Surf OK, so first things first- yes, we surfed in our first competition and no, we didn't win (the well deserved honors went to the always amazing Surf Dog Ricochet, as it should.) I will be posting about it when I get back later this week and I have the rest of the pictures. I always had a ton of respect for the So Cal Surf Dog group, but after seeing them in action in competition I love them all even more. As busy as everyone was with their own dogs, many of whom were in multiple heats, I saw ... Read more »
Surf Dog Take 2: NO ONE KILL THE POWER AGAIN OK?
A refresher, if you haven't memorized all the details of my life, and I hope you haven't: Last year, Brody was scheduled to surf in the Helen Woodward Surf Dog Surf-a-thon. We had lessons. We had a board. And, of course, we had Evan the Surf Instructor: Who is probably blissfully unaware of his cult status in the pet blogging world. But I digress. At the very same moment we were out practicing our wave technique, someone, somwhere, hit a button they weren't supposed to and some Very ... Read more »
Get your puppy and kitten fix here. One day only.
Every little kid who wants to be a vet someday says it's because they love puppies and kittens and think we get to play with them all day. And then we smile, trying not to look too discouraging, as we encourage their dream while thinking of all the cancer euthanasias, anal sac abscesses, and "it-just-started-yesterday-I-swear" 10 centimeter pedunculated, bloody masses. Some people thrive on all that stuff. Me, I never got beyond the 10 year old version of being a vet. I like preventive care. ... Read more »
I’ve dreamed of this geeky day ever since I was twelve…
I knew we were in for a long morning when I saw Elvis's name on the schedule. A fearsome and mighty miniature pinscher who thought he was a Great White, Elvis held the reigning title of 'most challenging dog to vaccinate' I had ever seen. He had the unique ability to turn himself into a Tasmanian Devil on demand, a whirling, 360 degree tornado of teeth, claws, and anal gland secretions. And today he was coming in for a cough- one of the first signs of heart disease in dogs. The ECG is one of ... Read more »
Love Match
I can see a thousand things, and I can go a thousand places, but not a thing brings so much joy as doggie kisses on happy faces. ... Read more »
My Name Is and the 3 Things all PR people should know
This is an open letter to anyone who writes a pet blog, and there are a lot of you out there. I get asked for advice about blogging a lot, and the number one thing I will tell you is this: Your blog and your time have value. It's ok to remind people of that when they ask you to work for free. I've seen plenty in the almost four years in the blogosphere. To stick it out this long requires a clear understanding of why we're doing this and what we're about (neither of which, incidentally, have ... Read more »
Disaster Survival 101
As Hurricane Isaac bears down on the Gulf Coast, I, like many of you I'm sure, am remembering Hurricane Katrina. The relief when it was downgraded from a 5, to a 4, then a 3. It's not going to be that bad. That relief turning to horror as the levees failed, a slow-motion catastrophe whose impact is still evident throughout the region and in the hearts of the millions affected. To those in the area, I wish you one thing, to be safe. My thoughts are with you. I can only hope that you have ... Read more »
Using snakes to light a fire
I think I could have been very happy as a biologist. It was the direction in which I was headed, though always with the intent of turning my bachelors degree in biology into a professional degree. I chose to ignore the fact that I really loved biology as its own pursuit, fascinated with taxonomy and utterly enchanted with the concept of sitting on a smelly pile of rocks in a harbor by Marina del Rey counting mussels. I understood this, the pursuit of knowledge for its own sake, trying to get a ... Read more »
The naked dream would have been less stressful
I am a recurring nightmare kind of person. Always have been. They come in waves, depending on what my stress du jour is, where I am in life. I remember my first recurring dream well: I am running from someone, something, bad. I do not know what it is but I know that I can't let it catch me. I run along the side of the house, bright in the midday sun, and my feet turn to lead, sticking into the tall summer grass as though it were quicksand. I open my mouth to scream, and nothing comes out. ... Read more »
3 Tips for a Happy Cat Vet Visit
It's National Take your Cat to the Vet Week, which ranks right up there with Get Your Annual Prostate Exam Week and Pull Off Your Toenails Week on the fun scale. I know it's not fun, for you or for the cat. It's a necessary evil, one of our first lines of defense in catching disease processes early before they are crisis situations. In fact, most vets recommend taking your cat in twice a year, though we know from surveys that less than half of you take your cat in unless he or she is sick. Do ... Read more »
Is your hard drive safe from your cat?
It's a Tuesday, close to midnight. I've just gotten back from Africa and the animals have patiently waited their turn for face time, making way for the kids to get their snuggles in first. I sit at the computer, downloading the first of several memory cards of priceless photos, the documentation of the punda trip of a lifetime. Apollo is on my lap, drooling. I nudge him aside to wipe my hand. He waits a minute, then comes back. "Apollo, stop," I say. He bites my finger, a love nibble ... Read more »
Estelle’s Journal: Part 1
Day 372: Another lovely day here in Escondido. I finally figured out how to wrestle the remote away from the cat at night so I can turn on the Olympics. She keeps insisting on watching Bachelor Pad at night once the people leave and I'm all, like, you know the Olympics are only every two years, right? and she's all, I don't care, I want to know what happens with Blakely and then I said "give me the remote" and she said "make me" and so I had the dachshund distract her with a shiny ball and I ... Read more »
Wordless Wednesday: Where in the World is Dr V?
I have a hard time myself getting a grasp on all the places I have been fortunate enough to visit in the last two years. To say it has been immensely rewarding is the understatement of the century. I am writing today from Granada, Nicaragua, at the World Vets Latin America Training Facility, where I'm observing the last few days of the immensely successful summer training program for vet students, pre-vet students, and tech students. Cathy said she was pleased with how the project was going. ... Read more »
Giveaway Tuesday: Designer dog beds from PetDreams.com!
Brody's dog bed was turning into a sad and sorry thing, a tattered vestige that much like Linus's blanket, he didn't want to part with despite its obvious state of despair. I'd try to hide it, and he would go drag it out of the closet and back to the bedroom. Every time I thought about throwing it out, he'd follow me with such a concerned look that I couldn't bring myself to toss it, despite it being a bed only in the most academic of senses by this point. So when PetDreams.com, a ... Read more »
Oath in Action: The Horses of Tir Na Nog
Saturday, 5:20 am. The alarm buzzes and I bash at it in irritation. At this early hour I'm rethinking my enthusiasm for volunteering for the American Veterinary Medical Foundation Oath in Action Project. I have to be dressed and downtown by 7 am for registration, then it's off to either the Chula Vista Animal Shelter for a cleanup or the Horses of Tir Na Nog for a day of fence painting. "I could have slept in another hour," I mutter to no one in particular as they are all sleeping. "I could ... Read more »
Next medal event: Freestyle Dogvertising and the ASPCA 100K Challenge
When the Escondido Humane Society asked me if I would pick a pet to champion in support of their running in the ASPCA $100K challenge, of course I said, "Yes!" This week, I took a drive up to the shelter to get a special tour, and decide who of all the deserving pets there I was going to mentor. When I got there, touring this wonderful facility that is bursting with about 700 animals (it was built to house maybe 3-400), I talked with their PR Director Katie Woolsey about lots of things. I ... Read more »
SQUIRREL! Or, close enough
When you're a dog, there are certain things you learn to do early in life. Like ask to go outside. This is something every dog does differently. Some jump insistently at the door jamb, scratching at the glass. Others have learned to ring a bell. Some, like Koa, wait until they are positively bursting at the seams, sit silently for 30 seconds and, if no one comes in that time frame, go and pee on the floor. Dogs like Brody are stoic, waiting patiently but insistently at the door and nudging ... Read more »
We love food allergies! Come to the party!
OK, I guess that is probably overstating things to say I love food allergies. I don't love diseases. But I love talking about food allergies, for reasons not known even to me. I just think it's fascinating stuff and there is still so much we are trying to figure out. As many of you know, Apollo has food allergies. He had a late onset in life, at 7 years of age; he had been on fairly consistent diet ingredients most of his life. He had shown some symptoms of dietary intolerances before he ... Read more »
