I've got a recommendation for a new book to kick off a new year. Tell Me Where if Hurts by Dr Nick Trout is about a day in the life of a veterinary surgeon at a large referral hospital in Boston.
It starts out with an early morning emergency call with a dog with a gastrointestinal problem and ends late the same night with a follow up on that same dog. In between there are a number of really interesting tales reminiscent of James Herriot.
I heard about the book on a radio
interview with Dr Trout by Terry Gross of
NPR's Fresh Air. At one point in the interview Terry asks Dr Trout about the increasing sophistication of veterinary medicine. Dr Trout goes on to discuss MRI's, ultrasound, total hip replacement, radiation and chemotherapy and concludes that if the procedure is being done in human medicine it's likely being done in veterinary medicine. They discuss the cost of these procedures and how many people are treating their pets in the very same way they would treat any other member of the family.
If you liked James Herriot and you'd like a more modern version of the same type of content, I'd highly recommend Tell me Where It Hurts, by Dr Nick Trout.