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Giveaway: Lele Pets Gift Certificate!
OK, what's today, the 19th? So as you read this, I should be at the base of Mt. Meru, walking through rain forests, passing a massive fig tree, and looking out for marauding buffalo. I won't be gasping for air and retching from altitude sickness for two more days. Regardless, I am there are you are here, and to thank you for checking in I have a wonderful giveaway today from LeLe Pets! If you're an addict like I am to sites like Gilt or the Clymb, you know these daily deal sites can be ... Read more »
The Seven Deadly Sins: Lust
Thank you all for helping me do this photographic series while I'm off in Africa, committing pride, possibly gluttony, but definitely not sloth! You guys really pulled though. I hope you enjoy this series as much as I think you will. Today, I bring you....Lust. Gets you in trouble every time, doesn't it? (If you want to see the full motion 70s music version of the above, Dexter also has a saucy video on youtube.) ... Read more »
Asante sana
I actually have an Ask Dr V segment I did yesterday that covered my favorite travel items I'm packing. I filmed it. Did I edit it? No. Am I out of time? Yes. So, I guess I can just tell you, though that lacks a certain visual impact, that I refuse to leave without having my buff (of course), my quick dry undies (some places in Africa won't launder women's undergarments), my Steri Pen to kill any garbage in the water, and jelly bellies. A long time ago when I was running a lot and was ... Read more »
Inside Natura: The Clean Machine
Last week I finished my last dose of typhoid vaccine (interesting fact: typhoid, if you did not know, is a type of Salmonella.) Not fun, but much less unfun than typhoid itself, I'm sure. Around the same time, I received an email from the World Vets team leader, whose job entails not only running the clinic but making sure the newbies don't get into trouble abroad, reminding us that no matter how adventurous we might be, the street food in Tanzania must not be consumed. "One word," she said. ... Read more »
Come, all ye sinners, and participate in the blog
Someone who shall remain unnamed stole a rather sizeable piece of chicken off someone's plate yesterday. By the time the transgression was discovered, the chicken was long gone and one food allergic cat was smacking his lips in a self-satisfied grin. For a bit, at least. Lest you wonder how rapidly the symptoms of a food allergy can come on when a pet ingests an offending allergen, I present to you Mr. MangeLegs: That silvery glimmer over his shoulders is reflected light, but that grey ... Read more »
The life of a doggy lifeguard
A few weeks ago, I got an email from Peter Noll, one of the local big kahunas in the surf dog scene. He got my name from none other than Judy Fridono, otherwise known as Surf Dog Ricochet's owner, and they were wondering if I might be interested in hanging out at the Purina Incredible Dog Surf Dog challenge last Friday just in case there was a dog in need of a veterinarian. And you know, I would have gone anyway just to watch, so this was icing on the cake since I got to go and tangentially feel ... Read more »
Happy World Oceans Day!
June 8th is World Oceans Day. How fantastic is that? I love the ocean. It's impossible to live in San Diego and not think about it on a regular basis. I run by it, glide over it in a kayak, fret about great whites coming to eat me in it, and yes, even go in it sometimes. I even got PADI certified in college when I was studying marine biology, but I didn't keep up with diving because, well, not a lot of good diving in Davis when I got to vet school. Fear of sharks aside, there is ... Read more »
Welcome home, Sugar Bear
For those of you who were around this fall, you'll remember I did my blogathon Blogpocalypse from the Alpine sanctuary Lions, Tigers, and Bears, in the company of lions, tigers, and bears. At the time they were just about to finish construction on a new bear habitat, but there was still just a few weeks left before the bears went in, which meant I got to hang out in it. It's since been completed, much to the delight of Blossom, Delilah, and Liberty. Founder Bobbi Brink has continued her ... Read more »
Wellness Wednesday: Stop and smell the lizards
I leave for Africa in NINE days. That means you have to listen to me prattle on about how excited I am for NINE DAYS. But come on, if a genie popped out of a lamp and said, "look, I'm a little restricted on what I can give you but if I send you back to Tanzania to help out some donkeys for a week would that be cool?" I would pretty much throw myself into his discorporeal arms and breathlessly exclaim that this was EXACTLY what I would have wished for. So yes, I'm excited. I'm also nervous, ... Read more »