Pawcurious: With Veterinarian and Author Dr. V

Celebrating the truth that pets make people better.

Daily Life

The fish curse continues, sorta

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I went to feed the new betta tonight and I couldn't find him in the tank. I fully admit that I cursed like a sailor as I peered around the tank (at least the kids weren't around to hear it.) Then, I spotted him- chilling in the little filter: you know, the little box that hangs off the back of the tank? How the HECK did he get in there? The only thing I can possibly fathom is that he got sucked up the tube that pulls water into the filter. He seems like he would be too big for it, but ... Read more »

Give thanks

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I was recently asked, "What are you grateful for?" Well shoot, what am I not grateful for? I am blessed with a healthy family and people and pets who love me. The rest is gravy (to start throwing in Thanksgiving puns.) But I think the question was more specific to veterinary stuff, so let me start with telling a story: When one of my dogs was diagnosed with melanoma, I did what any good general practitioner would do and bundled her off in the car to the specialist. In our area, we are ... Read more »

All the world’s a vacation

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When you're a dog, life is pretty good. You get up, eat, run around, eat some more, play, go to sleep. Lather, rinse, repeat. There are no job responsibilities, no mortgages, no bills to pay. Life is at is most simple and best when it is the same, day in and day out. So when dog owners go on vacation, they find themselves stumped at how to top perfection. For all its pretty packaging, high end "dog resorts" are usually some variation of the same formula: staying in a kennel with twice a day ... Read more »

Even dog-girls get the blues

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I weighed Kekoa on Tuesday and I am happy to report that she is back on track at 74.5 pounds- one more pound gone! She really is a trooper. She has this great talent of utilizing her lower center of gravity to butt Brody out of the way when they are jockeying for position at feeding time, so despite her shrinking weight she still had mad leverage skills. We ran into someone who hasn't seen Koa since shortly after she came to live with us in March. He was floored. "She's so shiny!" he said. ... Read more »

Mercy, not mercenary

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A client whom we have never seen previously arrived at 6 o'clock to euthanize her cat. "Who made this appointment?" I asked, miffed. My staff, usually well versed in how to handle these situations, made the appointment without so much as a "Why?"  Or, even better, "Let me make sure that's OK with the doctor." "I told her she needed to talk to you first," said the person who made the appointment. "That is not the same thing," I re-explained, "as telling her she needs to talk to me to ... Read more »

Home For the Holidays: let’s make some magic!

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I despise the week between Christmas and New Years. Why? Because without fail, I see piles upon piles of new holiday pets. Pets from pet stores, whose owners overpaid for them and can then not afford to treat them for the parasites, distemper, or congenital disease they all too often wind up with. It happens every year. In 1999, Mike Arms at The Helen Woodward Animal Center decided to change that. With 14 local shelters, they launched the "Home for the Holidays" campaign to encourage ... Read more »

Braiiiinnnsssss

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Humans aren't the only ones susceptible to turning into the walking dead. I'm just sayin'. Ack....blerg....brains.... see more dog and puppy pictures I have the same reaction to cupcakes. Even the vegetarians can turn into brainivores. Happy Halloween! ... Read more »

Behold your awesomeness

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The Pawcurious Flickr group has gone gangbusters! I want to try and show off as many Halloween costumes as I can before the holiday but be sure to check out the group for the entire amazing collection. I tried to make sure I included at least one picture from everyone who submitted public photos. That's a good lookin bunch of pets you all have here I'm trying to decide if he is the dragon or is being eaten by the dragon. :D Plenty more behind the cut: ... Read more »

Fun With Google: Doing the Pigeon!

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Today, a client called in a panic because her dog ate a bluebird and she was concerned that the dog would get rabies. "Birds don't get rabies," we told her. "Oh," she said. Then, hopefully, "Distemper?" Dogs are, at the end of the day, dogs, and one of the imperatives of dog-dom is eating stuff they're not supposed to, including dead things, things with eyeballs, and entrails. While there are specific instances that cause concern- a dog playing with a dead bat, say, or eating a rat that ... Read more »

Be careful where you’re rubbing that thing

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I absolutely, positively adore the Veterinary Information Network. It is a subscription-based website open to veterinarians with a whole wealth of specialists, bulletin boards, news bits, and resources. I can check the dosing on a rarely-used medication, see the prognosis of a particular type of cancer, or ask my colleagues for an opinion on an odd case, all without leaving the treatment area. In an office where I am by myself 99% of the time, it gives me real-time access to a group of like ... Read more »

Lions and spiders and bears…

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After my post about spiders last week, Marcie from Helen Woodward Animal Center reminded me that their Fall Harvest Tour was happening this weekend. I remembered seeing the haunted house as it was being set up on my tour with Mike Arms a few weeks ago, and I was really excited about getting a chance to take my kids. Like everywhere, we have our usual assortment of pumpkin patches, hay rides (but in San Diego, that translates to a ride on a tractor around a cement parking lot) and the like, ... Read more »

He Who Must Not Be Named

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I've talked to lots of pet bloggers in the last couple of years, and seen all sorts of topics get discussed and dissected. Much like mommy bloggers learn early on to avoid lecturing on the merits of breastfeeding lest they actually enjoy getting called names, most pet bloggers have to step in it on a couple topics once or twice before realizing- oh. People get really upset about that one. If you're a pet enthusiast and really want to get people going, utter these two magic words: "Cesar ... Read more »