Speaking of pets

Ranger

Ranger

Eight years ago, I walked in with Ranger for the last time. One of my favorite things is the feeling of walking into Guardian Animal Medical Center in the morning. I park far away from to door to allow clients to park closer. I walk past as the sun is just coming up...

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Covid at 18 Months

Covid at 18 Months

When I was in the Coast Guard we had a mimeographed cartoon that would periodically circulate through the wardroom. It basically said we have been doing so much with so little for so long that we are now capable of doing the impossible. I feel that now. We are 18...

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Pet Festival

Pet Festival

“Having a party, dancing on the ceiling” was playing on the radio the other morning and it is still running through my head as I try to write. Having a Festival (apologies to Sam Cooke) We're havin' a festival Celebratin’ the wildlife. Rehabbed by Guardian At the Med...

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Animal Care

Buy Local

Buy Local

Local purchasing is a preference to buy locally produced goods and services over those produced farther away. It is very often abbreviated as a positive goal, "buy local," which parallels the phrase "think globally, act locally," common in green politics." It used to...

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ER Shift

ER Shift

I worked at the Animal ER yesterday. It makes for a long day when I pull a shift there. My morning started at Guardian Animal. There were cases to be checked, wildlife to be fed, and surgeries to be readied to go home. And appointments. Saturdays are hectic in...

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Don’t Eat That

Don’t Eat That

Derby came in during the time of ice and no power for many, including my house. This 16-month-old doodle wasn’t feeling well. Derby was not eating well, but the first thing I noticed was that she was walking hunched over. This is often a sign of belly pain. COVID has...

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Animal Diseases

Cushings

Cushings

Piper, Max and Fifi were all scheduled for all day cushing’s tests Thursday. Piper and Fifi almost assuredly have cushing’s disease, but Max’s condition is a little weird. I want to make sure he doesn’t have cushing’s. Or at least, that I don’t miss it. Many of his...

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Auto-Immune-Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA)

Auto-Immune-Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA)

In the exam room, Romeo looked bad. A seven-year-old large breed dog of mixed heritage, he was overweight and superficially (and to his owner) looked in good condition. But on my closer examination, he looked bad. Really bad. On my professional exam, Romeo’s heart...

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Kick Cancer’s Butt

Kick Cancer’s Butt

Shhh! Don’t tell. We are having cake Tuesday. It seemed appropriate since we are celebrating. We even designed and ordered shirts: green shirts with a wiggly dog butt. The celebration is a tad bittersweet, but it is a celebration regardless. Kick Cancer’s Butt We put...

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Cats are not little dogs

FIP Plan

FIP Plan

I first met Lola on the kitten plan. She was a Norwegian Forest cat and had come from a cattery in Wisconsin. This was my first experience with a Norwegian Forest cat. Known as the Skogkatt in its native Norway, they are large, semi-long-haired cats with a rugged...

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Cat Friendly

Cat Friendly

I have been working with a new software to create new exam room videos. While I think the animation adds something to it, this is the text of one that I have been working on for the last few weeks. Cats are amazing creatures and they make wonderful pets, but there are...

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Ember Update

Ember Update

Remember Ember? Seems she has a fan club. Ember was the cat that was in the house fire and wasn’t found for a couple of days afterward. She has been through a lot. There was more than a week in the oxygen cage. The heat and smoke damaged her lungs and they didn’t work...

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Creepy Crawly Parasites

Chiggers

Chiggers

Oh, my, I itch! I got into a batch of chiggers yesterday, and I’m not happy about it! They can be anywhere outside. They love moist, grassy fields, forests, and even lawns. They are often where animals travel like lakes and streams. Chiggers are in the same family as...

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Parvo

Parvo

It is parvo season. One of the local rescues has had a few pups at the vet and it is fall. ‘Tis the season. Parvo is a very common disease year-round, but spring and fall seem to be even worse. Puppies are most commonly hit, but that is only because dogs get it the...

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Ticks

Ticks

After doing a bit of yard work, I am reminded that while ticks are not my favorite animal, they certainly are amazing. Like many animals, ticks start as an egg. The tick that hatches from the egg is a larva and only has six legs. Counting legs is one of the ways to...

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Wildlife and exotics

Exotic Con

Katie and I just got back from Denver at Exotics Con. Leading exotic veterinarians from all over the world get together to advance veterinary medicine and surgery in exotic animal medicine.  In the early years of exotic medicine, the organizations met at separate...

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Galapagos Raptors

Galapagos Raptors

Yes, I went to the Galapagos and wanted to see blue-footed boobies, marine iguanas and giant tortoises, but I also really hoped that I would see some raptors or birds of prey. I was lucky to see a few. I saw a Galapagos hawk nesting on the first island. It is closely...

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Vet Life and It’s not just a vet life

Pet Article: Saipan Boonie Babies

Pet Article: Saipan Boonie Babies

I will be out of the office the last two weeks in March. As a veterinarian deeply committed to animal welfare, I am thrilled to announce an upcoming journey to Saipan, where I will be undertaking a crucial mission aimed at improving the health and well-being of the...

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Pet article: Holiday Euthanasia

Pet article: Holiday Euthanasia

I’m off shifts at the Animal ER due to impending knee surgery. My next shift will be on Christmas Day. My staff has already been teasing me about the euthanasia system. As the holiday season approaches, the world around us transforms into a festive and joyous...

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Pet Article: Knee Surgeries

Pet Article: Knee Surgeries

I am preparing for my own total knee replacement surgery. It's a significant decision, and I am a tad apprehensive about it. As I embark on this journey, I find it intriguing to explore the striking parallels between knee surgeries in humans and our canine companions....

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Out and About

5K and Busy Day

5K and Busy Day

It is not a typical Saturday for me today. We got up early to be at Guardian Animal for our annual 1-mile paw walk and our 5K race. Some of us were up earlier than others so we had to hustle to get everything in place for the 8:00 am start. It was a warm day even in...

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Guardian Animal Medical Center 5K

Guardian Animal Medical Center 5K

I think everyone is starting to go a little stir crazy! Things are starting to open up, but it is clear that the world is not the way that it was. Our two teams have reintegrated, but social distancing, masks and curbside will be in our future for a while. To be...

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Howlidays

A Cat’s Night Before Christmas

A Cat’s Night Before Christmas

(apologies to Clement Clarke Moore) T'was the night before Christmas, when all through the houseNot a creature was stirring, wait, did I hear a mouse?Among the stockings by the chimney did he dare,I mean, really? St Nicholas should soon be there! The children were...

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Gratitude 2021

Gratitude 2021

It is November 1st! I almost forgot! It is time to start my annual tradition of daily affirmations of gratitude! I started many years ago to help counteract the negativity that was rampant on FaceBook and other social media. Now, it is just good practice. Today I am...

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Let the New Year Begin

Let the New Year Begin

 I gave myself a gift for the holidays and took a month off writing.  My best friend said I couldn’t write about all the stresses of COVID again for a while and I needed a break, but the text came in from my editor at 1:02am last night that he didn’t have a 1/5...

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