Friday things were getting bad, Kekoa's leg was aching. So you know, it's time to go, But not without some bacon. Saturday was super great, All day long we ate and ate, Venison, rabbit, gator too, All day feasting through and through. And when Sunday came around, Gray and rainy, under cloud, I sat down and then I cried, Cause it was time to say goodbye. When the doctor gave the shot, My dear dog, she felt it not Because she had - don't get me wrong- In her paws, ... Read more »
Daily Life
I reject your blogger title and all your blogger baggage
Hi, I'm Dr. V. Veterinarian. Mother. Writer. Amateur chef, aspiring world traveller, insert title here. But don't call me Blogger. Many years ago- more than 10, on a site whose name I don't even recall, I started an online journal. I wrote about planning a wedding, about my senior year of veterinary school, and about the early heady days of my career. About my dogs, my kids, postpartum depression, fat pants, horrible mentors, all sorts of stuff. I never said I was any good at it, but if ... Read more »
Smooth Criminal
It's been a mystery in the house ever since we moved in: who's been raiding the cat litter? Until we get the cat door installed between the house and the garage, we've been stuck leaving the door open and trying with varied success to block the perp from the garage. Suspect One: Brody Has been seen lurking in the vicinity of the garage door, occasionally licking lips and acting guilty. Suspect Two: Koa Despite outward appearances, the more sneaky of the two. Spotted with evidenciary ... 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 »
Bloggers Stakes 2: In It To Win It
As you might remember, I spent a week in Orlando last month at the Celebrate Dogs event for the AKC/Eukanuba National Dog Show, which will air on ABC on February 2. There's a ton of events that comprise the show, but for me personally, the most fun I get to have is on Saturday night, when the invited bloggers go onto the main floor of the arena during the evening sound check to have our very own pretend-but-still-majorly-intense dog show, otherwise known as the Bloggers Stakes. If you weren't ... Read more »
Buckets of food: Tramaducken
Tramaducken: A turkey, stuffed with a duck, stuffed with a chicken, stuffed with assorted pain medications. Merrick makes a Turducken canned food that allowed me to get all three in there in one shot. Did not have any problems getting the dogs to eat this, lick the plate, lick each other's plate, then beg me incessantly for more. ... Read more »
Don’t Be That Vet
On Saturday, I'm boarding a plane yet again and jetting off- strangely enough- right back to Orlando, the last place I went on a trip. The last quarter of 2012 was a blur, and then I had a break the last few weeks. If you consider moving and unpacking a break, that is (it's about as restful as sleeping on a bed of nails, for reference.) I'm not exactly ramping up again, not quite. It's just a wee side trip to the North American Veterinary Conference to man the World Vets booth, one of the ... Read more »
Buckets of food, Day 5: Pizza
Every bucket list should include a good bit of pizza, I think. So I sliced off a little dog-sized piece of a cheese pizza for Koa, just enough for her to get what all the fuss has been about these last few years. Brody's getting to play along just because I feel sorry for him being left out. That being said, if he wants in on this, he's gonna have to work for it. He has no bucket list excuse. ... Read more »
Pain, masks, and the longest hike
It's weird how the universe works in parallel sometimes. About 10 days or so ago, I broke my toe. And just so you know I'm not making this up: I really did. Not doing anything heroic, unfortunately. I broke it by running too enthusiastically into an unpacked box that was filled with some as-of-yet unknown substance, probably cement, or maybe iron bars or something. Nonetheless, what I thought was a stubbed toe turned into that mess within a day or so. It's not bad. It's taped up and I can ... Read more »
Buckets of Food, Day 4: Sliders
Now this is what I'm talking about. Trader Joe's super lean slider patty with a blob of ketchup. I'm not sure that Koa has ever tasted ketchup, unless she stole something with ketchup on it at one point. This bucket list thing is going over pretty well, I'd say. ... Read more »
Who needs Crossfit when you have a dog?
Like many of you, I started this new year with an extra pound or two that leaped- LEAPED, I tell you- onto my hips when I wasn't looking. The cookies held me down by force and shoved themselves into my unwilling face at the Christmas party. Nonetheless, I'm now in the process of evicting this unwanted excess material, and since we moved, that means I need to find a new exercise routine/ gym. I thought about CrossFit. I really did. But it sounds like boot camp, and not in a good way but in a ... Read more »
Buckets of Food, Day 3: Zucchini
Plain pieces of raw zucchini. I didn't think she would go for this one. She, in fact, ate almost a whole zucchini. Brody, on the other hand...not until I put some parmesan on it. Do you see this? This is him begging for a piece although the piece he JUST SPIT OUT is still sitting next to him. It's the same thing, Brody. ... Read more »
Bucket Full of Food, Day 2: Kale
Don't worry, I'm not going to make her eat vegetables every day. She gets what I get, which today was kale chips, and man were they good. She chomped one up and asked for more. Brody was not impressed. He's holding out for "bacon day." ... Read more »
A Bucket Full of Food: Day 1: Jicama
Well, just because my dog is sick doesn't mean we can't have fun. Indeed, I would argue it is more an impetus than ever to have fun. With Emmett, that meant taking long walks every day until he didn't want to anymore. He was an explorer, a retriever's retriever, and all he wanted to do was splash in the water and chase birds. Koa hates adventure. She's a homebody. I was thinking to myself, what would be on her bucket list? And all I could come up with was, A Menu. So there you have it. ... Read more »
It’s OK to be angry- the topic I hate to revisit
It was the day after Christmas, which is how these things always seem to go. I looked at the x-ray on the monitor and smushed my lips together at what I saw. "That looks terrible," I say to my friend Kristen, also a veterinarian. She nods glumly. A lytic, destructive bone lesion. Pretty cut and dried for cancer. Survival statistics for cancer depend on a lot of things, but one of the main prognostic indicators is type of cancer. Bone cancers are notoriously nasty and challenging to treat. ... Read more »
Pawcurious Picks: Top 5 Posts of 2012
I like retrospectives. It's a good opportunity to reminisce on what we did well (travel!) and perhaps those things we did not do so well (remain patient during the arduous relocation process, for example.) I'm glad the year is done. All's well that ends well, but man was it a slog for a good portion of the year. Like all things in life, the year's end is bittersweet, with a good thing and a bad thing I need to write about. But not today. Today, it's a day to reflect. And lest I spend the ... Read more »
Oh, the places you’ll go (like Pasadena)
I've loved watching the Rose Parade ever since I was a little kid- you know, when they aired it without commercials and Bob Eubanks and Stephanie Edwards were providing the commentary (wait, they still are? Wow.) And I've always wanted to see it in person, because it's like the Grandaddy of All Parades, but somehow I never convinced anyone else it was worth giving up New Year's Eve to go and line up at 4 am. This year I was even more excited about the parade because the Grand Marshal is Jane ... Read more »
The truth is out there
I've been leaving everyone to their own devices to figure this place out in the week since we've moved in. I've been too busy unpacking and Christmas-ing and tagine buying to coddle the cohabitants. The cat has figured out where the litterbox is (it took a while), the dogs are learning where they are supposed to sleep, and slowly but surely it is dawning on them that this is their new abode. There are different sounds to learn, a new territory to navigate. Apollo has to re-learn where the ... Read more »
