Drinking from the Trough

2019 International Book Awards, Winner, Best New Non-Fiction 2019 International Book Awards, Finalist, Animals/Pets: Narrative Non-Fiction 2019 Readers’ Favorite Awards, Honorable Mention in Nonfiction (Animals) 2018 Beverly Hills Book Awards, Winner, Animals & Pets 2018 Beverly Hills Book Awards, Winner, Regional Non-Fiction, West 2018 Beverly Hills Book Awards, Finalist, Memoir & Autobiography “…Animal antics are on full, delightful display throughout these pages–and so is the pain of losing them, always affectingly related by the author.” –Kirkus Reviews “Dr. Carlson takes us on a tremendous journey of life, love, joy, and outright belly laughter as she poignantly recounts her journey as a student, veterinarian, wife, pet parent, and friend. Her spirit of caring and connection shines through on every page.” –Colonel Mark B. Gold, DVM, MSS, DACLAM, US Army, Ret. “The world seems to have moved away from the written word in forms made to endure time, imprinted on paper. Dr. Carlson’s gatherings are worthy of the paper and press. I found myself relating to moment after moment as she used her perspective to lure me into imagining. There were times I was not sure what would happen next, and times I anticipated and found myself amazed at her cleverness. Read this and you will find, like me, that you wished there was just more of it.” –Bo A. Brock, DVM, DABVP (equine), author of Crowded in the Middle of Nowhere, and 2007 Texas Equine Practitioner of the Year “Drinking from the Trough has the wit of a modern-day James Herriot. These stories will have the reader equally laughing and grieving over the personal struggles and triumphs in the life of veterinarian Dr. Mary Carlson.” –Kris Abbey, DVM, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist “Student, teacher, veterinarian, friend–now Dr. Mary Carlson can add ‘gifted storyteller’ to her long list of achievements. Drinking From the Trough is a delightful meander through a life filled with colorful people and memorable animals, from Keli, a husky with a gift for singing, and Marcie, a horse with the kind of heart that comes along only once in a lifetime of owning horses, to any of the many other animal companions Mary has known. Through her tales, Mary reminds us of the value of the friendship of people and animals alike, the grief we know at their loss, and the enrichment they bring us as they travel through our lives.” –Anna Dee Fails, DVM, PhD, professor of anatomy and neurobiology Colorado State University

Mary Carlson, DVM, MA, CVA has been a physical education and science teacher, a community volunteer and school board member, a lecturer in Anatomy at the Colorado State University College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, a guest researcher studying Yersinia pestis (plague) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and a veterinarian with a feline-exclusive practice. She is internationally certified in animal acupuncture. She is also a rabid Chicago Cubs fan, an avid horsewoman, an enthusiastic dog owner, and, according to her cats, excellent support staff. She is active on Facebook and channels her love of and experience in veterinary medicine into her blog, She lives in Fort Collins, Colorado and Tucson, Arizona. Her work has appeared in both professional and lay publications. Drinking From the Trough is her first book.

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