Medicine Dog

January 6, 2014
Pet journalist Szabo describes her harrowing struggle with a perirectal fistula and her fight to get a controversial treatment already widely available to animals. When her pit bull Sam collapsed due to arthritis, Szabo learned of stem cell regeneration therapy in which the patient is injected with cells from their own tissue. The effects on Sam were miraculous, but the treatment was not yet FDA-approved for humans. Szabo details her self-education about her condition, and her unsuccessful trips to Panama and Madrid before finally receiving the treatment from the California Stem Cell Treatment Center. During this time, she also suffered romantically; an ever-growing pack of rescue dogs provided the unconditional love where humans failed. She tried alternative remedies and took some “health cues” from her dogs—the grain-free diet she fed her dogs led to her own “food-combining regimen,” which provided gastrointestinal relief. Szabo also differentiates adult stem cell treatment from embryonic in order to combat the former being “unfairly represented by the mainstream media.” She also provides examples of stem cell therapy success, including that of Texas Governor Rick Perry and New York Mets pitcher Bartolo Colon. While prone to narrative tangents, Szabo alerts readers to a cutting-edge medical procedure as well as the healing powers present in our canine friends.

February 1, 2014
One woman's frank medical memoir about saving her dogs and herself. As the New York Post's "Pets" columnist for many years, Szabo (Pretty Pet-Friendly: Easy Ways to Keep Spot's Digs Stylish and Spotless, 2008, etc.) is well-known for her deep compassion toward animals, dogs in particular. Over the years, she has spared no expense or veterinary procedure to ensure the longevity of her many canine companions. Szabo filled her life with dogs that provided the love and support she needed while she dealt with an embarrassing and lifestyle-hampering medical problem, a perianal fistula, and an abusive husband with whom she was regrettably deeply in love. Little did she realize, though, that when she had dog stem cells injected into her beloved pit bull, Sam, to cure his osteoarthritis, this would lead her on a global journey to find a cure for her own debilitating health issue. When Sam rebounded after his Vet-Stem injections, Szabo began an intensive study into the whole concept of stem cell research and discovered that the United States was far behind other countries when it came to the use of this breakthrough technology in humans. For a dog, cat or horse, stem cell injections were an expensive but available procedure, but for a human, the options were limited. In honest, sometimes-graphic prose, the author describes her crippling bouts of inflammation from her fistula, the way she used a healthy diet to limit flare-ups and the endless joy she received from her many dogs while searching for a cure. Szabo persevered and discovered the California Stem Cell Treatment Center, where she had her own stem cells (found in her body fat) injected into her fistula and bloodstream and rediscovered the joy of a normal life. A gutsy, consciousness-raising book about fistulas, dogs and stem cell therapy.

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February 15, 2014

Szabo (The Underdog) describes her book as a medical memoir, and it is--of both hundman and veterinary medicine. She takes up the cause of adult stem cell research, a field in which veterinary medicine has surpassed human medicine in research and treatment. Szabo first learned of adult stem cell therapy for dogs when she was looking for an arthritis treatment for her pit bull, Sam. Adult stem cell therapy uses cells drawn from the fat of the animal or person being treated. There is no risk of rejection and none of the ethical dilemmas surrounding the use of embryonic stem cells. Within hours of treatment, Sam was able to walk, climb stairs, and lift his leg again. After that success, Szabo began researching the possibility of treating her chronic gastrointestinal fistula with her own stem cells. Along the way she learned firsthand about the healing power of dog ownership and the frustration of being unable to access a treatment for herself that was widely available for her dogs. VERDICT Of interest to those looking for an alternative to standard surgical and/or pharmaceutical healing of chronic conditions, both human and canine.--Rachel Owens, Daytona State Coll. Lib., FL

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2014
This memoir is about medicine, dogs, and, yes, poop. Szabo (Pretty Pet-Friendly, 2008) almost died of septicemia (blood poisoning) brought on by a fistula in her lower gut. As she underwent surgery to drain the abscess, she was also in the middle of a verbally abusive relationship with her dysfunctional husband. What kept Szabo sane was her pack of Medicine Dogs. A longtime supporter of pit bulls, she found that the loving loyalty of her many dogs literally saved her. When her 13-year-old dog Sam got so severely arthritic that his legs collapsed, she discovered stem-cell regeneration therapy. When this cured her dog's arthritis, a light went on in Szabo's head. Could her own stem cells cure her anal fistula? What follows is Szabo's quest to get treated with her own stem cells, a treatment that in the U.S. was available to animals but not yet available to humans. Through all of her ups and downs, she finds that her dogs are the one constant she can count on. This chatty, intimate, fierce, and loving memoir is an addictive read.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)