I was debating going to SXSW this week, but as it didn't come to fruition I needed to rely on my husband's reporting back to let me know all the stuff going on and if it was really worth the four figure ticket price. "They have animal stuff here," he said. "You can get your picture taken with Grumpy Cat." Really? I asked him. "Yes," he said. "There were lines out the door last year. She's here again." "The cat is at a tech conference?" I asked again, trying to get my brain around ... Read more »
Daily Life
It’s OK to laugh
On March first, I hit 'send' and the first draft of my manuscript went flying through the ether to New York to land in the capable hands of my editor. It was simultaneously exhilarating and terrifying. If any of you watched the Oscars and heard De Niro deliver this little nugget: The mind of a writer can be a truly terrifying thing. Isolated, neurotic, caffeine-addled, crippled by procrastination, consumed by feelings of panic, self-loathing, and soul-crushing inadequacy. And that’s on a good ... Read more »
We love you to death
Veterinary medicine, the happiest field on earth, land of puppy butts and kitty snuggles and Pet Doctor Barbies in hotpants, or so they told me when I was 10. Or perhaps it is the land of crushing student debt, clients frustrated that they are priced out of affordable care, and the unending mental strain of not being able to make every client happy and whole at the price they want you to provide it for. Maybe it's somewhere in between, but to be honest it seems to me like it's leaning a ... Read more »
Love Is…Making Moments
I've learned a lot in the process of writing this book, going back and reflecting on what three very special dogs have done for me in my life. It's almost done, the first draft at least, and I can rest easy knowing that if I get hit by a bus tomorrow there's enough for a talented editor to work with so that this, at least, will live on. Happy Valentine's Day, by the way. Speaking of dying and all of that, though, the one thing that really jumped out at me when I was writing, and just living ... Read more »
A Lesson in Love and Heart
One year ago today, we said goodbye to Kekoa. After a month of bucket list indulgences going from kale to turkey and then, that day, chocolate chip bacon ice cream, I said I love you one last time. We pet owners talk a lot about heart dogs, that dog who just 'got' you, the dog who changed you and will never, ever be replaced (you can substitute dog for any pet, of course.) And once you have a heart dog, once you lose a heart dog, you may wonder if you will ever have another one again. I'm ... Read more »
We Will Remember You- Tonight and Always
Yesterday, I was working on a homework assignment for a course I am taking on pet loss and bereavement. I was reading about the guilt so much of us feel after losing a pet, and one of the exercises they recommend we do is imagine a conversation with our pet. I decided I would try this with Kekoa, as I struggled- like so many people do- with knowing if it was the right time to say goodbye to her last year as she dealt with bone cancer. Me: Kekoa, I'm sorry. Kekoa: I love you. Me: I feel ... Read more »
We Will Remember You: A Pet Loss Memorial Candle Ceremony
There is something vastly powerful about going through grief with friends. It validates, it resonates, it comforts. When it comes to losing a pet, too many of us are forced to endure the pain without that camaraderie of a circle of friends. To that end, and because I know so many people continue to hurt and feel alone in their grief over the loss of a beloved pet, The Tiniest Tiger and I are hosting a Pet Loss Candle Ceremony next Wednesday, February 5th, at 6 pm PST. What Will ... Read more »
What to Say to Someone in Mourning
This morning, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Joanne McGonagle over at The Tiniest Tiger for a Google Hangout on the topic of pet loss. I had this whole long post about how easy it is to get wrong and how hard it is to get right, but rather than go through the long sordid tales of all the times I've said the exact wrong thing I thought I would instead sum up what we, along with all the wonderful participants, concluded during the course of the talk. Some of the statements are specific ... Read more »
Awesome App Alert: Pet First Aid
You're on a walk with your dog. He looks tired. You don't know if he's just tired from the walk or if he's showing early signs of hyperthermia. What do you look for? Unless you have a lot of experience with dogs or happen to have an emergency medicine textbook on you, you might not know. But thanks to increasingly cooler and better apps, you can get some immediate reassurance from your smartphone. The latest must-have app for dog and cat owners just came out, and at $0.99 there's no reason ... Read more »
My husband and Her: A neato love story
I have no one to blame but myself, of course, for the events that have transpired since Christmas. I was the one who brought her in, invited her to come into our home and get to know the place. My husband said it was the only thing he wanted this year, so I went with it, albeit with some trepidation. You should have seen his face when he realized what I had done. "Wow!" he said. "Finally!" The children looked on in confusion. Brody ran away. Only Penelope, the newest addition to the fold, ... Read more »
The Cat Needs a Lozenge
It started innocently enough, my son asking Penelope a question about her feet: "Penelope, how many fingers do you have?" And without much thought, I answered for her, in a high pitched Muppet voice: "None, I have 20 toes." And thus began one of the kids' greatest sources of entertainment for the past two weeks. He argued with her for a while, about why cats have four legs instead of two arms and two legs. In this case, Penelope was right. But sometimes she's not, like when she insisted ... Read more »
Professional Loser
I hope everyone had a safe and happy transition into 2014. 2014! How did this happen? It seems like just yesterday I was sitting on the edge of Lake Union at the turn of the millennium, looking out over the Space Needle and wondering whether it was going to go dark and topple into the water (it didn't.) The thought of 2014 seemed very far away at the time. Old and Boring I would have thought 14 years would bring a vast amount of wisdom and insight into my world, that I would be ... Read more »
On the tenth day of Petmas
My tired loves gave to me: 10 Snorers Sleeping! Nine Surfin' Santas Eight Toes a-Twinklin' Seven Noshes Nibbled Six things to lay on Five faaaavorite things Four doggie nerds Three Irish Hounds Two turtles, Dove And a cat messing up my new tree! I thought this went up earlier today, but apparently. I was running around all day unaware- four appointments for people to say goodbye to their beloved pets, so forgive me being late here but it was a draining day. Like clockwork, the week ... Read more »
On the fifth day of Petmas (sing it now)
My true love gave to me (with feeling!) FIIIIIVE FAVORITE THIIIIIINGS! Four doggie nerds Three Irish Hounds Two turtles, Dove And a cat messing up my new tree! Thank you Lisa and the adorable Miss Sophie! ... Read more »
She might have a Caesar
One part of being a medical professional that no one really prepares you for is how to deliver bad news. If you watch those who have done it long enough (read: emergency doc) you'll see the professional approach: sterile, blunt, quick. You have to do it that way, because you have a bunch of patients still alive to attend to. OK, not this blunt: But that's a learned skill. Those who haven't done it as frequently have obvious tells: the grimace when your hopeful face meets their eyes, the ... Read more »
A Veterinarian’s Holiday Wishlist
I usually spend this time of year making up wishlists for dogs and cats, and with a new kitten in the house, there's plenty she could be interested in finding under the tree (though for her, the tree itself is present enough). But then I saw a few things that I just had to stick on my Amazon Wishlist, and because I thought they were awesome I thought some of you out there might find them awesome too. If you want to get that special vet in your life something that blows the lid off a "I love ... Read more »
The Secrets to Saving Money at the Vet
Hoo boy, that 20/20 piece sure stirred up some emotions, didn't it? And it's Thanksgiving, a week of gratitude, so I'm going to take a step back and say thank you to all the wonderful readers and colleagues who make writing this worthwhile. In honor of that, I'm going to take a moment and also share with you some of my own veterinary secrets. For the low low price of nothing, I want to explain to you what I believe, based on over a decade now in the field, is the best way to save money at the ... Read more »
Some Veterinarians Sell Unnecessary Online Memberships By Throwing Colleagues Under the Bus
Some Veterinarians Sell Unnecessary Shots, Tests to Make Extra Money, Says Former Vet Did you see this bit on 20/20 this weekend? Ah, media. Titled "Veterinary Confessions," the piece follows a couple of dogs through a series of veterinary visits where different vets offer different services based on their clinical experience, interspersed with the contrite admonitions of a former veterinarian who says that he was, before he relinquished his license (more on that later), the medical ... Read more »
