Book review - It’s Never Enough by Dr. Mary Gardner

An ultimate guide for aging dog parents by Dr. Mary Gardner, veterinarian and founder of The Lap of Love Veterinary Hospice.

If you go to a bookstore, or browse Amazon book section, you will find thousands of books dedicated to puppies, but senior dogs rarely get attention, just like in real life. And yet, when I go to my clients’ houses to help them with their exuberant puppy or ‘crazy’ adolescent, I always fall in love with the senior dogs. And nothing makes me happier when my pet parents follow my advice and add the same enrichment and training I recommended for their younger pups, and then report to me that their blind, 16-year-old toothless yorkie absolutely loved the snuffle mat or a training session. Or that they talked to their veterinarian about pain management and their previously lethargic old boy is once again wagging his tail and running around with bouncy ears.

This is the book for them.

There is so much great information in this book - how aging affects different senses, how to help your dog enjoy their life as they age, what to watch for, what to ask your veterinarian, how to decide when it’s time to say goodbye and how to deal with the loss. There are QR codes to access additional resources (what a cool way to link to online stuff in printed material), fillable charts and checklists, product recommendations and tons of practical tips.

The Journal is beautifully printed, and you can fill the information in there and keep it later as a keepsake, or follow the QR codes and download PDF documents.

If you have children, you can also get an activity book for kids, to help them say goodbye to their canine friend.