There's so much going on in the world today and so much conflicting information, sometimes it's hard to tell up from down and left from right. Like all of you, I'm watching the news intently and trying to balance reasonable precautions without lapsing into panic mode. Here, have a picture the dogs begging for popcorn. That always helps me: I'm not the ultimate authority on epidemiology, but I am surrounded by people who live and research in this space. I trust what they say, so I pass it ... Read more »
News
The Truth About Media Mobs, Vets, and You
Once upon a time, a man brought his dog into the veterinary clinic for a routine procedure. While under anesthesia, the dog died, probably due to negligence. The veterinarian called the owner, left a cruel message, threatened him to pay the bill anyway, then refused to return the body. She was callous, indifferent, and verbally abusive, and didn't even care what happened to the much beloved pet. Naturally, the man was tremendously upset, so he called the local media outlets and told them the ... Read more »
An ER Euthanizes a Beloved Pet. This is What You Should Know:
There are certain calls to news editors that prove irresistible. I imagine in this day and age of ratings and clicks mattering more than actual investigative reporting, nothing makes editors salivate more than the tale of a devastated family and the greedy, lazy, and/or incompetent veterinarian responsible for the death of a pet. It neatly checks all the boxes modern day news websites are looking for: sad family. Adorable pet. Terrible situation. Having fulfilled these requirements, the ... Read more »
What to do with that leftover Vicodin hanging out in your cabinet (Not Craigslist, people.)
As a medical practitioner, I've been trained from day one to be excruciatingly careful with controlled substances at work. We painstakingly log every tenth of a cc of morphine, keep impeccable logs for the DEA, and keep all that stuff locked up tighter than the gold bars in the US Bullion Depository. We do it not because we like making our lives- and yours- all that more difficult, but because unfortunately controlled substance abuse is a huge problem. And many/ most of the controlled ... Read more »
A pet’s worth
We didn't get a whole lot of education on the topic of the law while we were in school. Too much other stuff to cram into four short years to spend much time on something that changes with some regularity. But at the time, the general consensus was this: from a legal standpoint, pets are property, and as such, your liability in terms of the law is limited to the replacement value of the pet. That has changed with some rapidity. A Texas court is just one of the most recent cases in which a ... Read more »
Blackout
When the power went kablooey on Thursday, I figured the most lasting effect would be a resurgence of interest in knowing where we kept the spare batteries. It's never that simple, is it? Well, first of all, the local sewage treatment facility dumped 3.5 million gallons into the ocean, shutting down the beach and delaying the Surf Dog-a-thon to a day we absolutely, positively cannot make. Brody and I are so, so sad about that. Worse things have happened, of course, but we're still ... Read more »
A Big Announcement
I have been waiting on pins and needles to make it, too. After much blood, sweat, and tears- mostly on the part of the magnificent Joelle at Moxie Design, I just watched- the new and improved pawcurious 2.0 is going to launch TOMORROW! ... Read more »
News that’s Fit To Click
Pardon me for my brevity today. I just went to a Katy Perry concert and it struck me both deaf and blind, mostly in a good way, but still. I'm trying out something new to share all these great stories I find over the course of the week: It's the weekly roundup! The FDA approves a drug for steroid-responsive incontinence in dogs. [PetMD] Old dog vestibular disease: a common but mysterious problem. [PetConnection] Dogs helping victims of abuse get through their trial testimony. ... Read more »
CSI: Missing canines
What would you do if your dog ran off? Would you post flyers? Go to the shelter on a daily basis? Do a 76 day stakeout in your car armed with traps, binoculars, and motion detection cameras? I have to tell you, as much as I love my dog, I simply wouldn't possess the mental or physical stamina to spend several months living in my car to chase my dog down. God bless this woman who did, because obviously it paid off. That is one fortunate dog, to have owners that dedicated. I will never ... Read more »
Stay Classy, San Diego
There are a lot of reasons I love living in San Diego. Obviously, the weather is a huge draw- although the monoseason climate gets a little depressing come autumn when I miss the fall foliage, I'm grateful for it a month or two later when my New England relatives are posting on Facebook about the three feet of snow they had to shovel out of the driveway. And yes, we have some of the finest Mexican food in the United States (taquitos from Albertos at 3 am for the win!) I love our zoo and the ... Read more »
What dreams may come
I love watching my dogs dream. They twitch, sometimes making little running motions with their feet, and Brody in particular makes a noise just like one of the Three Stooges- "whoopwhoopwhoopwhoopwhoop," a sound never heard when he's actually awake. I've always wondered what they dream about. Do their brains use the time to work out subconscious fears like we do? What can they be all that worried about anyway? They have it pretty easy. Are their dreams populated with the surreal workings of ... Read more »
Giveaway Tuesday: On the Go Kits from VPI
Congratulations to our winners: Quinn, Pamela J, Shelly, Elizabeth and the Lab Crew, and Oralia! For going on a year now, I've been suspicious that Kekoa might have Cushing's disease. Her symptoms have waxed and waned, certain bloodwork values have gone up and down, but I haven't quite been able to pin it down. Have I tested her? Oh yes, I have, over and over. And ACTH stimulation tests, if you haven't had the pleasure, don't come cheap- even to us vet types. The tests for Cushings ... Read more »
DNA comes full circle
I remember when DNA tests first became routine in crime scene investigations. It was groundbreaking. Murders decades old being solved, sinister crimes committed by evildoing masterminds brought to justice by the tiniest speck of blood. Those sure were the days. Now, we use DNA to bust people for not cleaning up after their dogs. How far we have come. Sherlock Bones is on the case. ... Read more »
Inherent Danger
My own fair city is back in the spotlight dealing with the aftermath of yet another tragic dog attack. In this case, a 75 year old woman was critically injured in her backyard by two pit bulls that got through a gap in their fence. My thoughts and prayers are with the victim and her family during this terrible time. Now let me be clear on this: despite what you might read, the city is not considering a pit bull ban (quote from City Hall to that effect at the bottom of the article), and I am ... Read more »
Too old to adopt?
In Englewood, Florida 81 year old Ward Twining was feeling the loss of his companion chihuahua to cancer. As many of us do, he felt it was time to take another pet into his heart, so he applied to adopt two 11 month old chihuahuas from a local rescue. The dogs were ready to go, and so was Twining- until the rescue learned of his age. He was informed that the rescue did not adopt young animals to older people, and that was that. Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the ... Read more »
Paws for Japan
Like many of you, I have been glued to the television this weekend in horror at the disaster that has befallen the residents of Japan. At times like these, our daily concerns about Little League games, the price of gas, or frustrations about the stupid little things evaporate as we take a look around at all the things we are fortunate enough to have- loved ones, security, safety- and imagine them all swept away in the blink of an eye. We will donate, as always, to the usual organizations ... Read more »
The 3 C’s of Pet Emergencies (and why that dog CPR video drives me nuts)
OK, I wasn't going to comment on that "Dog trainer saves dog with CPR" video that's floating around the web, but enough people have seen it that I think it warrants it. It's gotten enough play in the last day that I actually decided to postpone my vaccine post. Despite the fact that the man neither saved the dog nor performed CPR, I would be OK with not bursting his bubble and letting him carry on this wave of adoration were it not for this one simple fact: I don't want you all to do the ... Read more »
Airlines, young pets and the travel conundrum
This recent post over at Petopia about the tragic death of a young kitten who was being transported from Utah to Connecticut really made me sad. And then it made me angry. Here is the gist of things: A family purchased a hairless Sphynx from a breeder. On January 22, the breeder put the 11 week old kitten on a Delta flight from Utah to Connecticut. The plane landed in 7 degree weather, sat on the tarmac for nearly an hour, and, sadly, the cat died. This was totally preventable. TOTALLY. ... Read more »
