Lucky Dog - by Sarah Boston (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

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.

Review Quotes

...a compelling read

...absorbing, heartfelt and captivating tone... revealing and engrossing

...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.

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

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...Readers will count themselves fortunate, too, as they accompany Boston on her unexpected journey and spend time with some wonderful dogs along the way.

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.

About the Author

An associate professor of surgical oncology in the department of small animal clinical sciences at the University of Florida, Dr. Sarah Boston is also President of the Veterinary Society of Surgical Oncology. She lives in Gainesville, FL.