Drinking from the Trough

A Veterinarian's Memoir

Non-Fiction - Memoir
288 Pages
Reviewed on 09/10/2018
Buy on Amazon

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Carine Engelbrecht for Readers' Favorite

Drinking from the Trough: A Veterinarian's Memoir by Mary Carlson takes the reader into the world of veterinary science. When teacher Mary meets and (later) marries Colorado vet student Earl, she is motivated to study veterinary medicine herself and subsequently open her own feline-only practice. Besides a life vocation, they also share a love for horses. Over the years, an eclectic and highly individual cast of animal characters passes through their lives, leaving hoof and paw prints all over their lives and hearts. There are the two mares - Frannie, a pretty, petite prima donna on hooves, and Marcie, rock-steady but with a heart of gold, as well as the later additions, Scoot and Hannah. To that, add two high-octane huskies - are there any other kind? - whose antics brought heart-stopping moments and laugh-out-loud disasters that any dog owner can empathize with. And then there are the cats - patients and partners - each with their own compelling back story and defining moments. One even gets a chapter to present his own perspective.

For a pet owner like myself, Drinking from the Trough by Mary Carlson makes for fascinating reading. There is just the right mix of humor, cuteness, respectful insight and informative content to make this a generally good read. If you are squeamish, you may not want to know everything about what happens inside your pooch or kitty (sorry, Dr. Mary - dog and cat). If you are planning a career in veterinary medicine, this book will give you a good idea of what to expect from the difficult training period, as well as the reality of practicing. What is truly admirable is the grace with which Carlson writes about death - the passing of beloved pets and valued family members of the human kind. It is a topic which many people find difficult to broach at all. Yet the author demonstrates that it is through knowledge and honest self-expression that we can create an atmosphere that preserves a proper respect for the dignity of life through a better understanding of its frailty.