Does that cover it? Well, whatever you celebrate, I hope it's a great one, and if you're not celebrating anything, feel free to come on over because we're grilling. ... Read more »
I’m not cut out for the ref job
My children have spent the wee dawning days of summer re-enacting the World Cup. On this side, representing the Bipedia, we have the Daughter and the Son. On the other side, from the United Republic of Retrievers, we have Koa and Brody. And we're off! Daughter runs the ball, easily dodges Koa, and heads down the field. Son goes running after, screaming that he wants a turn. The goalie stands firm. Daughter feigns to the side, then punts the ball past the goalie, who pounces on it, ... Read more »
It’s the most horrible time, of the year….
Sing it with me! Well, Fourth of July isn't really that horrible a time in general, unless you happen to live in the US and you are a noise-phobic dog. Then, well, then it's pretty scary. To us, July 4th is corn on the cob, barbecues and pyrotechnics set to the booming tones of the 1812 Overture. To your dog, man, it is armageddon. The sounds. The vibrations. The yelling. The sulfurous smell of gunpowder. No wonder it's the most common night for pets to run away. I have heard and seen ... Read more »
Book review: Marcus of Umbria
I like pet memoirs. I read them a lot. Marley and Me, My Dog Skip, you name it, I've sobbed over it. I also like women-finding-themselves memoirs. Like thousands of other women, I flipped raptly through Eat, Pray, Love, planning my own trip to Italy to eat my way to self-discovery. The two are entirely different beasts, really. While the chick-lit books usually detail the author's myriad trials in search of the ultimate love with the man of her dreams, most of the well known dog memoirs ... Read more »
Sad
I've been thinking a lot about Callie lately, my kitty who disappeared last autumn after one brief escape outside. I think about her whenever I see a pet who has been attacked by a coyote at work, my breath catching in my throat as I wonder if that is what happened to her. I look at the lacerations, the injuries, and I imagine her sitting quietly, trusting, not realizing that the predator approaching is not an Emmett or a Mulan to tease and romp around. Whatever it was, I can only hope it was ... Read more »
The Definition of Insanity
A few weeks ago, we had a client come in with her cat. She had gone to the emergency hospital the previous weekend, gotten a diagnosis of heart disease, and was instructed to follow up with her regular vet. She didn't have a regular vet- the cat hadn't seen one in 10 years, but no matter, we would do. Only problem was, we didn't do. From the moment she stepped in the door, she was mad. The receptionist was terse, the price was too high, we didn't have the records from the emergency vet, we ... Read more »
The Giving Ke(koa)
About 10 o'clock this morning, the receptionist comes into the back and says, "The kids are here." "What kids?" I asked. "The YMCA kids," she responded. "Oh- did you not know about that?" Apparently, the YMCA down the street was really reaching for things for the kids to do and had arranged a mini tour of our hospital, which no one thought to tell me about. Normally I would be OK with taking kids around for a brief visit, but at this particular moment in time my RVT was wrist deep in a ... Read more »
Dogs and work- yes? no?
Friday marks the 11th year of Take Your Dog To Work Day. I am, of course, very fortunate that I can take my dogs to work with me whenever, though as odd as it seems (ha!) a veterinary clinic isn't always the most fun place for a dog to hang out. I have lots of clients who take their pets to work, and it always surprises me to hear it- why, I don't know. Most work in small offices or family businesses. I can't imagine the logistics of dealing with HR and corporate lawyers if one were to try ... Read more »
From the Mailbag: Running with Rover
I was asked this in an e-mail today, and I thought it was a good enough question to share with the crowd: "I'm training for a half marathon coming up this October and want to keep my dog involved. She's a small dog, only 20 pounds, so I want to know - is there a time limit or distance limit i should take into consideration when taking her with me on runs? I want to get her energy out (so she'll stop barking her face off all day!) but I don't want to risk putting her in harms way. If there ... Read more »
Don’t tread on me
I'm sorry I haven't done a lot of picture posts or Barbie posts lately. Those are pretty time consuming, as I think I have mentioned before, and if there is one thing that has been in utterly bleak supply lately it's been time. Between the end of school, holidays, birthdays, colds, and some other junk going on I have barely- barely!- had time to breathe, let alone set up what I have planned for the next Barbie post. It's in my head, though, where it has remained since Mother's Day. Father's ... Read more »
All I really need to know I learned while my daughter was in kindergarten
Yesterday was a really bittersweet day for me. It was my daughter's last day of kindergarten. I didn't think it would hit me quite this hard, but it really got me right in the throat to watch all the little munchkins skip up to the teacher with their little cardboard caps to pick up their kindergarten diplomas. The teacher took them down to the field for a few minutes to run some energy off before the afternoon graduation party, and while they were doing that I joined a couple of the parents ... Read more »
The life of glamour
I admit it, I'm a reality TV addict. While other, more serious and conscientious veterinarians are catching up on their journal reading or maybe doing some online continuing education, I'm rewinding the Tivo so I can force my husband to watch Alex Wong's routine on So You Think You Can Dance. "I love dance," I sighed as I reclined on the couch with my Nilla wafers. "These guys look like they're dancing on air." "So what did you do today?" asked my already-bored husband. "Um, I gave a ... Read more »
They’re not *your* appendages!
I checked the schedule this morning and was very pleased to see Rocco on the docket for a neuter. A sweet and allergy prone pup, he had been scheduled and re-scheduled for this neuter about three times. My pleasure quickly turned to disappointment when our drop-off time came and went, with no Rocco. I called the owner. "We missed you guys today," I said. "What's up?" "Oh...." said the wife, somewhat sheepishly. "I couldn't find him this morning." "What do you mean?" I asked. "Is he ... Read more »
Thunderphobia!
I live in Southern California. We don't have thunder. We have earthquakes. In fact, we just had one 5 minutes ago. It was a 5.9. I'm still shaking. My point is, while I can tell you all about how to handle earthquakes (freeze and pray), thunderstorm phobia is really not my area of expertise. Fortunately for all of you, as we stand on the cusp of thunder season (so I hear), I have the pleasure of having guest blogger and trainer extraordinaire Eric Goebelbecker from Dog Spelled Forward, one ... Read more »
The Koa Blues
Poor Koa had a rough week. It started with her sad day at doggie daycare. Then, we had a birthday party for my son at the house, and she had to join Brody in my bedroom due to a couple of dog-phobic preschoolers. THEN, as soon as the day wound down we had a little earthquake. It wasn't her week. She sits there with such a hangdog look on her face all the time. She is a natural blues song. I woke up this morning, Had myself some kibble- Woke up sore this morning, Brody tried to ... Read more »
Nail tales
When someone brings a pet to us for a pedicure, we bust out the clippers and the Quick-Stop. I HATE using the clippers. Not that it matters all that much to me personally, since I don't actually do the trimming, but I hate them on behalf of the technicians who have to do the deed. Clippers compress before cutting, and it hurts. They nick quicks, and as anyone who's accidentally torn a nail past their own nail bed can attest, that really hurts. We encourage every owner who has a pet under ... Read more »
I’ll get you, my pretty! And your little warts too!
Today, I decided little Kekoa might enjoy a day at doggie daycare. Why not? I had a reservation I wasn't going to be able to use for Brody anyway. Why is that, do you ask? Poor Brody is persona non grata at doggie daycare. You see, he has warts. Canine viral papillomas, to be more specific- a common affliction in dogs, seen most often in young pups who go to dog parks, or, erm, doggie daycares. So no matter that this very place is the most likely reason he got it in the first place, until ... Read more »
What they neglected to mention
Here's a little segment I like to call, "What They Neglected to Mention." One: Office manager: Someone complained that you didn't spend enough time with them last night at their appointment. She said she felt rushed. What they neglected to mention: That client showed up 50 minutes late, 10 minutes after we closed, without so much as a phone call to let me know she was running late. I was in my car in the parking lot when she showed up. Two: Client: My dog threw up this morning. Can I ... Read more »
