Pigs, Pets, and Public Health - by Ronald Douglass Warner (Paperback)

About the Book

"A veterinarian's memoir demonstrating the intersections of animal health and human health in rural communities"--

Book Synopsis

A veterinarian is arguably the most broad-based medical practitioner, a "One Health" provider. Such a practitioner understands the intersections and overlap of animal health, human health, and the shared environment between the two. Pigs, Pets, and Public Health captures the multi-faceted expertise that such work requires and shows us how rural communities prepare individuals well for it.

From his upbringing on a farm in Beaver Township, Ohio, to his service in the Air Force, to his veterinary practice and his eventual role in founding a veterinary school focused on rural animal care, Dr. Ronald Warner's varied career presents the opportunities that come from a country life. His career as veterinarian, public health officer, epidemiologist, and medical educator bust myths about the inherent capabilities of small-town folk.

As Dr. Tedd Mitchell points out in the foreword to Pigs, Pets, and Public Health, 97 percent of American land can be classified as rural, but under 20 percent of our population live in such spaces. Ronald Warner's career in veterinary medicine shows the wisdom that comes from a rural upbringing. His childhood on the farm brought him lessons in animal husbandry, anatomy, natural sciences, and food safety. As this way of life continues to diminish in contemporary America, Pigs, Pets, and Public Health spotlights the value of these traditions and the lives built around them.

Review Quotes

"If a young person expresses
interest in becoming a veterinarian, reading Pigs, Pets, and Public Health:
One Veterinarian's Journey should not simply be suggested but highly
recommended - especially if the young person is from the rural farmlands
of the Midwest or the "hollers" of Appalachia.

Dr. Warner's book mixes anecdotes,
some poignant and some humorous, with detailed forays into the biological
science of everything from bacteria to bison.

From providing care
for military dogs to supervising food safety; from performing investigative
epidemiology to helping pioneer studies of the links between human and animal
health; from teaching a new generation of veterinary students to helping a
local veterinarian to birth a calf, all are part of Dr. Warner's remarkable
career." --Gary Goff, BS, MEd, JD

"This book will appeal to anyone interested in becoming a veterinarian
or reading about Dr. Warner's practice, practicing public health, and those
with an interest in reading about a Noble County kid and his journey in a wider
world." --The Journal and the Noble County Leader, June 23, 2025