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A couple of weeks ago, I took a few days off to decompress and decided to do something that I haven't done in years – I spent a couple of hours in a used bookstore.  I opened my phone and looked for a “bookstore near me” and discovered that there are several bookstores in my small town.

When I walked into 3rd Street Books, I took a deep inhale, taking in the smell of books.  And then asked the owner for books on Chinese Medicine.  She pointed me to a few places and I sat down and got lost in the books.

I wanted to get books because I find that I often stop doing research once the theory that drove me to Dr. Google was confirmed – confirmation bias?  Having a good book as a resource gives me a more balanced view of a topic.

Dog Health Books from the Used Bookstore

1 – Animal Acupressure (Illustrated), an acupressure guide for common ailments of the dog – Deanna S. Smith 

I like to “massage” my dogs a couple of times a month to look for any lumps, bumps, sore spots, or changes.  I recently decided to make more of this at-home exam by learning more about massage and acupressure.  What I love about this book are the illustrations because acupressure isn't something we just do – there's a lot to it, like an opening and closing massage.  I'm learning a lot.

My plan is to start using acupressure on Rodrigo to help with anxiety, arthritis, and old age.  And I want to try on Scout since his veterinarian (and acupuncturist) is leaving the country for a few weeks.

2 – Chlorella: The Key to Health, Vitality, and Longevity, Dr. Mark Drucker 

This book is for humans, but I can still learn something that will be applicable to my dogs.  In fact, later in the book (page 105), the doctor does discuss how pets can benefit from chlorella.     

“By providing your pets with daily servings of chlorella, you purify toxins from their system and protect their long-term health.”

I add spirulina/chlorella tablets to my dogs' meals a couple of times a week.  I started adding this to my dogs' diet years ago when they were eating grass like crazy.  They weren't sick, so I wondered if they were getting a nutrient from the grass that was missing in their diet – chlorophyll.  Not long after adding the supplement to their diet, their grazing ceased.

I purchased this book to learn more about this nutrient and to have a resource in the house for future reference.

3 – Chinese Folk Medicine and Acupuncture, Heinrich Wallnofer and Anna Von Rottauscher 

This is a small yet dense book of information.  I'm on a Chinese Medicine kick right now as I try to apply food energetics, acupuncture and acupressure, and herbs to my dogs' care.  It's all very fascinating and it can be confusing.  I'm hearing a lot about the spleen, but, in Chinese Medicine, folks are referring to the digestive system, not necessarily the organ.

4 – Cell-Level Healing, the bridge from soul to cell, Joyce Whiteley Hawkes, PhD 

After a cursory skim through the pages, I think this book will provide the woo-woo message that I love. While I don't believe in the Law of Attraction, I do believe that our moods impact our overall wellness, and I love learning more about how positive energy impacts our health.

5 – Chinese Herbal Patent Formulas, Jake Fratkin 

This isn't a book that I'll read.  As I learn more about Chinese herbs, I'm going to use this book as a reference.  I'll be speaking with Scout's holistic veterinarian about adding herbal formulas to his treatment and I'll be able to use this book to learn more about each formula recommended.  Yes, I can just ask the veterinarian, however, I prefer to read up on this on my own because I tend to come up with questions randomly and it's easier to reach for a resource than wait for our next appointment.

6 – Cultivating Your Microbiome, Ayurvedic and Chinese practices for a healthy gut and a clear mind, Bridge Shea, LAc, MAcOM 

I saw the word “microbiome” and added this book to the pile.  I recently received Scout's test results back from AnimalBiome (now known as DoggyBiome).  I'm going to schedule a consultation to review the results and then write about what I learn.  In the meantime, it's nice to have a book as a reference.

Cultivating Your Microbiome is a book for humans, however, I think that what I learn can be applied to my dogs as well.

7 – Bone Broth Break Through, Dr. Josh Axe 

I love Dr. Axe's website and use it often when researching a topic.  Although his content is primarily for humans, he has information for dogs as well.  This book appealed to me because I give my dogs bone broth and I recently learned that dairy may not be a good fit for two of my dogs because, according to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), dairy products increase phlegm in the body and the more phlegm the body needs to remove, the more taxing it is on their system.  So, I make sure my dogs have plenty of water, I warm their food now, and I reduce the amount of dairy.  When my dogs do get dairy, I make sure it's fermented.

This book contains recipes that I plan to use on myself.  The rest will teach me how to up my bone broth game for my dogs.

Dog Health and Behavior Books from Amazon

3rd Street Books is a used bookstore, and I couldn't find much specific to dogs, so when I came home, I popped over to Amazon to pick up a few more books.  Many used bookstores sell through Amazon, so I supported them on this order rather than ordering from Amazon's warehouse.  I was able to get near-new books at an affordable price.

8 – The Dog Cancer Survival Guide, Dr. Demian Dressler, and Dr. Susan Ettinger 

This is an excellent book because it breaks down every cancer, the diagnosis, the staging, treatment, estimated survival time, and more.  I find it more valuable than using the Internet.  This book offers a more balanced approach, neither traditional nor holistic.

9 – Four Paws Five Directions, Dr. Cheryl Schwartz 

Scout's holistic veterinarian recommended this book when I was interested in food energetics and TCM.  She told me this was the best book to introduce these concepts to laymen.  Although this book is supposed to be the best introduction to TCM, it's a lot of information, and I quickly got overwhelmed when I sat down to try and read it from cover to cover.  Now, I choose a topic and use this book and my books on acupressure and acupuncture (listed above) to better understand.

10 – What's My Dog Thinking? – understanding your dog to give them a happy life, Hannah Molloy 

My friend (and podcast co-host for Girls with Dogs) recommended this book, and I'm so glad she did.  It's an excellent book; I use it to better understand my dogs.  My goal with my dogs is to reduce the stress in their lives.  I started by working on myself and my response to what was happening in my life.  I'm learning to find the humor in it all and, when I can't, to find a happy distraction until I can laugh.  With my dogs, I'm trying to understand them and why they do what they do.

This book is my English-to-Dog translator, and I'm learning a lot.  Mostly, this book has reminded me to ask “WHY” my dog is doing what he (or she) is doing.  And, by learning why my dogs do what they do, I'm no longer humanizing certain behaviors.

So, have you been to a bookstore lately?

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