Tripawds Book Review:
Speaking for Spot: Be the Advocate Your Dog Needs to Live a Happy, Healthy, Longer Life
by Dr. Nancy Kay, DVM, Specialist, American College of Veterinary Medicine
Dr. Kay, a board certified internal medicine specialist in California, was nice enough to pass along a copy of her new book “Speaking for Spot.” Always eager to read up on the latest in canine health care tips, we jumped right in and were so pleased to find out that this book delivers exactly what it promises.
Speaking for Spot is a handbook about how to ask the right questions, in order to get the right answers, and treatment, from your vet.
While Dr. Kay addresses the latest advances in canine health care, she also takes a unique approach to canine health care, by choosing to focus on pawrent and physician communication styles that can help, or hinder care.
This is the kind of book that’s especially helpful for those of us who turn into wimps in the doctor’s office, and are hesitant to knock them off their pedestals. She explains:
“I’m referring to what is known as the “white coat intimidation factor; a phenomenon that gives the doctor an air of authority and superiority. When she is on such a “pedestal,” two-way communication flounders. Medical advocacy requires active client participation, and a client who is intimidated does not feel comfortable voicing an opinion.”