

cuitlamiztli · Nov 29, 2009

dyachei said:
I have to weigh in on this one. I read this book and was not impressed. A lot of the stories were dry and I found it hard to motivate myself to finish reading the book.

I agree--I got maybe halfway through before I stopped reading it. And it was hard to stay interested in what I did read... but to each their own, I suppose.

I'll second Kicked, Bitten, and Scratched, and will third or whatever Tell Me Where it Hurts. Also, as I mentioned on the other thread, I thought that The Trouble With Lions (by Jerry Haigh) was excellent. I know I've got more recommendations, but I can't remember what they are for the life of me...

twelvetigers · Nov 29, 2009

How about Life of Pi? Lol.

aspiringDVM · Nov 29, 2009

twelvetigers said:
How about Life of Pi? Lol.

I loved that book! Not even sophomore lit could ruin it for me 😀

Trilt · Nov 29, 2009

This isn't a novel or anything, but I received If Only You Knew How Much I Smell You as a gift at one point, and it is a really nice coffee table book/something to flip through quickly. The pictures and poems are really well-suited for one another.

Sophie10 · Nov 29, 2009

I loved Wesley the Owl by Stacey O'Brien. Not much veterinary information, but it was probably the best animal book I've ever read. Also, it was really interesting to learn about a species I knew nothing about.

sumstorm · Nov 29, 2009

OK, I recently received "from the back row" by Dr. Dean Scott. I recommend it. Every line in it was something I could appreciate as part of the vet school experience:

Such as:

"After perusing the exam just handed out, you have to ask the person next to you what class this is"

"a 7.0 unit class with only one test- the final"

"after a pathology wetlab focusing on thoracic abnormalities, you find yourself craving barbecued ribs"

causticus · Dec 1, 2009

More of a general animal book than a veterinary book, but... Enslaved by Ducks, by Bob Tarte. His writing style is very entertaining; this book actually made me laugh out loud at several points.

luplodw · Dec 1, 2009

I didn't really like Water for Elephants. I found it pretty boring

Shanomong · Dec 1, 2009

nohika · Dec 1, 2009

Thanks all of you! 🙂 I've ordered four of the books so far from my college library's lending program - two of them are shipped so far (If Wishes were Horses and Stories of the ER Equine Vet) so hopefully I'll get them by the end of the week. Just in time for finals, haha! 🙄

sumstorm · Dec 1, 2009

Here are a few more:

All my patients have tales
No dogs in heaven?
memoirs of a pet therapist
Pets in America (not about vets, but about consumer driven animal care)
Life at the Zoo
through a dog's ears (about the use of sound to improve pet health)
altruistic armadilos, zenlike zebras (interesting essays about wild animals)
the emotional life of animals (general pet/animal stuff)

Anything by Dr. Temple Grandin

Good books for pre-vets?

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