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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
Euthanasia Aftermath
I often stay late to catch up on admin stuff during the quiet of the evening, but today the walls of my clinic echo with the heavy silence of loss. It's a silence that reverberates through every corner, a stark reminder of the emptiness left behind by Kibbler's...
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...
Animal Care
Pet Article: Leave the Wildlife In the Wild
As the weather warms up and nature flourishes, it’s not uncommon to encounter wildlife in need. At Guardian Animal Medical, we frequently see well-meaning individuals bring in baby animals and other wildlife that, in most cases, do not require intervention. While your...
Pet Article: Snuggling
Snuggling with your pet is a common and cherished activity for many pet owners. This article explores the benefits and downfalls of this practice, with a special mention of Foxtrot, your best snuggling Labrador. Snuggling with your pet significantly strengthens the...
Emotional ER shifts
As a veterinarian, my days are often a roller coaster of emotions, challenges, and occasional triumphs. Working at the Animal ER on Memorial Day was a poignant reminder of the extremes this profession can reach, filled with both heart-wrenching lows and joyous highs....
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
Pet Article: Leave the Wildlife In the Wild
As the weather warms up and nature flourishes, it’s not uncommon to encounter wildlife in need. At Guardian Animal Medical, we frequently see well-meaning individuals bring in baby animals and other wildlife that, in most cases, do not require intervention. While your...
Pet article: The Hidden Lives of Turtles: Rehabilitation and the Importance of Letting Them Be Wild
When a water turtle named Timmy was brought into our wildlife rehabilitation center, it was clear he had been through a harrowing ordeal. Found on the side of a busy highway, Timmy had been struck by a car. His shell was cracked, and he was also suffering from a...
Of Falcons, Quails, and Recovery: A Journey through Unexpected Adventures
Recovery from knee replacement surgery often brings unforeseen challenges and moments of unexpected joy. At three weeks and a day post-operation, my journey to full mobility has been a slower ascent than anticipated. Yet, amidst the hurdles, there have been tales of...
Vet Life and It’s not just a vet life
Pet Article: Continuing Education
Continuing Education in Veterinary Medicine: A Commitment to Excellence As a dedicated veterinarian licensed in West Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio, Missouri, and the Northern Mariana Islands I understand the critical importance of continuing education in maintaining the...
Pet article: Reflections
This past week was one of the more challenging stretches I've experienced in my veterinary career. It began with a full shift in the emergency room (ER), where the unpredictability of cases is matched only by the urgency they bring. Following a long holiday weekend,...
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...
Out and About
Pet-Friendly Travel: Exploring the World with Your Furry Companion
I’m packing to head to a conference. I am lucky to have a safe place for the fur kids, but we have traveled with them in the past. As more and more people consider their pets as beloved family members, the trend of traveling with furry companions has soared to new...
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...
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...