At pawcurious, we’re both saddened and bemused when scrolling through the clickbait pseudoscience of “natural pet advice” websites. We decided, initially, to post a Top Five List of some of the just plain bad advice commonly dispensed by people with no formal education in veterinary medicine, science, or critical thinking. But after getting through just one, I was so exhausted by cutting through the garbage caked on like tartar on the teeth of dog who’s had nothing but anesthesia-free dentals ... Read more »
vaccines
Vaccine vs Disease, Parvo Edition: an Infographic
Vaccines are a complicated topic, let's start with that. It's impossible to break down the conversation into something so simplistic as "Vaccines: yes or no". Some are more effective than others, some prevent more severe diseases than others. There are some vaccines I did not recommend (hello, FIP) and others I was adamant about (parvo!) when I was in general practice. This is why you should have a good relationship with a vet you trust, who is willing to have a dialogue. On the other hand, ... Read more »
The SHOCKING TRUTH about cancer they don’t want you to know
Cancer. It's scary stuff. Every day, I hear another story of an elderly dog and cat diagnosed with neoplasia, and my heart hurts for those dealing with it. Without a doubt, cancer sucks, and every new breakthrough is a gift. There's lots of theories and evidence pointing to different causes of cancer. Food, say some. Chemicals, say others. Vets peddling food and chemical-laden vaccines, say many. And I'm here to tell you this: They're right. What? Say it ain't so! It's true. I've been ... Read more »
What Your Natural Health Magazine Doesn’t Want You To Know
After the fifth time someone forwarded me "The Shocking Truth Your Vet Is Hiding" type articles in the past week, I had to take a stop from my scheduled 12 Days of Clinics to address it. I debated on a few clickbait titles for this post: alt: "Why Magazines are Getting Away With Murder" alt: "The Shocking Truth These Publishers Are Hiding" It doesn't really matter what the title is or if it related to the content anyway, but I imagine you already know that. But let's step back a moment, ... Read more »
The Secrets to Saving Money at the Vet
Hoo boy, that 20/20 piece sure stirred up some emotions, didn't it? And it's Thanksgiving, a week of gratitude, so I'm going to take a step back and say thank you to all the wonderful readers and colleagues who make writing this worthwhile. In honor of that, I'm going to take a moment and also share with you some of my own veterinary secrets. For the low low price of nothing, I want to explain to you what I believe, based on over a decade now in the field, is the best way to save money at the ... Read more »
Poke, pay, push off
I used to work in a clinic that offered twice a week vaccine clinics. During those times, we would waive our customary exam fee (at the time it was $45), as long as the client was coming in solely for vaccines and had no health questions. We did this to provide a service to those clients who would go to the weekend vaccine clinic at the pet store instead of coming to us. I know how those weekend clinics work. They are much like the flu clinic I took my kids to last week. You go, you get your ... Read more »
Do What’s Right
Last night at the North American Veterinary Conference I was sitting with a group of wonderful veterinary students, and we were chatting about practice and whatnot, when all of a sudden it occurred to me that I was the senior veterinarian in the group. As in, the things I was saying were now the Pearls.Of.Wisdom from on high, and the idea that I've been doing this long enough to have wisdom to impart is simultaneously horrifying and delightful. Wow, I'm the wise one! Good Lord, I'm the old ... Read more »
Canine Vaccines Part 1: One size does not fit all
Vaccines: the big, the bad, the ever changing topic. There's enough information to write about this for a whole week, but for now I'm going to keep it to a few posts. This week, I'm doing a 2 part series on dog vaccinations. Today, I'm going to summarize the most current vaccine recommendations for canines. Tomorrow, I'll share some of the tidbits I got at the Western Veterinary Conference that give us some additional insight about how to use these to optimum benefit. Here's to our dogs' ... Read more »
Vaccinations for Your Dog: A Complex Issue, by Nancy Kay, DVM
Today I am delighted to have a guest post from Dr. Nancy Kay, a veterinary internist and author of the must-have guide for being a good health advocate for your pet, Speaking for Spot. In today's post, Dr. Kay gives some tips for how to wade through the complex issue of pet vaccination and what you can do to make the decisions that are right for you and your pet. Thank you so much Dr. Kay! During my last year of veterinary school, I recall how scary it was when a new canine ... Read more »
