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Pawcurious: With Veterinarian and Author Dr. V

Celebrating the truth that pets make people better.

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Be The Change

begging dogs

What Pet Owners Should Do About Coronavirus

March 3, 2020 by Dr. V

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 »

Filed Under: Disaster Response, Dogs, Featured Posts, Health, Uncategorized Tagged With: coronavirus, News

This is How I Feel About Declaws: Now With Minimal Exclamation Points

September 13, 2017 by Dr. V

I have a list of what I call "chum" topics on the blog, topics that are guaranteed to bloody the waters and bring in the sharks and ruin my little oasis of calm and rational discussion. While I don't mind talking about controversial things, it's not worth it unless we're trying to find some common ground- right? Which is why I've waited a good long time to say how I feel about declaws, because it never seemed to accomplish anything. But times change, and I think based on what I'm seeing around ... Read more »

Filed Under: Be The Change, Cats, Featured Posts, Health Tagged With: cats, declaw, feline medicine

The Truth About Media Mobs, Vets, and You

August 2, 2017 by Dr. V

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 »

Filed Under: Be The Change, Daily Life, Featured Posts, Features, Musings, Picks of the Litter Tagged With: media, mobs, News

The Dying Pet’s Bill of Rights

September 28, 2016 by Dr. V

As I prepare for my third year at IAAHPC, the veterinary hospice conference, I've taken pause to reflect on this journey and how it affects the way I view veterinary medicine. Personally, I have only euthanized a personal pet in a clinic (versus at home) one time. It was Nuke, my vet school coonhound, and he was diagnosed with hemangiosarcoma just a month after I graduated and came back home. The veterinarian was lovely and did as great a job as one can do in that situation, but so many ... Read more »

Filed Under: Be The Change, Daily Life, Euthanasia/Hospice, Featured Posts, Health, Musings Tagged With: end of life, hospice

Why You are More Powerful Than Any Counselor

March 12, 2016 by Dr. V

The phone rings, and I answer it with an admittedly impatient voice since someone sold my phone number to a marketer and I've been getting deluged with spam calls all week. I have the phone in one hand and Brody's tail in the other, as he chewed up his bandage when I wasn't looking and now I have to re-wrap the whole thing. It's Chaplain Gary this time, calling as he does, every few months, to see how I am doing. I met him once, when he came to the house to talk to the kids when my mom was ... Read more »

Filed Under: Be The Change, Daily Life, Featured Posts, Musings Tagged With: grief, healing

How To Spot an Animal Social Justice Warrior

January 19, 2016 by Dr. V

There's something happening in the animal world, something sticky and kind of ugly, and we need to talk about it. You learn to spot patterns when you've been around long enough, trends that start in one area but quickly pick up steam in your own neck of the woods. And that, my friends, is what I'm bringing up today: the emerging trend of the Social Justice Warrior, and how that relates to people in pet care. I think it's pretty clear that I am a big proponent of animal advocacy, from ... Read more »

Filed Under: Be The Change, Musings Tagged With: activism, advocates, social justice warriors

Thankful

November 29, 2015 by Dr. V

I've spent a lot of time the past few weeks thinking about gratitude, and what it means to me. I was worried that this, the first holiday season without the person who defines it for me, would be horrible and that I would have no interest in celebrating anything. Which is a valid response for sure, but I was hoping I could dredge up enough energy to participate for my kids' sake. And then a funny thing happened. I totally was into the whole gratitude thing. Although my life has had its ups ... Read more »

Filed Under: Be The Change, Daily Life Tagged With: gratitude, Thanksgiving

Amidst the ashes and embers, a veterinarian saves the day

September 24, 2015 by Dr. V

The fire came in the night, a storm without warning. At his home in Middletown, a small town of 1900 just north of California's idyllic wine country, veterinarian Jeff Smith ventured outside after the worst had passed to find only 8 of the 20 homes in his neighborhood survived the firestorm. With communication centers down, there was no way to determine when help was coming. He had no way of knowing what he was up against, or the fact that by this time only 40% of the structures in ... Read more »

Filed Under: Be The Change, Musings Tagged With: Be the Change, natural disaster, valley fire, wildfire

SuperBrode is back- but now he’s BIONIC!

August 17, 2015 by Dr. V

Our hero SuperBrode has been enjoying the relative peace and quiet of Muttropolis, lounging in semi-retirement. However, evil was afoot! The Malevolent Mast Cell Maniac was on the loose, wreaking havoc on SuperBrode and the good citizens of Muttropolis! When we last left our hero, he was recovering from their last vicious battle... SuperBrode survived, but it cost him dearly. Or should I say....D'Early? Nonetheless, he was well on the road to recovery- Something ... Read more »

Filed Under: Cancer sucks, Daily Life, Happy Tails, Heroes Tagged With: bionic brode, super brode

Charity Treat: Newflands Hoki Oil and AFARNYC

July 3, 2015 by Dr. V

  Perhaps you are the magnanimous sort. "Dr. V," you say, "I ordered the book but I don't need the free Halo or Sleepypod stuff or PetHub tag or Dog + Bone collars or Groom Genie or any of those items you are giving away, not even the awesome little activity book with coloring pages and a word search featuring ANALGLANDS and DEMODEX." You are an ascetic. You don't have a pet. You're decluttering. OK, I get that. But surely you aren't opposed to a donation in your name, right? I have a ... Read more »

Filed Under: Be The Change, Book News, Daily Life, Health, Lifestyle, Pet Gear Tagged With: all dogs go to kevin, book, hoki oil, newflands, preorders

The Everything in Nothing

May 6, 2015 by Dr. V

I know I've been remiss in posting, and I wish very much I could say it's because I've been so busy creating amazing and exciting book campaigns and creating a plan to hit the NY Times Bestseller List in July. I still want to, don't get me wrong, and I still plan to at least give it ago. But that's not why I've been quiet. I guess you could say I've been doing nothing. Nothing. Let me explain. I've said to many people when I started working with as a hospice veterinarian two years ago it ... Read more »

Filed Under: Be The Change, Cancer sucks, Daily Life, Mother of the Year, Musings, Picks of the Litter Tagged With: cancer sucks, hospice

Do No Harm

April 22, 2015 by Dr. V

I always assumed my experience as a veterinarian would serve me at some point when I needed to navigate the human healthcare system. The similarities between veterinary training and medical training, after all, lend themselves to a good number of similarities: how to read scientific articles critically. How to read an MRI. When to call the office and say, this prescription doesn't seem quite right, is this what you wanted? The similarities are all well and good, but I never understood, in the ... Read more »

Filed Under: Be The Change, Cancer sucks, Daily Life, Mother of the Year, Musings, Picks of the Litter Tagged With: cancer sucks, do no harm, hospice

Low Stress Week: Dog Approaches

October 6, 2014 by Dr. V

I have an idea. Let's make this a week where we all walk away with at least one new idea, one way to make things better for the animals we work with and/or love. ETA: I'm actually going to pause and take a little more time with this idea, and hopefully get more ideas and more people involved! Stay tuned!! Today, I want to remind everyone of the best way to approach a nervous dog, featuring a short clip from Dr. Yin: I chose this for a few reasons: 1. I don't know any people who ... Read more »

Filed Under: Be The Change Tagged With: low stress

Knuckle cracking real-time talk here.

October 1, 2014 by Dr. V

This is not about Sophia Yin. I feel the need to say that before launching into a discussion about suicide and depression in the animal community, because the horrible news that she took her own life and the ripples it is causing in the veterinary world is the reason I'm talking about it today. But it's not about her or her situation, which none of us will ever really know; Dr. Yin's legacy is the work she did during her life, and it should remain that way. This is not about one ... Read more »

Filed Under: Be The Change, Daily Life, Health, Musings, Picks of the Litter Tagged With: depression, it's ok to laugh too, mental health

An Open Letter to My Veterinary Colleagues

September 19, 2014 by Dr. V

Please share far and wide because we only have until Monday to get our voices heard. Dear veterinarians,  I imagine you have noticed things have changed a bit for us in the last ten years or so. A decade ago, you could look in the "Help Wanted" section on VIN or AVMA classifieds and have your pick of positions. This is good, since most of us carried modest student debt we needed to pay off. Being a new grad was exhilarating, a little nerve-wracking, but thrilling. Now?   The ... Read more »

Filed Under: Be The Change Tagged With: accreditation, avma COE, economics

Arya of House Potcake

July 2, 2014 by Dr. V

One thing I've learned about going on vacation, is that I don't like to relax. How can I, when there's so much to do and so little time! I want to see ALL THE THINGS! And most of the time I vacation with my husband he responds with a blank stare and a "why would you want to do all of that?" So this time around we went to Turks and Caicos, a small island chain in the Bahamas whose island upon which we landed is only 38 square miles, so I think he assumed he would have me boxed in by ... Read more »

Filed Under: Be The Change, Daily Life, Happy Tails, On Safari, Photography Tagged With: arya, potcake place, turks and caicos, World Vets

Bosnia floods- when the world isn’t watching, donate a dollar

June 1, 2014 by Dr. V

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 »

Filed Under: Be The Change, Disaster Response Tagged With: Bosnia, disaster response, floods, World Vets

A grateful heart spreads like….well, wildfire

May 15, 2014 by Dr. V

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 »

Filed Under: Be The Change, Daily Life, Musings Tagged With: bernardo fire, community, San Diego, wildfire

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