The Dog Care [antikvár]

Introduction In the twenty years since I began to practise as a veterinary surgeon there has been a tremendous, and accelerating, increase in all aspects of our knowledge about dogs. Much more is now known about their behaviour, nutrition and diseases than ever before. Many of our most highly prized veterinary drugs were introduced during this period, including drugs to remove major parasites effectively and safely, eliminate stubborn in-fertions and control the heat period in bitches. Even an entirely new, and often fatal, disease — parvovirus infeaion - appeared, requiring the production of a new vaccine to protect against it. Coincidentally, dog owners began to ask for more information about how to care for what has long been the world's most popular companion animal. (In Britain a quarter of all homes contain a dog and in some countries, such as France and the United States, the proportion is even higher ) Faced with differing opinions about such matters as the value of cor.'.mercial diets and how to train their animals, owners turned in-creasii gly to the impartial advice of their local veterinarian. Un-f ' fortunately, because so much information has become available in recent years, the type of wide-ranging discussion that most people would like to arrange with their vets would be prohibitively time-consuming. With i a busy practice to run it is shortage of time that makes vets keep their consultations brief. It was this problem in communication that prompted me to present in book form a type of extended 'consultation' that would make it possible to answer fully those questions about dogs which are asked most frequently, and to discuss other topics of general interest. Like many of my colleagues, whose main concern is the teaching of veterinary undergraduates, I believe that the best and quickest way to raise the standard of care of pet animals is to disseminate accurate information as widely as possible. And I feel sure that the one thing we would all agree about is the need to look after our animals to the best of our ability.