Pawcurious: With Veterinarian and Author Dr. V

Celebrating the truth that pets make people better.

Archives for 2011

Thousand Post Giveaway: Joy Pet Products Doggie Coat!

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I can hardly believe it myself, but I've just passed the thousand post mark on the blog. That's a lot of hammering on the keyboard. What a cool benchmark to ring in 2012! Thank you for sticking with me through all of it- the good, the sad, and the goofy. I know lots of you are reading this from chillier climates than mine, so to celebrate, we're having a giveaway of one Original Goose Down Filled Doggie Coat from Joy Pet Products! Our Original Goose Down Filled Doggie Coats are so unique ... Read more »

What happens when you leave me to my own devices with a mascot and a camera

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When Susi from DogKnobIt and I asked if we could dogsit the Eukanuba VP of Canine Communications, Pawl Griffin, for a bit at the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship, I'm not sure what they were thinking when they agreed. I'm glad they did, though. Because we had a ton of fun. He's a petit Basset Griffon Vendeen, but we decided to see what would happen when we asked breeders of other types of dogs for grooming advice. (For the record, that brilliant idea was Susi's. I thought we should take him ... Read more »

Resolved: What’s yours?

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This has been a banner couple of weeks for pet misbehavior. Brody really brought his A game this month. It's a miracle he didn't need some sort of ER visit, truly. Now, I know this is my fault for not making him tired enough. He's been off because of all the changes in his routine, and I've been travelling, sick, and doing all sorts of things that don't include giving him enough exercise, so that the smallest insults such as leaving the house for half an hour leave him with no choice except ... Read more »

Merry Christmas

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I love Christmas. But I hated Christmas working emergency as a veterinarian. I euthanized more pets in the two weeks surrounding Christmas than I did in the surrounding three months combined. This is a consistent, repeatable phenomenon common to all clinics- a combination of holiday stress, low funds, and the uncanny knack of pets to get very sick at the most inconvenient of times. Yesterday, in a clinic in the Pacific Northwest, a woman went into the emergency clinic with her beloved dog, ... Read more »

Bad Santa: Or, how I blew a dog’s chance at the National Obedience Title

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I recorded my homecoming on Monday. I really did. I wanted to document the joyous reunion between me and my loving dogs. It went a little something like this: Opening: My hand on the doorknob. Whining behind the door. Me: HI GUYS! cacophony dogs running amuk kisses Me: I missed you SOO much! *looks up* screams And scene.  ... Read more »

Hill’s Science Diet Ideal Balance Giveaway

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The holidays are right around the corner- and to celebrate I have the first of a series of giveaways running between now and the New Year! To kick us off, I have TEN chances to win either: Hill’s® Science Diet Ideal Balance™ Grain Free Adult Chicken & Potato Dinner dog food - OR - Hill’s® Science Diet Ideal Balance™ Adult Chicken & Brown Rice Dinner cat food So here's the interesting thing about pet food nutritionists, and this is the same across the board in terms of the big ... Read more »

2011 Last Minute Holiday Gift Guide

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It's not too late to grab some last minute goodies for your pup if you're like me and still scrambling to get things together between now and Sunday! If you're still looking for some ideas or stocking stuffers, here are the products I'm featuring this morning with Santa on Fox 5 San Diego's morning segment: 1. Halo Liv-a-Littles all-natural treats Freeze-dried treats are the perfect choice for those who like an all-natural, no filler sort of treat. Just freeze-dried chicken, salmon, or beef ... Read more »

Blogger’s Stakes: Or, how I blew my first competition

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I'm back from the whirlwind week at the world's biggest dog show, and I am POOPED. There could have been five of me running around and I still don't think I would have scratched the surface. But today, I want to share my favorite experience from the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship, the Inaugural Blogger's Stakes. During the afternoon light check before the Saturday evening events, the bloggers were invited into the main arena for a mock show. Each of us was provided a stellar show dog, ... Read more »

World Challenge TODAY!

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The excitement here is really something. Today is the first official day of the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship, though the prep has been going on all week. Earlier, I watched the Bostons take the Breeders' Stakes preliminaries; the finals will be this afternoon. Aren't these dogs amazing? They just sit calmly and wait amidst all the cacophony. Tonight is the World Challenge, where people and dogs from 42 countries will be here to compete in a special World Challenge event. It's ... Read more »

Low Cost Spay Neuter Myths and Facts

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I'm here, I'm loving Orlando, and I'm sick as a dog. Which stinks, to put it mildly. So, I'm focusing my energy on things like standing up and walking, but the posts will come. Make sure to check out Facebook and Twitter as well, where I'll be posting lots of candids. In the meantime, I have a post about a topic we got into a big discussion about a couple of weeks ago:   I loved Dr. Becker's recent article about whether or not vets should offer spays for below cost. His answer, in a ... Read more »

I need to be a triplet

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As you're reading this, I'm probably either getting patted down by a TSA agent or winging my way over the country on my way to Orlando. (By the way, no one tell my kids that Orlando is the home of DisneyWorld. I'm already in enough trouble as it is with them.) But I'm not going to see Mickey or the Harry Potter park (though trust me, it's tempting) because I already have enough to keep me busy with the AKC/Eukanuba show to fill an average 36 hour day. I printed out all the events that are ... Read more »

I swear we have better toys here

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My daughter had her first sleepover this weekend. It was a long time coming. Her very best friend, a girl she has known since kindergarten, is near impossible to arrange any sorts of playdates with. Her mom works full time. Her dad, a retired police sergeant, is busy running the older son around to after school activities but has a rule that the daughter cannot have playdates without her mom or dad there. Given this statute, let's just say I didn't even bother pursuing a sleepover with ... Read more »

The Road to AKC/Eukanuba: Dress for Success

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Here's the thing about dog shows: They are a to-do. I'm not the pro source about dog shows, as you know. I'm learning as I go, and the more I learn, the less I know. It's fascinating, the work that goes into becoming a champion, the hours spent grooming and training and driving from place to place and competing in the hunt for titles. But at the end of the day, for me, it boils down to this: people who are really into showing dogs are absolutely, 100% nuts for canines. And that I get. I ... Read more »

Animal Use in Pet Food Research: The Hill’s Approach

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One of my primary goals when I am invited to tour a pet food manufacturer is to see their animal welfare policy in action. It's probably one of the most commonly asked questions when it comes to pet foods: do you use animals to test your foods? And how do you use them? There was a time, a little over a decade ago, when animals were used quite a bit by various companies. They were used in various ways, including terminal studies in which the animals were euthanized at the end of the study. ... Read more »

A Very Macabre Christmas to You and Yours

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Among the many things I inherited a love of from my mother, such as books and weird medical cases, are Christmas ornaments and crafting. Every Christmas since I was little, we would get an ornament in our stocking, and when I moved out, I took my collection with me. It's a lovely way to have a little nostalgia every December when we set up the tree. I have done the same for my kids, so when they are older they can survey their pile of Tow Mater and Barbie ornaments the way I look over my ... Read more »