The Other Family Doctor: A Veterinarian Explores What Animals Can Teach Us about Love, Life, and Mortality
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- Create Date：2023-03-14 05:21:27
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Karen Fine
- ISBN：0593466896
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Summary
Calling all animal lovers！ A heartwarming memoir about one woman's career as a vet and the unique role pets play in our lives - "Filled with compassion and wisdom， Karen Fine is a healer whose own wounds have deepened her gifts for bringing animals and their people comfort and peace。" --Sy Montgomery， New York Times bestselling author of The Soul of an Octopus and How to Be a Good Creature
A tribute to our furry， feathery， scaley， and wet family members， All Creatures Great and Small meets Being Mortal in this compelling memoir of one woman's dream to become a veterinarian。
Karen Fine always knew that she wanted to be a vet and wasn't going to let anything stop her: not her allergy to cats， and not the fact that in the '80s veterinary medicine was still a mostly male profession。 Inspired by her grandfather， a compassionate doctor who paid house calls to all his （human） patients， Dr。 Fine persevered， and brought her Oupa's principles into her own practice， which emphasizes the need to understand her patients' stories to provide the best possible care。
And in The Other Family Doctor， Dr。 Fine shares all these touching， joyful， heartbreaking， and life-affirming tales that make up her career as a vet。 There's:
- The feral cat who becomes a creature out of a fable when he puts his trust in a young vet to heal his injured paw
- The pot-bellied pig who grows too big to fit in the car but remains a cherished part of her family
- The surprising colony of perfectly behaved ferrets
- The beloved aging pet who gives her people the gift of accompanying them on one final family vacation
- The dog who saves his owner's life in a most unexpected way
Woven into Dr。 Fine's story are， of course， also the stories of her own pets: the birds， cats， and dogs who have taught her the most valuable lessons--how caring for the animals in our lives can teach us to better care for ourselves， especially when life seems precarious。
A tribute to our furry， feathery， scaley， and wet family members， All Creatures Great and Small meets Being Mortal in this compelling memoir of one woman's dream to become a veterinarian。
Karen Fine always knew that she wanted to be a vet and wasn't going to let anything stop her: not her allergy to cats， and not the fact that in the '80s veterinary medicine was still a mostly male profession。 Inspired by her grandfather， a compassionate doctor who paid house calls to all his （human） patients， Dr。 Fine persevered， and brought her Oupa's principles into her own practice， which emphasizes the need to understand her patients' stories to provide the best possible care。
And in The Other Family Doctor， Dr。 Fine shares all these touching， joyful， heartbreaking， and life-affirming tales that make up her career as a vet。 There's:
- The feral cat who becomes a creature out of a fable when he puts his trust in a young vet to heal his injured paw
- The pot-bellied pig who grows too big to fit in the car but remains a cherished part of her family
- The surprising colony of perfectly behaved ferrets
- The beloved aging pet who gives her people the gift of accompanying them on one final family vacation
- The dog who saves his owner's life in a most unexpected way
Woven into Dr。 Fine's story are， of course， also the stories of her own pets: the birds， cats， and dogs who have taught her the most valuable lessons--how caring for the animals in our lives can teach us to better care for ourselves， especially when life seems precarious。
Reviews
Stacy Wolfe
，
As anyone who has ever had a pet knows， they are joys and blessings， and also breakers of hearts when it’s time to let them go。 This book follows Dr。 Karen Fine as she treats animals in her veterinary practice。 This is less James Herriot and more about meeting owners where they are with their pets in their homes。 We also follow Fine’s own journey with her own pets。 Most often， she talks about her relationship as a veterinarian with death and euthanasia。 It was interesting to get her perspective As anyone who has ever had a pet knows， they are joys and blessings， and also breakers of hearts when it’s time to let them go。 This book follows Dr。 Karen Fine as she treats animals in her veterinary practice。 This is less James Herriot and more about meeting owners where they are with their pets in their homes。 We also follow Fine’s own journey with her own pets。 Most often， she talks about her relationship as a veterinarian with death and euthanasia。 It was interesting to get her perspective on it and seeing others grieve through her eyes。 There is a lot we can learn from the bonds of pets and their owners and their veterinarians。 。。。more
Katherina Martin
，
I grew up on James Herriot so I am happy reading any book that is about a veterinarian’s life。 The book was written in a dry， narrative manner， as if the author had been asked to “tell us a little about yourself。“ There was no hook， nothing to grab me and make me feel an emotion: happy， sad， shocked， aghast。 It was flat。
Elizabeth Hilborn
，
This is a beautiful story that should be in the hands of every animal lover。 Dr。 Fine’s love and respect for the animals in her world， both private and professional shines through。 Her ‘lessons learned’ glow with the love and light of the human-animal bond and how it transforms those who enter into that unique relationship。Dr。 Fine shares her journey as she works hard to make it through veterinary school and graduate training in complementary medicine。 How she finds the niche where her unique co This is a beautiful story that should be in the hands of every animal lover。 Dr。 Fine’s love and respect for the animals in her world， both private and professional shines through。 Her ‘lessons learned’ glow with the love and light of the human-animal bond and how it transforms those who enter into that unique relationship。Dr。 Fine shares her journey as she works hard to make it through veterinary school and graduate training in complementary medicine。 How she finds the niche where her unique contributions to veterinary medicine make a measurable difference to her animal patients and to the people who love them。Kudos to Dr。 Fine for addressing head-on one of the difficult issues that drive mental health disorders among practicing veterinarians。 She asks: “Sometimes I wonder what it must be like to practice with no regard to cost。” A dream situation。 Because although veterinarians are trained to save lives， they are not able to ‘do everything possible’ because of real-world limitations。 As a veterinary scientist， I appreciate her honest treatment of how veterinarians， as caring people， navigate the challenges of clinical practice and work tirelessly to make the world a better place for us and for our beloved fur babies。Full disclosure， I was provided an advance copy of “The Other Family Doctor” to read in return for my honest review。 。。。more
Hannah
，
I am SO glad I decided to pick up the ARC because Dr。 Fine’s story touched my heart in more ways than one。 Last year we lost both our beloved ten-year-old German Shepard and twelve-year-old Puggle less than two months apart。 The grief took me to my knees。 If you have lost a beloved pet or are an avid animal lover， this is a book you are going to want to pick up。 Dr。 Fine tells her story from the beginning of knowing she wanted to be a veterinarian， being a woman in a previously male dominated ca I am SO glad I decided to pick up the ARC because Dr。 Fine’s story touched my heart in more ways than one。 Last year we lost both our beloved ten-year-old German Shepard and twelve-year-old Puggle less than two months apart。 The grief took me to my knees。 If you have lost a beloved pet or are an avid animal lover， this is a book you are going to want to pick up。 Dr。 Fine tells her story from the beginning of knowing she wanted to be a veterinarian， being a woman in a previously male dominated career， her time as a new vet， the cancer diagnosis of her beloved young dog， along with many stories of the animals she met and cared for along the way。 I absolutely adored it。 I’m a memoir lover anyway but being able to connect to Dr。 Fine’s story of grief took it to another level。 “And people sometimes underestimate the importance of their relationship with their pet to their life’s story。 The connection of a human with a dog， a cat， or other animal can be one of the deepest bonds of a person’s life。” This was a fast and emotional read for me。 I felt so seen and understood plus I loved the stories sprinkled along the way。 This is the perfect mix of personal accounts from Dr。 Fine’s life， smile inducing animal stories， sharing and teaching about grief， and so much more。 I enjoyed it from start to finish。 。。。more
Lisa Henderson-Farr
，
Thank you to Knopf， Pantheon， Vintage and Anchor， as well as NetGalley for an advance copy of this e-book in exchange for an honest review。The Other Family Doctor by Karen Fine is a good look into the life of someone who wanted to become a veterinarian。 It begins with her as a young girl and follows her story through her schooling and career。 Dr Fine tells stories of client's pets as well as her experiences with her own pets。 There are stories of joy and heartbreak with a fair portion of the boo Thank you to Knopf， Pantheon， Vintage and Anchor， as well as NetGalley for an advance copy of this e-book in exchange for an honest review。The Other Family Doctor by Karen Fine is a good look into the life of someone who wanted to become a veterinarian。 It begins with her as a young girl and follows her story through her schooling and career。 Dr Fine tells stories of client's pets as well as her experiences with her own pets。 There are stories of joy and heartbreak with a fair portion of the book being about her experiences with euthanasia， in fact that seems to be most of what I remember about this book。 That may be because as a pet parent， I have dealt with this sadness many times with my own babies， bringing back memories of having to make that horrible decision myself。Anyone that has or has had pets， or is an animal lover or is evening wondering what it might look like to be a pet parent will be sure to enjoy this book。 。。。more
Jane Roper
，
What a warm， wise， wonderful read。 I'm not what you'd call an "Animal person" （though I've always had cats， whom I loved/love very much） but I just loved this thoughtful account of what it's like to care for， treat， love， euthanize， and grieve animals， from the perspective of a vet who is also a pet owner。 Genuinely moving but never sentimental， and written in a style that makes you feel like you're having a conversation with a friend over coffee。 Highly recommend for anyone who's ever loved or What a warm， wise， wonderful read。 I'm not what you'd call an "Animal person" （though I've always had cats， whom I loved/love very much） but I just loved this thoughtful account of what it's like to care for， treat， love， euthanize， and grieve animals， from the perspective of a vet who is also a pet owner。 Genuinely moving but never sentimental， and written in a style that makes you feel like you're having a conversation with a friend over coffee。 Highly recommend for anyone who's ever loved or lost a pet。 。。。more
LibraryCin
，
4。5 starsKaren Fine is a veterinarian and this is a memoir that includes her grandfather （human） doctor in South Africa， vet school， her marriage， and the lives and deaths of a few of her pets， in addition to a few stories of clients， as well as connecting with （human） clients， alternate medicines， behind-the-scenes being a vet， and more。 I really liked this。 This was so much more than your usual vet stories of clients and their pets， and I especially liked that about this book。 Of course， her p 4。5 starsKaren Fine is a veterinarian and this is a memoir that includes her grandfather （human） doctor in South Africa， vet school， her marriage， and the lives and deaths of a few of her pets， in addition to a few stories of clients， as well as connecting with （human） clients， alternate medicines， behind-the-scenes being a vet， and more。 I really liked this。 This was so much more than your usual vet stories of clients and their pets， and I especially liked that about this book。 Of course， her pets dying had me sobbing， but that’s not a surprise。 。。。more
Sharon
，
A very straightforward memoir。 Karen Fine loved animals from the time she was very young。 This played a large part in her choosing to become a veterinarian。 Her grandfather， of whom she was very fond， was a physician in South Africa and he was her idol。 She struggled to become accepted in a field which until the 1980s， had long been dominated by men。 Along the way， she took on pets that without her， would have died， either by death on the streets or by euthanasia。 Dr。 Fine went a step further wi A very straightforward memoir。 Karen Fine loved animals from the time she was very young。 This played a large part in her choosing to become a veterinarian。 Her grandfather， of whom she was very fond， was a physician in South Africa and he was her idol。 She struggled to become accepted in a field which until the 1980s， had long been dominated by men。 Along the way， she took on pets that without her， would have died， either by death on the streets or by euthanasia。 Dr。 Fine went a step further with her vet practice， and made much of her practice revolve around house calls for the pets。 Getting better acquainted with the owners helped her give better care to the animals in her charge。 One of her own dogs was Rana， and much of the book revolves around Rana and Rana's activities。 This would be a good read for someone interested in becoming a veterinarian。 I received a e-ARC from NetGalley and Knopf， Pantheon， Vintage， and Anchor， Anchor， in exchange for a review。 。。。more
Margie Bunting
，
Karen Fine's journey to becoming a veterinarian started with her deep love of animals as a child and culminated in a hard-won degree and the decision to follow her （physician） grandfather's example of a house-call practice。 She has clearly gained an advantage over other vets in diagnosing and treating her clients （mostly cats and dogs， along with the odd potbellied pig and ferret） by seeing them and their owners in their home environments。 Her memoir is full of anecdotes about these patients and Karen Fine's journey to becoming a veterinarian started with her deep love of animals as a child and culminated in a hard-won degree and the decision to follow her （physician） grandfather's example of a house-call practice。 She has clearly gained an advantage over other vets in diagnosing and treating her clients （mostly cats and dogs， along with the odd potbellied pig and ferret） by seeing them and their owners in their home environments。 Her memoir is full of anecdotes about these patients and about what she calls the "transcendent love between an animal and a person。"I enjoyed reading about Dr。 Fine's international trips， including a visit to the Kruger National Park big game reserve with her South African relatives， her struggles to overcome her cat allergies， her quest to lead a calmer life through yoga， and her determination to explore new ways of diagnosing and treatment animals using acupuncture。 We are also treated to personal stories about three of Dr。 Fine's own pets and her marriage to Mike， who wasn't an animal person before meeting her and her fur babies。 There is perhaps more time devoted to Dr。 Fine's experiences with euthanizing animals than I expected， which can be difficult to read， but her emphasis is always on giving our animals the happiest lives and the best deaths。 Dr。 Fine writes beautifully--I finished this book in a day。My review is based on a complimentary pre-release copy of this book。 。。。more
Tove Danovich
，
I adored this book and read it in a day。 A wonderfully written memoir about life as a vet and a human who lives （and loves） pets。 Anyone who has ever wondered about what it takes to be a veterinarian should pick up this book。
Susan Keller
，
A heartfelt account of the author's career as a veterinarian and her love for animals。 This book will be of great appeal to all animal lovers A heartfelt account of the author's career as a veterinarian and her love for animals。 This book will be of great appeal to all animal lovers 。。。more
Jg
，
Dr。 Fine’s memoir explores her lifelong love of all animals。 She regales us with stories of becoming a vet， and experiences with animals and people once she’s in practice。 I found many of the stories heartwarming and really enjoyed this book。 I must admit I found it barbaric dogs were raised for the purpose of surgery then euthanized as did she。 I love her relationships with animals， how she treats them as equals and shows how important our relationships with animals truly are。 A must read。
Flora
，
To be honest， I was rather hoping for a James Herriot type of book。 This one has some of those good stories， but also a lot of the education and life of the author as a vet， plus some of her ideologies。 I liked how compassionate and caring the author is and I learnt some interesting things such as narrative medicine and how the health conditions of a pet can reflect that of their owner’s。The writing is good and I was engrossed for some parts of the book。 I would definitely recommend it for someo To be honest， I was rather hoping for a James Herriot type of book。 This one has some of those good stories， but also a lot of the education and life of the author as a vet， plus some of her ideologies。 I liked how compassionate and caring the author is and I learnt some interesting things such as narrative medicine and how the health conditions of a pet can reflect that of their owner’s。The writing is good and I was engrossed for some parts of the book。 I would definitely recommend it for someone who aspires to become a vet or is a new vet。 。。。more
Paulina
，
Such a beautiful and inviting memoir。 Dr。 Fine does a great job with her writing。 It feels like you are listening to her tell you about her life casually over brunch。 She's intriguing and sets it up so you are engaged in the conversation。 There is so much to learn; so many insights。 It was a rollercoaster of emotions especially as someone who has pets and can relate。 It was different than many books I have read- I thoroughly enjoyed and loved it！ Such a beautiful and inviting memoir。 Dr。 Fine does a great job with her writing。 It feels like you are listening to her tell you about her life casually over brunch。 She's intriguing and sets it up so you are engaged in the conversation。 There is so much to learn; so many insights。 It was a rollercoaster of emotions especially as someone who has pets and can relate。 It was different than many books I have read- I thoroughly enjoyed and loved it！ 。。。more
Abagail
，
Dr。 Karen Fine shares tales from her life as a veterinarian， from the unique perspective of a vet who makes house calls。 She shares stories of the love and loss she witnesses between her patients and their pets， as well as her own relationships with animals， humans， and herself。I just loved this book。 I think one of the reasons it resonated with me so much is because Karen reflects on the relationships between humans and their animals in such a respectful way。 I love my cat a LOT and am often te Dr。 Karen Fine shares tales from her life as a veterinarian， from the unique perspective of a vet who makes house calls。 She shares stories of the love and loss she witnesses between her patients and their pets， as well as her own relationships with animals， humans， and herself。I just loved this book。 I think one of the reasons it resonated with me so much is because Karen reflects on the relationships between humans and their animals in such a respectful way。 I love my cat a LOT and am often teased for being too obsessed， a helicopter mom or， as my aunt recently said， “codependent。” But I definitely felt recognized by this book。 The author talks about how， despite society’s message that it’s “just a cat，” the bond between a human and a pet can be one of the most important relationships in a person’s life。 I’ll share this quote:“Animals have an amazing ability to be who they are， in all their otherness， and at the same time to offer companionship and love to humans， adjusting to our lives in their own unique ways。 They don’t care whether they are called ‘fur baby’ or not。 Our pets don’t just give us unconditional love， they accept our love unconditionally， in whichever way we choose to give it。”As one might expect in a book by a veterinarian， this work touches on the topic of euthanasia in some detail。 It was a little hard to read at first because I am pretty afraid of death in general， and thinking of my cat dying makes me feel all sick and stormy inside。 I have had the experience before， with a childhood cat， and it has stuck with me for a long time。 But I felt like the author’s reflections on what she is doing for the animal and how they seem to react to her in the moment， without fear， helped me find more peace in the situation。 I will likely be reflecting on this book again when that awful day comes。 （Hopefully in many， many years。）This book made me laugh and cry and cry some more。 It was easy to read and I flew through it without getting bored。 I wouldn’t change a thing， and I would highly recommend it to anyone with a love for animals。 。。。more
LL
，
Cried my eyes out。 Rana is such a good girl。 Lovely memoir。 Well-written。
Anita Pomerantz
，
The Other Family Doctor is a lovely memoir。 Ms。 Fine writes stories highlighting her experiences as a veterinarian that makes house calls。 She introduces her readers to some of her patients， but the main thread of the book focuses on her relationship with one of her own pets， Rana， from puppyhood all the way to the end。 This book does a particularly good job of addressing one of the hardest parts of pet ownership -- the demise of a beloved pet。 It's compassionate and comforting 。 。 。I really thi The Other Family Doctor is a lovely memoir。 Ms。 Fine writes stories highlighting her experiences as a veterinarian that makes house calls。 She introduces her readers to some of her patients， but the main thread of the book focuses on her relationship with one of her own pets， Rana， from puppyhood all the way to the end。 This book does a particularly good job of addressing one of the hardest parts of pet ownership -- the demise of a beloved pet。 It's compassionate and comforting 。 。 。I really think Ms。 Fine understands that she is treating human needs as much as the pet's health requirements。 The book is written in very straightforward language and is very accessible。 Fans of James Herriott will most likely enjoy this book as well。 。。。more
tpg0
，
As an AI language model， I cannot provide an opinion on a book， but I can provide information about the book 'The Other Family Doctor: A Veterinarian Explores What Animals Can Teach Us about Love， Life， and Mortality' by Chris Polan。 The book 'The Other Family Doctor' is a memoir written by a veterinarian， Chris Polan。 In this book， Polan shares numerous heartwarming stories of the animals she has encountered and treated during her 30-year tenure as a veterinarian。 Through these stories， she delves into the deep connections and relationships we have with our animal companions， as well as the valuable life lessons we can learn from them。 Polan also candidly reflects on the emotional tolls that come with losing a beloved pet。 Overall， the book offers a unique and intimate perspective on the world of veterinary medicine and the powerful bond between humans and animals。
tpg1
，
As an AI language model， I have no personal opinion， but here's a summary of the book: The Other Family Doctor: A Veterinarian Explores What Animals Can Teach Us about Love， Life， and Mortality is written by Dr。 Chris Green， a veterinarian who has been practicing for over two decades。 In this book， he shares his insights and experiences as an animal doctor， exploring the ways animals can enhance our lives and teach us important lessons about love， life， and mortality。 Dr。 Green explores the deep emotional connections that people share with their pets， and how these bonds can sometimes be even more profound than the relationships we have with other people。 He also examines the ways in which animals can help us navigate difficult emotions， such as grief and loss， and how they can teach us to be more compassionate and empathetic individuals。 Throughout the book， Dr。 Green shares stories from his veterinary practice， illustrating the profound impact that animals can have on our lives。 He also explores some of the tough ethical questions that arise when working with animals， such as euthanasia and end-of-life care， and offers compassionate and thoughtful insights into these complex issues。 Overall， The Other Family Doctor is a moving， thought-provoking exploration of the ways animals can enrich our lives and teach us important lessons about what it means to be human。
tpg2
，