Love Is the Best Medicine - by Nick Trout (Paperback)

About the Book

Bestselling author Trout shares another touching and heartfelt story from the front lines of veterinary medicine--a tale of two dogs who forever changed the way he thought about life, death, fate, and love.

Book Synopsis

A book guaranteed to touch anyone who has ever had a beloved pet...

From instant New York Times bestseller, Dr. Nick Trout comes another touching and heartfelt story from the front lines of veterinary medicine--the story of two dogs who forever changed the way he thought about life, death, fate and love.

Helen is an older cocker spaniel found neglected and abandoned in a restaurant parking lot one rainy night. Despite her mangy condition and terrible smell, Ben and Eileen fall in love with the pitiful creature and decide to take her in. But just as Helen is rescued from a sad life on the streets and enveloped in a loving home with all the creature comforts an old dog could ask for, a tumor is discovered and she's given a devastating prognosis. All Ben and Eileen want is for Helen to beat the odds and survive for one more summer so that she can have one chance to swim in the ocean on the family's annual trip to Prince Edward Island. In short, they want a miracle.

Meanwhile, fourteen-month-old miniature pinscher Cleo keeps breaking one leg after another which devastates her poor owner, Sandi. While Cleo is visiting Sandi's daughter, Sonja, in Bermuda, she succumbs to yet another fracture. Distraught that the injury happened on her watch, Sonja makes a plan to fly Cleo to Boston to get the specialist care she needs before Sandi even finds out. Enter Dr. Trout who presides over what should be a fairly routine surgery. What happens next forever links two families, their dogs and a beloved veterinarian and teaches them all a lesson about grace that resonates to this day.

Love is the Best Medicine immerses you in the true life drama of beloved pets whose lives hang in the balance. Every page underscores the profound bond we have with the animals in our lives and the incredible responsibility Nick carries as their healer. Certainly Dr. Trout has an impressive array of fancy equipment, training and skills at his disposable, but his most important tool (as he persuasively illustrates here) is a fundamental belief in the power of hope, humility, and grace.

Wry, charming, and intensely affecting, Love is the Best Medicine is a one of a kind story only the winsome Dr. Trout could deliver and is destined to become a favorite for animal lovers.

Review Quotes

"Nick Trout is back with a follow-up to his best-selling Tell Me Where It Hurts: A Day of Humor, Healing, and Hope in My Life as an Animal Surgeon. It's filled with the same engaging writing readers now expect from Trout, who is often compared to James Herriot. And as lovers of dog stories know, that is a very good thing."
--USA Today

Veterinarian Trout offers up a surefire comfort read for Animal Planet fans with this intimate look at the lives of two dogs and the people who loved them...Easily traversing the border between science and society, Trout's chronicle will appeal to readers from teens to grandparents."
--Booklist

"What he's really writing about, and teaching the rest of us, is how to truly live."
--The Free Lance-Star

"Trout, a surgeon at Boston's Angell Animal Medical Center and best-selling author of Tell Me Where It Hurts, delivers his heartfelt account with a humorous introspection that reaffirms the extraordinary level of caring veterinarians can have for their patients. Highly recommended for lovers of animals of all shapes and sizes."
--Library Journal

"Dr. Trout has given us a remarkable love story, reminding us of the preciousness of every life, human or animal."
-- Jeffrey Zaslow, coauthor of The Last Lecture

"Helen and Cleo are simply two of the most unforgettable canine souls I've ever encountered. Written with candor, wisdom, and empathy, Love is the Best Medicine will change everything you thought you knew about the impact pets can have on our lives. If you've ever loved a dog, this is the book for you!"
--Gwen Cooper, author of Homer's Odyssey

"I sat in my human mom's lap while she read Love is the Best Medicine. She liked it a lot and said 'Everyone should read this book!' She laughed, and I had to lick the tears from her cheeks when she cried."
-- Bogie, dog of New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber

"A riveting emotional roller coaster into the behind the scenes life of a veterinarian."
--Temple Grandin, author of Animals in Translation and Animals Make us Human

"Dr. Nick Trout's latest work is an unflinchingly honest journey through love, loss, and redemption. This is a book not only for anyone who has ever loved an animal, but for all who have loved. Dr. Trout allows us an intimate glimpse into the heart of a veterinary surgeon, and the souls of the patients he fights to save. There are many lessons here: of hope conquering fear, joy triumphing over grief, and family getting us through it all. "
-Dr. Louise Murray, author of Vet Confidential

"This beautifully written book is from the heart and soul of Dr. Nick Trout; an extraordinary veterinary surgeon who has found that perfect balance of genuine compassion and dedicated skill. He eloquently reveals the undeniable importance of our relationship with animals and the rich rewards of having them in our lives. Utterly delightful and compelling, Love is the Best Medicine is a must read."
--Melanie Sue Bowles, author of The Horses of Proud Spirit and Hoof Prints: More Stories from Proud Spirit

About the Author

Nick Trout graduated from veterinary school at the University of Cambridge, England, in 1989. He is a diplomate of the American and European Colleges of Veterinary Surgeons and a staff surgeon at the Angell Animal Medical Center in Boston. He lives in Massachusetts with his wife, daughters, and two dogs: Meg, a yellow Labrador, and Sophie, a Jack Russell terrier.