Animal ER: Extraordinary Stories of Hope and Healing from one of the world's leading veterinary hospitals

by Vicki Constantine Croke

Written in collaboration with the Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine by a Boston Globe reporter and author who was granted rare access to their emergency ward, Animal ER takes us into the day-to-day drama of life on the front lines of veterinary medicine. In this premier animal facility, experts in the fields of surgery, internal medicine, cardiology, ophthalmology, and oncology provide care for patients of all shapes, sizes, and breeds. Here, operations using state-of-the-art technology go hand in hand with personal counseling for owners and pets in crisis. From a pygmy hedgehog with mites to an elephant with an eye problem to the Dalmatian who must undergo disc surgery for his back...from the close calls to the split-second decisions that can save a life, Animal ER is a moving testament to the healing powers of love and medicine-and to the timeless bond between people and their pets.

Genres: Animals, Nonfiction, Medical, Cats, Biography

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Vicki Constantine Croke has been covering pets and wildlife for more than a decade, writing the "Animal Beat" column for The Boston Globe.
Croke is the author of The Lady and the Panda, Animal ER, The Modern Ark, and has also written for Time, People, The Washington Post, and Popular Science, among others.
A former writer and producer for CNN, she has been a contributing reporter for the National Public Radio environment show "Living on Earth" and consults on film and television projects, most recently a two-hour documentary on gorillas for the A&E channel.

Reviews

[Megalion · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good read as an animal lover and longtime rescue volunteer.

Gives you a good insiders perspective on what the other side is like in the animal ER. Also useful for learning about different disorders and how miracles happen and when things just don't work.

There's a lot of sad stories but I was able to read without getting too emotional.

[Megr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having been a vet tech in specialty practices for many years, I could relate to some of the situations in this book. Not only for vet professionals, interesting (funny & enlightening) for any animal lovers.

[Petra X · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you buy this book secondhand really cheap and only use it for cleaning up animal messes then maybe its worth while, otherwise, scratch your bum, its less of a waste of time.

[Sandie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed it. Gave you a good understanding of what goes on in an animal ER!

[Lea · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a must read for animal lovers, especially if you are or aspire to be apart of the veterinary field.

[IllegallyBlind]

I read this in 4th grade. I enjoyed reading it for quiet reading time in school…until I brought it as my designated “post-standardized testing” book. I vividly remember excitedly finishing my MCAS exam, looking forward to read more about cool vet tech and exotic animal vets, and then…the chapter I started reading was the one that was alllllll about beloved pets dying and the toll that takes on owners and vets alike. Everyone else in my class was happily reading, like, diary of a wimpy kid or whatever, meanwhile I was just sat at my desk with tears silently streaming down my face lol.

[Stacie Batch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stories from a veterinary teaching hospital. Some sad and some good. But the most important out of the entire book is that animals forgive. The incredible teamwork from the vet staff, students and owners did not go unnoticed.

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

The trials, tribulations, and wonder at a veterinary ER and school.

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are interested in Emergency Medicine for Animals, this is the book for you! A writer spends time in the Tufts University School of Vet Medicine's ER for Animals. You get the excitement of the vets and assistants, the anguish of the owners, and the puzzling over the medical mysteries. No medical knowledge is needed to understand the book.

[Haley Kilgour]

Just not the book for me. The stories seemed to meander through and jump around giving information I didn’t really care about.

[Megan Trempe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was good. It was from a journalists view interviewing the doctors about critical care and exotic experiences.

[Dlora · Rating 3 out of 5]

I checked out Animal ER because I had so enjoyed Vicki Croke's handling of The Elephant Company. However, that book followed the life of James Howard Williams and read like a story. Animal ER is more a series of anecdotes illustrating the various aspects of an emergency vet hospital. While I enjoy animals and like medical details, this book was less engrossing than The Elephant Company (both nonfiction and short stories are usually on my less-liked lists). However, I was fascinated by the similarities and dissimilarities of animal versus human medical procedures. Did you know that very few animals can be resuscitated unlike humans (code blue!)? (A fun tidbit was learning that animals "are particularly drawn to items that smell like their beloved owners," which is why veterinarians are often pulling out underpants and nylons from a dog's innards.) Very few pets carry medical insurance,unlike humans, which makes decisions about medical procedures more complicated. Nor do animals have a voice to explain where they are hurting, when their pain began, or if they want to keep trying or give up. In fact, the chapter that hit me the hardest was "Tough Decisions: When to End the Suffering and When To Keep Trying." I couldn't help comparing these decisions about putting a pet down with end-of-life decisions for a human life. How do you weigh cost versus gain, level of suffering, quality of life, persevering or giving up? How much time remaining to be with loved ones is worth the trade off?

Pet ICU is front-line emotion, where owners frantically rush the very most traumatized animals. "It's not unheard of for an admitting resident to see every patient die within a shift." One doctor said that in explaining a pet's chances, she felt her job was to understand the owners' relationship with their pet and get a sense of how they feel. "The hardest thing is, I think, not saying anything until you get a clue as to where they're leaning. I never want to prematurely push anyone in any direction. But when I hear their leanings, I can encourage them toward that." I think I expected this book to be more like James Herriot's, All Creatures Great and Small, the humorous, sweet story of a country vet. This book is more technical, more informational, more high powered, and perhaps better likened to TV's ER.

[Lori Schiele · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Animal ER" was a well-written book that well described the ins and outs of a veterinary emergency hospital (at Tufts University): from the varied and often bizarre cases that are seen, to the type of people it takes to do such a stressful, yet rewarding job. The staff of a veterinary ER/ICU is much like one big family.

I would have given the book 5 stars, however, for me, although I greatly enjoyed the book, it also reminded me of how much I still miss my old job. I spent over 15 years working in a veterinary ICU and they were some of the best times of my life. To see a nearly-dead animal arrive and, a week later, watch it leave--once again happy and healthy--with its thankful owners is a feeling like no other. To stay hours after your shift, to go that extra mile, to work hard and pray hard in order to save the life of an animal is simply incredible. As I mentioned above, it was a very stressful job, but more rewarding than anyone could ever imagine. Having to give it up due to health issues was a traumatic experience for me, and I still miss it every single day.

But for anyone who is interested in seeing "inside the ICU", Animal ER is clear and concise and true to life. It can be read by older children and adults alike. There are happy moments and sad moments, but in the end--like the job itself--they all even out and make every single moment worthwhile.

[Maggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This should be required reading for every veterinary medical and veterinary technology student.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not for the faint of heart and a good primer for those drawn to working with animals, especially in the vet field.

[Joanna Casale · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved reading the stories however found this to be a poorly written book with many errors.

[Krisi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing! Recommended for any animal lover.