The holidays must be a weird time for our pets. Their familiar homes are suddenly brimming with strange trinkets and lights. New smells are wafting in from the kitchen. And did I mention there’s a tree in the living room? While most pets adapt quickly to our inexplicable traditions, a few will find ways to […]
It happens at least once a year. Family members taking turns with strep throat, and they bring the dog in to see if he might be the culprit. It’s a completely reasonable concern, although I’m surprised at how often it has been suggested by the family physician or pediatrician. Because the answer is the same […]
It’s been hard to escape news of the opioid crisis over the past few years. And it’s just as difficult to ignore the complicity of the nation’s health care system in creating it. Opioid medications—drugs similar to morphine and named for the opium poppy plant that produces them—have an important role to play in patient […]
Finding a new dog isn’t trivial, and I’m often faced with questions about the process. There are so many variables to consider. Should you adopt a puppy or rescue an adult? What size dog best fits your lifestyle? Some questions have easier answers than others, and many require a degree of generalization that makes me […]
I’ve always been a sound sleeper. Garbage trucks? Thunderstorms? Please. But the low, glugging sound of my cat depositing a hairball three rooms away can wrest me from the deepest slumber in an instant. It’s as if that noise is wired directly to the sleep center of my brain. Most cat owners are somewhat familiar […]
Anything that looks this terrifying must be an emergency. The poor dog is standing with her legs braced and head thrust forward, and the corners of her mouth are pulled taught in a frightening grimace. Her belly contracts and her ribcage tenses in powerful bursts, and a thundering snort marks each strained breath. She’s distressed, […]
It was a trivial bit of celebrity news, but it evoked conversations I’ve had with clients in the past, and probably meant I’d be having them more often in the future. Barbra Streisand cloned her dog. I have never had someone approach me with the serious intention of cloning a pet, but the idea is […]
It’s not yet safe to think that spring has fully sprung, but as the occasional warm days sneak back onto the calendar, it’s hard to resist cracking the windows and cleaning the house in preparation for brighter weather. In my case, that optimistic spirit invariably leads to the purchase of a few houseplants. Ignoring all […]
At a glance, you wouldn’t even know it’s there. Dogs and cats appear to have the same two eyelids that we do. But look closer, especially if you find your pet half asleep, and you might catch a glimpse of their third eyelid. Properly called the nictitans, it’s a pink sheet of tissue that stretches […]
It was odd the first time it happened. My dog, an aging Lhasa Apso, failed to greet me at the door. I found him snoozing in the middle of the living room and tapped him on the head. In a flash, he popped up onto his feet and regained his usual wriggling enthusiasm. Clearly, he […]