Pawcurious: With Veterinarian and Author Dr. V

Celebrating the truth that pets make people better.

Daily Life

Do No Harm

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I always assumed my experience as a veterinarian would serve me at some point when I needed to navigate the human healthcare system. The similarities between veterinary training and medical training, after all, lend themselves to a good number of similarities: how to read scientific articles critically. How to read an MRI. When to call the office and say, this prescription doesn't seem quite right, is this what you wanted? The similarities are all well and good, but I never understood, in the ... Read more »

Wisdom Panel 3.0- the next gen DNA test has arrived

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Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Mars Veterinary Wisdom 3.0 Panel. Opinions are those of the author.   So, if I showed you a picture of a dog, you may be able to tell me a little about him or her. You would often be able to make some generalizations about temperament- Or adult size- Or medical concerns, such as whether or not a dog can tolerate ivermectin. But what about when it's not entirely obvious, as is the case with my friend Karen's adorable dog ... Read more »

Jerky Problems AGAIN: an infographic

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Are you kidding me? After years of pressure, people finally get pet stores to agree to stop carrying treats from China only to have a new crop of cases of illness emerge in pets who ate jerky with a "Made in the USA" label. Is it sourcing? Is it weird contamination from aliens? Who cares! Just don't buy it. It's not worth the risk. Feed your pet an apple, or some of their regular food, or follow the link to where I show you how to make it yourself. Or watch the video: Any ... Read more »

How to be happy in 4 simple steps

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This month's JAVMA features confirmation of what those of us in the profession for more than a year or two already suspected: veterinarians are a sad bunch, compared to the general population. Consider these stats from the CDC's first-ever survey of the veterinary population: 1 in 6 have considered suicide; 25% of men and 37% of women in the profession report depressive episodes; 1.1% of men and 1.4% of women have attempted suicide; That last stat is the only one where vets figure in ... Read more »

Grand Opening: The Pawcurious Surgical Training Centre

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So, every year I attempt some form of creative teaching enterprise at the kids' school, and some years go better than others. This year, in a school I really like, I think things went well. I was asked to do a "veterinary science station" for the annual Science Fair, and I thought back to what I was excited about when I was a kid:   Playing with guts! And I thought to myself, I bet I could create a dog version of this anatomical model. So I went to Joann's, bought a bunch of ... Read more »

Two things people always say when a pet dies at home and other DeathLord lessons

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Life is weird in lots of way. Things happen for a reason, and you have to kind of be open to what life's going to throw at you because you certainly aren't going to expect most of it. Even the good stuff. Especially the good stuff, which is often hidden in bad stuff. When I go to a house for a euthanasia, people invariably say one of two things: 1. This must be so hard. 2. I wish we had this for people. The answer to both is "I agree." The interesting part is that they ... Read more »

Giveaway: Halo Night at the Oscars Goodies Grab Bag!

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When I was in college, I volunteered one night at a Grammys gifting suite. As a peon, I wore my one nice dress and handed bags full of ridiculously extravagant presents to celebrities and/or celebrity assistants. In return, I got....well, to say that I did it, I guess. Swag has gotten even more crazy in the ensuing years. Out of control, even. Compared to the Grammys, the Oscars are even more insane- the "Everybody Wins at the Oscars" bag given to the non winning nominees in the top 5 ... Read more »

An open letter to Kevin Smith and his dog Mulder

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Dear Kevin, I'm sure you get fan letters all the time, from people who love your art: Clerks, Dogma, Chasing Amy. I think Chasing Amy was one of the first movies I watched with my boyfriend, who is now my husband. He thinks you're the cheese. I think you are a great writer, and like all great writers you have an amazing willingness to share things that other people hold close. Painful things, like a humiliating experience with an airline or, in this case, the terribly personal loss of a ... Read more »

Vaccine vs Disease, Parvo Edition: an Infographic

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Vaccines are a complicated topic, let's start with that. It's impossible to break down the conversation into something so simplistic as "Vaccines: yes or no". Some are more effective than others, some prevent more severe diseases than others. There are some vaccines I did not recommend (hello, FIP) and others I was adamant about (parvo!) when I was in general practice. This is why you should have a good relationship with a vet you trust, who is willing to have a dialogue. On the other hand, ... Read more »

The SHOCKING TRUTH about cancer they don’t want you to know

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Cancer. It's scary stuff. Every day, I hear another story of an elderly dog and cat diagnosed with neoplasia, and my heart hurts for those dealing with it. Without a doubt, cancer sucks, and every new breakthrough is a gift. There's lots of theories and evidence pointing to different causes of cancer. Food, say some. Chemicals, say others. Vets peddling food and chemical-laden vaccines, say many. And I'm here to tell you this: They're right. What? Say it ain't so! It's true. I've been ... Read more »

Candy Pee and Me: How Big Pharma Seduced Me at NAVC

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It's been entirely too long since I've posted, and for that I apologize. I've been terribly busy responding to nastygrams depositing my checks from Big Pet Food sneering at plebians going to a continuing education conference this past week, and what a week it was. Like many of you, I read the Indy Star's expose about the loose strings of pharmaceutical companies (or, in internet conspiracy parlance, Big Pharma) at continuing education conferences such as the one I was going to attend, and ... Read more »

The Truth About Pet Food Research

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About one year after I graduated vet school, I took routine screening chest radiographs of my senior Golden, Mulan. I looked them over, frowning at a small, mottled spot near her sternum. "She has cancer," I thought. It's not an unreasonable conclusion to come to with Golden Retrievers. Before I panicked, I asked my colleague to look at the x-ray, and she agreed it looked suspicious. I was devastated. I took Mulan to the local specialty hospital, where an intern I knew from vet school ... Read more »

How to find your Special Snowflake Vet

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"But I don't want to go among mad people," Alice remarked. "Oh, you can't help that," said the Cat: "We're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad." "How do you know I'm mad?" said Alice. "You must be," said the Cat, "otherwise you wouldn't have come here." Every time I come across a "how to choose the best veterinary hospital" article, I read it, because it's fascinating to me to see how different authors choose to guide you in this task. The articles exist, presumably, because not ... Read more »

What Your Natural Health Magazine Doesn’t Want You To Know

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After the fifth time someone forwarded me "The Shocking Truth Your Vet Is Hiding" type articles in the past week, I had to take a stop from my scheduled 12 Days of Clinics to address it. I debated on a few clickbait titles for this post: alt: "Why Magazines are Getting Away With Murder" alt: "The Shocking Truth These Publishers Are Hiding" It doesn't really matter what the title is or if it related to the content anyway, but I imagine you already know that. But let's step back a moment, ... Read more »