How to Examine a Wolverine: More Tales from the Accidental Veterinarian

4.5★s

How To Examine A Wolverine is the second non-fiction book by Canadian veterinarian and author, Philipp Schott. That's certainly a catchy title, and the cover picture also speaks volumes: this is a book by a vet about animals and, of course, their owners. It comes in the format of essays with intriguing titles like Dogs Getting High, How To Make A Sheep Sit and Surgery for Dummies.

Schott divides his book into four sections: dogs, cats, vets and other beasts, and includes anecdotes about patients he has seen over his thirty-year career. He shares successes (which often amount to asking the right questions) and admits to failures, including when succumbing to flattery taught him an expensive lesson; there are happy endings and sad ones, but he does issue warnings for squeamish readers when necessary.

Regarding dogs, there are encounters with skunks, porcupines and beavers, amputations, barking, flatulence, nail clipping, balding dogs, stoned dogs and escapes.

Cats take him into the territory of catnip, ageing, barfing and furballs, poisoning, obtaining blood samples from uncooperative pets, and euthanising companion animals.

Vets leads him to expound on the practices of some of his colleagues, corporate monopolies, the gender distribution of the profession, his early graduate experiences, costs and charges, and a myriad of aspects of veterinary practice.

Other beasts delves into the variety of unusual animals treated at his practice: ducks, bees, hamsters, lion cubs, poisonous fish, ferrets, rescue squirrels, a wolverine, and the challenge of doing an ultrasound on a very long python.

There are amusing illustrations by Brian Gable and Schott manages to include a great deal of information in easily-assimilated form, as well as lots of good advice. He throws in a few dad jokes, but you will also learn some interesting tidbits (porcupine quills are coated in antibiotic; beavers can kill a human being) and yes, he does explain how to examine a wolverine, but if you want to know that, read the book.

Even when he mounts his soapbox on something about which he feels strongly, such as flat-faced breeds, boutique dog foods, raw diets, or fad foods and treatments, he's never preachy; rather his explanations are redolent with expertise and common sense. The tone is conversational and this makes the book very readable. You don't have to be a pet owner to enjoy this informative, entertaining and frequently laugh-out-loud funny book.

This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and ECW Press.