Stories
Predatory Aggression – Lucky to be alive
Early in my career my veterinary clinic had a feed store as a next-door neighbor. Being a backyard poultry farmer, I visited often for chicks (baby chickens, that is) and lay pellets. I lived the life of North valley chic. The only thing missing was the chic.
Read MoreAirborne Monstrosities – High Anxiety
Gas Abuse; Paw Pain Frustrations come with every job. I’ve been lucky. The problems I have faced that have risked baldness, you know – tearing out my hair – have…
Read MoreHorse Play – Fun Until it Isn’t
We were just wrapping up a routine day of limping, itching, and diarrhea (ah, my patients, not me) when Jamie arrived. She’d been frolicking in the pasture with the neighbor…
Read MoreBiting – Can You Ever Trust Again?
Folks like you and I are tethered to our pets by an emotional commitment to their well-being. If they have a problem with any body part, including their brains, we want them to get well fast. The Internet offers prodigious quantities of quack remedies, especially for behavior disorders. Think twice about quick and dirty corrections.
Read MoreAnkle Biter Redemption
Challenge Your Knowledge of Canine Behavior
Multiple choice: Dogs adopted as adults, who are aggressive toward the man in the home: (a) Were previously mistreated by a male (b) Are jealous, wanting the woman all to themselves (c) Are frightened by the macho, but gentle dude who guzzles battery acid instead of coffee in the morning (d) Are trying to be dominant (e) Have an Oedipus complex.
Ears & Rears – Would it Ever End?
Poking my head into the reception room, my gaze fell on a nicely groomed Old English Sheepdog – my next patient. As I invited her and her person into the exam room I noticed a slight left head tilt.
Read MoreA Ferret & a Paint Can
My general veterinary practice was busy. That might sound like a good problem but despite meticulous preparation I was seldom caught up. There seemed to be more going on with every pet I saw than what it came in for.
Read MoreDog Bites Child – Can it Ever be Trusted?
Visiting the Grahams was always exciting although, in retrospect, it was pretty ordinary. Kenny Graham was a funny kid, the same age as my big sister Martha. Their family was like June, Ward, and Beaver Cleaver. Life was simple. I was 4 years old; Martha was 6 – average baby boomer kids.
Read MoreUrine was Never the Solution
The anxiety and blood pressure spikes of white coat syndrome aren’t fun for us. Most pets have the same problem. That long walk to the exam room, running a gauntlet through other jumpy dogs, is especially harrowing for those already losing their grip.
Read MoreCrawdad Fishing–What (who) they Caught
I’d arrived home, made myself dinner (at that point in my life it might have been of the TV variety), and was starting to unwind when my pager beeped. We…
Read MoreMr. L – Somebody got Lucky
I was wearily motoring home, down unlit El Pueblo Road, when my Triumph’s headlights lit up a slow moving small while object. Grocery bag in the breeze? Ah, no. White…
Read MoreFree to Roam & Risk
He couldn’t even raise his head, his gums were pale, his pulse weak and thready. Had an injury caused this black German Shepherd mix to bleed internally? Was he anemic…
Read MoreHuman Dental Hygiene & Cat Guts
Vomiting – Serious or Watchful Waiting? Vomiting is nobody’s favorite pastime. Sadly, some cats retch from time-to-time, seemingly whether they need to or not. Finding the cause can be tricky…
Read MoreRocks, Storms, and Home Alone
Seemingly logical assumptions can lead the most cautious among us down the wrong path. Veterinary medicine provides generous opportunities so I gather every detail possible. Because it’s important for me…
Read MoreThe Risk of Love
Poupon was an almost constant source of connectedness and entertainment for Cheryl and her husband Michael.
Read MoreSnapping at Mom
Is that OK? Dogs are man’s and woman’s best friends but there are species differences.
Read MoreFence Fighters
Did that really happen? Emotions matter but they can certainly interfere.
Read MoreFaith
Faith was important not just because we loved her but because she taught valuable lessons.
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