Lucky Dog: How Being a Veterinarian Saved My Life

by Sarah Boston

Overview

Lucky Dog is a hilarious and heartwarming memoir by a renowned veterinary oncologist who tells us what we can learn about health care and ourselves from our most beloved pets.

What happens when a veterinary surgical oncologist (laymen’s term: cancer surgery doctor) thinks she has cancer herself? Enter Sarah Boston: a vet who suspects a suspicious growth in her neck is thyroid cancer. From the moment she uses her husband’s portable ultrasound machine to investigate her lump — he’s a vet, too — it’s clear this will not be your typical cancer memoir.

She takes us on a hysterical and thought-provoking journey through the human health care system from the perspective of an animal doctor. Weaving funny and poignant stories of dogs she’s treated along the way, this is an insightful memoir about what the human medical world can learn from the way we treat our canine counterparts. Lucky Dog teaches us to trust our instincts, be our own advocates, and laugh while we’re doing it.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781770893511
Publisher:	House of Anansi Press
Publication date:	06/07/2014
Pages:	312
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

DR. SARAH BOSTON is a veterinary surgical oncologist and an associate professor of surgical oncology at the University of Florida. From age six, Boston knew she wanted to become a veterinarian. She has practiced veterinary medicine in various parts of Canada, the U.S., and New Zealand. She is a former president of the Veterinary Society of Surgical Oncology. She lives in Gainesville, Florida, with her husband, who is a large animal veterinarian, their dog Rumble, and cat Romeow. Lucky Dog is her first book.

Editorial Reviews

04/28/2014
Does the world need another cancer memoir? In the case of this book, written by a Florida-based veterinarian specializing in cancer surgery who discovers she has cancer herself, the answer is an unequivocal yes. Boston expertly juxtaposes her experiences as an animal doctor and a thyroid cancer patient to show why, when it comes to cancer, she wishes she were a dog. Poignant stories of Boston’s canine cancer patients, coupled with her sharp-eyed observations as she undergoes her own treatment, help her make a case for the ways in which human health care would benefit from the high level of advocacy, compassion, and responsiveness that veterinarians routinely offer their patients. The author’s lively storytelling and wry, self-deprecating humor ensure that her story is never a drab, hospital-green perspective on illness, and readers will root for her as she faces an initial misdiagnosis, two surgeries, and an arduous radioactive iodine treatment. By the end, the good fortune mentioned in the title takes on extra meaning when Boston is finally declared to be cancer free. Readers will count themselves fortunate, too, as they accompany Boston on her unexpected journey and spend time with some wonderful dogs along the way. (June)

Publishers Weekly

…a compelling read

Huffington Post - Marilyn Linton

What a remarkable book — both howlingly funny and deeply moving. This veterinary oncologist’s story of looking after dogs and other animals, and looking after herself after her own cancer diagnosis, taught me volumes about illness, healthcare, and love. Lucky Dog shows how much we have to learn from the animals in our lives and from those who care for them.

New York Times bestselling author of The End of Yo Will Schwalbe

Boston writes with both humour and warmth, offering a self-deprecating tone and knack for colourful anecdotes.

Calgary Herald - Eric Volmers

…absorbing, heartfelt and captivating tone… revealing and engrossing

Winnipeg Free Press - Elizabeth Hopkins

…an often funny, sometimes sarcastic and always interesting account of Boston’s journey through the Canadian medical system, as compared to the veterinary healthcare system.

The Toronto Star - Laura Eggertson

What a remarkable book — both howlingly funny and deeply moving. This veterinary oncologist’s story of looking after dogs and other animals, and looking after herself after her own cancer diagnosis, taught me volumes about illness, healthcare, and love. Lucky Dog shows how much we have to learn from the animals in our lives and from those who care for them.” — Will Schwalbe, New York Times bestselling author of The End of Your Life Book Club

From the Publisher