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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 »
Say yes to drugs. But only if I say so, OK?
I'll revisit the topic of sedatives in a bit- I have a guest post coming up in the near future about thunderstorm phobias and it will fit right in with that discussion. In the meantime, just to clarify some points that were made in the discussion yesterday: The dangers of sedating a pet for air travel are, by and large, not as much of a problem for travel by car, when the pet will be presumably monitored much more closely. I have been known to prescribe sedatives for pets going on a long ... Read more »
