Veterinary science is an extraordinarily broad field of study that requires extensive knowledge of countless animal species. Students who are called to work with animals and choose to pursue a career in veterinary medicine need books that can provide specialized content that will help them learn to provide healthcare to our animal companions.

Whether they care for our household pets or work towards the survival of entire species like rhinoceroses or pandas, veterinary medicine is an essential branch of science that is concerned with animals and the ecosystems they enrich. For that kind of work, they certainly deserve textbooks that will provide them with the clinical information they need. But textbooks and informational texts are not cheap and sometimes, are even hard to find. BookScouter can help students in any field buy cheap textbooks to excel in their studies. Even better, BookScouter also allows readers to sell books they no longer need.

So for the aspiring veterinarian or vet technician, we’ve put together a list of the 10 best veterinary books out there. These range from reference textbooks to page-turning narrative nonfiction and cover a wide variety of the animal species we love.

Behavior Adjustment Training: BAT for Fear, Frustration, and Aggression in Dogs

Grisha Stewart

Grisha is a dog trainer credited with developing behavior adjustment training (BAT). BAT is a functional solution to manage dog reactivity. Grisha offers practical solutions and suggestions to implement protocols that can help a pup behave more appropriately in social situations. This novel offers clear and concise tips for real-world scenarios that can help veterinarians, dog trainers, and dog owners alike to help dogs manage stressful environments. Behavior Adjustment Training is definitely a must-read for those of us with anxious or reactive dogs.

How Dogs Think: What the World Looks Like to Them and Why They Act the Way They Do

Dr. Stanley Coren

Psychologist and world-renowned expert, Stanley Coren condenses years of behavioral psychology research into an amazing book to give his readers invaluable insight into the minds of our canine friends. This novel will help you decipher your dog’s strangest behaviors and better understand the ‘why’ behind them. How Dogs Think also provides an interesting overview of canine evolution as well as dogs’ life and developmental milestones from birth to death. Cohen has filled his book with countless funny, interesting, sad, and simply astounding anecdotes to keep readers on the edge of their seats. Never before have we been so close to really understanding our closest companions

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The Emotional Lives of Animals: A Leading Scientist Explores Animal Joy, Sorrow, and Empathy – and Why They Matter

Marc Bekoff 

This book is brought to us by biologist and behavioral ecologist Marc Bekoff. The Emotional Lives of Animals is a culmination of years of Bekoff’s study and observations in social communication across various species. Bekoff brings us extraordinary stories that showcase and examine the vast range of emotional experiences that animals feel as they interact with the ecosystem that surrounds them. This book implores us to reassess how we view the animal species with whom we share this planet.

McCurnin’s Clinical Textbook For Veterinary Technicians

Joanna M. Bassett

This comprehensive textbook was written and reviewed by specialist veterinarians to bring veterinary science students – and interested readers – a wealth of clinical information for future veterinary technicians. In fact, many experienced technicians continue to use this textbook as a reliable resource. Now in its 10th edition, McCurnin’s Clinical Textbook for Veterinary Technicians is divided into clear-cut chapters with simple layouts and full-color images to maximize readability and content acquisition.

McCurnin’s Clinical Textbook for Veterinary Technicians Workbook

Joanna M. Bassett

If you’ve committed to spending your dollars on McCurnin’s Textbook, you should consider purchasing their workbook as well. As we all know, reading and highlighting key topics is only a small part of a good study strategy. Repeatedly testing our knowledge in various ways is an essential part of learning and preparing for the clinical skills necessary to be a good veterinary technician. McCurnin’s workbook features case presentations, quizzes, and other learning tools designed to accompany the textbook and reinforce key content to produce clinically competent veterinary technicians.

The Merck Veterinary Manual

Cynthia M. Kahn

The Merck Manual has been around for 50 years! With every revision and new edition over the last five decades, this textbook has quickly become an essential reference guide for reliable information on all facets of animal healthcare for veterinarians and veterinary technicians. The manual’s topics range from mundane pet concerns to emerging diseases found in the animal kingdom and how they are managed. It is hard to believe that such a wealth of information on veterinary health can be found in a single tome but The Merck Veterinary Manual is probably as close as it gets.

Clinical Anatomy and Physiology for Veterinary Technicians

Thomas Collville

Isn’t it amazing how animal anatomy is so different from our own? What’s even more impressive is that veterinary technicians are expected to know and understand the anatomy and physiology of an inexhaustible number of different animal species. One can only imagine that completing a medical procedure on a Basset Hound would be vastly different than trying to do a similar procedure for an octopus or a beluga whale. Clinical Anatomy and Physiology for Veterinary Technicians is a resource that examines the different ways animal bodies work and how that impacts their health and clinical care. Like with most health professions, a sound knowledge of anatomy and physiology is fundamental for the appropriate care for a patient. This textbook provides the basics for anyone who will be delivering care to our beloved pets.

Handling Restraint and Behavior Modification of Dogs & Cats: Techniques for Developing Patients Who Love Their Visits

Sophia Yin

Trips to the Vet can be stressful and, while on the drive, pets often know that something rather unpleasant awaits them. Dr. Sophia Yin, veterinarian and animal behaviorist wrote her book to provide fellow veterinarians with techniques and tools to help ease the anxiety many cats and dogs experience when walking through those clinic doors. Dr. Yin works through a variety of animal behaviors and helps her reader interpret them to better understand what these animals are feeling and how to manage it without inciting fear or creating anxiety. Any veterinarian or veterinary technician with this book in their toolbox is sure to be loved by their patients.

The Spirit of Animal Healing: An Integrative Medicine Guide to a Higher State of Well-being

Martin Goldstein

Dr. Martin Goldstein is a specialist expert in veterinary medicine. He is known for integrating complementary and alternative medicine with traditional medical knowledge.  In this book, Dr. Marty turns traditional clinical veterinary approaches on their head by providing complementary approaches to optimize pet health. Dr. Marty covers essential health topics including nutrition, integrative remedies, and updates on the newest cancer treatments in veterinary healthcare. In this book, Dr. Marty explores practical approaches that can help us to better treat our pets’ illnesses and maintain their health.

Veterinary Notes For Horse Owners: An Illustrated Manual Of Horse Medicine And Surgery

Captain Matthew Horace Hayes

Not to be outdone by The Merck Manual, Captain Hayes’s book has been a mainstay resource for equine health and veterinary practice for the better part of a century. Every problem, symptom, disease, or injury a horse owner may encounter can be found in this book. Veterinary Notes for Horse Owners is expertly divided by organ systems and even includes practical sections on husbandry, purchasing of horses, and legal certifications. Captain Hayes’ work is a definitive bible on equine health and management.

Veterinary science is a broad area of study and there are thousands of great books out there that will cover various aspects of the field but, in our humble opinion, we have listed 10 of the best veterinary books out there.

Unfortunately, textbooks and educational materials can be expensive. BookScouter is an affordable way to find cheap books online on your syllabus – and some great leisure reads as well. Any of the above titles can be purchased, sold, or rented through BookScouter. Simply enter an ISBN for your book and BookScouter will tell you who is interested in buying your book and how much they can pay. 

BookScouter is a great way to buy used textbooks you need, get online textbook rentals, or make a little extra money by selling the textbooks from last semester’s courses. If you’re a student pursuing a career in veterinary sciences or if you’re just an animal lover with a keen interest in animal behavior, pick up one of these fantastic veterinary textbooks.

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