One year ago today, I wrote what turned out to be a rather iconic post. If you aren't familiar with why I keep referring to my undying hatred of Kevin, that post explains it. The anniversary of Emmett's passing is next week, and I am already dreading it. I have lost dogs before, and will, I am sure, go through it again though I am hoping that day is far from now. Over time, the sharp pains of grief turn into more of a dull ache, which in time recedes into the corners of one's mind and only ... Read more »
Daily Life
Blog the Change: Pet Fire Safety Day is today!
One of the greatest gifts of being involved in a pet blog is finding a greater sense of cause and community with like-minded people. Whether you are a cat person, dog person, bird person, ferret person- each with their own distinct personalities and interests- everyone is equally interested in improving the lives of animals across the world, and that is something I love. Driven by the desire to bring community-minded bloggers together to make a difference, Kim Clune at This One Wild Life and ... Read more »
Let’s play a game
I like this game. It's harder than it looks. You'll get a series of hints. Slam the buzzer when you know the answer. An owner calls and says his dog is itchy. BUZZ! FLEA ALLERGIES! Ah yes, very good guess, but you haven't even seen the dog yet. The dog is not on flea control. BUZZ! IT'S TOTALLY FLEA ALLERGIES! Look, I get that is a reasonable assumption, but we need a little more information to make an accurate diagnosis. ... Read more »
Double-Dog Dare
The dogs and I went for a nice long walk this morning. And by, "we went for a walk," I mean "Koa and Brody dragged me around the neighborhood for an hour or so." Brody and I had been working hard on the heel command for a while there, and for the most part when it's just the two of us, he will grudgingly do it. He has the attention span of a gnat, as, unfortunately, do I. Koa doesn't want to leave my side to begin with, so regardless of what I do with her she is attached to me by an ... Read more »
Call of the day: Short Circuit
Receptionist: Hello, how can I help you? Owner: Hi there, this is Slinky's owner. I have a question. Receptionist: Oh, hi! Didn't we just start her on medication for seizures? How is she? Owner: Oh, that's going great. No seizures at all. Receptionist: Wonderful! So how can we help you? Owner: I wanted to know if you think shock collar training would be ok for her. (technician grabs the phone) Tech: Hi there- were you asking if we recommended shock collar training for your ... Read more »
Have dog, will travel
We have a little family vacation coming up, and I'm trying to decide what to do with the dogs. Normally, I would either board them or have a housesitter, but this is a destination the dogs would really like, I think. My husband's family owns a little cabin on a lake, and we are going to spend a week or so there in August. There's not much two retrievers would enjoy more than hanging out at a lake in the woods. But, it's a long drive. A long, long drive. Almost-Mexico to almost-Canada- ... Read more »
Happy 4th everyone!
Be safe! And don't do this. This video never gets old. ... Read more »
Special Weekend Edition: Tails from the Clinic
Have you all seen that iphone video online? That one made me laugh. Then I had to go make my own that made me laugh even more (and yes, this is based on an actual conversation I had.) ... Read more »
Happy North American Independence Week!
Does that cover it? Well, whatever you celebrate, I hope it's a great one, and if you're not celebrating anything, feel free to come on over because we're grilling. ... Read more »
I’m not cut out for the ref job
My children have spent the wee dawning days of summer re-enacting the World Cup. On this side, representing the Bipedia, we have the Daughter and the Son. On the other side, from the United Republic of Retrievers, we have Koa and Brody. And we're off! Daughter runs the ball, easily dodges Koa, and heads down the field. Son goes running after, screaming that he wants a turn. The goalie stands firm. Daughter feigns to the side, then punts the ball past the goalie, who pounces on it, ... Read more »
It’s the most horrible time, of the year….
Sing it with me! Well, Fourth of July isn't really that horrible a time in general, unless you happen to live in the US and you are a noise-phobic dog. Then, well, then it's pretty scary. To us, July 4th is corn on the cob, barbecues and pyrotechnics set to the booming tones of the 1812 Overture. To your dog, man, it is armageddon. The sounds. The vibrations. The yelling. The sulfurous smell of gunpowder. No wonder it's the most common night for pets to run away. I have heard and seen ... Read more »
Sad
I've been thinking a lot about Callie lately, my kitty who disappeared last autumn after one brief escape outside. I think about her whenever I see a pet who has been attacked by a coyote at work, my breath catching in my throat as I wonder if that is what happened to her. I look at the lacerations, the injuries, and I imagine her sitting quietly, trusting, not realizing that the predator approaching is not an Emmett or a Mulan to tease and romp around. Whatever it was, I can only hope it was ... Read more »
The Definition of Insanity
A few weeks ago, we had a client come in with her cat. She had gone to the emergency hospital the previous weekend, gotten a diagnosis of heart disease, and was instructed to follow up with her regular vet. She didn't have a regular vet- the cat hadn't seen one in 10 years, but no matter, we would do. Only problem was, we didn't do. From the moment she stepped in the door, she was mad. The receptionist was terse, the price was too high, we didn't have the records from the emergency vet, we ... Read more »
The Giving Ke(koa)
About 10 o'clock this morning, the receptionist comes into the back and says, "The kids are here." "What kids?" I asked. "The YMCA kids," she responded. "Oh- did you not know about that?" Apparently, the YMCA down the street was really reaching for things for the kids to do and had arranged a mini tour of our hospital, which no one thought to tell me about. Normally I would be OK with taking kids around for a brief visit, but at this particular moment in time my RVT was wrist deep in a ... Read more »
Dogs and work- yes? no?
Friday marks the 11th year of Take Your Dog To Work Day. I am, of course, very fortunate that I can take my dogs to work with me whenever, though as odd as it seems (ha!) a veterinary clinic isn't always the most fun place for a dog to hang out. I have lots of clients who take their pets to work, and it always surprises me to hear it- why, I don't know. Most work in small offices or family businesses. I can't imagine the logistics of dealing with HR and corporate lawyers if one were to try ... Read more »
From the Mailbag: Running with Rover
I was asked this in an e-mail today, and I thought it was a good enough question to share with the crowd: "I'm training for a half marathon coming up this October and want to keep my dog involved. She's a small dog, only 20 pounds, so I want to know - is there a time limit or distance limit i should take into consideration when taking her with me on runs? I want to get her energy out (so she'll stop barking her face off all day!) but I don't want to risk putting her in harms way. If there ... Read more »
Don’t tread on me
I'm sorry I haven't done a lot of picture posts or Barbie posts lately. Those are pretty time consuming, as I think I have mentioned before, and if there is one thing that has been in utterly bleak supply lately it's been time. Between the end of school, holidays, birthdays, colds, and some other junk going on I have barely- barely!- had time to breathe, let alone set up what I have planned for the next Barbie post. It's in my head, though, where it has remained since Mother's Day. Father's ... Read more »
All I really need to know I learned while my daughter was in kindergarten
Yesterday was a really bittersweet day for me. It was my daughter's last day of kindergarten. I didn't think it would hit me quite this hard, but it really got me right in the throat to watch all the little munchkins skip up to the teacher with their little cardboard caps to pick up their kindergarten diplomas. The teacher took them down to the field for a few minutes to run some energy off before the afternoon graduation party, and while they were doing that I joined a couple of the parents ... Read more »