The Other Family Doctor

October 1, 2022

Fine has always followed her doctor grandfather's advice to listen to the patient--but her patients are animals, and she's a leader in the field of narrative medicine in veterinary medicine, for which she recently wrote a textbook. Here she recalls her career (a battle to launch in the 1980s, when most vets were male) and the many animals she's attended.

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January 2, 2023
“Animals connect us to the environment... to our families... and to our own reactions to illness and death” writes veterinarian Fine (Narrative Medicine in Veterinary Practice) in this spirited homage to domesticated animals and their bond with humans. Fine first became interested in veterinary medicine while visiting her family in South Africa at age 11, and a safari trip paired with the influence of her physician grandfather sent her on her path. In recounting her career, she recalls the prejudice she faced for “taking away a spot from a man” as an aspiring female veterinarian and describes the bias against women for not being “physically capable of treating animals.” As well, she chronicles the beginning of her private house call practice and addresses difficult subjects, including caring for a terminally ill pet, making the decision to euthanize, and coping with the grief and guilt that frequently follow. She circles back to her profession throughout, examining what qualities make a good veterinarian (notably, being willing to learn from animals and recognizing the emotional impact animals have on humans) and sharing the particulars of how she developed her combination of conventional Western and traditional Chinese medicine. Fine’s keen observations will strike a chord with animal lovers, and her upbeat style keeps the pages turning. Agent: Jennifer Herrera, David Black Agency.

February 1, 2023
The pain and joy of loving animals. Fine, a holistic veterinarian and expert in "the emerging field of veterinary narrative medicine, draws on her 30-year career to create a lively, often moving memoir of caring for animals. As part of her training in vet school, she worked with large animals on a farm in upstate New York, collaborated with a Peace Corps vet among nomadic herders in Morocco, and spent time at a clinic in the Navajo Nation in Arizona. Most of her career, though, has been devoted to treating house pets: cats and dogs--and one family's 10 ferrets and another's massive pig--in her native Massachusetts. Fine recalls the many sick, injured, and aged animals she has treated, and she is consistently empathetic about the distress of animal owners facing a dire diagnosis. To augment her arsenal of treatments, she has learned animal acupuncture and the use of herbal remedies from traditional Chinese veterinary medicine. Inevitably, because owners typically outlive their pets, the author has had to euthanize animals, a decision that she knows is traumatic for the owner--and for veterinarians, as well. Noting the unusually high suicide rate among veterinarians, she acknowledges the stresses of the profession, and she applauds the creation of a new field of veterinary social work to address the ethical and psychological issues practitioners face. "Veterinarians are commonly confronted with not only animals in crisis," she writes, "but people in crisis." Besides sharing her experiences as a veterinarian, Fine writes about her own relationships with the animals she's adopted. When one dog was diagnosed with inoperable cancer, the author despaired; when she needed to be euthanized, her death plummeted her into darkest grief. For readers facing the end of an animal's life, the author offers guidance about how to create rituals for grieving, how to write an animal's obituary, and where to find support books, websites, and hotlines. A warm and humane tribute to animals who enrich our lives.

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Starred review from January 1, 2023

In her first book for a trade audience, Fine, a veterinarian of 30 years, discusses her experiences in the profession while also weaving in anecdotes related to her own pets. She provides candid accounts related to her struggles and growth as a veterinarian. Fine recounts the sexism, burnout, and stress many individuals in the veterinary field endure. Other chapters include stories related to her beloved grandfather whose medical career inspired her own, dealing with puppy mills, international veterinary work, establishing work/life boundaries, and implementing acupuncture in animal treatments. This is a lovely book in which Fine openly shares what she has learned about life, illness, death, and love from the animals she has treated and/or owned. She notes that loving animals should include recognizing that they will eventually die and argues that humans, like other animals, should try to remain present in the moment. Fine also offers resources and advice on grieving the loss of a pet, including writing a pet obituary. VERDICT This inspirational tearjerker is highly recommended for anyone who has ever owned or loved a pet.--Erica Swenson Danowitz

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