The Merck/Merial Manual for Pet Health: The complete pet health resource for your dog, cat, horse or other pets - in everyday language. (Merck/Merial Manual for Pet Health (Home Edition))

Having raised horses for many years I value good vet books as they not only save incredible amounts of $ in vet bills—they also save the animals in my life from unnecessary pain. That makes this book priceless IMO.

As a healthcare professional, I am familiar with Merck for a variety of things, Information being one of the best products they produce, so when I became a puppy raiser for a guidedog association, I wanted a resource available to learn about the little species.The book has been extremely helpful in helping me to focus on the issue presented by the animal and know what steps I need to take to solve the iss and when more professional help is needed. The book is is well laid out and easy to locate the information you seek. Covering dogs, cats & horses was a bonus that can be used by me and my daughter as well.

I HAVE USED THIS BOOK MANY TIMES FOR MANY TYPES OF ANIMALS. I HAVE DOGS, CATS, HORSES, GOATS, CHICKENS, TURKEY, DUCK, GEESE, ALPACAS AND POTBELLIED PIGS AND THIS BOOK COVERS ALL. IF THERE IS SOMETHING I AM JUST TRYING TO UNDERSTAND THIS BOOK WILL BREAK IT DOWN SO I CAN. THE MOST VALUE I HAVE GOTTEN OUT OF IT THOUGH IS FOR POTBELLIED PIGS. THERE ARE NOT A WHOLE LOT OF BOOKS OUT THERE ON THEM AND THERE ARE SEVERAL THINGS I HAVE FOUND IN HERE THAT I HAVEN'T FOUND ANYWHERE ELSE, INCLUDING THE INTERNET. IT SAVED MY PIGGIE, EVENTHOUGH I HAVE A VET FOR HER. GREAT BOOK WITH TONS OF INFORMATION FOR MANY PET SPECIES.

I love this book a lot, but my concern is that (from what I've seen) there is not an updated version of this. There is a lot of research out on different illnesses with pets now, and I think this book could benefit from coming out with a new edition. That being said, it's a great resource for general knowledge at home or in a vet's office. I love that they have a section included for large animals and exotics. I don't work with those directly, but I enjoyed reading up about it.

This book is what I call the Veternarian Bible. I dont think there is anything left out of this book. Informative, and educational. I do cat rescue and adoptions, and this book can potentially save you alot of money if there is a cat issue. Rather than going to the vet and having the vet guess at what the potential issue is, you can go in educated and say, could the cat have this, or that? This book is well worth it. I bought several other books, and they were all incredible. See my reviews for other books on animal care.

I wanted to know all info about caring for my chickens.

When caring for animals of all kinds this is a must have. i bought one for myself and my Sister-in-law who is also a Pet sitter. I was able to help a horse because of symptomslisted in this book. she was able to understand about an injury of a large dog. I wouldn't go anywhere without it. I wish it was on Kindle Fire version, that way I wouldn't have to carry the book. Please let me know if it comes out in this media.

This manual is a case of adding the "complete" prefix to a (sub)title inappropriately. And, in this case, "complete" disguises the fact that the material is very general in nature. It's a case of biting off more than one can chew. Obviously, the book will not make one an instant veterinarian as there is neither enough specificity nor global information regarding any one species.Having said all that it is a decent basic reference to have around the house for the usual questions (FAQs). It gives a general understanding of "the nature of the beast" without getting deeply technical. Which is what it is supposed to do. The only thing that truly annoyed me was the "cloned" information I found between the dog and cat sections. Duplication like this reminds me of tricks used by low-class authors to take up more space, as though their books are to be sold by the pound (weight, not English money).Personally, I would much rather have one book on canines, one on felines, etc. Here, I have a big, thick book the information contained in which does me little good except, as I said, FAQs of a general interest nature and information regarding cats and dogs.All in all, nice try.

Got this for my daughter. She prefers the more advanced version of the manual, but she was still very happy with this. Lacks some of the in-depth diagnostics of conditions in the more advanced manual, but is very good for around the house.

This was a less technical book but still a great addition to my pet library. Great for owners who aren't up on medical lingo.

There's a lot of information but get out your magnifying glass if you're over a certain age.

Good info

Excellent for High school students interested in Veterinary medicine. My Daughter uses it all the time.