Book reviews: Guides to dog and cat health emergencies
The Dog Owner’s Guide to Health Emergencies: Essential Tips to Recognize, Respond, and Prepare for Dog Emergencies by Gal Chivvis, DVM. Critter Care Collective, 2025. Softcover, 171 pages.
The Cat Owner’s Guide to Health Emergencies: Essential Tips to Recognize, Respond, and Prepare for Cat Emergencies by Gal Chivvis, DVM. Critter Care Collective, 2026. Softcover, 198 pages.
Be it a sudden sickness or an accident, a health emergency involving our pets can lead us to panic or not know how to react. Fortunately, emergency veterinarian Dr. Gal Chivvis offers tips and wisdom for coping with dog and cat health emergencies in The Dog Owner’s Guide to Health Emergencies and its companion volume The Cat Owner’s Guide to Health Emergencies.
Dr. Gal has written two excellent, user-friendly reference books, answering everyday questions about pet health and offering guidance for times of crisis. While each book, of course, focuses on one species, they also include similar topics, such the most common emergencies, the most toxic materials to a dog or cat, quick health assessment strategies, and a number of useful forms and sheets for keeping important information close at hand.
Ideally, these books should be read before an emergency occurs; knowledge gained could save an animal’s life when an emergency takes place. Not only does the author have a solid grounding in emergency veterinary medicine, but she also has an understandable and direct way of sharing that knowledge. While no one likes to dwell on the possibility of a pet health emergency, we owe it to our animals to be well-informed, and Dr. Gal’s books are top-notch reference guides.
Are you the author or publisher of a book about animals that you would like considered for review? Please send the details to editor@bestfriends.org.
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