Best small animal vetrinary books according to redditors

In general all dogs come in low, medium and high energy. For these breeds that means 2, 3 or 4+ minimum hours of exercise a day to keep them under control. Most people, honestly, wont be able to to deliver 2 hours of exercise let alone the other levels. Exercise for a Husky isn't just sniffing about in a park. They need intensive play and running to keep them balanced. The Akita needs puzzles as well as they're a but more intelligent.

It is possible to get a dog that will be happy with 1 hour but there is NO way of telling the energy level of your dog as a puppy (you can read about this on the GREAT book The Dogs Mind ). This means it's a lottery that most people shouldn't play. It's better to get a rescue over 18 months so you can see it's personality/energy levels.

Both Akitas and Husky require a very disciplined handler. If you lose your temper both dogs will start to not respect you and then they become very disobedient/unruley. Both (but particularly Akitas) are VERY stubborn, both are highly inquisitive and both have very high prey drives. They will chase cats, birds, small dogs, deer and one I know chases Dustman's Lorries. Getting these habits under control takes a lot of work and calm methodical application of training techniques over months if not years. Often it means changing where you walk the dog which can be very inconvenient for the owner (some are too bored in local parks and cause problems but are fine in local woods for example).

Both are very mouthy (but especially Akitas) during adolescence and many people think they're being bitten but it's just play. All spitz breed dogs play in similar ways and it often involves chasing and biting the neck of the other dog as well as running along side and barging each other (simulated hunting). Inexperienced owners fail to see when it's gone from play to harassment and potential danger for the 'victim' dog. It's normal behaviour and should be allowed but stopped as soon as the other dogs shows stress or either owner shows stress. With the high prey drive this can be very tricky to do.

The Husky doesn't really benefit from being left alone for more than a few hours a day while the Akita is more independent and some can be trained to tolerate being left for four hours a day. This doesn't fit with most peoples lifestyle though.

They are both loyal and are VERY rewarding dogs but you need to be prepared to change your whole life to suit the dog or be prepared to give up the dog if you can't do the best for it (this is hard for the human, the dog is honestly fine after a few days in a new stable pack).

After Twilight (the movie) many wolf like dogs (spitz breed) are trapped in houses that can't cope leading to aggressive dogs and frightened owners. My vet has destroyed more in the last five years than in the previous fifteen years because owners are in way too deep and the dog's bitten them or worse a child. Both breeds can easily make mistakes they are life changing for the recipient of the mistake.

Sorry for the rant but they really aren't dogs for the faint hearted.

The Cat http://www.amazon.com/Cat-Clinical-Medicine-Management-1e/dp/1437706606/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1411319624&sr=1-1&keywords=cats+susan is one of the best out there at the moment, in my opinion.

this is basic veterinary physiology, typically taught in first year of vet school. I'm not recommending that you purchase a copy, but a common text is Ettinger's.

I agree that you should have your cat evaluated by a veterinarian, but to answer your question there are different gold standard books for each discipline. If I were only able to read one veterinary medicine book again I would probably choose Ettinger's Textbook of Veterinary Internal Medicine which is often considered the gold standard for medicine.

https://www.amazon.com/Textbook-Veterinary-Internal-Medicine-Consult/dp/032331211X/



To name some of the others for small animals (in my opinion)

Dermatology - Muller & Kirk

Infectious Disease - Greene or Sykes

Ophthalmology - Gelatt

Critical Care - Hopper/Silverstein

Oncology - Withrow

Pharmacology - Plumb's

Radiology - Thrall

Surgery - Tobias or Fossum

Orthopedics - Brinker / Piermattei

Here's a huge batch of advice from Behavior Problems of the Dog and Cat. You probably don't need all of it, because your dogs probably aren't as out of control as most dogs that get referred to clinical behaviorists. But I think you'll find some good ideas here:

• Identify all situations in which the aggression occurs so that the possibility of conflicts and competition can be minimized

• If aggression during feeding is an issue, feed the dogs in different parts of the house

• Do not allow the dogs to greet visitors or family members excitedly together. Teach them to sit and stay quietly during greetings

• Do not allow the dogs to run the fence line aggressively together. Block access to windows where the pets demonstrate territorial aggression

• Deny free access to highly desirable objects for which the pets might compete (raw hide, bones)

• Use control devices such as leashes, head halters, or muzzles to ensure that no family members or pets are injured

• Separate the dogs entirely where necessary, at least at times when aggression might occur. Use separate crates or kennels or house in separate areas of the home

• Avoid physical punishment and harsh scoldings. The goal is to make the dogs more relaxed around each other and this is less likely to take place if either dog receives something aversive in the presence of the other

• The initial goal is for owners to have sufficient control of both dogs when they are at home so that the dogs respond appropriately when the owners are present. Each dog should be trained separately to respond immediately to commands to sit, stay, come, leave it, go to its bed and watch

• Both dogs should be on a “sit for all interactions” program

• Once the family members have sufficient control of each dog, the dogs can be reintroduced on walks and then in the home

• Any acceptable social interaction or behavior should be reinforced with praise and/or food

• It is not a matter of who gets rewards first but rather which behaviors need to be shaped and rewarded. Reward appropriate behavior and prevent undesirable behavior. Identify triggers for aggression and either prevent or train and reward alternative desirable behaviors

If and when the owners have sufficient verbal and physical control (e.g. head halter) for safe reintroduction, they might then begin reward training and counterconditioning in those situations that have not historically led to problems (preferably with physical control of a head halter and one handler per dog). Initial reintroduction might begin on walks. The pets should be closely watched for appropriate social behavior and reinforced with praise and food (unless giving treats is a trigger for aggression). Each time there are any signs of arousal, the dog can be requested to “Leave it” or “Watch” using an upbeat tone. Over many walks, the dogs are walked closer and closer together until the entire walk goes smoothly without the need for distraction or interruption. Then, when the dogs come back into the house, they might hang out together on leashes (with head halter if needed). Resources over which the dogs might fight should be removed. The entire time that the dogs are together, the owner is watching and giving commands and rewards for behaviors that will avoid situations in which fights might arise. Anytime either of the dogs shows signs of arousal that might precede aggression, the owner should call one of the dogs or give a cue to “Leave it” or “Watch” (with the aid of the leash if needed) and have the dog sit, or send it to its bed. This sequence mimics normal disengagement body language of averting the gaze and stepping away. Over time, the dogs should look to the owner for help when they are anxious about interactions. Over time, it might be possible to reward train, desensitize, and countercondition near resources and in the situations where the dogs formerly would fight, although in some cases it might be most prudent simply to avoid the situation, if possible.

Once the dogs are more relaxed and under dependable family control, the conditioning can take place in a variety of controlled situations. In some cases, the family can only hope to have the dogs together with supervision to police the dogs’ actions, and control access to resources.

Would you find this textbook helpful? If so I can send it to you.

Take some time to really consider what kind of dog you want to shape. Imagine a few years from now, the things you'd like to do with your dog, how youd like them to be have, how close your like the relationship to be. When you have a fleshed out idea, start to work on obedience, socialising, play times, and activities that build the relationship youd like.

Then enlist a trainer, educate yourself with YouTube advisory dog trainers like Robert Cabral, John Fischer, stoney Dennis, and research the malinois breed...but maybe get a DNA test done to know for sure what you are dealing with. Breeds have general behaviour and character types that can help when assessing your dog in the future.

Above all rember the 3 most important things; dogs are family, dogs must behave to be fed, and playtime/ walks are training (really).

Have fun!! Lots of it!! My mal has changed my life and I'm rapid cycle bipolar!!

If you need a few links:

Robert Cabral on Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjYrEepn8OLXXzW5rcpXO8PA-mkfEcaUd

Stoney Dennis; Malinois Puppy Training Pt1:
https://youtu.be/nWt78FjS05k

John Fisher; Think Dog:
Think Dog: An Owner's Guide to Canine Psychology https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1844037096/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_nc.2CbR84JMG2

The Cat is a good one. Ettinger is also good, but not just feline.

I don't understand why you would spend your money on it though. The majority of information will be excessive or possibly out of date if you ever need it. Just trust your vet! There are also different ways of doing things that may not be "textbook" but work with more limited equipment and budget.

Nelson and Couto for IM questions http://www.amazon.com/Small-Animal-Internal-Medicine-5e/dp/0323086829

Fossum for surgery. http://www.amazon.com/Small-Animal-Surgery-Theresa-Fossum/dp/0323100791/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1415243914&sr=1-1&keywords=fossum+surgery

That's plenty to get started.

This is what I bought. The book was obviously re-bound without disclosure.

Are you a veterinarian or student? Just judging by the book.