Every summer, our family makes the trek from San Diego to Seattle for a little family vacation. Usually we fly, but twice in the past years we’ve driven so the dogs could come as well. I’m not going to lie- it takes some preparation and work to manage a road trip with kids and dogs, but the fun of having the entire family together at our little lake cabin makes it all worthwhile. And as it turned out, dear Brody passed away this winter, so I am even more glad we put in the ... Read more »
Lifestyle
Giving Tuesday- I’m Giving to You!
Hey guys- long time no talk, right? I miss you all. I'm here, though as you probably noticed less so than I used to be. It's by design- lots of stuff in the works as always, and figuring out how this little blog fits in to all of it is always something I think about. People are reading fewer words these days, looking at more pictures, listening to more podcasts. How do we continue to stay in touch in a world whose canvas is ever-changing? Do I even want to try? (Yes. You should always try.) ... Read more »
Want to Be a Good Dog Neighbor? Throw a Bark Party!
This post is sponsored by State Farm®. Having good neighbors, as we all know, can be a roll of the dice. Our first week in our new home, we waved to people passing by, but no one said much. I wondered how we were ever going to get to know anyone. Later that week, my often-shy daughter barreled out the front door and down the driveway when she spotted a girl about her age walking her Golden Retriever down the street. “I have a Golden too!” my daughter said, and it was the start of a ... Read more »
Does Anyone Know If Elon Musk Has Pets?
Dear Elon, Hello! I would like to congratulate you on the roaring success of Tesla, in particular the Model X. I see them driving around when I'm out walking my dog and I spend a lot of time daydreaming about one day driving one of my own out to the dog park, with my dog's one ear flapping in the breeze as we race down the road. Perhaps you might be saying to yourself, "Goodness! What's keeping you from buying one, then? Aren't you a veterinarian? I hear they're rolling in dough!" ... Read more »
Cat Lady Box: are you awesome enough?
When I say "Cat Lady," what do you picture? Or this? The old tropes die hard. And while those types of cat ladies are still out there, I'm sure, those of you who have been paying attention are probably realizing there is a new breed of cat lady out there. The Kate Benjamins and the Dorian Wagners and the Taylor Swifts, the crazy (and cool) cat ladies of the world. Though Jackson Galaxy may arguably be the most likely spokesperson for "Cat People Don't Look Like What You Thought ... Read more »
Charity Treat: Newflands Hoki Oil and AFARNYC
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 »
Safe and styling travel: The Auto treat featuring Sleepypod Clickit and PeaceLovePaws!
It's summer- heck, the fourth of July is one of the busiest travel weekends of the year, and you know what that means. Traffic. Sitting on the road. Making sure your pet doesn't get carsick. That sort of thing. Carsickness aside, the biggest risk to pets with travel is the danger of an unsecured pet- for the pet himself, and for you. Unsecured, a pet is a projectile during an accident, and even in minor crashes there is a very high rate of injury when pets escape and run into traffic. Even a ... Read more »
Bites for Books: Halo Pet Treat to Eat!
We are almost to the end of our treat selections and they are going fast! All you need to do is order 2 copies of the book and you get a treat- it's like free goodies from heaven! Today's treat comes to you courtesy of Halo Pet Food, a long-time friend of the blog. They are ingredient-focused, with an emphasis on no chicken meal, by-product meal, or rendered meat. You may be familiar with the brand as a highly philanthropic company, with their freekibble.com site donating hundreds ... Read more »
Tags for Tomes: PetHub and Lost Pet Prevention Month!
July is Lost Pet Prevention Month, and that's a huge deal. After all, the fifth of July is the single busiest day of the year for shelters, due to a cross-the-country habit of loud explosives sending panicked dogs and cats screaming out the door the night before. If you think your pet is a flight risk, there's still time! Talk to the vet about anxiety prevention measures before you need them. Acepromazine, that old stand-by sedative, is actually a terrible choice as it does nothing to ... Read more »
Confessions of an Agnawstic
A few weeks ago, while my publicist was asking online dog lovers if they might be interested in reviewing my book, he came back with a question: "Do you recommend Science Diet or raw?" he asked. "It's really not an either/or thing," I said. "The book doesn't talk about nutrition at all." "Well, one of the people we approached said they only write about things from a raw food perspective," he said. "Oh, then they don't want my book," I said. "It's just from a dog lover's perspective." ... Read more »
The vet will see you now- for entertainment purposes only
A year ago, my husband gave me a telephone number and said his insurance company now had phone consults available. 24/7, from the privacy of my own home, I could call in and get "seen" for ear infections, get a prescription for Ambien for travel, even get marriage counseling, should I desire it. I only used it once, but I was amazed that at 10 pm I could just call and talk to some random person and 15 minutes later pick up a prescription at the 24/7 Rite-Aid. I'm not going to lie, I think it was ... Read more »
Bowls for books: Sleepypod Yummy bowl Travel Treat!
If you're wondering if the entire blog has gone to the dogs lately, the answer is yes. This blog is All Dogs Go to Kevin, All the Time....through July 14th. That's when the preorder part is over and I'm either kicking back with a bottle of champagne and planning the next book or crying inconsolably in a parking lot somewhere when I find out I sold less copies than William Hung's newest single. I don't want that, at all, which is why I spent so many hours staring over my husband's shoulder while ... Read more »
Dog Plus Bone: The Stylin’ Treat Collar for posh pups
The preorder incentive campaign for All Dogs Go to Kevin is swimming along, but because you all are so awesome I really wanted to share some extra special items as thank yous for all your support. Today I want to introduce you to the Stylin' Treat: A snap or martingale collar from the wonderful team at Dog Plus Bone! Dog Plus Bone is the brainchild of owners Anne and Ivan, who set out with one goal: "to create simple, honest, classic products that enable you to enjoy more ... Read more »
How Emmett helped save me from depression
When people ask me what my book is about, I feel silly saying, "Dogs," so I've been trying to refine it. I got a little further: "3 Dogs," and then, "3 dogs who were really important to me and also it's about my friend Kevin and a funny play on words," and then I took a break. It didn't really hit me until my mom got sick: This is a book about the purpose dogs have in our lives, about how they are here for a discrete space and time and change us for the better in very specific ways. And the ... Read more »
Brain Food
Did you know tomorrow is National Donut Day? Donuts have always held a special place in my family's heart. Mystical, you might even say. I grew up in New England, where Dunkin Donuts are as ubiquitous as Starbucks and McDonalds. Driving through for a box of Munchkins was our way of celebrating, commiserating, or simply getting a sugar fix. For my grandfather, the Dunk was also a neighborhood gathering place where he went to shoot the breeze, down a jelly donut with a coffee regular (it's a ... Read more »
Wisdom Panel 3.0- the next gen DNA test has arrived
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 »
How to be happy in 4 simple steps
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
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 »
