Here's one by Melissa at runningwithbooks.blogspot.com

Thursday, August 7, 2008

Continuing with the nonfiction animal books, I just finished The Rhino With Glue-On Shoes: And Other Surprising True Stories of Zoo Vets and Their Patients edited by Lucy H. Spelman and Ted Y. Mashima. The book is a compilation of fascinating stories of zoo and wildlife vets who go to great lengths to diagnose and treat the animals in their care. Often, the vets are working in uncharted territory and really have to be creative in coming up with a solution to treat a sick animal.

How is a 1000 pound whale shark transported from Taiwan to Atlanta? What special precautions are taken when repairing a hernia in a polar bear? And what do you do when a dung beetle has an infestation of mites? A stint in a decompression chamber for a sea dragon, a leg brace for a giraffe and special shoes for a rhinoceros are just a few of the unconventional treatments described in this book.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, mainly because I was just amazed at what can be done for these animals, and how dedicated the vets are to helping them. A lot of times it seems that the animals get better care than humans would!

While I was reading this, I was thinking of a patron who recently asked me if we had any adult books about veterinarians that her teenage daughter (who wants to be a vet) could read. This would have been the perfect book for her, or for any young adult considering a career as a vet. Each story is short (5-10 pages), easy to read, and quite enlightening. And for animal lovers, it's a must read.

Baraza Blog review of RHINO

Posted by Christine on July 31, 2008

An eel walks into a bar… Debugging a bug… Health care for dragons… Although these may sound like lead-ins for some silly animal jokes, they are actually just some of the topics described in Lucy Spelman, DVM, and Ted Mashima’s, DVM new book, ‘The Rhino with the Glue-On Shoes.’ ‘Rhino,’ captures the stories of 29 wildlife vets and their remarkable, and sometimes strange patients.

Whether you have a genuine interest in veterinary medicine, or just wild and exotic animals in general, this is an absolute must read. The stories are funny, poignant, miraculous, and yes, on occasion, also sad. But no other book I know of does a better job of making both humans and animals come to life as does this small volume of vignettes.

By the end of the book one is not only left with the hope that a sequel is already in the making, but with a renewed passion for the four-legged, two legged, and yes, even no-legged neighbors we share this planet with.

Now, where does one get shoes for a rhino?

Dave Wood reviews books for ECM Publications in Wisconsin

Dave posted this review of Rhino, which subsequently appeared in online in the Hometown SourceNew Richmand News on July 29, 2008.

Here’s the ultimate book for animal lovers: “The Rhino with Glue-on Shoes, edited by Lucy Spelman and Ted Mashima (Delacorte, $22). Spelman and Mashima are high-powered veterinarians who have cobbled together an olio of stories about animals in trouble who have been treated by talented medical people. Read about a root canal performed on a three thousand pound hippo, spinal surgery on a kangaroo, a moray eel diagnosed with anorexia. This fascinating book is punctuated with a series of color photos of animals printed on glossy paper.

Collection of Stories

Enriches Local Zoo Adventure by DeeDee Shoemaker, July 20, 2008.

Everyday heroics make up the overriding theme of "The Rhino with Glue-On Shoes and Other Surprising True Stories of Zoo Vets and Their Patients," edited by veterinarians and educators Lucy H. Spelman and Ted Mashima.

This assemblage of recollections from 29 doctors who dedicate themselves to the treatment of wild animals provides insiders' views of a remarkable profession.

A deformed giraffe, an abused white-tailed deer fawn, an ailing dung beetle, a travel-weary whale shark: Each animal in this enlightening and entertaining book has found a veterinarian champion devoted to its well-being and to that of the natural world.

DeeDee Shoemaker is a readers' adviser at Central Library. The opinions expressed in this column are personal and do not reflect policies or official recommendations of the library.

Definitely recommended!

See the review of RHINO here on Afarensis, part of a comprehensive group of science blogs. 

The author ends their review with: "Overall, the essays were interesting, informative, and well written. Some end in sorrow, most have happy endings. What comes across in each is the love, respect, and dedication vets have for their patients. Definitely recommended."

And here's the first comment in response to the blog: "Thanks for reminding me about this one! I heard about it on NPR but had forgotten about it. I'm always a little wary of "animal books" because sometimes you get a side-dish of animal telepathy or some other such nonsense but I definitely want to check this one out."