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Pawcurious: With Veterinarian and Author Dr. V

Celebrating the truth that pets make people better.

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Health

begging dogs

What Pet Owners Should Do About Coronavirus

March 3, 2020 by Dr. V

There's so much going on in the world today and so much conflicting information, sometimes it's hard to tell up from down and left from right. Like all of you, I'm watching the news intently and trying to balance reasonable precautions without lapsing into panic mode. Here, have a picture the dogs begging for popcorn. That always helps me: I'm not the ultimate authority on epidemiology, but I am surrounded by people who live and research in this space. I trust what they say, so I pass it ... Read more »

Filed Under: Disaster Response, Dogs, Featured Posts, Health, Uncategorized Tagged With: coronavirus, News

What You Should Know About the FDA Alert on Grain Free Dog Foods

September 5, 2018 by Dr. V

A recent FDA alert about the possible connection between grain free diets and dilated cardiomyopathy has been gaining momentum. I'm getting tons of questions about it, and I'm learning as much as I can too. Let me start by saying this: we ALL want what's best for our pets. We might have different approaches for getting there, but that's the goal. For the video version, check out my interview with Dr. Lisa Weeth, DVM, DACVN: You can tell by my intense face we were having a GREAT ... Read more »

Filed Under: Daily Life, Dogs, Featured Posts, Health, Picks of the Litter, Uncategorized Tagged With: diet, grain free, nutrition

This One Little Tip Could Save Your Dog’s Life

April 3, 2018 by Dr. V

At pawcurious, we’re both saddened and bemused when scrolling through the clickbait pseudoscience of “natural pet advice” websites. We decided, initially, to post a Top Five List of some of the just plain bad advice commonly dispensed by people with no formal education in veterinary medicine, science, or critical thinking. But after getting through just one, I was so exhausted by cutting through the garbage caked on like tartar on the teeth of dog who’s had nothing but anesthesia-free dentals ... Read more »

Filed Under: Ask Dr. V, Daily Life, Featured Posts, Health, Uncategorized Tagged With: all natural, pseudoscience, vaccines

6 Myths About Veterinary Telemedicine We Need to Get Over

March 23, 2018 by Dr. V

The very first time I used my insurance program's telemedicine service to call and get a prescription for a minor problem that nonetheless couldn't wait for Monday, I had two thoughts: This is awesome (Friday night at the ER is no bueno). I wonder when this is going to be a reality in veterinary medicine. This was, hmmm, maybe 2015 or so. I asked the people around me what they thought and they all laughed and said it was never going to happen, just like they said to me in 2010 when I ... Read more »

Filed Under: Daily Life, Featured Posts, Health, Picks of the Litter, telemedicine Tagged With: telemedicine

Did You Know?

January 21, 2018 by Dr. V

Did you know when we woke up this morning how things would end? I doubt it. I went to the gym and you hung out with the kids, because it was a Saturday and they were home. We vacuumed, because as usual pieces of you were starting to accumulate on the ground where you lay. Did you know how hairy you were? Did you know that yesterday, I was supposed to go to spin class but when you saw my shoes you got so excited I stayed home with you instead and we took a walk? It was the longest walk we took ... Read more »

Filed Under: Cancer sucks, Daily Life, Euthanasia/Hospice, Featured Posts, Health Tagged With: Brody

This is How I Feel About Declaws: Now With Minimal Exclamation Points

September 13, 2017 by Dr. V

I have a list of what I call "chum" topics on the blog, topics that are guaranteed to bloody the waters and bring in the sharks and ruin my little oasis of calm and rational discussion. While I don't mind talking about controversial things, it's not worth it unless we're trying to find some common ground- right? Which is why I've waited a good long time to say how I feel about declaws, because it never seemed to accomplish anything. But times change, and I think based on what I'm seeing around ... Read more »

Filed Under: Be The Change, Cats, Featured Posts, Health Tagged With: cats, declaw, feline medicine

Human-Animal Bond

Pets and Cancer: What This Vet Wants You To Know

May 2, 2017 by Dr. V

Tonight I spent ten minutes feeding Brody peanut butter on a tongue depressor so I could remove some staples from his chin. 10 days ago he had yet another mass removal. I think we're at four mass removals now, maybe five. Five masses and one ear. At least two of those masses represented dangerous cancers in their early stages, and according to the pathology reports, they are gone. It is one of the things you do when you have a pet, especially a Golden. I do this willingly and gladly, ... Read more »

Filed Under: Cancer sucks, Daily Life, Featured Posts, Health Tagged With: ask dr v, cancer, cancer sucks, Videos

An ER Euthanizes a Beloved Pet. This is What You Should Know:

November 3, 2016 by Dr. V

There are certain calls to news editors that prove irresistible. I imagine in this day and age of ratings and clicks mattering more than actual investigative reporting, nothing makes editors salivate more than the tale of a devastated family and the greedy, lazy, and/or incompetent veterinarian responsible for the death of a pet. It neatly checks all the boxes modern day news websites are looking for: sad family. Adorable pet. Terrible situation. Having fulfilled these requirements, the ... Read more »

Filed Under: Featured Posts, Health, Musings Tagged With: ER, media, News

The Dying Pet’s Bill of Rights

September 28, 2016 by Dr. V

As I prepare for my third year at IAAHPC, the veterinary hospice conference, I've taken pause to reflect on this journey and how it affects the way I view veterinary medicine. Personally, I have only euthanized a personal pet in a clinic (versus at home) one time. It was Nuke, my vet school coonhound, and he was diagnosed with hemangiosarcoma just a month after I graduated and came back home. The veterinarian was lovely and did as great a job as one can do in that situation, but so many ... Read more »

Filed Under: Be The Change, Daily Life, Euthanasia/Hospice, Featured Posts, Health, Musings Tagged With: end of life, hospice

One Basic Household Item You Need if You Have a Pet

June 23, 2016 by Dr. V

I've teamed up with Clorox to bring you some pet health and safety tips for the summer. Over this week and the next I'll be sharing some info on Facebook and Instagram about household germs and infectious disease prevention. Bottom line for me is, keep it simple! This post is sponsored by Clorox. “Simplify the problem of life, distinguish the necessary and the real.” – Henry David Thoreau, 1848 We spend a lot of time in our lives looking for the next biggest thing that’s going to ... Read more »

Filed Under: Daily Life, Featured Posts, Health Tagged With: clorox, germs, gross, parvo

Cancer Is Fun

February 13, 2016 by Dr. V

That's sarcasm, by the way. Cancer sucks, I hate cancer, cancer can go suck it. Anyway. When you have a dog, but especially when you have a dog who is a breed with a 50% occurrence of cancer in their lifetime, you learn to be vigilant. And by vigilant I mean you pick over your dog like a chimpanzee searching out ticks, and with good reason. So far, as you know, I've lost one dog to lymphoma, one to probable melanoma, and Brody's had the following removed: low grade melanoma on his lip ... Read more »

Filed Under: Cancer sucks, Daily Life, Health Tagged With: Brody, cancer sucks, vet, why wait aspirate

Heat Stroke is No Joke!

September 10, 2015 by Dr. V

While a local news station was out at a park reporting on the death of a bulldog from heat stroke the day before, they came across another dog who was very close to heat exhaustion, if not stroke. This is despite the warning signs at the park entrance. Though you'd think people would get it by now, some people really don't. To make matters worse, the reporter spent time talking to the ranger about the dog's condition and showing them pouring water on him while neglecting to mention the number ... Read more »

Filed Under: Daily Life, Dogs, Fit Life, Health Tagged With: emergencies, heat stroke, info graphics

Dear Pet Owners: Stop saying your pet doesn’t hurt!

August 12, 2015 by Dr. V

If I had a nickel for every time a person said, "Oh, my dog isn't hurting, I can tell because he doesn't cry" I would have a nice little nest egg by now. It makes me nuts, because it's not true, and pets suffer for it. Have you ever been sore, or had a headache, or tweaked your knee? Did you cry every time you moved? Probably not. Acute pain, the type you get when you stub your toe on the doorjamb or slice your finger cutting lemons, is sharp enough that you might cry out "Oh !@$@$!# that ... Read more »

Filed Under: Health Tagged With: pain, rimadyl, senior care

Ask Me Anything TOMORROW on reddit! (Plus reddit primer)

August 10, 2015 by Dr. V

If you know and love reddit already, here's the short short version: Tomorrow (8/11/15) I will be on Reddit doing an AMA from 2-5 PST (5-8 EST) on /r/books. I'd love for you to join me! If you don't know reddit, you might need a more involved primer: What is reddit? Reddit is a website where people talk about, well, just about everything. Some people talk about football. Some people talk about cars. Others talk about knitting, politics, cat videos, just about anything under the sun. As a ... Read more »

Filed Under: Ask Dr. V, Daily Life Tagged With: all dogs go to kevin, ama, reddit

Pet Doctor Barbie and the Pet Food Dude

July 30, 2015 by Dr. V

It's been a while since I've done a Pet Doctor Barbie post. It's past due for a new episode, yes? I think it's time for Pet Doctor Barbie to meet one of her self-appointed arch nemeses, Pet Food Dude.   Episode 8 Hi Mrs. Sandford, good to see you and Muffin. It's been a while! I'm really glad you're doing housecalls now. I want to get Muffin's bump looked at again. OK, I'll just look at my notes here- 1 cm, top of head...mm hmmm... So where we left it one year ago was that you ... Read more »

Filed Under: Daily Life, Goofball Antics, Health, Pet Doctor Barbie, Picks of the Litter, Tails from the Vet Clinic Tagged With: big coconut oil, big pet food, Dogs Naturally, shysters

Save tons at the vet! How to keep your dog from dying of cancer

July 29, 2015 by Dr. V

As a veterinarian, I've seen lots of cancers: lymphoma. Melanoma. Osteosarcoma. Hemangiosarcoma. Mast cell tumors. Wait, those are just my own dogs I'm talking about. When I factor in my clients, I think I've seen it all. Dogs get cancer, at very high rates: about 50% of senior dogs die of it, if the statistics are to be believed. Why? Well, if you read overly simplified, graphics-intensive websites by people who really don't know what they're talking about, they will tell you that they know ... Read more »

Filed Under: Cancer sucks, Health, Musings Tagged With: Brody, cancer, cancer sucks, why wait aspirate

Balancing the scales in medicine

July 7, 2015 by Dr. V

I am becoming increasingly convinced the communication gap between veterinarians and clients is the number one problem we've failed to solve. We're just not on the same page a lot of the time, it seems, and it makes me sad. I can't read a single article online without coming across "veterinarians are money grubbing pigs that suck" (true blog title) and someone else saying "if you can't afford x/y/z/q you shouldn't have gotten a pet, jerk." I feel as though this is perhaps a bit extreme, but it's ... Read more »

Filed Under: Daily Life, Health, Musings, Picks of the Litter Tagged With: communication, hospice, medicine, money grubbing vets

Charity Treat: Newflands Hoki Oil and AFARNYC

July 3, 2015 by Dr. V

  Perhaps you are the magnanimous sort. "Dr. V," you say, "I ordered the book but I don't need the free Halo or Sleepypod stuff or PetHub tag or Dog + Bone collars or Groom Genie or any of those items you are giving away, not even the awesome little activity book with coloring pages and a word search featuring ANALGLANDS and DEMODEX." You are an ascetic. You don't have a pet. You're decluttering. OK, I get that. But surely you aren't opposed to a donation in your name, right? I have a ... Read more »

Filed Under: Be The Change, Book News, Daily Life, Health, Lifestyle, Pet Gear Tagged With: all dogs go to kevin, book, hoki oil, newflands, preorders

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