I knew we were in for a long morning when I saw Elvis's name on the schedule. A fearsome and mighty miniature pinscher who thought he was a Great White, Elvis held the reigning title of 'most challenging dog to vaccinate' I had ever seen. He had the unique ability to turn himself into a Tasmanian Devil on demand, a whirling, 360 degree tornado of teeth, claws, and anal gland secretions. And today he was coming in for a cough- one of the first signs of heart disease in dogs. The ECG is one of ... Read more »
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Love Match
I can see a thousand things, and I can go a thousand places, but not a thing brings so much joy as doggie kisses on happy faces. ... Read more »
My Name Is and the 3 Things all PR people should know
This is an open letter to anyone who writes a pet blog, and there are a lot of you out there. I get asked for advice about blogging a lot, and the number one thing I will tell you is this: Your blog and your time have value. It's ok to remind people of that when they ask you to work for free. I've seen plenty in the almost four years in the blogosphere. To stick it out this long requires a clear understanding of why we're doing this and what we're about (neither of which, incidentally, have ... Read more »
Disaster Survival 101
As Hurricane Isaac bears down on the Gulf Coast, I, like many of you I'm sure, am remembering Hurricane Katrina. The relief when it was downgraded from a 5, to a 4, then a 3. It's not going to be that bad. That relief turning to horror as the levees failed, a slow-motion catastrophe whose impact is still evident throughout the region and in the hearts of the millions affected. To those in the area, I wish you one thing, to be safe. My thoughts are with you. I can only hope that you have ... Read more »
Using snakes to light a fire
I think I could have been very happy as a biologist. It was the direction in which I was headed, though always with the intent of turning my bachelors degree in biology into a professional degree. I chose to ignore the fact that I really loved biology as its own pursuit, fascinated with taxonomy and utterly enchanted with the concept of sitting on a smelly pile of rocks in a harbor by Marina del Rey counting mussels. I understood this, the pursuit of knowledge for its own sake, trying to get a ... Read more »
The naked dream would have been less stressful
I am a recurring nightmare kind of person. Always have been. They come in waves, depending on what my stress du jour is, where I am in life. I remember my first recurring dream well: I am running from someone, something, bad. I do not know what it is but I know that I can't let it catch me. I run along the side of the house, bright in the midday sun, and my feet turn to lead, sticking into the tall summer grass as though it were quicksand. I open my mouth to scream, and nothing comes out. ... Read more »
3 Tips for a Happy Cat Vet Visit
It's National Take your Cat to the Vet Week, which ranks right up there with Get Your Annual Prostate Exam Week and Pull Off Your Toenails Week on the fun scale. I know it's not fun, for you or for the cat. It's a necessary evil, one of our first lines of defense in catching disease processes early before they are crisis situations. In fact, most vets recommend taking your cat in twice a year, though we know from surveys that less than half of you take your cat in unless he or she is sick. Do ... Read more »
Is your hard drive safe from your cat?
It's a Tuesday, close to midnight. I've just gotten back from Africa and the animals have patiently waited their turn for face time, making way for the kids to get their snuggles in first. I sit at the computer, downloading the first of several memory cards of priceless photos, the documentation of the punda trip of a lifetime. Apollo is on my lap, drooling. I nudge him aside to wipe my hand. He waits a minute, then comes back. "Apollo, stop," I say. He bites my finger, a love nibble ... Read more »
Estelle’s Journal: Part 1
Day 372: Another lovely day here in Escondido. I finally figured out how to wrestle the remote away from the cat at night so I can turn on the Olympics. She keeps insisting on watching Bachelor Pad at night once the people leave and I'm all, like, you know the Olympics are only every two years, right? and she's all, I don't care, I want to know what happens with Blakely and then I said "give me the remote" and she said "make me" and so I had the dachshund distract her with a shiny ball and I ... Read more »
Wordless Wednesday: Where in the World is Dr V?
I have a hard time myself getting a grasp on all the places I have been fortunate enough to visit in the last two years. To say it has been immensely rewarding is the understatement of the century. I am writing today from Granada, Nicaragua, at the World Vets Latin America Training Facility, where I'm observing the last few days of the immensely successful summer training program for vet students, pre-vet students, and tech students. Cathy said she was pleased with how the project was going. ... Read more »
