The Vet at Noah’s Ark

From renowned veterinarian Dr. Doug Mader comes a stirring account of his fight to protect his animal patients and human staff amid the dangerous realities of inner-city life and the Los Angeles riots–and a celebration of the remarkable human-animal bond. The life of a veterinarian is challenging: keeping up with advances in medical care,making difficult decisions about people’s beloved companionsandin Dr. Doug Mader’s casenavigating the social unrest in Los Angeles in the early 1990s. As one of the few exotic animal experts in Californiahe was just as likely to be treating a lion as a house cat. The Vet at Noah’s Ark: Stories of Survival from an Inner-City Animal Hospital follows Dr. Mader and his staff over the course of a year at Noah’s Ark Veterinary Hospitalan inner-city LA area veterinary hospital where Dr. Mader treats not only dogs and catsbut also emusskunkssnakesfoxesmonkeysand a host of other exotic animals. This real life drama is set against the backdrop of the trial of four police officers in the Rodney King caseas well as the violent aftermath following their acquittal. This is a book about survivalboth of the pets that Dr. Mader and his staff try to save on a daily basisas well as the staff themselves. Living in the harsh reality of the citysurrounded by gangsdrugsviolencetrafficsmogand deadly riotsthey must overcome and rise abovefor their own survival and that of the animals who need them. This awe-inspiring account is told through Dr. Mader’s riveting storytelling–as Carl Hiaasen writes\