The Other Family Doctor

A Veterinarian Explores What Animals Can Teach Us About Love, Life and Mortality

Karen Fine always knew that she wanted to be a vet and wasn’t going to let anything stop her: not her allergy to cats, and not the fact that in the ’80s veterinary medicine was still a mostly male profession. Inspired by her grandfather, a compassionate doctor who paid house calls to all his (human) patients, Dr. Fine persevered, and brought her Oupa’s principles into her own practice, which emphasizes the need to understand her patients’ stories to provide the best possible care.

And in The Other Family Doctor, Dr. Fine shares all these touching, joyful, heartbreaking, and life-affirming tales that make up her career as a vet. There’s the feral cat who becomes a creature out of a fable when he puts his trust in a young vet to heal his injured paw; the pot-bellied pig who grows too big to fit in the car but remains a cherished part of her family; the surprising colony of perfectly behaved ferrets; the beloved aging pet who gives her people the gift of accompanying them on one final family vacation; and the dog who saves his owner’s life in a most unexpected way. The animals in her life become her teachers, and when Dr. Fine’s beloved dog receives a devastating diagnosis, it is the lessons she’s learned from her patients and her own pets that guide her through the challenges ahead.

Woven into Dr. Fine’s story are, of course, also the stories of her own pets: the birds, cats, and dogs who have taught her the most valuable lessons—how caring for the animals in our lives can teach us to better care for ourselves, especially when life seems precarious.

Praise

“Filled with compassion and wisdom, Karen Fine is a healer whose own wounds have deepened her gifts for bringing animals and their people comfort and peace.”
—Sy Montgomery, New York Times bestselling author of The Soul of an Octopus and How to Be a Good Creature

“Dr. Karen Fine has captured the human-animal bond in loving detail that’s sure to resonate with animal lovers everywhere. The Other Family Doctor is heartwarming and by turns hilarious, enlightening and deeply poignant. This captivating memoir may bring forth a few tears, but ultimately, it’s an uplifting look inside the life and work of someone who cares deeply for our beloved companions. Somewhere, James Herriot is smiling.”
—Sarah Chauncey, author of P.S. I Love You More Than Tuna

“A vivid exploration of what it means to heal, to connect with animals, and to find our truest calling. Fine’s journey into veterinary medicine takes her around the world and into her patients’ homes but it is not an easy one as a woman in a male-dominated field where the work is both hard and heartbreaking. Fine invites her reader into the wordless world of the animal patient where the language of touch demands respect and attention. A true rarity, Fine breaks the code of silence upheld by too many veterinarians who have refused to firmly speak out on puppy mills. Ultimately, this is a human’s life story told through the animals she’s loved, lost and cared for. And to love an animal, as so many of us know, means living with loss. Fine writes with hopeful lightness and warmth about the grief and coping that must come with the privilege of loving a pet. If you’re anything like me and you’ve wondered at your dog’s veterinary appointments who are these doctors that care for our animals through sickness and health, who hold us and them when the time comes to say goodbye to the pets we love most, this book is for you.”
—Rory Kress, author of The Doggie in the Window

“Reading Karen Fine’s memoir is like sitting with a good friend who will hold your hand and rub your back while you have a much-needed cry. Dr. Fine’s book is compassionate and empathetic, and through her many stories from decades of experience, she generously shares her own unique perspective as a veterinarian who has run her own at-home practice, worked in traditional small animal clinic settings, and even treated herding animals for farmers abroad. The range of her experiences, both as a vet and as a pet owner herself as she welcomes readers into her own life, are shared in a caring and thoughtful way that will make readers feel comforted, reassured, and very much not alone. THE OTHER FAMILY DOCTOR is required reading for anyone who has ever loved an animal. It is a book I will be referring to and thinking about for years to come.”
—E.B. Bartels, author of Good Grief: On Loving Pets, Here and Hereafter

“Just in case you didn’t love your animal doc enough already, Karen Fine’s THE OTHER FAMLY DOCTOR will make you want to HUG your vet. This endearing memoir of what it takes to become a veterinarian and make it through the trenches of providing 24/7 care for the creatures we love best is so full of grit, determination, humor, and love.”
—Jenna Blum, New York Times bestselling author of Woodrow on the Bench and Those Who Save Us

“The Other Family Doctor is a heartwarming and healing look at the myriad joys and sorrows of loving animals. With warmth, humor, and years of expertise, Fine sheds light on the daily life of a vet, and the amazing lessons her four-legged patients have taught her. If you consider your pet a family member, this book is a must-read.”
—Dr. Marty Becker, author of From Fearful to Fear Free

“[A] spirited homage to domesticated animals and their bond with humans. . . . Fine’s keen observations will strike a chord with animal lovers, and her upbeat style keeps the pages turning.”
—Publishers Weekly (full review)

“A warm and humane tribute to animals who enrich our lives…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.”
—Kirkus (full review)

“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…This inspirational tearjerker is highly recommended for anyone who has ever owned or loved a pet.”
—Library Journal, Starred Review (full review)