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Speaking of pets | Animal Care | Animal Diseases | Cats are not little dogs | Creepy Crawly Parasites | Wildlife and exotics | Vet Life and It’s not just a vet life | Out and About | Howlidays
Speaking of pets
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...
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...
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...
Animal Care
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...
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...
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...
Animal Diseases
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...
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...
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...
Cats are not little dogs
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...
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...
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...
Creepy Crawly Parasites
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Marine Iguanas
The first animals we saw in the Galapagos were the up close bright orange crabs and sea lions, but I had gone hoping to see blue-footed boobies, Galapagos tortoises, marine iguanas, and perhaps if I was lucky a Galapagos hawk. The sea lions and crabs seemed to be on...
Vet Life and It’s not just a vet life
Pet Article: How to pick a vet
When it comes to caring for your beloved four-legged companions, choosing the right veterinarian can make all the difference. As a veterinary professional with years of experience in animal care, I know firsthand the importance of finding a qualified and compassionate...
November Gratitude (Continued)
Oh, My! It is Nov 2! I forgot. Yesterday, I knew it was the day after Halloween, All Saints Day, and a new month, but I forgot that it was the first day of November. November is my month of gratitude, and honestly, I could have used a tad of gratitude yesterday. It...
November Gratitude
Oh, My! It is November second! I forgot. Yesterday, I knew it was the day after Halloween, All Saints Day, and a new month, but I forgot that it was the first day of November. November is my month of gratitude and honestly, I could have used a tad of gratitude...
Out and About
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...
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...
Blue Green Algae
I am camping this weekend. Although camping with a kitchen, bathroom and air conditioning does seem like cheating, I am old enough to have earned it. It has been a busy week! Major medical cases, intensive care cases, taxes, employees headed to college, new employees...
Howlidays
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...
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...
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...