*Warning: mentions suicide* As I sat on the couch with Ollie sprawled over my lap, I sighed and mentioned to my husband that, yet again, another veterinarian has died by suicide. She was a mother with two little boys, a practice owner, and by all accounts seemingly happy. We can guess all we want about what desperation, what chemical lies, were swirling in her brain- but we will never know. This sort of thing was shocking once, but now it’s a dejected “oh no, not again.” You’ve probably ... Read more »
Musings
Two Words With Anthony Bourdain
My interaction was limited to two words and they weren’t very exciting ones. I’m not impressed by celebrities. I lived in LA for five years surrounded by them, and other than looking over my shoulder and saying, “Oh, you’re right, there’s Ashley Judd” I kept my interactions to a minimum. I guess I should say I’m not impressed by Hollywood celebrities, because there are other people with whom I am very much starstruck, people I would wait in line for hours to meet and ... Read more »
Here’s To New Adventures: Meet Dakota
What a first quarter. I lost Brody in January. I am still mourning him, deeply. He unequivocally answered the question of whether or not you can have more than one heart dog in your life. The answer is yes. My husband (and my son) asked me, shortly after Brody died, if we would be getting another dog. It seemed a silly question to ask me of all people, sitting there with my puffy eyes holding my chest like pressing it would somehow staunch the bleeding. Of course we would. Two weeks ... Read more »
Merry Christmas from Brody
Whenever I've lost someone close to me, I have the same dream within a month: in this dream, they return to me, healthy and whole. We have just that moment to be in each other's presence once more; and then they are gone. It has happened with pets, with my grandparents, and with my mother. It is comforting to think in some form, they are well. Then I wake up with a bittersweet taste on my tongue. In that brief moment it was real, my brain fooled into thinking they were there with me: ... Read more »
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 »
Is It OK To Text a Vet Friend For Free Advice?
I know, I know, it's been quiet here. I've been super busy doing the life thing and working on the DrAndy site and trying, yet again, to get my next book proposal done. But in the meantime: I'm taking a roadtrip to Seattle with Brody again! I can't wait to share those stories and pictures, but in the meantime I'd like to present a brand new flowchart. I'm on a few veterinary Facebook groups, and the sorts of behaviors they post about still keeps my jaw dropping. Potential paramours who ... Read more »
Why I Hate That Stupid Mom Pie Quote
"A mother is a person who, seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie." -Tenneva Jordan Last week, my husband sold the U2 tickets he bought for us back in January because it conflicted with my daughter's school play. I'm not gonna lie, it was painful, but sometimes you have to put things aside when you're a parent. I say sometimes, though, because I think that's an important distinction to make in the Pinterest era where everyone ... 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 »
The Dying Pet’s Bill of Rights
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 »
How To Age Like a Rock God
Last night I got to rock out at the last North American stop of the Guns n Roses "Not in This Lifetime" tour. In a moment that made me realize just how old I've gotten, I realized the last time they played San Diego- in 1992- I was also there. I was in high school, high on life (and probably a few other things unintentionally, as tended to happen at those arena shows), idealistic about the future. Guns n Roses was the biggest name in rock at the time, at the height of their fame and the zenith ... Read more »
Chasing Butterflies
If you're ever in need of an escape to reset your head and find a little bit of peace in the chaos that swirls around you, I highly recommend Thailand. I have lots of stories and photos to share about the elephants I met, but today I have a different story to tell. Although not quite intentional, when I planned this trip I realized I was returning the day before my son's tenth birthday, which is also the one year anniversary of my mother's death. To spend the two weeks leading up to it in a ... Read more »
The Awful Case of Kristen Lindsey
In April 2015, Kristen Lindsey, DVM, shot a cat through the head with an arrow and then posted a picture on Facebook with the following caption: “My first bow kill … lol. The only good feral tomcat is one with an arrow through it's [sic] head! Vet of the year award … gladly accepted.” These facts are not in dispute. Why she did it, however, is. This is why she is currently testifying in an administrative hearing in order to try and keep her veterinary license. At its heart is the question, "Is ... Read more »
Why I Tell People I Sell Life Insurance
What do you get when you cross a Dr V with an Apple pencil? (Aside from bad art, but that goes without saying.) A new set of cartoons, that's what! When I was in vet school, I was (rightfully) proud of my fledgling career choice. I shouted it from the rooftops: I'm about to be a vet! It's so cool! Check it out! Tell me everything about your guinea pig! But of course, with age comes both wisdom and boundaries, as well as an understanding that many people lack both. So without further ado, ... Read more »
How To Avoid the Bends
When I was in college, I decided to conquer my fear of drowning by getting certified in scuba diving. In retrospect, I really had no business being there, but I guess that's what your twenties is for. At one point during the training, you have to take your mask entirely off and then get it back on. No biggie, right? I was not a water person and had no idea what was going to happen. When I removed it from my face, my nose filled with water and I found I couldn't inhale through my regulator. My ... Read more »
Why You are More Powerful Than Any Counselor
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 »
How To Spot an Animal Social Justice Warrior
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 »
Life is a macaron
My mother was not a great cook. I think she would happily cop to that. She made spaghetti, burnt steak, and stuck underseasoned chicken breasts in the oven until they turned rubbery. Her mother was not a great cook either. She was Irish, so I guess that was part of her legacy to boil everything until it fell apart and all the taste seeped out, or so she claimed. However, her father was French, so she inherited a different type of culinary genius: boy could she bake. If I had to choose one of ... Read more »
CucumberGate, Terror, Abuse, and You
So by now you've all seen the videos, right? A person places a cucumber behind a cat who's blissfully chomping away on some food. The cat turns around, spots the sinister gourd, and jumps about five feet in the air. The first thing that happened was that a bunch of people thought it was funny and shared it all over the internet. The second thing that happened was a bunch of experts chimed in warning about how this wasn't a benign thing, that cats could be permanently scarred, and that ... Read more »
