It's been a rough week, right? I think everyone can pretty much agree with that. There has been an awful lot of awful going on. That being said, it's also been an earth-shattering shake-by-the-shoulders to everyone mired in the mud leading up to Tuesday's election that maybe it isn't the only thing in the world that matters. Oh yeah, there's an election tomorrow! I almost forgot. Amazing how quickly things become less important when people's lives are getting washed away on a large ... Read more »
Be The Change
Blogger Disaster Response Team-Activate!
I just flew home from BarkWorld and boy, are my arms tired. No, really, everything is tired. It was a great weekend I promise to post about, but for now let's just say that I zipped out under the farthest bands of Hurricane Sandy, came home to a house half packed for movers, and just kind of realized tomorrow I'm leaving my house of the last 8 years. I am myself a bit of a disaster. But in the big scheme of things, much more dramatic events, real disasters, are taking place. My thoughts and ... Read more »
Super Special Thursday Giveaway: Canine Cool Hipster VIP Red Carpet Bag!
There are blogs that I like, and blogs that I love. There are blogs that I read and think, wow, this person is the bomb and I love what they are doing and I wish I had done some of that too. Those are rare. Joanne's is one of them. The Tiniest Tiger has been a voice for conservation for years. By drawing parallels between our feline friends in the foyer and the majestic cats on the prowl in the wild, Joanne brings home issues that are near and dear to my heart. And because she is smart and ... Read more »
The start of a beautiful conference
When Mike Arms asked me to speak at the first ACES International Conference here in San Diego last weekend, of course I said yes. One, I always like the opportunity to get to speak about social media, one of my favorite topics. Two, I was honored by the invitation to contribute to a really exciting endeavor. And three, well, I really just wanted to go to the conference. Helen Woodward Animal Center has been running ACES conferences for years, a series of lectures designed to help shelters and ... Read more »
Talk Like a Pirate Pittie Day
Ahoy mateys! Aye, it be Talk Like a Pirate Day yet again, and in honor of the blessed day, me friend Estelle - that's Cap'n Estelle the Mighty to you, ye land lubbers, and we're here to remind ye all it's Adopt a Less Adoptable Pet Week. Estelle has a soft spot in her heart for pirates- after all, they share an awful lot in common with the types of pets being featured this week. A motley yet lovable crew, misunderstood, maligned by a society that values attributes they have no control over. ... Read more »
Get your puppy and kitten fix here. One day only.
Every little kid who wants to be a vet someday says it's because they love puppies and kittens and think we get to play with them all day. And then we smile, trying not to look too discouraging, as we encourage their dream while thinking of all the cancer euthanasias, anal sac abscesses, and "it-just-started-yesterday-I-swear" 10 centimeter pedunculated, bloody masses. Some people thrive on all that stuff. Me, I never got beyond the 10 year old version of being a vet. I like preventive care. ... 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 »
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 »
Oath in Action: The Horses of Tir Na Nog
Saturday, 5:20 am. The alarm buzzes and I bash at it in irritation. At this early hour I'm rethinking my enthusiasm for volunteering for the American Veterinary Medical Foundation Oath in Action Project. I have to be dressed and downtown by 7 am for registration, then it's off to either the Chula Vista Animal Shelter for a cleanup or the Horses of Tir Na Nog for a day of fence painting. "I could have slept in another hour," I mutter to no one in particular as they are all sleeping. "I could ... Read more »
Next medal event: Freestyle Dogvertising and the ASPCA 100K Challenge
When the Escondido Humane Society asked me if I would pick a pet to champion in support of their running in the ASPCA $100K challenge, of course I said, "Yes!" This week, I took a drive up to the shelter to get a special tour, and decide who of all the deserving pets there I was going to mentor. When I got there, touring this wonderful facility that is bursting with about 700 animals (it was built to house maybe 3-400), I talked with their PR Director Katie Woolsey about lots of things. I ... Read more »
Shelter Drive-By Update
Back in May, I featured a guest post from Kristine Lacoste over at Pets Adviser about her experiences doing a shelter drive-by. Today, she's back with an update on how it's started a bit of a chain reaction. See how easy it is? Be part of the revolution! A few weeks have passed since I first started doing the shelter drive-by. I was happy to learn just the very next week two small girls appeared with bags of cat litter at my shelter, and the shelter was thrilled to see more ... 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 »
The Amazing Shelter Drive-By: Guest post from Pets Adviser
I am SO excited to share today's guest post from Kristine Lacoste at Pets Adviser! She wrote to tell me how she was inspired by our talk of shelter drive-bys to do one herself, and it was a huge hit. Thank you Kristine for sharing this with us- and make sure you see what Pets Adviser is offering for others who do the same! An article I read recently had an idea that kept coming to mind, and I wouldn't be satisfied until I implemented it. Dr. Jessica Vogelsang ("Dr. V") of ... Read more »
Koala Rescue
If I could go back and do it all again, I'd try to be a National Geographic correspondent. I just can't get enough of their work- I'm quite certain this magazine is the reason I studied biology and primates. Today, I'm fortunate enough to have an excerpt and some amazing photographs about a koala story that I hope you find as fascinating as I do. (Look at the avatar on the Be the Change section of the site if you want to know how much I love them.) I had always assumed koalas were in pretty ... Read more »
5 Ways to Be Kind to Animals This Week
It's Be Kind to Animals Week! Did you know that? You may know the American Humane Association best as the group that oversees animal use during filming and bestows the "No Animals Were Harmed" disclaimer at the end of shows and movies, but they are very involved in advocacy for not only animals, but also children- society's most vulnerable members. Anyway, they started this special week and it's a lovely opportunity to step back and reflect on what we are doing right, and what we could be doing ... 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 »
