From the frontlines of modern medicine, this is an insider portrait of a veterinarian, his furry patients, and the blend of old-fashioned instincts and cutting-edge technology that defines pet care in the 21st century. Dr. Trout, an Englishman who is a staff surgeon at Boston's Angell Animal Medical Center, takes the reader on a vicarious journey through 24 intimate, heartrending hours in his life; his wry, companionable voice offers enlightening...

After fifteen years, Dr. Cyrus Mills returns to rural Vermont to inherit the Bedside Manor for Sick Animals, the failing veterinary practice of his recently deceased and long-estranged father. Cyrus, a veterinary pathologist far more comfortable with cold clinical facts than living, breathing animals (not to mention their quirky, demanding owners), intends to sell the practice and get out of town as fast as he can. Then his first patient - a down-on-her-luck...

Author Nick Trout is back with another touching story from the front lines of veterinary medicine--a tale of two dogs who forever changed the way he thought about life, death, fate and love. His book underscores the profound bond we have with the animals in our lives and the responsibility he carries as their healer. Certainly Dr. Trout has an impressive array of fancy equipment, training and skills at his disposable, but his most important tool (as...