I feel compelled to do one of those serious "issue based" posts, with "facts" and all that boring stuff. Partly because I've spent most of the week blathering on about my animals, but mostly because my friend shared last week's vaccine post on Fark and someone responded with something the equivalent of, "Well, the lady has a point." NO SHE DOESN'T. She has a pointy head and that I will concede. Let me be clear: If you say to me, hey, I have some concerns about overvaccinating my pet, can we ... Read more »
Blog
Poker Face
I hear all sorts of stuff at work. Some of it is funny: "Hey doc, my dog caught me and my wife....uh....well, anyway, is he scarred for life?" Some of it is sad, like listening to a lonely elderly person tell me about the life of their cat, their constant companion and solace, as the cat is being put to sleep. Some of it is downright weird, like the woman who pulled her top down to ask me to look at a mole (I demurred.) All of this has to be met with the same expressionless face. That's ... Read more »
Confirmation
As some of you know, I spent a good portion of my years in vet school regretting my decision and sure that I would have been much happier as a human doctor as opposed to an animal one. It's been a gradual process, but over time I have come to realize that no, I actually did what was right for me. Had I chosen human medicine, I probably would have wound up in dermatology, prescribing Accutane to oily teenagers, or in pediatrics, looking down the throats of various runny nosed children. It's ... Read more »
Thank you
I just don't have the emotional strength to go back and respond to each post about Callie individually, but please know I am so grateful for all the comments and people who have encouraged me to keep hopeful. Callie has not returned yet, but I will do what I can to stay positive. My other cat is really mad too, because I've stopped being complacent about when he makes his escapes, and I've started tackling him when he tries to head out the door. Sorry Apollo. You are the solo remaining member ... Read more »
Developmental Milestones
They say 4-16 weeks is the most crucial time in a pup's development. During this time, they make lifelong associations and gain critical bits of social understanding. This is the key time to establish a pet's role in the family. Brody knows that I am his alpha. We are gently and consistenly reinforcing this through praise, the nothing in life is free approach, and training. Brody also knows my husband is an alpha. As far as I can tell this has been accomplished through a baritone voice ... Read more »
The lies we tell ourselves
I'll be honest with you. It's been a rough week. Monday, my oldest started kindergarten. There were lots of pictures, lots of emotions, and no small amounts of chaos. It went well, despite all that. Later in the evening, as I was getting the kids ready for bed, I thought to myself that it was unusual that Callie was not begging for food (that is pretty much all she ever does.) And come to think of it, I hadn't seen her all afternoon. I opened the door and went out in the backyard to ... Read more »
Know when to walk away- know when to run
A person walks up to our receptionist and asks how much a parvo vaccine is. The receptionist answers. The person makes a moue of distaste, her lips puffing out. "I'm not planning on vaccinating anyway," she tells the receptionist, who can only stand in bafflement as to why someone would drive up, park, and walk in the door to make this announcement. "I know it's a racket you vet people do to make money. The vaccine gives the dog parvo, then you charge an arm and a leg to treat it." She ... Read more »
The best day of the year!
August 26th is a banner day. A banner day, I tell you. On this very day, thirty somethingmumblemutter years ago, I was born. That in and of itself is nothing major, other than the fact that on this day every year without fail I go to Cold Stone and get ice cream. What else happened today in history? Let's see. In 1303, someone named Ala ud din Khilji captures something called Chittorgarh. Great. 1920 – The 19th amendment to United States Constitution takes effect, giving women ... Read more »
Family ties
Brody is not Emmett, nor should he be. There is a lot I have yet to learn about Brody: his personality, his likes and dislikes and quirks. I am excited for that period of discovery. I have been blessed with such vivacious pets in my life, from crotchety Taffy to daft Nuke, mild Mu and the inimitable Emmett. I can't wait to find out who Brody will be. I've already found that he, unlike my other dogs to date, has begun bonding immediately with people other than myself in the family. That is great. ... Read more »
Teach me, Jedi master
As a vet, I get asked behavior questions all the time, both at work and here through the blog. They are important questions, questions that set the tone for the entire bonding process and the life of the pet. They are complicated questions, more often than not. I am happy to answer them as follows: "Has he been to training?" I ask. If they say no, I tell them to go find one. If they say yes, I tell them to call their trainer and ask them. Boom. Next question. Hopefully it's about ... Read more »
