The medical profession has long recognized that implementing a wellness program of preventive health care helps humans lead healthier, longer lives. Now the veterinary community has recognized the same benefits for our dogs. There’s no question that our dogs provide us with unconditional love. They serve many roles: companions, service and therapy pets, members of the family. They help lower our blood pressure and keep us on an even keel. There’s no doubt that keeping them healthy will help them live longer and happier lives, and the key to successful and cost-effective pet care is to protect pets against infectious diseases and other avoidable maladies before they occur.

Implementing a preventive-medicine plan, much like preventive-medicine and wellness plans for children and adults, is key to avoiding illness, accidents, and malnutrition. The Angell Memorial Animal Hospital Book of Wellness and Preventive Care for Dogs is the first book to discuss the importance of having a pet wellness plan and to offer the opportunity for owners everywhere to re-create Angell’s preventive-care program in their own homes.

Established in 1915 by the venerable Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Angell Memorial Animal Hospital was one of the first institutions to implement a wellness program for dogs. Considered one of the most notable and prestigious facilities serving the animal kingdom, this Boston-based hospital is dedicated to providing the best possible medical and surgical care to animals and to advancing the practice of veterinary medicine. Its veterinarians specialize in surgery, radiology, cardiology, dentistry, internal medicine, ophthalmology, oncology, nutrition, dermatology, and more.

Drawing from the expertise of Angell Memorial’s chief of staff, Dr. Paul Gambardella, and the director of the Wellness Program, Dr. Douglas Brum, this book shows you how to design, implement, and maintain a complete wellness program for your dog in collaboration with your own veterinarian. In jargon-free language, award-winning journalist Darlene Arden explains how you can put the famed hospital’s unprecedented techniques to work for your dog.

This invaluable resource addresses:

• Dentistry and grooming
• Nutrition
• Emergencies and first aid
• Preventive parasite control
• Solutions to common puppy problems
• Training and behavior
• Problems of middle-aged and senior dogs
• And more

Darlene Arden is an award-winning animal journalist and author. She is also the producer and host of her own cable show. Her work has been featured in Dog World, Cats, Family Circle, and the Boston Herald.