This book is thick for a reason. It covers nearly every medical condition, disease and ailment that you can think of. It also provides solid information on normal dog growth and development, feeding, and home health remedies.

HOWEVER, if you are looking for a user-friendly, easy-to-read, "For Dummies"-type canine medical reference, THIS IS NOT IT. I strongly disagree with some other reviewers who say otherwise. "The Book of Dogs" rivals your average human medical reference guide -- full of medical jargon and technical terms. I cannot find my way through this book without constant use of the glossary and index in the back. And I find myself sifting through page after page trying to locate the exact information I'm looking for. Not user-friendly at all -- especially in an emergency.

(By the way, I AM an educated -- albeit non-medical -- professional, and I STILL have problems understanding this book!)

Unless your dog has some kind of serious medical condition(s) -- my dog, for instance, has Sebaceous Adenitis, a rare auto-immune disease -- for which you need more detailed information, you don't really need this book. You (and your dog) are better off with a book like "What Your Dog Is Trying To Tell You: A Head-to-Tail Guide to Dogs' Symptoms And Their Solutions" by Stephanie Pedersen and John Simon.