When Mulan was sick last year, the simple act of petting her was a stressful event. There was always a new lump, some sore spot, something to make me nervous and want to do tests and see what was going on. It was always such a relief to pet Emmett, so sturdy and unproblematic, to scratch him under the chin and not feel enlarged nodes, to thump him the way you thump big dogs in greeting and not worry about hurting him. And after Mulan died, under the grief and sorrow there was also a weight ... Read more »
So, about this whole swine flu thing…
Am I the only person not freaking out about this? No? Must be a slow news week, because hoo boy, are the media outlets going crazy over this or what? It's the flu, it is unpleasant, but so far it doesn't seem to be any worse than any other kind of flu we have seen lately. A lot of the naysayers are ominously talking about the winter, and the Great Pandemic of 1918, but there's a lot of months between now and then for us to be run over by buses, electrocuted, hit by errant meteors, and all ... Read more »
Weird things happen in threes
It's the oddest thing. I can go 3 months without seeing a blocked cat or a glaucoma, and all of a sudden I will see three in one day. It always comes in waves. In yesterday's case, we marked the start of foxtail season. In our area, foxtails are one of the banes of a dog's existence. They aren't found everywhere, but in my neck of the woods they are ubiquitous. Foxtails are, essentially, grass awns. When they dry out, they turn into nasty little sticky bayonets that stick to a dog's fur, and ... Read more »
Phone call of the day
Conversation my receptionist had this afternoon with a caller: "Oh, hi, um, well, I think my dogs had, um, sex..." "OK...." "And, um, well, they're...sticky. Is that normal?" "Um, sure. They can get sticky, I suppose." "Well, my wife says they are really sticky....hold on a minute...what, Gerturde?" talking in deep Eastern European accent "She says the dog's entire back is really sticky. Like sap." "Well, sir, honestly, I'm not entirely sure what to think about that. Would you like to ... Read more »
Well, that was fun
I had the unfortunate need to go to the emergency room this weekend with my 4 year old, thanks to a protracted Saturday night of vomiting that didn't respond to any of the things I normally do to help at home. My husband took her at 4 am, which is usually a pretty quiet time in the ER. Imagine his surprise to find the waiting area full- totally full- of groaning zombielike walking dead, all convinced they are dying of swine influenza. Granted, this is a real possibility, especially in our area, ... Read more »
Florida tragedy and the sticky compounding situation
Most of us animal lovers have been following the tragedy surrounding the death of 21 polo horses in Florida with great interest. The details just get worse the more we know, don't they? According to the latest report, the Venezuelan polo team was used to using Biodyl, a supplement that is available elsewhere, but not approved for use in the United States. So, they had a compounding pharmacy mix up a similar concoction- with this result. Veterinarians use compounding pharmacies a lot- I've ... Read more »
Waiting on pins and needles
I'm going to give you a sentence, and you have to picture it for me, OK? "Today I took Fluffy to the veterinary acupuncturist." So what are you seeing? Some frizzy haired tank top wearing hippie haphazardly sticking insulin needles in your cat while waving catnip in front of her face, right? That's what I was picturing when I heard some classmates talking about it in vet school. "Oh, you went to one of those vets," we'd snicker, then go back to studying NSAID effects on renal perfusion. I ... Read more »
The cat food experiment, Part 1:
It's been over a week since I started this food experiment, and I am ready with the first round of results. Contestant Number One: Grandma Lucy's Grain Free Freeze Dried Cat Food. I picked this one to try first because it looked cool. Freeze dried cat food? Is that like astronaut food but for cats? The answer is, of course, yes, which makes it more interesting and fun than boring old kibble. Ingredients: Chicken, Ocean White Fish, Potatoes, Flax, Carrots, Celery, Apples, Cranberry, ... Read more »
Not all flea products are created equal.
In news that is not exactly news because it's not saying anything we didn't already know, the EPA is investigating whether it needs to more closely scrutinize spot-on products for flea and tick control. Unlike most veterinary drugs, which fall under the jurisdiction of the Food and Drug Administration, spot on flea and tick preventives are overseen by the Environmental Protection Agency due to their classification as pesticides (the exception being those products that also function as a ... Read more »
5 Favorite Urban Myths
I could go on and on about this and probably come up with a lot more than 5, but there's plenty of time to do some sequels. So in no particular order, here are 5 of some of the most common myths people ask about on a daily basis. (I use the word dog in this, but they all apply to cats as well.) 1. My dog must be sick because his nose is warm. There are several places to take an accurate temperature on the dog, but the nose is not one of them. Note the multiple corollaries to this one: My dog's ... Read more »
Product of the week
Emmett the good sport is currently taking antibiotics and pain meds to combat the swelling and bacteria from Easter Smackdown 09. He usually takes his Rimadyl with no complaint- it's a chewable beef flavored tab- but he's less than enthused about his Clavamox. Normally I just stick the pills in peanut butter and he's happy to take them that way, but my husband is mightily protesting my use of his Jiff stash for such purposes. I've also been known to hide them in aesthetically pleasing swirls of ... Read more »
The way to go
I just finished reading "Still Alice," a book about a fictitious Harvard neurology professor who is diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's disease. It's a good read, albeit a depressing one, and it brings up a lot of issues about terminal disease. In the earlier part of the book, she goes to her doctor and asks for a bottle of sleeping pills- with plans to take them all once her disease had progressed to a certain point. In real life this situation plays itself out over and over, the ... Read more »
You Don’t Know Bo
Here he is, ladies and gentlemen. The new First Dog- Bo. A Portugese water dog. Bred for herding fish, working long hours out in the field, about to come into a tightly regulated fishbowl and become the unwitting symbol of rescue dogs everywhere. Backyard Portugese water dog breeders everywhere are rubbing their hands with glee. Shelters and Portugese water spaniel employees are rubbing their temples resignedly in anticipation of the unusual breed now catapaulted into the spotlight, courtesy of ... Read more »
The cat food experiment
I was very pleased to see how many people are interested in the cat food discussion and are thinking about making a change! In the spirit of that, I spent a good hour at the local boutique pet food store collecting some different cat diets. I'm going to try giving them to my cats and tell you what sort of reaction they have to them, as well as what kind of reaction I had (being someone who is, ironically, easily grossed out). I'll also give you the lowdown about how much work went into preparing ... Read more »
Happy @#%$@! Easter.
We had a more eventful than intended Easter Sunday. The plan was to spend the day at my parents' house, an hour away. We packed up the kids, and then as we were headed out decided we should bring Emmett along too. He doesn't get out as much as he would like and we wanted to include him in the day. We enjoyed the typical Easter bacchanalia, with Emmett of course skulking in the shadows trying to pilfer from whomever felt sorry enough to slip him a bite of ham. After everyone was thoroughly ... Read more »
Happy Easter!
Now go put all that chocolate up out of your dog's reach. ... Read more »
Terrible product of the day
I've spent lots of time pointing out fun, helpful, and interesting things that a pet lover might be interested in, but today I want to show you something that is a really stupid idea. The Walky Lock car lock may, in fact, be just about the worst idea I've seen in a long time. This is basically a little prop that holds the back of your trunk open just a wee bit. It's kind of like rolling your window down, except it will cost you $20. The ad says, "How many times have you rushed your shopping ... Read more »
Touching moment
I don't get a whole lot of physical contact with my clients. A handshake at the beginning sometimes (though I'm more of a big smile type greeter than a handshake greeter), on occasion a hug when it's appropriate and the client initiates it, but as medical professionals it's not something you do on a regular basis. Professional comfort zones and all of that. I spent more than enough time with hands on their pets to make up for it. I've been seeing Mr. Kramer for about a year now. He owns Lola, a ... Read more »
