News – Dr. Dawn the Pet Vet

“Dr. Dawn Filos is an extraordinary guide through a world so many of us enter but few ever fully understand—the world of caring for our pets. With humor, empathy, and deep affection for both her patients and their humans, she shares tales of treating every kind of case—from snakes with pneumonia to Harold the self-pleasuring Maine coon cat. If you love animals, you’ll love Dr. Dawn and the stories she’s collected from thirty-plus years of practice.”

—Jim Axelrod, CBS News correspondent and author of In the Long Run: A Father, a Son, and Unintentional Lessons in Happiness

“Tales of a Pet Vet is a hilarious collection of stories about working with animals and their humans. Dr. Dawn has a gift for seeing the humor in any situation, and I found myself nodding along at her descriptions of veterinary house-call practice. An enjoyable read!”

—Karen Fine, DVM, New York Times best-selling author of The Other Family Doctor: A Veterinarian Explores What Animals Can Teach Us About Love, Life, and Mortality

“Dr. Filos paints vivid pictures of pet parents and the many life lessons that they and their ‘fur babies’ can teach us.”

—Melinda G. McCall, DVM, author of Driving Home Naked: And Other Misadventures of a Country Veterinarian

“Dr. Dawn educates readers on what it means to be a real vet with real stories of pets of all sizes and species. Her entertaining stories will connect with pet lovers and all those who like a good book and a fun read.”

—Steve Silbiger, author of The Ten-Day MBA

“Dr. Dawn Filos hits a grand slam with Tales of a Pet Vet—a well-written, fun, and easy read. Whether she’s facing a vicious dog, a recalcitrant cat, or nutty pet parents, Dawn’s stories are relatable and entertaining. This captivating book held my interest from cover to cover.”

—Mary Carlson, DVM, author of Drinking From the Trough: A Veterinarian’s Memoir

“Tales of a Pet Vet is a wonderful read which brings you a behind the scenes look at the daily encounters that veterinarians have with their patients as well as their sometimes equally quirky owners. Dr. Dawn engages the reader with her storytelling prowess. By book’s end you are left not only with a better understanding of the challenges of veterinary medicine, but you find yourself better educated about the diseases and traumas which commonly affect our pets. Be prepared, as her stories stray away from the common misconception that veterinarians spend their days playing with cute puppies and kittens and know that this book may actually set off unexpected emotions ranging from sadness to anger to disbelief to amusement. Tales of a Pet Vet is a must-read for every person who owns a pet and for every person who wants to work in the animal industry.”

—Laura C. Lefkowitz, DVM, author of Bite Me: Tell-All Tales of an Emergency Veterinarian

“Reading Tales of a Pet Vet is like eating a Coney Island hot dog while watching a Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade- it’s fun, lively, and filling. In addition to the many real-life stories of pets and their people, Fr. Filos incorporates practical information about first aid and common ailments of pets and what to do about them. The author stirs up laugh-oiu-loud moments in her plain-spoken ability to poke fun at herself when things don’t go as expected, and yet turns them into useful life lessons. A good read for pet parents and any animal lover.”

—Duncan MacVean, DVM, author of My Patients Like Treats: Tales from a House-Call Veterinarian

“It takes a special type of person to care for pets. Not just owning pets, but treating them for their wellbeing, caring for their special needs, helping to heal injuries, and putting up with aggression and messes in the line of duty. That’s what a vet does daily. Dr. Dawn Filos shares her experiences as both an in clinic and house-call vet in her book Tales of a Pet Vet. She tells stories of clients, both the pet and their human owners/parents/caregivers, some of which will have readers chuckling, and others that will make readers want to cry. There’s the story of a pit bull terrier who needed urgent care after consuming $500 worth of marijuana and other dogs and cats who consumed all manner of toxins and foreign objects like tennis balls. No matter how pet-conscious the pet parent is, the unexpected and unwanted can and will happen. Dr. Filos has seen it all. Dr. Dawn Filos’s memoir, Tales of a Pet Vet: Stories from the Clinic and House Calls, is a heartwarming and endearing collection of stories from the files of a very caring and versatile small animal vet. The stories are shared like a memoir, beginning with a brief introduction that summarizes the doctor’s career, before taking readers back to the beginning of her love for animals and the tragic accident that threatened her beloved childhood pet. The stories lead the reader through her struggles to get into vet school, her studies and training, and her first jobs in vet clinics before she started her own business doing house calls. It’s been a busy and rewarding life, but not one free of unusual and sometimes difficult situations. The author is a gifted storyteller and this collection will certainly entertain and engage readers.”

—Readers’ Favorite

“A veterinarian who makes house calls recounts a delightful and sometimes harrowing career caring for families’ pets. Americans spend more than $130 billion per year on their pets, Filos says, citing figures from the American Veterinary Medical Association and other sources. She’s been a lively part of that ecosystem for more than 30 years, and in these pages, she offers spirited stories from her long veterinary career. Filos has treated various exotic and domestic creatures, including iguanas, fish, snakes, birds, and pet pigs, along with a great many dogs and cats, and she provides details that readers may find surprising. For instance, many may not know that pet snakes can get pneumonia, or that iguanas and other reptiles purchased at pet stores can become dangerously malnourished because owners often aren’t educated about their care. As such, this book is more than a memoir; it’s a teaching unit that happens to be entertaining at the same time. The author has worked in clinics in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Arizona, including one in which the resident macaw attacked the author after watching her restrain a parrot for a cardiac test. However, she makes clear that house calls are a joy to her, as they allow her to see a pet’s environment and assess various physical and emotional factors. Some creatures, she notes, are simply too big to bring into a vet’s office easily; readers can imagine the difficulty of trying to get two elderly, arthritic mastiffs, each weighing more than 200 pounds, into a vehicle. The first chapter: “The Making of an Animal Lover,” may initially give readers the impression that the book will say more about the author and her loved ones that about her four-legged friends:” I now appreciate just how unusual my wonderful family was, and the extraordinary level of devotion we showed to our pets.” Soon enough, though, the work is dominated by tales of animals, and readers are to enjoy hanging out with them in Filos’s company. Worthwhile and engaging stories of a compassionate animal physician.”

– Kirkus Reviews

“A charming and delightful memoir. This book is filled with real-life sweet, humorous, goofy, heartbreaking, and extraordinary stories. Veterinarians, future veterinarians, and animal lovers will all find value in this book.”

– Dr. Eve Harrison, VMD, CVA, CVPM, CCFP, host of The House Call Vet Café podcast

“In Tales of a Pet Vet, Dr. Dawn Filos has given us a comprehensive and compelling account of her journey through many years and many varieties of caring for the animals she loves with such palpable and infectious passion. This charming book is filled with hands-on anecdotal experience of a vet whose humor and humanity highlight her treatment of her animal patients and their devoted if often misguided pet parents. Animal loving readers like me will welcome this wise and lively memoir that delivers important lift lessons for people and pets alike.”

– Elizabeth Harlan, author of George Sand, Watershed, Footfalls, and the upcoming Becoming Carly Klein.

“Compulsively readable. A poignant and humorous must for those who love their pets and the veterinarians who invest their lives in caring for them.”

-Elizabeth Sumner Wafler, author of Christmas at Reedy Falls: A Romance and the upcoming A Cleft in the World.

“As a lifelong animal lover, I fell in love with Tales of a Pet Vet by Dr. Dawn FIlos. Dr. Dawn’s memoir follows her career as a veterinarian, honestly exploring her challenges, successes, and joys. The stories of her patients and pet parents are entertaining, heartwarming, and sometimes heartbreaking. She explains in layman’s terms health conditions that can affect our furry friends as well as pharmaceutical and natural remedies. Tales have earned a place on my bookshelf for future reference.”

– Susen Edwards, author of Doctor Whisper $ Nurse Willow, and the upcoming Lookin’ for Love

“I was given an Advance Reader Copy of this engrossing memoir. I was charmed, fascinated, and entertained as I read Dr. Dawn’s tales of her journey from novice clinic vet to her own style of practice as a wise and dedicated house call vet. Her loving treatment of her animal patients and sensitive respect for their pet parents shines through all the stories and anecdotes. She explains scientific terms in lay language from her extensive research, gifting her readers with clear explanations of her practice style and decisions. I looked forward to what I would learn and enjoy in each next story and was always rewarded with humor even amid some heartbreak. Highly recommended, Dr. Dawn’s memoir warrants reading and rereading.”

– Linda Lockwood, author of Sky Ranch. Reared in the High Country

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