In a small lake somewhere close to the Canadian border in the Pacific Northwest, the mallards slumber. Until the loud hairy Goldenbeast arrives, that is. ... Read more »
Daily Life
Tales From the Vet Clinic: Fleased
Thank you all for the lovely birthday wishes yesterday. It was a wonderful day despite dentist, doctor and 100 degree nasty weather. My husband brought home cupcakes, the kids had a great day at school and Brody found, then ate, a whole bag of goldfish crackers. Two out of three ain't bad. I guess he was mad he didn't get a cupcake. It's been a bad year for fleas, even worse than normal. With the long hot days of late summer dragging on with no signs of cooling off, they're not going away ... Read more »
Holidaaaay! Celebrate!!!
Cue the Madonna CDs and bust out the ice cream, because August 26th is our favorite day here at pawcurious. 1. It is National Dog Day, which is awesome because dogs are awesome and deserve a day of acknowledgement. 2. Most importantly, it is my birthday, and even though I'm way past the age where birthdays were fun and well into the stage of "oh no, my age plus one is sounding kind of old right about now," I can't bring myself to be upset about it. For one, It's NATIONAL DOG DAY, for goodness' ... Read more »
Holiday Road- Part One
We survived our 10 day vacation- 5 on the road, 5 at the lake. I'm not sure the proportion of driving to vacation is one I'd consider optimal, but all things said and done I'm really glad we got the chance to make the trip. For all intents and purposes, we covered the entire expanse of the I-5 from Mexico to Canada: 1400 miles and change each way. The dogs look so excited and happy at the start of the trip. To be fair, they always look this way. ... Read more »
Quick reminder
Today is the last day to vote for pawcurious for the petties awards- I would REALLY appreciate your vote! No registration required- it takes about 30 seconds! OK, back to haiku: Twelve long hours in car. Tomorrow, rinse and repeat. This is gonna stink. ... Read more »
Dog Haiku- Vacation Edition
Real camera packed Can only access iphone Thus the crappy pics Calm sapphire blue lake Belies the impending doom Hurricane Brody. ... Read more »
Vaccinations for Your Dog: A Complex Issue, by Nancy Kay, DVM
Today I am delighted to have a guest post from Dr. Nancy Kay, a veterinary internist and author of the must-have guide for being a good health advocate for your pet, Speaking for Spot. In today's post, Dr. Kay gives some tips for how to wade through the complex issue of pet vaccination and what you can do to make the decisions that are right for you and your pet. Thank you so much Dr. Kay! During my last year of veterinary school, I recall how scary it was when a new canine ... Read more »
How to Torture Rodents: Lessons Learned from the Class Hamster
We survived our first day on the road. I'm still not convinced as to the sanity of the idea but so far, we're good. In the meantime I'm kicking off the Summer Guest Series with a back to school missive from my friend and brave, brave teaching professional, Kristie W. Kristie shares her thoughts on that age-old tradition, the classroom "pet". Thank you Kristie! Int. shot of small striped lizard, crouching on the sand. Narrator: Searching for his next meal, the common alligator lizard scans ... Read more »
On the Road With Koa and Brody
A couple of months ago, we began to plan our family trip to the Pacific Northwest. "Oh," I said, "Since we are going to be in a cabin on a lake, why not bring the dogs along too? Trout, swimming, marshmallows- what's not to like?" I pretty much expected my husband to roll his eyes and say "No way," but then he said OK, which I wasn't expecting, and I started to panic. We did a few road trips as a kid- maybe 8 hours in the car, tops. As an adult, I haven't done any road trips with my kids or ... Read more »
A Brody for Bradyn
I think you all know I love service dogs. I think they are the heroes of the animal world, those inherent givers who by virtue of their temperaments have demonstrated they possess not only the ability, but the willingness to spend their lives in selfless service of another. This is Bradyn. Isn't he adorable? Bradyn has severe uncontrolled epilepsy. His parents are trying to get him a service dog so that they might be able to sleep through the night without fearing if they drift off too ... Read more »
When puppies die, who’s to blame?
One of the duties I most dreaded at a previous job of mine was evaluating the dogs for a local pet store. The pet store owner would go pick up new shipments of puppies at the airport, drop all 14, 16, 25 crates off at the clinic, and one of the vets would have to 'sign off' on the puppies before they headed to the store. The puppies all came with paperwork from the, ahem, "breeder" (aka puppy mill.) We would look at them to check for heart murmurs, cleft palates, that sort of thing. The dog ... Read more »
Call of the Day: Mind Reader
Office Manager: Thank you for calling, how may I help you? Person: Yes, I have a complaint about a visit I had at another hospital. Office Manager: Another hospital? ... Read more »
Out for a walk
I saw the woman marching with her Great Dane for the first time back in 2004. We had just moved into our home, and on an afternoon walk with Emmett I spotted her on the sidewalk on the other side of the street. They were hard to miss, those two- she, tall and strong and purposeful, attended by a small grey horse who upon closer inspection turned out to be a beautiful harlequin Great Dane. She nodded at me, and I nodded back before the dog dragged her past and on down the street. I saw them ... Read more »
In Violation
When I'm at work, I try to be sympathetic to the fact that I am consistently doing things to pets who have no idea why this stranger is poking and prodding at them. They're no dummies. By about the 16 week point they get the wary look of an animal thoroughly expecting to have their temperature taken. Unless you're one of those extremely conscientious owners who takes their pet into the vet for kisses and treats for no reason whatsoever, pets learn very quickly that when they come to the ... Read more »
In Judgment
Last week, I mentioned that I had to do a euthanasia where the owner chose not to be present, and it was a little emotionally challenging for me. I was more upset about the day than the fact that the owners left, and I mentioned it only to illustrate that I needed to lean on my techs to help me out with the part that I normally do without a problem (comforting the pet.) I didn't mean to set that up as a "oh no these irresponsible owners how could they" sort of thing, but it certainly opened ... Read more »
And then
I appreciate all the thoughtful comments yesterday, and especially I appreciate everyone who sent me a picture of their beloved pets to be included in yesterday's video. It was wonderful to see how many people knew what this day would mean, because you all have had this kind of day too. Yesterday was shaping up to be the same type of day I have been (thankfully) having for quite a while lately: simple and uneventful. And then. ... Read more »
Tumbleweeds
As I was driving home yesterday, I was thinking about Emmett and how much has changed in the past year. One year ago, I said goodbye. One year ago, I sat 10 feet from where I am now with my head on his neck for the last time, while he sighed into my hands, too tired to even roll over for a belly rub. It was a bad day. I was thinking about how, after he died, our house was the cleanest it had been in years. The tumbleweeds were gone- the ever present little hair balls that found their way into ... Read more »
Vets get jealous too
This one's for my fellow toilers in this profession. One of the great things about not owning a practice is that I don't have to worry about a lot of the things an owner would. Payroll, for example. Sick technicians. FMLA. Leases. That sort of thing. One of the bummers about not owning a practice makes itself apparent whenever I find myself at a continuing education conference, walking through booths of shiny bright tools and pieces of equipment I can't buy. The sales rep turns to me with ... Read more »