Southwest Airlines is allowing pets on board!* Finally! *-must fit under your seat -no more than 5 per flight -cannot go in cargo -counts as your carryon -$75 per pet -cats and small dogs only In other words, this is great news for....uh, Paris Hilton. And cat owners who want to take Fluffy to Vegas for the weekend. Oh well. It's a step in the right direction. ... Read more »
Blog
I only help small dogs from now on
I don't know why, but in my current neighborhood I always see dogs running around. I've never lived somewhere where it is this common. I'm not in the boonies, either- this is a densely populated suburban area where there are lots of cars zooming around, and it always scares me to see a dog trotting on the side of the road. They are owned dogs. I know this because I always stop and take them home. I can't help it. I keep a leash in the back of my car for just such an occasion. I do it because ... Read more »
When Daddy’s away, the kiddies will play….
My husband was out of town all week at some sort of conference thing. Although I miss him terribly when he's gone, I also admit there is a flip side to having the place all to myself for a few days. No arguments over the Tivo. I can watch all the reality TV I want. Eat whole wheat pasta and/or risotto without getting any grumbling. Reprogram the car radio to all top 40. The list goes on and on. Emmett and I decided to make the most of it. A little port to set the tenor of the week will do. ... Read more »
Ahoy!
I had a very nice new client today who brought his recently acquired puppy in for vaccinations. Tagging along were his roommates, two scarlet macaws. I was, to say the least, a bit apprehensive when I looked into the lobby and saw two large macaws perched on his shoulders like mini-feathered Sphinxes, but as long as I wasn’t expected to actually do anything with them, I was happy to have them visit. If I didn’t have confirmation from my co-workers that I was in fact seeing this, I ... Read more »
Call of the day
Phone rings. My tech answers: Tech: Hello, this is XXX Clinic, how may I help you? Kid: Do you have tapeworms? Tech: ....uh, not personally, no....what do you need exactly? Kid: So, well, we're doing a scavenger hunt and we need to find a tapeworm. I've already called 12 other vets and no one has one they can give me. My tech agreed to loan the kid a tapeworm from one of our plastinated displays on the promise of its safe return. When the kid showed up, she asked who the heck would have ... Read more »
Cast your eye this way
Have you ever stayed up late at night wondering to yourself, "What is the most common cause of broken bones in dogs?" No? Well, I'm going to tell you anyway. Veterinary Pet Insurance, one of the largest providers of pet insurance in the country, reviewed 5000 claims from 2008 and summarized the most common causes as follows: 10. Car accidents. The truth is, most people don't securely restrain their animals while driving, and even accidents at low speeds can turn a pet into a projectile. 9. ... Read more »
Bittersweet moments
We had a busy weekend. Someone had a third birthday party, which meant a lot of fun. And cake. And boxes and trash, too. It was worth it. Everyone pitched in that afternoon to get the place cleaned up. And by everyone, I mean my husband and I, since the kids had too many new things to play with to be able to concentrate much on helping. They took off into the front yard with Emmett. What's this? Past the detritus, I mean. Yup. It's Emmett under a trash bag. The kids have a close relative ... Read more »
Conversation of the day
First, the phone call: "My cat has red bugs. What are they?" After several minutes of trying to figure out what the person was talking about, we told him to come in. My tech went into the room to look at the bugs in question, which had been extracted from the cat and gingerly placed in a Tupperware bug habitat. "Those are scabs," she told the owner. "What do you know?" retorted the owner. "You're not the doctor." So I go in, and confirm to the owner that yes, those look like scabs. I ... Read more »
Nutro cat food recall
This one is flying somewhat low on the radar, but Nutro has recalled several types of dry cat food. Here's a snippet of the press release linked above: " Franklin, Tennessee (May 21, 2009) -- Today, Nutro Products announced a voluntary recall of select varieties of NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® COMPLETE CARE® Dry Cat Foods and NUTRO® MAX® Cat Dry Foods with “Best If Used By Dates” between May 12, 2010 and August 22, 2010. The cat food is being voluntarily recalled in the United States and ten ... Read more »
Or, maybe not
I received a fax from our emergency center yesterday morning (yes, we were open Memorial Day) about a dog who had died over the weekend. His littermate had died earlier in the day with bloody diarrhea, and he presented to the emergency clinic with the same. He didn't make it. A 2 year old dog, dead of parvo. Make that two 2 year old dogs, dead of parvo. Adult parvo deaths are uncommon, but not unheard of, especially in undervaccinated or immunocompromised dogs. The owners stated their dogs ... Read more »