Now go put all that chocolate up out of your dog's reach. ... Read more »
Blog
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 »
Attack of the Michelin kitties
There are few things I like to do less than anesthetize an overweight angry cat. Maybe an overweight bulldog, with a heart murmur. That would be bad too. But I don't see them nearly as often. At least once a week, I arrive to find an 18 pound cat here for a dental hissing at me from the confines of his carrier, glaring from beneath his folds of chub, just daring me to try and get a pre-anesthetic blood sample. Fat cats have very little scruff. It's like trying to hold a squishy ... Read more »
Question of the day
"Do vaccines cause autism in dogs?" Answer: No. P.S. I'm pretty sure they don't cause autism in people either. ... Read more »
Scientific progress goes boink
(Extra points to anyone who knows the title reference without Google!) At least a couple times a week, a client with a particularly hard to deconstruct mutt asks me, "So what do you think my dog is? I've heard schnauzer/chow/Yorkie/pit bull but I'm not really sure." I look at the dog and hazard a guess. "Well, he does have Australian shepherd eyes, and his tail looks like a chow chow...." and we both shrug. Sometimes, people are obviously misinformed. "I bought this Pomeranian/chihuahua mix ... Read more »
Bee-ware!
As everyone has probably guessed, I like animals. Animals are pretty cool. I enjoy them and I have a lot of respect for their place in our world. That being said, I also have a pretty healthy dose of wariness when it comes to certain animals who, on occasion, present less than benevolent faces to the world. Take bees, for instance. When I was in high school, I remember talking to my father on the phone one afternoon about a strange buzzing noise that I couldn't figure out the source of. "It's ... Read more »
Canine Cuisine, Part Three: So, what should I feed my dog?
In Part 1 of the Canine Cuisine trilogy, Name that Food, I talked about how the name of the pet food itself gave you clues as to its content. In Part 2: Name that Ingredient, I went into detail about some of those baffling ingredient names you see on the back. In the last installment, I answer the omnipresent question of, "What should I feed my dog?" This is probably one of the most frequently asked questions I get asked as a veterinarian. I wish I could make it easy for you and just say, ... Read more »
We’ve got the blues
Yesterday, we had a sick little puppy in the hospital with vomiting and diarrhea. While he was in the back, getting rehydrated and filled up with anti-nausea meds, I was putting my head on my arms thinking, oh no, I'm getting sick. We were quite the pair, the two of us. While he was improving, I was declining. I envied him his quiet cage and his IV and I wondered if I crawled into a lower cage with a blanket and a hot water bottle how long it would take anyone to notice. It's amazing how ... Read more »
Helping hands (and rears)
About 2 years after I adopted Mulan, she had a TPLO surgery. This is a pretty invasive knee surgery, and as part of the requirement she was on cage rest for 6 weeks. She had a very difficult time getting up, and I had to assist her. We were pretty low tech in vet school, and whenever we needed to assist a pet in getting up we would use a towel looped around their abdomen. This is also what we do at work. It works fine, but getting the towel around a recumbent animal and then supporting 40, ... Read more »