The Last Chance Dog: and Other True Stories of Holistic Animal Healing Book

'Last Chance Dog' is a collection of anecdotal stories from Seattle-based holistic veterinarian Donna Kelleher. The stories all follow a similar formula--a sick animal treated by standard, Western medicine is failing to get better. As a last resort, the animal is taken to Dr. Kelleher, who combines the Western approach with traditional Chinese medicine, chiropractic care, and herbalism. Often, this proves to be just what the animal needs, and the once-sickly animal begins to thrive again. Far from being trite, these stories are inspirational in their encouragement to treat illness with a multifaceted approach that occasionally verges on the shamanistic. At the end of each story, Dr. Kelleher includes instructions for animal care particular to that case, and recipes ranging from a basic, everyday meals you can make your animal to tinctures that treat various inflictions which can compliment Western veterinary care. Her descriptions of the practice of Chinese medicine are fascinating, and made me want to learn more about that system of medicine. While I wasn't always crazy about her personal reflections, I admired her compassion for each animal, and her willingness to admit that she too has episodes of self-doubt. While I feel that Dr. Kelleher may be a bit too New Age for some, I would highly recommend this book to animal-lovers, or even to pet-less people who have a strong interest in complementary medicine.