| Mark Murphy and Andrea Burgio-Murphy |
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| Customer Reviews: | | Average Customer Review: ( 25 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 11 found the following review helpful:
 A for emotional effort, C for content... Oct 09, 2009
By Pietro
Other reviewers have done an excellent job of summarizing this moving story about the life & loss of a beloved pet to cancer.
Some have also noted that it is fairly brief, weighing in at 51, 8.5" by 8.5" pages, with illustrations and photos appearing on a majority of them. Actual medical/nutritional information comprises approximately 20% of the material;
"Breakfast with Buster" is more like a short story with numerous illustrations.
My family also lost a dear Black Lab to bone cancer that quickly metastasized to the lungs; while I shared, and relived, the painful process that the author describes, I didn't come away feeling like I would have been better prepared if I had read it prior.
The main thing I think people who find themselves in a similar situation need to know is: if you see your dog constantly licking at his/her paw, immediately find a vet that is experienced with rapidly spreading, metatstatic bone cancer...the first vet our dog was taken to didn't have a clue, and our dog might have had a fighting chance if he had; this vet thought it was a local injury, and then, later, a local infection...and prescribed commensurate but unhelpful treatments. Bone cancer wasn't diagnosed until several months after the licking began, and by that time, it had metastasized to the lungs...too late...and he couldn't breath; euthanizing was the only humane thing to do.
The author states that large dogs are prone to bone cancer, which emprically appears to be true; in addition, I have wondered, and asked several vets, if the multitude of chemicals that are used on lawns, as well as all of the antifreeze, gas & oil on the roads, could be contributing as well. I have not come away with anything conclusive, but it makes sense to me...and better to be cautious.
So, this story is a very short, moving & somewhat informative; I don't think it is in the catgory of a full-length $20.00 paperback, however, given its briefness and limited content...more like A $10.00 quick read.
5 of 7 found the following review helpful:
A sweet and loving tribute Nov 05, 2009
By Boston Lesbian
"Happily Married in Massachusetts"
This is a very sweet and loving tribute of a beloved family dog. It also chronicles their struggles with bone cancer and the things they did to mitigate Buster's suffering, to stop progression of the cancer, and to make him more comfortable.
I am not sure that I would have made the same choices, e.g. not considering amputation given that it cures the cancer if it is found early enough and knowing that dogs usually do well with 3 legs but Buster's family tried their best to help him overcome his cancer.
If you have ever loved a dog, or are struggling with a dog's illness and looking for alternatives to western medicine you will find this book helpful.
2 of 3 found the following review helpful:
Touching Story of One Family's Battle with Canine Cancer Apr 14, 2010
By Tom Tracy
This is a sweet & touching short chronicling of one couple's battle with bone cancer in a beloved canine companion. Having gone through a similar experience (lymphoma in a female Black Lab), I found it a particularly relevant & emotional read.
The book is very short - 50 or so pages, many with photographs of Buster & other pets of the author & her husband. It took approximately 30 minutes to read leisurely, so I would compare it more to a long magazine article. However, it also contains a compendium of sorts of natural, holistic diet & supplement based treatments for canine cancers, a resource I wish I had had when our beloved Lucky suffered from lymphoma. These supplements and diet alternatives are nicely summarized at the end of the book, along with a nice bibliography and list of other resources regarding diet & canine cancer. Yes, some of these supplements & diets lack full scientific backing but, when facing the heartbreak of watching a beloved pet & companion waste away from cancer, such relatively inexpensive alternatives for perhaps prolonging and maintaining their quality of life & easing their suffering is most welcome.
I enjoyed reading Buster's story & appreciated the information of alternative diet & treatment options for canine cancer. And, I welcome having this addition to my library, as I continue to have dogs in my household as loved & treasured companions. If I should have to deal with canine cancer again in the future, I intend to use this book as a resource & reference.
5 of 8 found the following review helpful:
 The lesson is love your dog and communicate with your vet! Oct 15, 2009
By heathernus
"heather0107"
This is a great love story between owner, pet and vet. No matter what your personal opinion might be on holistic verses traditional medicine, the book proves that pet owners and consumers need to raise issues and ask questions of our veterinarians and pet food companies. We should expect the same kind of knowledge and science from pet doctors as we do people doctors. I think the author is giving a testament to the things she tried that worked and is sharing the knowledge she gained from her research and experience. She openly admits she is not a vet and offers her own resarch as well as information she got from a vet. Ultimately, you read this book knowing the dog was loved and his last months alive were treasured ones.
If you read the book taking the advice as a starting point to discuss things with your vet and do your own research about what you feed and exercise your pet then the author served her purpose - to use Buster's life and death as an example. We should all be so lucky to have someone use our life's experience in such a touching and loving way that serves to help others. The book can be epecially helpful to other pet owners who are living through the awful experience of losing their 4 legged family member to cancer.
I don't agree with the notion (from other reviewers) that the author didn't have her dog's best interest at heart. I believe she did her research, spoke with professionals, and understood Buster and did what she thought was best for the dog. In a world where pets have become disposable property, it's nice to know there are people out there willing to rise to the need of keeping pets happy, healthy, and safe; no matter what the sacrifice or cost.
You can read this book knowing you'll read a lovely story of a woman and her 130+ pound puppy and her determination to keep him alive and happy. And then had the courage to write about her experience after her loss.
5 of 8 found the following review helpful:
 touching, but questionable Oct 08, 2009
By Just Me
Buster sounds like a great dog. The book is well written but very short. It looks like a child's book, but is not. Only 51 pages long, with large type and lots of pictures. A touching testament to Buster. The story is probably not worth the rather steep price except for those people who have lost a dog to cancer and want to "share" the experience that Buster's owner had.
The "medical" advice is questionable. There are some pieces which are probably actually useful, such as the low-sugar cancer diet. This one is backed up by actual scientific data. Other parts are beyond dubious, such as "distance healing" in which someone the author found online "sent distance healing" to Buster. The author recounts many things she does in an attempt to buy Buster more time and proclaims that these steps were suscessful. That's proof? If you want to pursue various methods of treating a dog with cancer, whether or not you are interested in "new age-y" options, there are far better choices than this book.
Also disturbing to me are the things that the author was not willing to do. For example, she writes that they turned down chemotherapy and radiation in part because the facility was 28 miles away. That's not far at all! They are also unwilling to have the leg with the bone cancer amputated. This can be a cure if it is done before the cancer has spread, and dogs tend to do VERY well with only 3 legs. Eventually, they decide to euthanize Buster because they are worried that his leg will break and they want to spare him that trauma. They decide to do this despite Buster being "bright-eyed, chipper and QUITE HEALTHY otherwise." They say testing has revealed no cancer elsewhere in his body. So why not just remove the leg??? I wonder how much of the way that Buster's cancer was handled had to do with the author's preferences rather than what would be best for Buster. It seems to be a case of "no, I don't like the IDEA of this (chemo, amputation, etc.), so we won't do it. But I do like the IDEA of this (crystal healing, energy healing, etc.), so we will do it." Buster's welfare seems to have gotten lost behind the ideas.
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