Summary

A book guaranteed to touch anyone who has ever had a beloved pethellip; From instantNew York Timesbestseller, Dr. Nick Trout comes another touching and heartfelt story from the front lines of veterinary medicine-the story of two dogs who forever changed the way he thought about life, death, fate and love. Helen is an older cocker spaniel found neglected and abandoned in a restaurant parking lot one rainy night. Despite her mangy condition and terrible smell, Ben and Eileen fall in love with the pitiful creature and decide to take her in. But just as Helen is rescued from a sad life on the streets and enveloped in a loving home with all the creature comforts an old dog could ask for, a tumor is discovered and she's given a devastating prognosis. All Ben and Eileen want is for Helen to beat the odds and survive for one more summer so that she can have one chance to swim in the ocean on the family's annual trip to Prince Edward Island. In short, they want a miracle. Meanwhile, fourteen-month-old miniature pinscher Cleo keeps breaking one leg after another which devastates her poor owner, Sandi. While Cleo is visiting Sandi's daughter, Sonja, in Bermuda, she succumbs to yet another fracture. Distraught that the injury happened on her watch, Sonja makes a plan to fly Cleo to Boston to get the specialist care she needs before Sandi even finds out. Enter Dr. Trout who presides over what should be a fairly routine surgery. What happens next forever links two families, their dogs and a beloved veterinarian and teaches them all a lesson about grace that resonates to this day. Love is the Best Medicineimmerses you in the true life drama of beloved pets whose lives hang in the balance. Every page underscores the profound bond we have with the animals in our lives and the incredible responsibility Nick carries as their healer. Certainly Dr. Trout has an impressive array of fancy equipment, training and skills at his disposable, but his most important tool (as he persuasively illustrates here) is a fundamental belief in the power of hope, humility, and grace. Wry, charming, and intensely affecting,Love is the Best Medicineis a one of a kind story only the winsome Dr. Trout could deliver and is destined to become a favorite for animal lovers. From the Hardcover edition.

Author Biography

Nick Trout graduated from veterinary school at the University of Cambridge, England, in 1989. He is a diplomate of the American and European Colleges of Veterinary Surgeons and a staff surgeon at the Angell Animal Medical Center in Boston. He lives in Massachusetts with his wife, daughters, and two dogs: Meg, a yellow Labrador, and Sophie, a Jack Russell terrier.

From the Hardcover edition.

Author's Note	p. xi
Helen	p. 1
Cleo	p. 16
Home and Security	p. 30
Paradise Interrupted	p. 45
The Goddess Luna and a Rush to Judgment	p. 55
The Heart of the Matter	p. 78
Ordinary Day	p. 87
Before and After	p. 106
Being Struck Off!	p. 119
Careful What You Wish For	p. 130
Incidental Finding	p. 143
Bucking the Trend	p. 151
A Dog's Chance	p. 167
The Other Side	p. 172
Tough Call	p. 189
The Bottom Line	p. 194
Waiting Game	p. 205
The Right Side of the Curve	p. 224
Everything is Connected	p. 234
Letting Go	p. 241
Acknowledgments	p. 251
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

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Excerpts

Chapter 1: Helen

Insidethe restaurant, they were just an ordinary couple, enjoying their dinner, comfortable with the lulls in conversation that define a successful relationship. Yet Ben was tuned in to everything unsaid, to the waves of distraction playing over Eileen’s face, her refuge in the safety of neutral topics—his latest commission, an upcoming exhibition in California, the antics of their beloved Newfoundland dog, Didi, patiently waiting for them to come home. He knew what was really on Eileen’s mind, but at this stage in their marriage he had learned his wife would talk about her troubles when the time was right.

Outside the restaurant, there was a creature waiting in the shadows. Historically, only certain humans—the kind with food—were of any interest to this animal and like most of her species, she relied heavily on olfactory guidance to pick her targets. But on this bitter, cloudless night, refrigerated air would have forced her to trust to visual cues, searching for victims with a friendly, receptive demeanor and preferably carrying a doggy bag. An elderly husband and wife shuffled toward a frosty- white Cadillac like a couple of emperor penguins. By any standard they looked approachable, likely to be sympathetic, and there was that all- important polystyrene container in hand. Then the woman spoke, and the shrill and relentless pitch of her voice forced the creature to back off, the tirade fueled by an inattentive waitress, stale bread, and overpriced entrees, the woman’s husband distracted and happy to grunt in agreement, his index finger working some meaty detritus trapped between difficult- to- reach molars. Next up was a gaggle of twentysomething women, laughing and shouting, pitching back and forth, alcohol, high heels, and black ice adding to their amusement as they staggered across slippery asphalt arm in arm, five abreast. No doubt they were getting in practice for next month’s office Christmas party. Only one of these Spice Girls kept a straight face and fortunately she was the one fumbling for a set of car keys.

There was a man overdressed in a suit and tie, out of place with an attractive woman in blue jeans, the two awkward together in the open raw darkness. She stood upright, feet together, hugging herself, drum tight, impervious to his forced small talk, his rehearsed prelude to plucking up his courage and leaning forward, hoping for a kiss, as she read the move and delivered a polite smile while extending a weak hand to shake. The moment said it all—thanks, but no thanks. Another blind date disaster, another phone number for her to screen on her caller ID.

The guy headed toward the pickup truck had encountered the creature before and perhaps it was recognition that had her edging out of the shadows until he opened the passenger side door and a stream of curses exploded in the frigid night air. The words were meaningless to her but their volume, clipped intonation, and vehemence packed a punch. His ice scraper was no longer in the glove compartment where he thought he had left it, forcing him to pull on the cuff of his lumberjack shirt and scour a hole through the gathering frost on his windshield.

And then there were Ben and Eileen, headed for a small SUV in the farthest corner of the lot. Despite the absence of a doggy bag, their body language sent all the right signals. They walked slowly, his arm around her shoulder, his head floating a foot above hers, angled down, a big hand visible and offering a reassuring squeeze.

“You’ve gone all quiet on me,” said Ben. “You okay?”

Eileen looked up and worked on forcing a smile into her voice. “I’m good,” she said and added, “I was just thinking about Helen. I’m going to miss her, you know.”

Ben nodded but kept quiet, watching her find the words.

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