Today is the last day to vote for pawcurious for the petties awards- I would REALLY appreciate your vote! No registration required- it takes about 30 seconds! OK, back to haiku: Twelve long hours in car. Tomorrow, rinse and repeat. This is gonna stink. ... Read more »
Daily Life
Dog Haiku- Vacation Edition
Real camera packed Can only access iphone Thus the crappy pics Calm sapphire blue lake Belies the impending doom Hurricane Brody. ... Read more »
Vaccinations for Your Dog: A Complex Issue, by Nancy Kay, DVM
Today I am delighted to have a guest post from Dr. Nancy Kay, a veterinary internist and author of the must-have guide for being a good health advocate for your pet, Speaking for Spot. In today's post, Dr. Kay gives some tips for how to wade through the complex issue of pet vaccination and what you can do to make the decisions that are right for you and your pet. Thank you so much Dr. Kay! During my last year of veterinary school, I recall how scary it was when a new canine ... Read more »
How to Torture Rodents: Lessons Learned from the Class Hamster
We survived our first day on the road. I'm still not convinced as to the sanity of the idea but so far, we're good. In the meantime I'm kicking off the Summer Guest Series with a back to school missive from my friend and brave, brave teaching professional, Kristie W. Kristie shares her thoughts on that age-old tradition, the classroom "pet". Thank you Kristie! Int. shot of small striped lizard, crouching on the sand. Narrator: Searching for his next meal, the common alligator lizard scans ... Read more »
On the Road With Koa and Brody
A couple of months ago, we began to plan our family trip to the Pacific Northwest. "Oh," I said, "Since we are going to be in a cabin on a lake, why not bring the dogs along too? Trout, swimming, marshmallows- what's not to like?" I pretty much expected my husband to roll his eyes and say "No way," but then he said OK, which I wasn't expecting, and I started to panic. We did a few road trips as a kid- maybe 8 hours in the car, tops. As an adult, I haven't done any road trips with my kids or ... Read more »
A Brody for Bradyn
I think you all know I love service dogs. I think they are the heroes of the animal world, those inherent givers who by virtue of their temperaments have demonstrated they possess not only the ability, but the willingness to spend their lives in selfless service of another. This is Bradyn. Isn't he adorable? Bradyn has severe uncontrolled epilepsy. His parents are trying to get him a service dog so that they might be able to sleep through the night without fearing if they drift off too ... Read more »
When puppies die, who’s to blame?
One of the duties I most dreaded at a previous job of mine was evaluating the dogs for a local pet store. The pet store owner would go pick up new shipments of puppies at the airport, drop all 14, 16, 25 crates off at the clinic, and one of the vets would have to 'sign off' on the puppies before they headed to the store. The puppies all came with paperwork from the, ahem, "breeder" (aka puppy mill.) We would look at them to check for heart murmurs, cleft palates, that sort of thing. The dog ... Read more »
Call of the Day: Mind Reader
Office Manager: Thank you for calling, how may I help you? Person: Yes, I have a complaint about a visit I had at another hospital. Office Manager: Another hospital? ... Read more »
Out for a walk
I saw the woman marching with her Great Dane for the first time back in 2004. We had just moved into our home, and on an afternoon walk with Emmett I spotted her on the sidewalk on the other side of the street. They were hard to miss, those two- she, tall and strong and purposeful, attended by a small grey horse who upon closer inspection turned out to be a beautiful harlequin Great Dane. She nodded at me, and I nodded back before the dog dragged her past and on down the street. I saw them ... Read more »
In Violation
When I'm at work, I try to be sympathetic to the fact that I am consistently doing things to pets who have no idea why this stranger is poking and prodding at them. They're no dummies. By about the 16 week point they get the wary look of an animal thoroughly expecting to have their temperature taken. Unless you're one of those extremely conscientious owners who takes their pet into the vet for kisses and treats for no reason whatsoever, pets learn very quickly that when they come to the ... Read more »
In Judgment
Last week, I mentioned that I had to do a euthanasia where the owner chose not to be present, and it was a little emotionally challenging for me. I was more upset about the day than the fact that the owners left, and I mentioned it only to illustrate that I needed to lean on my techs to help me out with the part that I normally do without a problem (comforting the pet.) I didn't mean to set that up as a "oh no these irresponsible owners how could they" sort of thing, but it certainly opened ... Read more »
And then
I appreciate all the thoughtful comments yesterday, and especially I appreciate everyone who sent me a picture of their beloved pets to be included in yesterday's video. It was wonderful to see how many people knew what this day would mean, because you all have had this kind of day too. Yesterday was shaping up to be the same type of day I have been (thankfully) having for quite a while lately: simple and uneventful. And then. ... Read more »
Tumbleweeds
As I was driving home yesterday, I was thinking about Emmett and how much has changed in the past year. One year ago, I said goodbye. One year ago, I sat 10 feet from where I am now with my head on his neck for the last time, while he sighed into my hands, too tired to even roll over for a belly rub. It was a bad day. I was thinking about how, after he died, our house was the cleanest it had been in years. The tumbleweeds were gone- the ever present little hair balls that found their way into ... Read more »
Vets get jealous too
This one's for my fellow toilers in this profession. One of the great things about not owning a practice is that I don't have to worry about a lot of the things an owner would. Payroll, for example. Sick technicians. FMLA. Leases. That sort of thing. One of the bummers about not owning a practice makes itself apparent whenever I find myself at a continuing education conference, walking through booths of shiny bright tools and pieces of equipment I can't buy. The sales rep turns to me with ... Read more »
The scar remains
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 »
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 »
