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  • Published: 2 November 2009
  • ISBN: 9781847945983
  • Imprint: Random House Books
  • Format: Trade Paperback
  • Pages: 336
  • RRP: $32.99

The Hippo with Toothache

Heart-warming stories of zoo and wild animals and the vets who care for them




Heart-warming stories of zoo animals and the vets who care for them

Meet Mohan, a rhino with painfully sore feet.
And Patch, a falcon with a broken wishbone.
And Kachina, a bear cub with brittle bones.
Not to mention Alfredito, a hippo suffering from a sever bout of toothache.

All these animals owe their lives to the dedicated zoo and wild animal vets who employ boundless ingenuity and expertise to care for them and who, in this beguiling book, tell the stories of their most memorable cases. They describe not only the meticulous detective work that goes into making a diagnosis but also the pioneering techniques they have developed. And they talk freely and movingly about the bonds they form with their exotic patients..

Whether it's one doctor's determined effort to save a critically ill lemur, the neurosurgeon who was persuaded to operate on a paralysed kangaroo, or the vet who refused to give up on an orphaned baby beluga whale, these are acts of rescue, kindness and co-operation that will warm every animal lover's heart.

  • Published: 2 November 2009
  • ISBN: 9781847945983
  • Imprint: Random House Books
  • Format: Trade Paperback
  • Pages: 336
  • RRP: $32.99

About the authors

Lucy H Spelman

Lucy H. Spelman, DVM, is the regional veterinary manager for the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project in central Africa, based in Rwanda. She is the former director of the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, D.C., and has been featured on Animal Planet and the Discovery Channel. Her website is www.drlucyspelman.com.

Ted Y. Mashima, DVM, is the president of Mashima Communication, based in Gaithersburg, Maryland. He lectures frequently and is the former associate director for the Centre for Public and Corporate Veterinary Medicine at the University of Maryland.

Ted Y Mashima

Lucy H. Spelman, DVM, is the regional veterinary manager for the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project in central Africa, based in Rwanda. She is the former director of the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, D.C., and has been featured on Animal Planet and the Discovery Channel. Her website is www.drlucyspelman.com.

Ted Y. Mashima, DVM, is the president of Mashima Communication, based in Gaithersburg, Maryland. He lectures frequently and is the former associate director for the Centre for Public and Corporate Veterinary Medicine at the University of Maryland.

Praise for The Hippo with Toothache

An intriguing, sensitively written book that really shows the relationships that can develop between humans and wild animals

Terry Nutkins