My Patients Like Treats: Tales from a House-Call Veterinarian

by Duncan MacVean

It’s all fun and games until somebody ends up in a cone.

Physicians used to make house calls. Today, a few veterinarians still do. Duncan MacVean, DVM, is one such vet. His patients range from cats and dogs to pigs and lizards—each of them a unique personality. Every animal and every home is different, but every owner is the same in their affection for their companions. Without warning, MacVean finds himself in odd situations: stepping into a basement full of free-flying bats or struck speechless by a pig who loves opera so much that she falls into a trance.

The hilarious and the heartbreaking come together in this collection of true tales, all gathered from his lifelong career. MacVean finds himself riding backwards atop a potbelly pig that bucks and kicks its way down the hall, knocking over a china cabinet in the process. One woman with terminal cancer earnestly wants to know where pets go when they pass away—will her beloved cat and dog join her in the afterlife? Navigating the finer elements of human and animal interaction isn’t easy. Here, MacVean provides a glimpse into his experience with such relationships, always looking for the humor and light of every situation.

With never a dull moment, his dedication to the animals of this earth and compassion for their human caretakers drives MacVean onward, from house to house, from patient to patient. This heartwarming collection of stories brings readers along for the ride, getting to know the curious creatures he treats and their perhaps sometimes even more curious humans. My Patients Like Treats is the perfect book for animal lovers or those who simply appreciate a good story.

Genres: Animals, Nonfiction, Science, Memoir, Dogs, Biography

190 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 1, 2018

Reviews

[Sammy Kutsch · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was really not what I was expecting. It was much more spiritual and philosophical than I was expecting, felt like this guy getting his philosophy of the world out there, and that’s just not what I came to this book for. The writing also felt a bit amateurish to me in a way that made it harder to get into the writing. Still some interesting tales but over the course of the book I liked it less. Also, like the other vet memoir I read, I feel that he talked about clients, especially non-white and poor clients, in ways that aren’t outright hateful but just left a bad taste in my mouth. And another thing, I know nothing about Sacramento and how often he mentioned very specific neighborhoods when not really necessary also kind of irked me.

[Laurie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had high hopes for this book based on the title-- I could imagine funny, sweet stories of people with their pets. Unfortunately the veterinarian had too much of an ego, which put an edge on some of the stories. The later part of the book was heartbreaking, about euthanizing people's very sick pets. Agony. There were a few good stories like the opera singer and his potbelly pig that would doze off when he sang.

Perhaps I'm too hard on this book because my expectations were too high.

[Jen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think this guy wrote this book just so he could tell the story of the client that tried to seduce him.

The writing was awkward and forced. If he had stuck just to funny stories about being a vet, it might have been better but he had to tell us all his opinions about things.

[Jan C · Rating 3 out of 5]

For the most part, fairly interesting. Thought the last couple of chapters kind of dragged, as if he didn't know how to end the book.

Macvean is a house call vet in Sacramento. I never knew there was such a thing. Although, years ago, when my dog was startled and found himself choking on a large bone the vet did come out in an emergency vehicle to take him in. They had to anesthetize him to get the bone out. Maybe if there were more house call vets dogs wouldn't be so afraid of seeing the vet, knowing the route and being suspicious.

Interesting stories. He even exposed his own prejudice against pit bulls. But there is a lesson there - don't judge a dog by his breed but on his own merit.

He even treats a pig. Not sure if he also did large animals. Like cows or horses. But he had previously practiced in Africa.

[Carol Jones-Campbell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked this book. It touches on one man's experiences as a veternarian and how he takes care of his patients. He spends time going to their homes and they come to his office. It is very touching. There are times too when an animal is very ill and he needs to be put to sleep. Having done that to my own cat, it really touched me and brought back many many memories and my sweet Frisco. I still miss him something fierce. Trying to get myself better so that we can have another cat in our home. He was so sick. Moving on, and a fun/sweet book.

[Joe Stack · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dogs, cats, bats, potbelly pigs. This is a nice collection of true tales covering these animals and more. It's a pleasant read with stories that bring a smile, laugh, and touch the heart. The tales show that a good veterinarian is not just treating animals with care, but also their owners who are really the focus of these adventures. The stories I enjoyed most were involved the potbelly pigs.

The quotes the author used to introduce each part are a nice touch. Here a few:

"Thousands of years ago, cats were worshipped as gods. Cats have never forgotten this." --Terry Pratchett

"Dogs look up to you, cats look down on you. Give me a pig! He looks you in the eye and treats you as an equal." --Winston Churchill

"We are all visitors to this time, this place. We are just passing through. Our purpose here is to observe, to learn, to grow, to love . . . and then we return home." --Australian Aboriginal proverb

[Lenore · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good stories. Interesting to see into the life of a vet that makes house calls. Highlights some of the weirder calls of his years and also some calls that are very happy and hopeful. The last couple chapters feature the sadder stories that are sometimes hard to read.

Some of the stories seemed a bit fake with the writing as if he didn't actually experience them. Maybe it was just a different tone of voice.

Over all, generally well written and easy to read. A quick book too; I read it in one morning.

[Mary · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF. First few chapters: Random musings about psychologically disturbed owners. Title and cover photo misleading.

[Helen Robare · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun book to read. WARNING: if you are expecting to read an author who writes like James Herriot...this book is not it. The author is a modern-day vet who makes house calls in Sacramento, CA. Some stories made me laugh, some stories made me cry, and a few left me shaking my head. A few also caused all 3 reactions.

Thankfully for my phobic self, there were no stories about snakes but there was one about bats and one about rats so if you have a problem with either of those you might want to skip the stories "Rats, Bats, and Lizards" and "Ratty yes, Batty no". But mostly the stories concern dogs and cats. There are good and mean dogs/cats featured but most of them turn out just fine. :)

So, if you like stories about vets and animals give this book a try, okay?

[Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was ok, but not really what I expected. I did enjoy about half of the interesting stories he had to tell, but didn't enjoy the other half (particularly the chapter named "Pussycat" or something like that. I don't think that the chapter really contributed to the book.) I kind of felt that the book mostly focused on the wacky owners rather than the animals. I felt the vet was interacting with the people, and there wasn't as much content involving the animals as I thought. (Like how in the Incredible Doctor Pol the doctor is mostly dealing with the animals and has a little background on the owners. But each episode mostly focuses on him interacting with the pets.) Other than that, I would recommend "All Creatures Great and Small" more.

[Nadine Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 to 4.5

I like veterinarian life books and have read a number. I enjoyed this, but not as much as many others. This is not to say it is not worth reading, just to say I wished there was more of it. He talks a lot about doing house calls. Things really special were his discussions and examples of listening, questioning, and caring in order to make diagnoses.

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Lovely Book

Not exactly James Herriot, but the author does an admirable job in describing what the life of a house call vet is like. As per usual with books about animals, some stories are funny and some are sad. It held my interest throughout, and I'm glad I read it. It confirms what I already knew: I don't want to live any part of my life without a pet.

[Annika · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe 1 or 2 good little bedtime stories in here about veterinarian house calls, but the cat story with the rich lady was totally inappropriate in here...maybe these are good in person or at a lively dinner party or passing a long flight..but I need to lay off the house calls by a medical professional memoirs for awhile.

[Taylor Segen · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you are looking for a book about veterinary medicine and a vet's close relationship with animals, di not read this. If you are looking for a book similar to the works of Nixk Trout, do not read this. If you are looking g for a book with rambling half-formed socio-economic observations you might sort of like this.

[Bev · Rating 1 out of 5]

I so looked forward to reading this book, especially because I’m a fan of Herriot. I was so disappointed. I expected to laugh out loud. First I had to get through the preface which was long and not engaging. So coming up on the stories I prepared myself for fun. Neither were uplifting and the second one was very disturbing. I returned it post haste. Now I hope I can forget what I read.

[Melissapalmer404 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a must read for animal lovers. Each chapter details the mobile vet's dealings with an animal client. He healed their owners as much as the animals. I borrowed this book from the public library.

[Margo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was my treat

I have to say the fact that I wanted to be a vet got me to read this book and I am so glad I did. Dr. MacLean is someone I would like to know and wished the pets I had would also have had the pleasure. You could feel his kindness for human and let alike.

[Irene Nowitzke · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love books about animals

Some parts were definitely better than others, but all in all, I enjoyed the stories. Sometimes the love and compassion that a vet has for animals just comes through in the way a story is told. Dr McVean seems to have that compassion.

[catcatlover · Rating 5 out of 5]

A loving vet

A house calling vet is unique in my experience and we certainly need more of them. With great love of animals and concern for the people who love them, and with much humor, this vet brings love and hope to life through the animals he treats. A few teary, but beautiful tales add to the power of this book.

[Cindy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not what I was expecting. It was a lot more stories about the owners of the animals rather than the animals themselves. A whole section of the book was about either euthanizing the pets, or of the owners dying...

[Steph · Rating 2 out of 5]

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[Shawna · Rating 2 out of 5]

The stories are about the clients and very little about the patients. I'm just more interested in the patients.

[CAROLYN · Rating 4 out of 5]

A house call vet

The sometimes funny, sometimes sad but also interesting and done with living concern. A good read for any pet owners.

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book but the last third seemed to get a little preachy. The rest was a fun glimpse of a House-Call veterinarian's funniest and most interesting encounters.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m a fool for a good animal story. Loved this a lot.

[Brenda L Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice little book.. memoir of a veterinarian who makes house calls..

[Debra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overall, a fun book to read with plenty of laugh-out-loud moments!

[Jon Koebrick · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is a collection of short stories. Some are very good including the pig stories but many were not fantastic. This was a 2.5 star book and still worth reading.
Jjj

[Terri Chapin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good stories, but some were incomplete (what happened to the man with the mental problems?). I think a good editor would have done wonders for this book

[Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s hard to top James Herriot for writing about the vet life. There were some good stories in here but the actual writing felt distant.