MEDICINE DOG

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.