Laurie's Blogs.
Apr 2020
Book Review - Sit. Stand. Go!
For this blog post, I wanted to do a book review. The book is entitled Sit. Stand. Go! by Kate Titus. I came across this book because I was asked if I would read it and provide a ‘comment’ for the back cover. My comment sums it up. “Kate captures what it means to live with and love a mobility challenged dog. I am so impressed with this book it will be required reading for all my clients.” So, here’s the gist of the book.
It starts out by empowering owners on what to pay attention to in their dog: their activities of daily living, how to evaluate their mobility, and how to provide a better history of your dog to its healthcare providers (i.e. what to mention, which details to include, etc.). I think this whole section is crucial for any / all dog owners. As animal healthcare providers, we take for granted all of the little things we notice – the roach in the back, the change in stance, the offloading of a limb, how an animal moves, changes in muscle tone and size, twitches in the muscles when you palpate certain areas, and so on. We have all likely ran into an owner or two who has no realization that their dog is in pain or struggling far too much in doing their activities of daily living. So, to give owners the tools to look at their pet objectively can be transformative! Because when they ‘see’ these things objectively, then can then provide or seek assistance to address the issues.
The next section is entitled Recognize & Accommodate. Here, Kate provides insights and suggestions on topics such as nail care, traffic flow in the house, eating, drinking, and sleeping. Management suggestions for indoors are made, and then outdoor obstacles are addressed. It’s a nice way to lay out the information. The outdoor section addresses topics such as getting in and out of the house, where and how the dog eliminates, exercise options, and options for getting in and out of vehicles. I particularly love the pep-talk / summation points at the end of this section. I would like to include them here.
“1. The dog at your side right now is the only one that matters.” (As in, stop comparing your dog as he/she is now, to how he/she used to be.)
“2. Mobility is a continuum. Your dog will move forwards and backward on this path, sometimes on a daily basis.”
“3. You’re in this together.”
“4. Be an Advocate for your dog’s health.”
Finally, the last section of the book contains worksheets for the pet owners to track and monitor their dog’s function and wellbeing. There is a resource section for equipment and devices, which is my only negative critique for the book. I think it could have been more extensive. However, equipment and devices is an ever-expanding and dynamic area and so to create an exhaustive list, would be an exhaustive process!
All in all, I really am very impressed with this book. I would urge you to check it out. Grab a copy. Set out a copy in your waiting room, and if you have a retail area, consider having some copies available for purchase!
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A Loyal Companion: http://www.aloyalcompanion.com/contact
