The look on the doctor's face was more bemused than annoyed as he tried to explain what happened to the centrifuge we were supposed to be bringing to Nicaragua for the clinic. The valuable piece of medical equipment had been confiscated by a leery customs official the day before, and the shifty eyed official wouldn't release it to us without running it by his boss. Who would be in tomorrow. Mañana, the official said. Come back mañana. So a local veterinarian, who understands the language ... Read more »
Blog
Bosnia floods- when the world isn’t watching, donate a dollar
Massive floods in Bosnia and Serbia are the worst they have seen in 120 years. The world has been silent on this issue, in large part. In a place that is still struggling to recover from years of war, it's hard to comprehend the magnitude of this disaster. Understandably, the people in the affected regions have had little time or money to address the many thousands of animals affected by this disaster. Tens of thousands have died in landslides and floods, and thousands more are still in ... Read more »
Glad to meet you
It is one of the sad ironies of being a veterinarian in clinical practice that most of your clients are majorly unhappy to see you. (Retrievers don't count, they're always happy to see you.) The reasons are obvious: vet clinics mean temperature taking, and shots, and cold tables. Trust me, I don't much enjoy heading off to my doctor's office either, nice as the staff is. Those awful half length hospital gowns they give you (ladies, you know the ones I'm referring to)- cold and humiliating. ... Read more »
One Twenty Over Eighty
A few years ago I ran away from my job. At least, that's what I called it at the time, that is how I framed it in my head. I couldn't hack it, I was a failure as a vet. My mind was wrecked, my physical health was wrecked, and my stomach curled up into knots every time I pulled into the parking lot. It wasn't only me who suffered; I knew my heart was not where it needed to be for my patients. They deserved for me to want to be there. It was a bad place to be in. With the gift of ... Read more »
A grateful heart spreads like….well, wildfire
There are many things I could be upset about today. The fact that authorities suspect arson in the vast majority of wildfires that devastated San Diego this week, for example. That's a good place to start. Or the trolls whose only response to the news was, "That's what you get for living in a dry place, morons, burn" as though there were a place on Earth immune to Mother Nature in some form or another. But I'm too grateful to worry myself with fools and psychotics at the moment. There is ... Read more »
How to Write a Blog vs How to Write a Book
After writing a blog for half a decade now, you'd think that the transition from blog to book would be effortless; and if not that, at least somewhat intuitive. You'd be wrong. It's kind of like saying, hey, I walk my dog every day, I'm totally up for a triathlon. Some of you have asked how it's going or what it's like. It's not easy, but really, what good things in life are? I'm enjoying the process immensely. I'm Ralph Macchio currently getting edited by my very own Pat Morita. We are on ... Read more »
A Feast For Crows
I am a horrible horticulturist. Dogs I got. Cats I can do. Plants? Fuggitaboutit. Nonetheless, hope springs eternal, and every year an unfortunate crop of plants are sent to their doom as they peer out in horror from the back of my car on their way to purgatory from the relative safety of the nursery. This year, I decided I would bring the kids into the fold and have them start a few seedlings. Maybe they have better juju than I, I reasoned. Perhaps they inherited their father's talent for ... Read more »
Class of 2014: 5 steps to loving your first job
We're about one month away from colleges and universities turning new grads loose on the world, a day of joy and, if I recall correctly, complete, abject fear. 2014 is a rough year to graduate vet school. In my day (cue Dana Carvey Grumpy old man voice), back in the middle of the dotcom boom and a perceived 'veterinary shortage', the world was at our fingertips, a lush green forest ripe for the plucking. Now new grads are being forced upon a Dune-like landscape filled with such ominous ... Read more »
Nobody puts Geeky in the corner
When I was six, my mother enrolled me in my first dance class. I enjoyed it, I had fun, I got to wear cute little sailor costumes and get up on stage and tunelessly tap my feet. The teacher always arranged us in two rows, and this being the early 80s before everyone had to get equal play, she arranged us not by height but by talent. The precocious dancers with the big smiles and the good rhythm were front and center, and those who tripped on their shoelaces or danced with the angry pounding ... Read more »
Dog Trail: Poetry, sheer poetry
People often email me things in the hopes I'll share them: contests, stories, pictures, YouTube videos that tickled their fancy. Sometimes I share them, when I know it's something you would enjoy. I love to write poetry and I think you all know that. I even have a tag: "Bad Poetry." My poems are bad, but lovingly crafted. I know this. But the other day I opened an email from a writer, a real live good one, and it was just beautiful and I think you all would really like it. It's about a black ... Read more »
